The Paul Jones era of Manfred Mann is what I know best of this band. When Mike D'Abo took over as the lead vocalist, I either lost my attention to them, or more to the fact, that they became very European orientated with respect to marketing and didn't follow them just due to that fact. Although they had a massive hit here in the States with Bob Dylan's "Mighty Quinn" it was a one-shot deal for me and my ears. Alas, there are hidden treasures in the later Mandred Mann world.
At heart, and what makes Manfred Mann the band interesting is that they are basically blues players with a healthy appreciation for jazz. Mann was always a jazz keyboard player who happened dip his toes into the world of pop. Paul Jones (to this day) had an organic appreciation of the blues and was once considered to be the lead singer for the Rolling Stones, due to his friendship with Brian Jones. When D'Abo took over vocal duties, this led the band to a more pop format. And here on this compilation album is the highlights of the D'Abo years with Manfred Mann. I, for one, is a huge fan of the song "Ha Ha! Said the Clown." The Yardbirds (with Jimmy Page) also recorded this song around the same time that Manfred and crew recorded it. There is not a huge mega difference between the two recordings, except Manfred does have a jazz feel for his material, even if it's a straight ahead pop song.
Side two is the real deal for me. For the sole reason, there are three Manfred Mann instrumentals. I suspect that these were recorded between lead singers, and they had to release something in the meantime. They do "Sweet Pea" (by Tommy Roe), "Wild Thing" (the Troggs legendary song), and the French classic "Autumn Leaves." Here we get the hardcore Soho London jazz version of the band, which I suspect is the real Manfred at work and play. I wrote about their EP that they released in 1968, that was all instrumental. "Wild Thing" was part of that package, but the other two were not on the EP. Their version of "Sweet Pea" is essential Manfred listening experience. Mann is an excellent organist, and the band is having a great time exploring this song up, and then putting it back in its proper pop mode. The British Invasion Manfred Mann was a great band. They also had inside track into Bob Dylan songs, and I think that when they handle a Bob piece, it's the best version of that song. Not the easiest album to find, but worth while, if only for their jazz instrumentals. And yes, of course, "Ha Ha!, Said The Clown."
No comments:
Post a Comment