Manfred Mann's Earth Band: Studio Discography (1972-2004)

An R&B band that only played pop to get on the charts, Manfred Mann and its various permutations ranked among the most adept British Invasion acts in both styles. South African-born keyboardist Manfred Mann was originally an aspiring jazz player, moving toward R&B when more blues-oriented sounds became in vogue in England in the early '60s. Original Manfred Mann singer Paul Jones was one of the best British Invasion singers, and his resonant vocals were the best feature of their early R&B sides, which had a slightly jazzier and smoother touch than the early work of the Rolling Stones and Animals.

It was a couple covers of obscure girl group songs, "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" (the Exciters) and "Sha La La" (the Shirelles), that broke the group internationally – "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" reached number one in the States, and "Sha La La" just missed the Top Ten. The Paul Jones lineup never duplicated this success, although "Come Tomorrow" and "Pretty Flamingo" were smaller hits. From 1964 to 1966, they took the approach of playing gutsy pop/rock on their singles (including the original version of "My Little Red Book") and soul and R&B on their albums, with occasional detours into jazz, Dylan (their cover of his then-unreleased "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" was a big British hit), and competent original material.

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Manfred Mann's Earth Band: Studio Discography (1972-2004)

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Jones left for a solo career and acting in 1966, and the group reformed around singer Mike D'Abo (Beatle friend Klaus Voormann was also in this aggregation on bass). Adopting an even more pop-oriented approach for the singles, with occasional psychedelic and progressive touches, the band ran off a string of Top Ten hits in their homeland until 1969, although the only one to hit the jackpot in the U.S. was their cover of another unreleased Dylan song, "The Mighty Quinn."

Mann dissolved the D'Abo lineup in 1969 to form Manfred Mann Chapter Three with drummer Mike Hugg, who had been in the band since the beginning. The outfit's early jazz-rock efforts were interesting, but not very popular, and Manfred steered the ship back toward mainstream rock by forming yet another incarnation, Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The heavier, more synthesizer-oriented outfit made quite a few albums in the 1970s; 1976's The Roaring Silence made the Top Ten, and featured the number one hit "Blinded by the Light" (Mann also made the Top 40 with another Springsteen cover, "Spirit in the Night"). Ironically, despite Mann's oft-proclaimed preferences for serious explorations of jazz, blues, and progressive music, it's his pop/rock recordings that hold up best, and for which he'll be remembered most.

by Richie Unterberger, AMG

The second album by Manfred Mann's Earth Band to be released in 1972, Glorified Magnified is as solid a heavy rock album as you're likely to find from that era, and it still holds up three decades later, mostly because these guys are smarter than the music they're playing and don't mind indulging their taste as well as their dexterity. They can romp and stomp through "Meat" or "I'm Gonna Have You All," complete with a slashing guitar solo by Mick Rogers on the latter, or throw in a synthesizer interlude by Mann on "One Way Glass" that's so quietly and carefully executed as to be worthy of a classical piece – and not skip a beat doing it. Between Rogers' bold yet tasteful leads, Mann's beautifully assertive yet virtuoso synthesizer and general keyboard work, and Colin Pattenden's muscular bass playing, this is a consistently inspired group, even when their material isn't as interesting as what they do with it, which is the case here. On "Look Around," for example, Rogers' playing on the break starts off as brief, fragmentary digressions off from a not too terribly diverting central riff that turn into longer progressions that eventually take the entire band with him – and just when you think you've got this band pegged in terms of what it's about, along comes "Ashes to the Wind," opening side two of the original LP, which includes room for an acoustic guitar amid the high-wattage excursions, all leading into a surprisingly effective synthesizer workout by Mann on "Wind," before moving onto the acoustic guitar-driven "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue." The latter, which adds instrumentation until it's so totally removed from its opening section as to be a different song, is one of the best Dylan covers of its era, and is almost worth the price of admission by itself. And then there's the title instrumental, a mix of rock and synthesizer sounds – with a choir in there somewhere – that sounds like mid-'70s King Crimson in rehearsal.

by Bruce Eder

Tracklist:

