Manfred Mann
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Cock-A-Hoop |
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Groovin' |
Manfred Mann was a
British R&B and
pop band of the
1960s, named after its keyboard player, who later led the successful 1970s follow-on group
Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
The band was formed in London in 1962 as the
Mann-Hugg Blues Band by keyboard player
Manfred Mann (born Manfred Liebowitz in
Johannesburg,
South Africa) and drummer Mike Hugg. Born out of the British blues boom then sweeping London's clubs (which also spawned such luminaries as the
Rolling Stones and the
Yardbirds), the group recruited Mike Vickers on lead guitar, Dave Richmond on bass and Paul Jones to front the band as lead vocalist and harmonica player. Gigging constantly throughout late 1962 and early 1963, the band soon attracted attention for their distinctive sound propelled by Mann's keyboards, Jones' soulful vocals and an occasional horn section.
The group signed to HMV Records in March 1963 after a change of name to
Manfred Mann, debuting in July of that year with the jazzy instrumental single
Why Should We Not?, which failed to chart, as did the follow up (with vocals this time),
Cock-A-HoopIn 1964, and after the first of many line-up changes with
Tom McGuinness replacing Richmond, the group was asked to provide a new theme tune for the
ITV pop music TV series
Ready Steady Go!. They responded with the energetic
5-4-3-2-1, which with the help of weekly TV exposure rose to No. 5 in the
UK charts. After a further self-penned hit (
Hubble Bubble Toil And Trouble) the band struck gold with
Do Wah Diddy Diddy. A cover of an obscure track by the
Exciters showcasing Jones' powerful singing, the track reached the top of both the
UK and
US charts.
During 1965 the group continued to have hits with both self-penned and cover material, their sound increasingly moving away from the blues-based music of their early years to a highly successful pop-soul hybrid. Notably the group began to have success with interpretations of Bob Dylan songs, including
With God On Our Side as a track on a best-selling EP and reaching No.2 in the
UK with the controversial
If You Gotta Go, Go Now, which was banned or edited by a number of TV and radio stations. However, prior to this latter release, Paul Jones announced his intention to quit the band for a solo career once a replacement could be found.
In the event Jones worked a year's notice, during which time Mike Vickers was replaced by
Jack Bruce of
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (long enough to play bass on the band's second UK No.1 single
Pretty Flamingo). Jones was eventually replaced by
Mike d'Abo - among those on the shortlist was
Rod Stewart - and this was one of the few occasions when a band has successfully swapped lead singers and remained at the top.
Jack Bruce left to form (
Cream) and was replaced by
Klaus Voorman (of
Beatles association fame!), with McGuinness moving to guitar. To complete the changes, the group switched labels to
Fontana Records.
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No Living Without Loving' |
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The One In the Middle |
With d'Abo as vocalist, the group pursued a softer acoustic pop sound, with a tinge of Dylanesque social comment and surrealism in the lyrics. Their first
Fontana Records single was in fact a Dylan cover,
Just Like Woman, and the group went on to score their biggest hit for two years with his
Mighty Quinn.
Frustrated with the limitations and image of being seen purely as a hit singles band (their last two albums failed to chart), the group split in 1969.
Manfred Mann went on to write advertising
jingles after the group's demise, but also continued to work in the group format. Initially he formed
Manfred Mann Chapter Three, an experimental group who evolved into
Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
The Earth Band was, from a pop perspective, almost deliberately contrary, but combined the stylistic approach of
progressive rock with Mann's keen ear for melody. Mann's interest in English 20th century
classical music saw him plunder
Gustav Holst's
Planets Suite, garnering an unlikely UK hit with a version of the "Jupiter" movement that had lyrics added and entitled "Joybringer". 1973's
The Good Earth album tapped into ecological concerns, a recurring theme in Mann's music in later years, and had a free gift of a piece of land in
Wales with each album sold.
The membership of the Earth Band was relatively informal;
Mick Rogers originally performed lead guitar and lead vocal duties before being replaced by
Chris Thompson on vocals and
Dave Flett on guitar. Drumming duties were fulfilled by
Chris Slade, who was later to be a member of AC/DC and Asia in a long and varied career which perhaps can be summed up by his being released by AC/DC despite being, according to the rest of the band, the best musician in the band. Similarly, the technically skilled bass player
Colin Pattenden, after leaving the Earth Band, became a sound consultant, running his own company designing and installing sound systems. There was much about the Earth Band that was potentially successful, but the contrariness of the band's approach and Mann's perfectionism meant that albums frequently came out with different track listings in different territories, or in alternative versions.
The breakthrough for the band in the US came when they had a No. 1
pop charts hit in early 1977 with
Bruce Springsteen's "
Blinded by the Light". While the Springsteen original from 1973's
Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. album has a folky, acoustic sound, the Manfred Mann's Earth Band version is driving rock, combining Mann's
Moog synthesizer and organ work with Flett's guitar. Manfred can be heard singing at the end of "Blinded By The Light", in the round, with Thompson - it was this feature of the song that initially attracted him. The band took advantage of the publicity and re-released another Springsteen song, "
Spirit in the Night", which had been recorded the previous year on
Nightingales and Bombers, originally with Rogers on vocals although for some territories it was re-recorded with a vocal from Thompson.
