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A Yawn from the heart
(Or the Yawn that's taken longest to write in the history of Yawns)
The first part of these notes dates back to March/April. I was trying to find a way of thanking everyone for their kindness during
my illness. It is of course sentimental hogwash (it was worse before I edited it) but I think it has its heart in the write place. I just
could not seem to finish it (or anything else for that matter) or bring myself to send it to Nigel at the time, so please accept my apologies for taking so long to say thanks.
I wonder how many know the film 'It's A Wonderful Life'. It is very old and stars the wonderful actor James Stewart. If you have never seen the
movie than I strongly urge you to hunt down a copy and watch it. It is about a very ordinary guy in a small American town. It could be about any
one of us. This man like all of us has dreams and ambition. Life unfortunately has an irritating habit of getting in the way of some of our dreams.
Inevitably as we grow older, this can sometimes make us feel unfulfilled in some ways. If things then go terribly wrong, (we have all surely experienced bad times in our lives) sadness, sometimes even despair can overcome a person.
In the film our hero reaches the point of total despair, angrily telling his guardian angel that he wished he had never been born. So desperate to
save him, so he can earn his wings, the angel gives him his wish and our hero gets to see how his small part of the world would have got on
without him. The answer of course is that this very ordinary, small town man had made an enormous impact on the world. Not just in the small town where he lived, but much, much bigger. The world was a lot poorer without him.
I have been banging on about this movie to people for donkey's years and even before my episode earlier this year, I always found it a profoundly
moving film. Whilst I have been lucky enough never to experience the depths of despair, when you are feeling a little down, it reminds you of your small but important contribution to this world, which is very uplifting.
You don't have to be in the depth of despair to get this movie. All you have to do is imagine how your world would change without you, and suddenly comes the realisation of just how important we all are every single one of us.
For me, following my heart attack, I got to experience that 'Wonderful Life' thing first hand. I started getting messages of encouragement, kind
words, offers of help, from friends, acquaintances, even from people I hardly know. For example, business clients, who couldn't possibly care less about me, were ringing my secretary Joan every day to find out how I was doing!
Then there was you lot, you wonderful shower of reprobates that makes up the MMEB family, spread rather appropriately when you consider the
bands logo, all over the world. So many cards and messages and stuff on the website wishing me well. I have banged on before about how many friends I have made over the years, I never realised quite how many there are of you!
When I first started doing the old paper version of Platform End what seems a lifetime ago, Manfred gave me a very sound bit of advice, which
was to avoid in jokes and stuff like that which could so easily alienate the casual reader. It made good sense to me at the time and I have tried to
stay true to that advice ever since. But then common fellas, I died in January so to hell with it surly I'm entitled to be bad just this once!
Let us start with our Aussie correspondent Mick Maloney, who sadly I have never had chance to meet. Nobody, but nobody could fail to pick out
Mick's card in a month of Australian Sundays. In amongst all the other cards depicting pretty flowers, cuddly animals and funny cartoons, is a
very, very, very curvy Australian nurse asking 'Are you ready for your sponge bath sir?' (I assume she's an Aussie cause wonderful as my nurses were, none of them looked like this one!)
Nice one Mick and thanks for your kind words in the chat room. You have been one of the great helpers, over the years and there is still
fascinating info you've sent me in the past, remaining unpublished, some of which got cut from my notes for the Mis-takes set which was a shame. Maybe one day Nigel can put the full version on line.
Apparently there was so much interest and concern for my well being that it prompted a phone call from Ian Tompson. Many of you will know Ian.
He's the ugly one, who keeps Manfred's rig working amongst countless other jobs he's done over the years such as recording engineer, tour manager, producer and all round genius.
Ian insisted I removed my oxygen mask long enough to agree to sign a load of spare copies of 'Plain Talking' (Andy Taylor in conversation with
some rock legend.) He said he was sorry to disturb me, but he had been worried for sometime about disposing of the remaining CDs as they were
only worth a few pennies at the most. He wondered if just in case I didn't make it, I could sign a few dozen copies for him. He reckoned they might almost double in value!
Actually it was Ian who posted the news of my illness, and then went to a good deal of trouble to keep everyone informed of my progress, but I
mustn't mention this, for fear of ruining his image. Worse still I can't thank him for all he did, cause that would be far to silly and sentimental. Still
just as long as he knows I would be very happy to have a few more friends, as horrible as him, that should do the trick for now.
Now there is another small matter that needs addressing. I cannot believe that whilst I was still weak and extremely vulnerable, an argument
should rage on line as to which football team I support! Nigel Stanworth and Terry Strong support Everton. In an act of unquestionable devotion
and friendship, I once took Terry Strong to see Everton play. I know less than nothing about football but took comfort in the obvious fact that it was still considerably more than either of the teams playing that day knew!