1. Meat 4:04
2. Look Around 5:11
3. One Way Glass 4:14
4. I'm Gonna Have You All 5:22
5. Down Home 3:19
6. Our Friend George 3:04
7. Ashes To The Wind 2:14
8. Wind 2:01
9. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue 4:27
10. Glorified Magnified 4:36



Credits:

Manfred Mann - Organ, synthesiser, vocals
Mick Rogers - Guitar, vocals
Colin Pattenden - Bass
Chris Slade - Drums

Produced by Manfred Mann and D. Hadfield

Most folks know Manfred Mann from his '60s hits, but too few have ever heard the brilliant Manfred Mann's Earth Band album. Exploring arty and progressive directions, the Earth Band was a wholly different group from Mann's earlier lineup. Unlike the heavier art rock groups that would follow (Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes), the Earth Band never became burdened by its own seriousness.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band combines hypnotic instrumentals ("Tribute"), exhilarating original songs ("Captain Bobby Stout"), and three definitive covers all laden with hooks worthy of "Do Wah Diddy Diddy." Mann mines Dylan's basement tapes again for "Please Mrs. Henry" (see "Quinn the Eskimo" and "Get Your Rocks Off" on other releases). An obscure Dr. John song, "Jump Sturdy" nearly jumps off the record. The synthesizer solo "Sloth" segues into the album's centerpiece, "Living Without You." With its thumping bassline and "So hard" chorus, this might be the best version of a Randy Newman song ever recorded. Closing the album, the Mann himself takes vocal turns on "Part Time Man" and "Up & Leaving," quiet acoustic tales that contrast with the complex instrumentals of the rest of the record. On whole, Manfred Mann's Earth Band is a completely satisfying album and one of the most underrated of the '70s.

by J.P. Ollio

Tracklist:

1. California Coastline 2:49
2. Captin Bobby Stout 6:59
3. Sloth 1:26
4. Living Without you 3:38
5. Tribute 5:37
6. Please Mrs Henry 4:36
7. Jump Steady 4:54
8. Prayer 5:43
9. Part Time Man 3:06
10. Up and Leaving 3:06



Credits:

Mick Rogers - guitar, vocals
Manfred Mann - organ, Synthesizer, vocals
Colin Pattenden - bass
Chris Slade - drums

Produced by Manfred Mann and Dave Hadfield

Opening with Mike Hugg's title track, which builds on Mick Rogers' intense riffing and the killer vocals of Vicki Brown, Judith Powell, Liza Strike, and Ruby James, Messin' is pretty intense and involving from its very first bars. It's also damned topical and serious, for all of the free-wheeling rock & roll spirits and the progressive rock complexities that go into the playing. And the result is a spellbinding whole, featuring some astonishing keyboard flourishes by Manfred Mann himself (who ventures into Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson territory on "Buddah," even as the rest of the band seems to be emulating Deep Purple) and killer guitar from Mick Rogers, while Colin Pattenden and Chris Slade lay down the rhythm section like a pair of articulate pile-drivers. They pretty much stomp their way through their rendition of Bob Dylan's "Get Your Rocks Off" and do a gorgeous high-wattage blues rendition of "Black and Blue." The whole record comes out somewhere in the middle of art rock and heavy metal, along with (amazingly enough) topical folk, and does no violence to any of the genres – and the band even works in a loose-limbed version of Dr. John's "Mardi Gras Day" as a finale. In a way, it's surprising from hearing this record that it took this band another two years, and an embrace of one of Bruce Springsteen's songs, for Manfred Mann's Earth Band to become truly well known, because all of the ingredients were in place, and their genre-bending sound was only the best, most accessible kind. The album was also issued with a different cover as Get Your Rocks Off, but Messin' has become the reissue title.

by Bruce Eder

Tracklist:

1. Messin' 9:58
2. Buddah 7:05
3. Cloudy Eyes 5:36
4. Get Your Rocks Off 2:55
5. Sadjoy 5:26
6. Black and Blue 7:24
7. Mardi Gras Day 3:04



Credits:

Manfred Mann - synthesiser, organ
Mick Rogers - guitar, vocals
Colin Pattenden - bass guitar
Chris Slade - drums
with
Laurie Baker - Machines and Zoo on "Messin'"
Liza Strike - backing vocals
Vicki Brown - backing vocals
Judith Powell - backing vocals
Ruby James - backing vocals