Nightingales and Bombers,
The Roaring Silence, and
Watch are considered the highlight of the Earth Band's achievement.
Watch produced another hit single in "Davy's On The Road Again", and the albums were innovative and original despite the dependence on covers of other artists' songs.
Nightingales and Bombers took its title from a
World War II naturalist's recording of a
nightingale singing in a garden as warplanes flew overhead; the recording appears in a track on the album.
Roaring Silence featured a guest appearance by jazz saxophonist
Barbara Thompson, and
Watch included two stand-out recordings from the bands live performances of "Davy's On The Road Again" and "Mighty Quinn".
Flett left before 1979's
Angel Station to be replaced by
Steve Waller, sharing the vocal duties with Thompson who was also intent on pursuing a solo career. 1980's
Chance showed a move towards a more electronic approach, and produced several cuts that were hits in the UK and/or saw significant airplay in both the US and UK. The songs "Lies (All Through The 80's)", "Stranded", and "I Came For You" (another Springsteen song) still receive significant airplay over 25 years since their release.
Mann became very active in the international anti-
apartheid movement, and was banned from entering South Africa, the country in which he had been born. Instead members of the band made journeys to South Africa to record African musicians for the album
Somewhere in Afrika, pre-figuring
Paul Simon's
Graceland. The album included a cover of
The Police's "Demolition Man" and a well-received version of
Bob Marley's "
Redemption Song", which remains in the band's set today. American versions of the album also included Ian Thomas's "The Runner", whose
music video had images of the
Munich and
Montreal Olympic Games, and which enjoyed much airtime in the lead-up to the
Los Angeles Olympics.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band has continued recording to the present day, covering tracks by artists as varied as
Paul Weller,
Robert Cray,
Del Amitri, and
The Lovin' Spoonful. Mann has also released a solo project,
Plains Music, based on
Native American music, and his latest album,
2006, includes collaborations with the German rapper
Thomas D and tracks featuring the music of, amongst others, the
Super Furry Animals. The Earth Band remain active in live performances in Europe, with a line up that includes both Manfred Mann and Mick Rogers.
Most of the band's albums have been re-released in recent years and a 4-CD set featuring many previously unissued versions of tracks was released in August 2005. This includes material from the unreleased (and thought to be lost) Manfred Mann
ChapterIII Volume 3 album and the first Earth Band album,
Stepping Sideways. The fourth CD in the package includes both unreleased studio material and live performances.
In the 1990s, most of the original 1960s line-up reformed as
The Manfreds, minus Manfred Mann himself - hence the name - playing most of the old 1960s hits and a few jazz instrumentals, sometimes with both Paul Jones and Mike d'Abo fronting the line-up.
At the same time Jones and Tom McGuinness were also mainstays of
The Blues Band, which they helped form in 1978. McGuinness had formed
McGuinness Flint in 1970, but they disbanded in 1975.
LPs
As
Manfred Mann*
The Five Faces of Manfred Mann (UK) - HMV 1964
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The Manfred Mann Album (US) Ascot Records 1964
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The Five Faces of Manfred Mann (US) Ascot Records 1965
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My Little Red Book Of Winners (US) Ascot Records 1965
* Mann Made (UK) HMV 1965
* As Is (UK) Fontana 1966
* Pretty Flamingo (US) Mercury 1966
* Up The Junction (UK) Fontana 1968
* What A Mann (UK) Fontana 1968
* Mighy Quinn (US) Mercury 1968
* Mighty Garvey! (UK) Fontana 1968
As
Manfred Mann Chapter Three*
Manfred Mann Chapter Three - 1969 UK - Vertigo - Mike Hugg (vocals, piano) with Manfred Mann (organ). Steve York (bass). Bernie Living (Sax).
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Chapter Three Vol 2 - 1970 UK - Vertigo
As
Manfred Mann's Earth Band*
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - 1972 - Debut album. Chris Slade (Drums), Colin Pattenden (Bass) Mick Rogers (Lead Guitar/Vocals). Manfred Mann keyboards, including the Mini Moog.
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Glorified Magnified - 1972 - First album with Earth Band logo on the cover
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Solar Fire - 1973 - Album featuring the hit "Joybringer"
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The Good Earth - 1974
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Nightingales and Bombers - 1975
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The Roaring Silence - 1976 - Album featuring the international hit "
Blinded by the Light"
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Watch - 1978
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Angel Station - 1979
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Chance - 1980 - featuring the smashes 'Lies (Through The '80s)' & Bruce Springsteen's 'For You'
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Somewhere in Africa - 1983
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Budapest - Live 1984
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Criminal Tango - 1986
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Masque - 1987
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Manfred Mann's Earth Band official website*
The Manfreds official website |
Machines |
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Instrumental Asylum |
