Record Reviews

MANFRED MANN ~ RADIO DAYS VOL. 1: THE PAUL JONES ERA EAST CENTRAL ONE 1 (Barcode: 5060051334467) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1964 - 1966 Released: 2019 This is the first volume of an archive series collecting the BBC radio recordings by the various groups led by British keyboardist / composer / bandleader Manfred MannFind albums by this artist. This volume, recorded between 1964 and 1966 includes the recordings by the quintet lineup of Manfred Mann (the group not to be confused with the leader), which consisted of Mann on keyboards, Mike VickersFind albums by this artist on guitar, saxophone and flute, Tom McGuinnessFind albums by this artist on bass, Mike HuggFind albums by this artist on drums and vibraphone and finally the lead singer Paul JonesFind albums by this artist, who also played harmonica. The second CD of the 2CD set features the second lineup of the group formed when Vickers left and McGuinness switched to guitar, which includes the legendary bass player Jack BruceFind albums by this artist and two Jazz players: trumpeter Henry LowtherFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Lyn DobsonFind albums by this artist, which obviously has a much more Jazz oriented sound and is a rare example of the early (1966!) British Jazz-Rock Fusion. The album presents forty one tracks, which include songs, original announcements and interviews, altogether a superb historical glance at British Pop / Rock at its best. When Paul Jones decided to leave Manfred Mann to pursue a solo career, he was replaced by Mike d`AboFind albums by this artist, who is the hero of the next volume of this series. In contrast to most British Pop / Rock groups at the time, Manfred Mann had a very strong Jazz / Blues background and outstanding instrumental competence, which was clearly heard in everything they played. To a trained ear it was pretty obvious that the group would rather play a more Jazz oriented material, which the constraints of the Pop idiom did not allow them to do at the time, but they did record many instrumental pieces (included here) which were bona fide Jazz material. With the explosion of the Progressive Rock a few years later, it was no surprise that Manfred Mann would follow that way full-heartedly. The music included here is a fabulous proof that they don´t make music like this any more. The melodies, the playing and the superb BBC sound are all exactly right on the money and the joy of listening to this music goes way beyond a nostalgic glimpse at the past. Overall this is an absolute must for all Manfred Mann fans and connoisseurs of British Pop / Rock of the mid-1960s period and a stunning historical document of the period, which should not be missed! The music was compiled by Greg RussoFind albums by this artist, who also wrote the informative booklet accompanying this album – great job mate!

Updated: 26/08/2020Posted: 08/07/2019

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MANFRED MANN ~ RADIO DAYS VOL. 2: THE MIKE D`ABO ERA EAST CENTRAL ONE 2 (Barcode: 5060051334474) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1966 - 1969 Released: 2019 This is the second volume of an archive series collecting the BBC radio recordings by the various groups led by British keyboardist / composer / bandleader Manfred MannFind albums by this artist. This volume, recorded between 1966 and 1969 includes the recordings by the quintet lineup of Manfred Mann (the group not to be confused with the leader), which consisted of Mann on keyboards, Tom McGuinnessFind albums by this artist on guitar, Klaus VoormanFind albums by this artist on bass, Mike HuggFind albums by this artist on drums and vibraphone and finally the lead singer Mike d`AboFind albums by this artist. The album presents forty five tracks, which include songs, original announcements and interviews, altogether a superb historical glance at British Pop / Rock at its best. By early 1969 the group Manfred Mann fell apart and Mann and Hugg continued with the newly founded Manfred Mann Chapter ThreeFind albums by this artist, which is featured on the next volume of this series. In contrast to most British Pop / Rock groups at the time, Manfred Mann had a very strong Jazz / Blues background and outstanding instrumental competence, which was clearly heard in everything they played. To a trained ear it was pretty obvious that the group would rather play a more Jazz oriented material, which the constraints of the Pop idiom did not allow them to do at the time, but they did record many instrumental pieces (included here) which were bona fide Jazz material. With the explosion of the Progressive Rock, it was no surprise that Manfred Mann would follow that way full-heartedly. The music included here is a fabulous proof that they don´t make music like this any more. The melodies, the playing and the superb BBC sound are all exactly right on the money and the joy of listening to this music goes way beyond a nostalgic glimpse at the past. Overall this is an absolute must for all Manfred Mann fans and connoisseurs of British Pop / Rock of the mid to late 1960s period and a stunning historical document of the period, which should not be missed! The music was compiled by Greg RussoFind albums by this artist, who also wrote the informative booklet accompanying this album – great job mate!