Produced by Manfred Mann

Fans of muscular progressive rock will love Solar Fire, a concept album loosely designed around cosmology. The album opens with the majestic "Father of Night, Father of Day," which has the drive and complexity of a prime King Crimson track. As unlikely as it may seem, the track was controversial in Mann's native South Africa because of the "Father of black, father of white" line, implying that apartheid might not extend to infinite space. The album moves on to the progressive rock/jazz fusion of "In the Beginning, Darkness," a swinging, even funky track that benefits from soulful vocals by Doreen Chanter and Irene Chanter of the Grove Singers. The same duo contributes to the title track, a slow piece that begins with a fairly standard rock structure and incorporates a massive progressive jam in the middle. The instrumental suite which follows is a showcase for the combination of angular, sometimes slightly dissonant guitar with fluid keyboard work, and the band rocks straight through with stately grace. Once again, one is reminded of early King Crimson, which was about the only other group to turn out complex, shifting instrumentals of this quality. The album closes with the strange "Earth, the Circle, Pt. 1," which begins almost like a nursery rhyme, switches to a jazz shuffle, and fades out as an odd combination of the two. The album was groundbreaking when it was released and is still a delightful listen. If you like the hard-edged side of Manfred Mann, this may be your favorite album.

by Richard Foss

Tracklist:

1. Father Of Night 9:55
2. Solar Fire 5:17
3. In The Beginning 5:21
4. Earth The Circle Part 1 3:23
5. Saturn - (Mercury) 6:30
6. Earth The Circle Part 2 3:48
7. Pluto The Dog 2:46



Credits:

Manfred Mann - organ, synthesizers, vocals
Colin Pattenden - bass
Mick Rogers - lead vocals, guitar
Chris Slade - drums

Doreen Chanter - backing vocals
Irene Chanter - backing vocals
The Grove Singers - backing vocals
Peter Miles - percussion (2)
Paul Rutherford - trombone

Produced by Manfred Mann

Another piece of topical hard rock from Manfred Mann's Earth Band and, as before, listenable even to those without a serious bone in their bodies, by virtue of the playing. Moving between hard rock and British blues influences (with a special debt to Cream on the opening cut, "Give Me the Good Earth") and progressive rock, the quartet cuts a mean swathe across the sonic landscape, between Mick Rogers' soaring guitar solos and Manfred Mann's inimitable synthesizer work. Some of the less ambitious cuts, such as "I'll Be Gone," are relatively dispensable, but when these guys start reaching, as on "Earth Hymn," that's when their best musical instincts take hold, and the results are always worth hearing. There's stuff here that King Crimson or Be Bop Deluxe wouldn't have been ashamed to have had on any of their albums; indeed, the instrumental "Sky High" is worth the price of admission by itself as a showcase for the talents of all four players as both hard rock musicians and an art rock ensemble. They even manage to work in elements of folk-rock, and its attendant lyricism, on the album, by way of the Christopher Logue-based "Be Not Too Hard" (which was also recorded, in a different adaptation, by Joan Baez about seven years earlier). And "Earth Hymn, Pt. 2" closes out the album in grand style, once again pushing the band to the edge of their unique brand of progressive/hard rock.

by Bruce Eder

Tracklist:

1. Give Me The Good Earth 8:16
2. Launching Place 5:55
3. I'll Be Gone 3:24
4. Earth Hymn 6:22
5. Sky High 5:17
6. Be Not Too Hard 4:14
7. Earth Hymn Part 2 4:17



Credits:

Manfred Mann – keyboards
Mick Rogers – guitars, vocals
Chris Slade – drums
Colin Pattenden – bass guitar