My son Thomas went through a phase, when if I didn't like football, we had nothing else to talk about. Out of this came the Tranmere Rovers thing.
Now you would think an Everton supporter would not be over critical of another man's choice of team. I find myself constantly reminding Nigel that
Liverpool has a trophy room, Everton a small cabinet! The harsh truth is my friends; I don't really support any team, which I realise makes me very
odd and probably in need of some serious psychiatric help. So to have a debate going on as I lay in my hospital bed helpless and unable to answer for myself was a little disturbing.
I met the main culprit of this outrage, young Tor a perfectly nice chap I had thought, and nothing like a football hooligan to look at, at a famous sixties
band's convention. My excuse for being there, one of my best friends is a big, big fan of the Hollies; I'm not certain what Tor's excuse was. Still I
can't talk. I went for an MRI scan a month ago. (I am horribly claustrophobic) I fully intended to take some meaningful Manfred, or even some of my
son's stuff to listen to. In the end I had Abba and they alone got me through the ordeal. Worse still I love Mama Mia too! I do need help. To be fair
the Hollies do a pretty a good show and back in those days still had Alan Clarke as lead singer, who is my friend's all time favourite singer ever in
the history of ever. I still treasure the moment Graeme 'the Beaver' Yates told him he thought the band were quite good, let down only by the terrible singer.
Whilst I'm breaking rules and indulging myself, one last little story. Many years ago, somebody asked me to write a letter to Record Collector, so I
did. There were a few replies, three of which were special, because they were the beginning of new friendships, two of which I will mention
here. There is the wonderful Graeme Yates, who as you may gather I like to call 'the Beaver', because he could turn up at the village jumble sale
and find a priceless rare record. He can smell them a mile off. Graeme has sent me loads of music over the years and he sent some interesting
stuff for me to listen to whilst I was recuperating. This included original versions of some of Manfred's covers which I had not heard before.
Then there is John 'the Oracle' Arkle and his lady Jean Pegg. We don't speak that often these days, but that is because when we do, the call can
last a good few hours. Like Graeme he has become a very special friend as well as godfather to my little (five foot eleven!) daughter. (I think
she's grown some more since I wrote this) As always, John has helped to keep me smiling and he is old enough to remember the sixties as well as MMEB. Most of you are far too young.
There are loads more of you out there but if I mentioned everyone it would be like reading a phone book. What I really want to do is just say thank
you to everyone. I'm well on the way to a full recovery now, although I'm still taking it easy. (Some might say I always did!)
I have absolutely no news and even less gossip. I know there are lots of exciting things planned over the next year or so. Steve Fernie and Helen
are doing a fantastic job and there are some more interesting releases, still in the planning stage. I hope you will forgive the self indulgent nature of this offering.
I wrote the above ages ago, when in an emotionally unbalanced state and rewrote it a few times and for some reason never sent it to Nigel.
Everything felt a bit odd, a bit awkward. If you are reading it now then I have finally sent it, if not Nigel has wisely binned it, and all you need to
know is that it was my best attempt at thanking everyone for their kindness when I was ill and how much it contributed to my recovery. Yes even the football, actually especially the football! So what of the gossip I don't have?
John Arkle and I remember and I suspect Tor might too and a handful of others, the shocking and traumatic day when we discovered Paul was
leaving. Paul Jones. PP Pond the one in the middle. Almost everyone accepted that Manfred Mann (the band) was doomed. The media wrote
them off, the record company put their money with the one in the middle and let's be honest folks, us young fans were gutted. There never was,
nor ever will be a blues shouter or harmonica player to match Paul Jones. Check out the two new Blues Band DVDs if you don't believe me.
It is they say, never over until the fat lady sings. Mike D'Abo stepped into Paul's shoes and the hits just kept on coming. I like change, it can often
be tinged with sadness, but it also freshens things up, makes everything more exciting. I don't know how many of our European friends are
familiar with Doctor Who. Every now and again he regenerates into a completely different person. It is about to happen again this Christmas for
the tenth time. Most are very sad to see the tenth Doctor leave. He's been brilliant. Nevertheless the fans are excited to meet the eleventh incarnation.
So Noel has decided to move on. I have not had chance yet to talk to him about his decision. He had a bit of an episode himself last year, but has I
am told made a full recovery. I am delighted to report that all the gossip I have heard from within the band, tells me that this split is totally amicable.
Noel had the difficult, if not impossible task of taking over from the legendary Chris Thompson, another amazing singer. Manfred can sure pick
them. Some of you may remember that magical year or so around 1996/7 when the band boasted Chris, Noel and Mick on vocals.
Noel established himself almost effortlessly, as the one in the middle and will be as difficult an act to follow as those who went before him. It goes
without saying that he has a wonderfully rich, mellow and soulful voice, oozing emotion. He brought new meaning to some of the Earth Band
standards, making them sound fresh again. It was not just Noel's beautiful voice that won over the most discerning fans, it was Noel himself. Both
on stage and off stage he possessed the rare ability to reach out to his audience. Noel has an infectious personality. He is also perhaps just a tiny bit mad!