Updated: 12/07/2019Posted: 10/07/2019

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MANFRED MANN CHAPTER THREE ~ RADIO DAYS VOL. 3 EAST CENTRAL ONE 3 (Barcode: 5060051334481) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1968 - 1970 Released: 2019 This is the third volume of an archive series collecting the BBC radio recordings by the various groups led by British keyboardist / composer / bandleader Manfred MannFind albums by this artist. This volume, recorded between 1968 and 1970 includes the recordings by the short lived Manfred Mann Chapter ThreeFind albums by this artist, which consisted of Mann on keyboards and Mike HuggFind albums by this artist on vocals and piano (the only survivors from the Manfred Mann group), German saxophonist Bernie LivingFind albums by this artist, bassist Steve YorkFind albums by this artist (ex-East Of EdenFind albums by this artist) and drummer Craig CollingeFind albums by this artist (ex-ProcessionFind albums by this artist). A five piece brass section: saxophonists Clive StevensFind albums by this artist, Carl GriffithsFind albums by this artist and Dave CoxhillFind albums by this artist, trombonist Gerald DrewettFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Sonny CorbettFind albums by this artist completed the lineup. The album presents forty five tracks, which include radio, live and studio recordings, original announcements and interviews and even radio commercials, altogether a superb historical glance at British Jazz-Rock at its best. By late 1970 Manfred Mann Chapter Three fell apart and Mann continued with the newly founded Manfred Mann`s Earth BandFind albums by this artist, which is featured on the next volume of this series. Before Manfred Mann Chapter Three was officially launched, Mann and Hugg created a soundtrack to the "Venus In Furs" movie and twenty four excerpts from the soundtrack are included here (all previously unreleased). The radio recordings include not only BBC material but also Australian and Swedish radio recordings. Manfred Mann Chapter Three was a realization of a dream Mann kept in his mind since he started the group Manfred Mann in 1963. Finally liberated from the Pop / Rock image he was free to indulge in Jazz, which was always his preferred habitat. The group offered some of the most interesting British Jazz-Rock recordings on the two albums it managed to release before disbanding. Both the albums and the material presented here are a most welcome reminder of an Avant-Garde attempt to combine Free Form Jazz with Rock. Overall this is an absolute must for all Manfred Mann fans and connoisseurs of British Jazz-Rock of the mid to late 1960s period and a stunning historical document of the period, which should not be missed! The music was compiled by Greg RussoFind albums by this artist, who also wrote the informative booklet accompanying this album – great job mate!

Updated: 13/07/2019Posted: 12/07/2019

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MANFRED MANN`S EARTH BAND ~ RADIO DAYS VOL. 4 EAST CENTRAL ONE 4 (Barcode: 5060051334498) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1971 - 1973 Released: 2019 This is the fourth volume of an archive series collecting the BBC radio recordings by the various groups led by British keyboardist / composer / bandleader Manfred MannFind albums by this artist. This volume, recorded between 1971 and 1973 includes the recordings by the first incarnation of Manfred Mann`s Earth BandFind albums by this artist, which consisted of Mann on keyboards, Mick RogersFind albums by this artist on vocals and guitar, Colin PattendenFind albums by this artist on bass and Chris SladeFind albums by this artist on drums. The album presents twenty one tracks, which include radio recordings with original announcements, altogether a superb historical glance at British Progressive Rock at its best. The group is still alive and kicking today (2019), now in its fifth decade of activity and many wonderful album releases under the belt. The material included here comes mostly from the first four albums by the group: the eponymous debut ("Manfred Mann`s Earth BandFind albums with this title"), "Glorified MagnifiedFind albums with this title", "Messin`Find albums with this title", and "Solar FireFind albums with this title". Manfred Mann´s Earth Band was from its inception an integral part of the British Progressive Rock movement, although it operated within a unique outline dominated by Mann´s compositions and his Jazz influenced keyboards wizardry and imaginative improvisation skills. His pioneering keyboard technique and especially the wonderful usage of the Moog synthesizer established him as one of the most revered keyboards player on the scene. His extended keyboard extravaganzas, which can be heard here, are among the finest examples of Moog playing in Progressive Rock, way more advanced that what other synthesizer players at the time were doing. As appropriate for the genre, some of the tracks present here are extended versions of album tracks, running beyond the ten minutes mark and in one case almost reaching the twenty minutes mark. In contrast to many other attempts by Prog groups, which often resulted in boring excessive doodling, the music present here is exciting and fascinating all the way through. Overall this is an absolute must for all Manfred Mann fans and connoisseurs of British Progressive Rock of the early 1970s period and a stunning historical document of the period, which should not be missed! The music was compiled by Greg RussoFind albums by this artist, who also wrote the informative booklet accompanying this album – great job mate!

Updated: 13/07/2019Posted: 13/07/2019

CD 2 Remastered Recommend To A Friend