Produced by Manfred Mann and Earth Band

The album that was Manfred Mann's commercial breakthrough was a departure from the previous albums made with the Earth Band. Though the personnel are the same and the musicianship is as mind-blowing as ever, the songs are shorter and punchier, in some cases more poppy. This is not to say that the band had sacrificed a bit of ingenuity or complexity, but the long jams are gone in favor of briefer sound portraits. Nightingales and Bombers included Manfred Mann's first cover of a Bruce Springsteen song, the album-opening "Spirits in the Night," a single that charted, and became one of the only pieces written in 10/4 time ever to do so. It would prove to be an important move in their recording career, as 1976's Roaring Silence earned them a big hit with Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light." Another foreshadowing of that tune can be detected in the track "Fat Nelly," which includes a synthesizer part almost identical to the intro of the aforementioned hit. Also featured in Nightingales and Bombers are such synth-driven rockers as "Crossfade," "Countdown," and the title track, in which Manfred Mann appear to be trying to capture the prog rock crown. Nightingales and Bombers featured in almost every "Best of the Year" list for 1975. Justifiably so – though attention at the time was naturally on the hits, the rest of the album features a mix of good originals and eccentric covers, inspired playing, and tight, focused arrangements. The album stands up to repeated listening decades after it was created, and though fans of the more expansive progressive phase may prefer earlier works, they will generally allow the excellence of this one. (The name of the album was once regarded as a possible drug reference, but it is actually taken from a nature recording made during World War II. An ornithologist who was trying to record birdcalls captured not only the sound of birds, but also of incoming enemy aircraft. That recording is used in the track "As Above, So Below," and gives it an eerie character.)

by Richard Foss

Tracklist:

1. Spirits In The Night 6:27
2. Countdown 3:06
3. Time Is Right 6:33
4. Crossfade 3:40
5. Visionary Mountains 5:43
6. Nightingales And Bombers 4:54
7. Fat Nelly 3:20
8. As Above So Below (Recorded Live) 4:13



Credits:

Manfred Mann – organ, synthesisers
Mick Rogers – guitars, vocals
Chris Slade – drums, percussion
Colin Pattenden – bass

Ruby James – backing vocals
Doreen Chanter – backing vocals
Martha Smith – backing vocals

Produced by Manfred Mann and Earth Band

The reason that The Roaring Silence became Manfred Mann's Earth Band's best-selling album may have been because of both Bruce Springsteen-penned singles, but its instrumental makeup, by way of Mann's keyboard manipulation coupled with Chris Thompson's chiseled singing, had just as much of an affect. "Blinded By the Light" and "Spirit in the Night" gave the band hits at both ends of the Top 40 spectrum, with "Blinded" going to number one while the mysteriously-sounding "Spirit in the Night" edged in at number 40 six months later. Outside of the singles, The Roaring Silence is made up of clean-cut, well-established synthesizer and guitar work, with touches of techno psychedelia that are sometimes lengthy but never messy. Tracks such as "Questions," "This Side of Paradise," and even "Starbird" uncover the band's creativity and instrumental wit. Mann is careful not to stray too far with his keys, and his compliance with Thompson's vocals are noticeable in almost every track. Aside from the music, The Roaring Silence basks in veiled poetry, cryptic but at the same time intriguing, verging on the complexities of progressive rock but far from its pretentiousness. Eventually achieving gold status, The Roaring Silence both commercially and artistically became the group's finest effort.

by Mike DeGagne

Tracklist:

1. Blinded By The Light 7:06
2. Singing The Dolphin Through 8:15
3. Questions 3:58
4. The Road To Babylon 6:52
5. This Side Of Paradise 4:44
6. Starbird 3:07
7. Waiter, There's A Yawn In My Ear 5:37



Credits:

Manfred Mann - keyboards, backing vocals
Colin Pattenden - bass
Dave Flett - lead guitar
Chris Hamlet Thompson - vocals, guitar
Chris Slade - drums, percussion, backing vocals

Doreen Chanter - backing vocals
Irene Chanter - backing vocals
Susanne Lynch - backing vocals
Mick Rogers - backing vocals
Barbara Thompson - saxophone

Produced by Manfred Mann and Earth Band

With essentially the same crew as the excellent Roaring Silence from two years earlier, this is cut from the same musical cloth. However, without the two Bruce Springsteen songs from the earlier album, the material is not as strong. With keyboardist Manfred Mann's jazz leanings melded to a rock band, this sounds much like Colosseum without horns.

by Mark Allan

Tracklist:

1. Circles 4:48
2. Martha's Madman 4:51
3. Drowning On Dry Land / Fish Soup 5:54
4. Chicago Institute 5:46
5. California 5:27
6. Davy's On The Road Again 5:53
7. Mighty Quinn 6:19



Credits:

Manfred Mann - keyboards, backing vocals
Chris Slade - drums, percussion
Pat King - bass guitar, backing vocals
Dave Flett - lead guitar, acoustic guitar
Chris Hamlet Thompson - vocals, guitar

Doreen Chanter - backing vocals
Irene Chanter - backing vocals
Stevie Lange - backing vocals
Victy Silva - backing vocals
Kim Goddy - backing vocals

Produced by Manfred Mann and Earth Band

Vocalist Chris Thompson's last album with Manfred Mann's Earth Band is dressed up in Mann's beautiful keyboards. Angel Station has some key moments – "You Angel You," a Bob Dylan tune that sounds nothing like Dylan, and not the way their Top Ten version of "Quinn the Eskimo"/"The Mighty Quinn" was reinvented. "You Angel You" has a strong hook with topnotch Anthony Moore production work, and it melts into the title track of Harriet Schock's landmark Hollywood Town album, the source of Helen Reddy's "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady." The Manfred Mann version is interesting, and explores the possibilities of the composition, though Schock's version is perfect country-pop and hard to top. It is nice to see a rock band with such good taste. "Angelz at My Gate," co-written by Manfred Mann, leads off side two and is another dreamy "angel" tune. It sounds mysteriously like "Games Without Frontiers," the Peter Gabriel radio hit from his 1980 third self-titled solo album. Now since this was released the year before, do you think Gabriel found inspiration from the grooves of Angel Station? While artists like Gary Wright and Jordan Rudess overwhelm you with the keyboards, Manfred Mann's are indeed the lead instrument, but he uses them to augment the vocals, not to overpower. The John Shaw-photographed album cover looks innocent enough until you turn it upside down – there a female dark angel, in open black cape, exposes her breasts. So blatant, but upside down it probably went right by many retailers, and with no hit single, it probably didn't cause too much of a stir. It's interesting that, like Gary Wright, the Earth Band recorded for Warner Bros., yet both acts only eked out a couple of hit singles. As with Wright's Headin' Home LP, this 1979 album has more than its share of good material, both keyboard players being intuitive artists with credentials and past chart success. Despite good performances on Heron's "Don't Kill It Carol" and a simply wonderful cover of Billy Falcon's 1978 release, "Waiting for the Rain," this is yet another album that deserved a better fate. The rendition of the Falcon tune may be the best performance of one of that singer's compositions ever. The two Manfred Mann songs on side two are excellent: "You Are - I Am" is good and pleasant while "Resurrection" has lyrics that display clever sarcasm and religious – or sacrilegious – overtones. Angel Station is well-crafted music by an industry veteran.

by Joe Viglione

Tracklist:

1. Don't Kill It Carol 6:17
2. You Angel You 4:02
3. Hollywood Town 5:10
4. Belle Of The Earth 2:45
5. Platform End 1:32
6. Angels At My Gate 4:50
7. You Are, I Am 5:11
8. Waiting For The Rain 6:17
9. Resurrection 2:39



Credits:

Manfred Mann - keyboards, vocals
Geoff Britton - drums, alto saxophone
Pat King - bass
Steve Waller - guitar, vocals
Chris Thompson - vocals

Jimmy O'Neill - rhythm guitar
Dyan Birch - backing vocals
Anthony Moore - guitar, sequencer, synthesizer

Produced by Anthony Moore

Manfred Mann's 1980 album is a strange mix of topical songwriting, progressive rock, and power pop – from its opening seconds, the Earth Band is pressing serious messages and social commentary on their listenership amid swirling prog rock keyboards and catchy guitar hooks and choruses. The whole package is challenging in ways that should have put them on the cutting edge of rock music at the outset of that decade, but one suspects that Mann and company were too musically adept and sophisticated for their own good – a little dumbing down and maybe a little less musicianship on display would have made them more accessible to the coming MTV generation. As it is, the album has held up remarkably well across a quarter century, however, even if it now seems an uncomfortably accurate warning of the way the world would go, in terms of politics and society, in the decades to come. It would also be three years before another Earth Band album was forthcoming, and that one would be steeped in world music sounds.