The first time I ever joined the band on the road back in 1993 Noel had narrowly missed being arrested at a customs point because he had mislaid
his passport. A few years later the tour bus left our hotel and was heading across a narrow winding pass towards a big festival gig. We had
gone about twenty-five kilometers when somebody asked where Noel was! It was quickly established that he was not on the bus. There was no
mobile phone signal and no room to turn the coach round. So we arrived at our destination, a disused airfield in the middle of nowhere without our
singer. Security was tight and included a police escort though a huge aircraft into the festival site where ten thousand or more Hells Angels
waited patiently for the headline act to arrive. Somehow Noel found his way and in the end the show was a huge success.
A few years later I was again out in Germany. Ian Tompson was by this time tour manager as well as keyboard tech. I can't remember now
where we were going that day (Ian can). The crew had to go on ahead with the truck so Ian asked me to make sure the band got safely to the
next venue. It was a simple task he told me! We had to catch a train to Frankfurt, where we would need to change to a train for our destination. Even I could not mess so simple a job.
We got to Frankfurt where we had about an hour to kill before our connection. It was Christmas and Germany seems to take Christmas as
seriously as it takes beer fests. Manfred and I stood under a festive tree, by a Christmas stall on the station forecourt, drinking hot mulled wine
and discussing the origins of Christmas. Fascinating though our deliberations were I was constantly keeping my eye on the others, who had gone
off to explore various parts of the station. I could not imagine Ian being particularly forgiving if I lost half the band.
As we got close to departure I rounded everybody up. Modern Christmas, we had decided was mostly down to Prince Albert and Charles
Dickens, with a sprinkling of paganism. Poor Jesus hardly gets a look in, even though it's supposed to be his birthday.
I managed to find everyone and guided them to our train. We all boarded with plenty of time to spare. Finally the whistle blew and our train slowly
began to pull out of the station. Just as it began to gather speed, Noel stepped off the train! Desperate situations require desperate measures.
Our train was going quite fast now. Still I could not imagine the conversation with Ian going particularly well. "I'm so sorry Ian but I've lost Noel." I
stepped off the train grabbed Noel and pushed him back on, managing to jump back on just as we cleared the platform.
I will genuinely miss you Noel. You have always been one of a kind and just to have got to know you a little, as a showman, a singer, the man
from planet Noel, as a loving family man and above all as a true musician has been very special indeed. I know that I speak on behalf of every
MMEB fan out there when I say a big thank you for the past 18 odd years and wish you well in whatever you do next. I hear there is even a very slight chance we may see Noel make the odd appearance with MMEB again, one day.
By the time you read these notes you should all know the identity of the new singer. From the whispers I have heard, we are about to embark
upon an exciting new phase in the history of MMEB. If I am honest, a couple of years ago I honestly thought we had reached the end of the road,
creatively, if not literally speaking. Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be jumping on a train to Southampton in October 2009 to witness
the start of yet another new chapter in this incredible and seemingly indestructible band. Perhaps I'll see you there, hope so. Thanks again Andy Taylor March to October 2009!
Original Versions
While tidying up the site and trying to match the new design for the main site, I have taken the opportunity to add a new section which includes links to the original versions of the songs MMEB have interpreted over the years. Thanks to everyone who originally contributed via the message board and in particular to the threads started by Ake Widgren. The links have all been re-checked and worked at the start of October (though it is a bit like hitting a moving target with some of them). Some of the tracks originally listed by Ake (Hillbrow for example) have had their links removed on You Tube. If anyone finds any of the missing links please send them in.
Bootleg Archives
Great to see this project is almost in the shops (at the time of writing). It was one of the ideas thrown around a number of times after the initial Unearthed DVD was released and hopefully it will be well received. The tracks/ concerts chosen are largely down to the quality of the recordings - no one wants to pay for a recording which is not upto the mark, no matter how dedicated a fan they are. And the CD should contain something worth listening to. Despite a fairly large collection of bootlegs, many simply didn't pass muster, even I have only listened to them once. The end result is a set which includes some tracks for the first time (Hello, Hello) and which misses some of the constants which have been played at every gig (Blinded and Quinn). Of course some tracks appear multiple times and here the fun is seeing how the band have shaped and bent the arrangements over time. As the notes say, they are not for the audiophile, if you want perfect stereo sound and Dolby effects then you may be disappointed. However they are the best of the rest and when seen from that perspective I hope you enjoy them.
Manfreds Book of Short Stories
Thanks to everyone who forwarded on their pictures, some really interesting shots in there. No news from Manfred/ Steve regarding progress
with this so if you haven't sent in any yet have a look at the Competition Link from the previous Yawn. Nigel
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