by Bruce Eder

Tracklist:

1. Lies (Through The 80's) 4:36
2. On The Run 3:50
3. For You 5:41
4. Adolescent Dream 2:42
5. Fritz The Blank 2:51
6. Stranded 5:48
7. Hello, I Am Your Heart 5:19
8. No Guarantee 3:49
9. Heart On The Street 4:51



Credits:

Manfred Mann - keyboards, vocals ("Adolescent Dream")
John Lingwood - drums
Pat King - bass, bass pedals
Mick Rogers - guitars
Steve Waller - guitars, vocals ("This Is Your Heart")
Chris Thompson - vocals ("Lies Through The 80s", "On The Run", "For You")

Trevor Rabin - guitars
Robbie McIntosh - guitars
Geoff Whitehorn - guitars
Dyan Birch - vocals ("Guarantee" and others)
Willy Finlayson - vocals ("Heart On The Street")
Peter Marsh - vocals ("Stranded")
Carol Stocker - backing vocals
Barbara Thompson - saxophone

Produced by Manfred Mann

Somewhere in Afrika, an ode to Mann's home country of South Africa, contains a formula that is atypical of Manfred Mann's Earth Band sound. With rhythms that combine an African flavor with a modern rock feel, vocalist Mick Rogers takes over on vocals with the number 22 hit "Runner," released as the album's only single. Tracks such as "Demolition Man" and "Eyes of Nostradamus" are model Earth Band efforts, but the compelling material lies in songs such as "Lalela," "Koze Kobenini," and the title track, which conveys Mann's love for his birthplace without sounding overly pretentious or manufactured. The instrumentation is solid and free-flowing, with drums and other percussion work coming to the forefront while maintaining the group's atmosphere as a rock band. Somewhere in Afrika gave Manfred Mann's Earth Band their highest-charting American album since 1976's The Roaring Silence, peaking at number 40, but the tight musicianship and unrestricted layout of the music prove that the album should have placed much higher.

by Mike DeGagne

Tracklist:

1. Redemption Song (No Kwazulu) 7:36
2. Somewhere In Africa 1:40
3. Tribal Statistics 4:15
4. Africa Suite 8:41
5. Eyes Of Nostradamus 3:29
6. Demolition Man 3:44
7. Third World Service 5:18
8. Brothers And Sisters Of Azania 2:45



Credits:

Manfred Mann - keyboards, synthesisers
John Lingwood - drums, percussion
Steve Waller - vocals, guitar
Chris Thompson - vocals
Matt Irving - bass, programming (MC4)
Shona Laing - vocals
Trevor Rabin - lead guitar on Redemption Song

Produced by Manfred Mann

A rather up and down offering from the band, at times featuring the strong melodies and inspired cover versions which enhanced previous albums, but sometimes drifting into mundane pop-rock. It is the band's own song writing which appears to be waning most, and thus weakening the album as a whole.

Things get off to a fine start with an excellent cover version of the Jam's "Going underground". The song is slowed down from the original punk anthem and transformed into a Springsteen like power ballad. Since there are no Dylan or Springsteen songs on the album, this track makes a more than adequate substitute, to the extent that it alone makes the album worthy of investigation.

Other covers include an atmospheric version of Joni Mitchell's "Banquet" and a superb version of Eddy and the Hotrods "Do anything you wanna do". While the latter is little more than a slightly slowed down pop based affair, complete with girlie vocals on the chorus, it does boast some excellent guitar work. The weakest of the covers is the Beatles "Bulldog" which is rather mundane.

Of the other tracks, "Rescue" is a reasonable Journey like pop piece, and "Crossfire" ends the album with an instrumental jam along the lines of "Waiter there's a yawn in my ear" from "The roaring silence".

There's little sign of the early prog work of the band here, the songs being almost entirely AOR pop rock. An enjoyable album for those who enjoy the more straightforward MMEB style, but don't go looking here for much in the way of prog.

The album is actually credited to Manfred Mann's Earth Band with Chris Thomson. Whether this was an attempt to entice him to remain with the band, or simply intended to acknowledge his distinctive tones is unclear. What is clear is that his vocals are undoubtedly a highlight of the album. (Thomson actually left the band in 1979, but continued to record and tour with them until this album was released in 1986. Concurrently, he attempted to develop a career with his new band, NIGHT.)

The band appeared to have a Uriah Heep moment during the recording of the album, using no less than three different bass players.

by Easy Livin, progarchives

Tracklist:

1. Going Underground 5:19
2. Who Are The Mystery Kids? 3:44
3. Banquet 5:17
4. Killer On The Loose 3:59
5. Do Anything You Wanna Do 4:14
6. Rescue 3:00
7. You Got Me Right Through The Heart 3:53
8. Bulldog 4:24
9. Crossfire 3:44



Credits:

Manfred Mann - keyboards
John Lingwood - drums, percussion
Mick Rogers - guitar, vocals
Chris Thompson - lead vocals
Steve Kinch - bass

Durban Betancourt-Laverde - bass
John Giblin - bass

Produced by Manfred Mann & Steve Forward

In 1992, Manfred Mann's Earth Band in its latest incarnation delivered a new album that retraced a few earlier steps and got closer to finishing some ideas that earlier incarnations of the band had begun. The result was Masque, a strange and beautiful (and strangely beautiful) mix of jazz, rock, classical, and pop sounds, drawing on compositions from Paul Weller to Gustav Holst. The most easygoing incarnation of cosmic rock, Masque melds elements of '40s pop (and even big-band swing), synth pop, '70s pop/rock, and classical into a quite beautiful whole that's as seductive as it is dazzling. Mick Rogers and Maggie Ryder's vocals are a potent combination, even plunging into Manhattan Transfer territory with a little studio trickery (on "Billie's Orno Bounce"), and Mann's keyboards and Rogers' guitars make a great lead instrumental combo as well. The strangest piece here, however, is "A Couple of Mates," in which Mann excerpts elements from several other pieces, including Holst's The Planets. The whole album is essential listening for anyone who's ever been a fan of Mann's work, or even of Gustav Holst's music – even his remake of "Joybringer" (an adaptation of "Jupiter" from The Planets), which had previously been recorded by another version of the Earth Band, is distinctly fresh and startlingly beautiful, so much so that it was chosen to open the album, which is mighty impressive for a remade piece.

by Bruce Eder

Tracklist:

1. Joybringer (From Jupiter) 2:26
2. Sister Billies Blounce (Including Sister Sadie & Billies Bounce) 2:15
3. What You Give Is What You Get (Start) 2:34
4. Telegram To Monica 5:38
5. Billies Orno Blounce (Including Billies Bounce) 3:17
6. A Couple Of Mates (From Mars & Jupiter) 3:20
7. Neptune (Icebringer) 1:06
8. Rivers Run Dry 3:03
9. Hymn (From Jupiter) 3:57
10. We're Going Wrong 4:02
11. Planets Schmanets 2:41
12. Geronimo's Cadillac 4:43



Credits:

Manfred Mann - keyboards, trumpeton
Mick Rogers - guitar, vocals
John Lingwood - drums

Maggie Ryder - vocals
Denny Newman - vocals, bass on "Telegram to Monica"
Frank Mead - saxophones
Anthony Moore - programming on "What You Give Is What You Get"
Byron Bird - trumpet on "Billy's Bounce"
Guy Barker - trumpet on "Billy's Bounce"
Mark Feltham - bass
Durban Betancourt - bass
Andy Pask - bass
Linda Taylor - vocals
Tommy Willis - guitar
Chris Batchelor - trumpet
Ian Porter - emulator toggling

Produced by Manfred Mann with Steve Forward & Mick Rogers

"Plain's Music" is actually by Manfred Mann's Plain Music, not by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The difference is important, as this album bears no relation to MMEB. The "plains" in question are those of North America, the music being "the melodies of the North American plains Indians". The sleeve notes however also bear the disclaimer "we do not pretend that (the album) is in any way representative of the original ethnic music which was the source material".

So what do we have then? In fact "Plains music" is a sparse, jazz tinged album, of light melodies, and singing which sounds more African tribal than Indian. The nearest vocal comparison I can offer is Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The tracks are however largely instrumental with sax, flute, piano, and what I take to be acoustic guitar being the dominant sounds. I hesitate over the guitar, as no guitarist is actually credited, the nearest being either Mann's keyboards, or "African hunting bows". Manfred Mann had of course dabbled with tribal sounds some nine years or so before, on MMEB's "Somewhere in Afrika", but the results then were somewhat different.

The music throughout is soft, to the point of being understated, but the jazz influence sits reasonably well with the tribal sounds. The tracks are short, and tend to fade rather abruptly without concluding satisfactorily. It did occur to me that had they been joined together to form longer pieces, the overall effect may have been improved. The album as a whole is also very short, lasting around half an hour, if that.

A pleasant, but undemanding album. Fans of MMEB's powerful prog rock sound should however approach with considerable caution.

by Easy Livin, progarchives

Tracklist:

1. Kiowa 3:15
2. Medicine Song 4:15
3. Wounded Knee 4:51
4. Laguna 4:55
5. Sikelele 3:43
6. Hunting Bow (Reprise) 1:37
7. Instumedicine Song 4:06
8. Sikelele II 4:03
9. Hunting Bow (Major) 2:39



Credits:

Manfred Mann - keyboards
Noel McCalla - vocals
Barbara Thompson - saxophones
Peter Sklair - bass
Ian Hermann - drums, percussion

Smiler Makana - African hunting bows
Kelly Petlane - pennywhistle
Doren Thobeki - additional vocals
Walter Sanza - additional vocals
Chief Dawethi - additional vocals

Produced by Manfred Mann




Tracklist:

Soft:
1. Pleasure And Pain 5:39
2. Play With Fire 3:57
3. Nothing Ever Happens 4:10
4. Shelter From The Storm 6:05
5. Tumbling Ball 5:35
6. The Price I Pay 4:05
7. Lose The Touch 3:31
8. Adults Only 3:36
9. Wherever Love Drops (Part One) 1:05

Vengeance:
10. The Complete History Of Sexual History 3:29
11. 99 Lbs 2:37
12. Miss You 3:33
13. Nature Of The Beast 4:35
14. Wherever Love Drops (Part Two) 2:00



Credits:

Manfred Mann - keyboards, programming
Mick Rogers - guitars
Dave Farmer - drums
Clive Bunker - drums
Steve Kinch - bass
Chris Thompson - vocals
Noel McCalla - vocals

Russell Hoban - speech on "Wherever Love Drops"
Richard Marcangelo - drums
Richard James Burgess - drums
Gavin Harrison - drums
Andy Pask - bass
Tony Patler - bass
Gary Farmer - guitar
Clem Clempson - guitar
Mitch Dalton - guitar
Tony Patler - guitar
Gary Sanctuary - Wurlitzer electric piano on "99lbs"
Linda Taylor - backing vocals
Maggie Ryder - backing vocals
Carol Kenyon - backing vocals
Janice Hoyte - backing vocals
Diane Byrch - backing vocals
Stevie Lange - backing vocals

Produced by Manfred Mann with Richard James Burgess




Tracklist:

1. Demons and Dragons 3:29
2. Two Brides 1:22
3. Down in Mexico 3:31
4. Happenstance 3:02
5. The History of Sexual Jealousy 4:46
6. Black Eyes 2:10
7. Mars 3:56
8. Get Me out of This 5:35
9. Frog 4:29
10. Two Friends 5:24
11. Monkmann 3:10
12. Marche Slave 1:42
13. Independent Woman 3:30
14. Dragons (Reprise) 2:01



Credits:

Manfred Mann – keyboards, vocals
Mick Rogers – guitars
Geoff Dunn – drums
Steve Kinch – bass
Noel McCalla – vocals

with
Chris Thompson – vocals
Thomas D – vocals
Matt Loffstadt – guitars
Don Freeman – poem and talking
Barbara Thompson – saxophone
Dean Hart – bass, guitars, vocals
Hazel Hernandez – vocals
Melanie Pappenheim – vocals
Arte Chorale – vocals
Henry's Eight – vocals

All thanks go to kurok79, olaf der weisse, alonzo, yorrik90 and erro