Manfred Mann's Earth Band Box Set (1992, Cohesion MM Box 1)

Manfred Mann's Earth Band:

Manfred Mann went on to write advertising jingles after the first 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 re-create 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 “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.

Tracklist:

01. California Coastline (Martin/Meskell) 3:49
02. Captain Bobby Stout (Tietgan) 6:59
03. Sloth (Mann, Manfred Individual) 1:26
04. Living With You (Mann, Manfred Individual) 3:38
05. Tribute (Mann, Manfred Individual) 5:37
06. Please Mrs. Henry (Dylan, Bob) 4:36
07. Jump Sturdy (Creaux) 4:54
08. Prayer (Mann, Manfred Individual) 5:43
09. Part Time Man (Sadler/Mann, Manfred Individual) 3:06
10. I'm Up and I'm Leaving (Sadler/Mann, Manfred Individual) 3:06








Tracklist:

01. Meat (Mann, Manfred Individual) 4:05
02. Look Around (Slade, Chris) 5:11
03. One Way Glass (Mann, Manfred Individual/Thomas, Peter) 4:14
04. I'm Gonna Have You All (Mann, Manfred Individual) 5:22
05. Down Home (Rogers, Mick) 3:19
06. Our Friend George (Mann, Manfred Individual) 3:03
07. Ashes to the Wind (Edmonds/Thompson, Chris) 2:14
08. Wind (Mann, Manfred Individual/Pattenden, Colin/Rogers, Mick/Slade, Chris) 2:01
09. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Dylan, Bob) 4:27
10. Glorified Magnified (Mann, Manfred Individual) 4:36








Tracklist:

01. Messin' (Hugg, Mike) 9:57
02. Buddah (Mann, Manfred Individual/Rogers, Mick) 7:05
03. Cloudy Eyes (Mann, Manfred Individual) 5:36
04. Get Your Rocks Off (Dylan, Bob) 2:55
05. Sadjoy (Mann, Manfred Individual) 5:25
06. Black and Blue (Chain/Manning, Phil/Taylor, Matt) 7:24
07. Mardi Gras Day (Creaux, Dr. John/Doctor John) 3:03








Tracklist:

01. Father of Day, Father of Night (Dylan, Bob) 9:56
02. In the Beginning, Darkness (Mann, Manfred Individual/Rogers, Mick/Slade, Chris) 5:22
03. Pluto the Dog (Mann, Manfred Individual/Pattenden, Colin/Rogers, Mick/Slade, Chris) 2:50
04. Solar Fire (Rogers, Mick/Slade, Chris) 5:17
05. Saturn, Lord of the Ring/Mercury, the Winged Messenger (Mann, Manfred Individual) 6:32
06. Earth, the Circle, Pt. 2 (Mann, Manfred Individual) 3:23
07. Earth, the Circle, Pt. 1 (Mann, Manfred Individual ) 3:48








Tracklist:

01. Give Me the Good Earth (Wright, Gary) 8:32
02. Launching Place (Rodd, Mike/Rudd, Mike) 5:51
03. I'll Be Gone (Rudd, Mike/Rodd, Michael) 3:40
04. Earth Hymn (Mann, Manfred Individual /Slade, Chris) 6:21
05. Sky High (Mann, Manfred Individual /Rogers, Mick) 5:17
06. Be Not Too Hard (Rogers, Mick/Logue) 4:14
07. Earth Hymn, Pt. 2 (Mann, Manfred Individual /Slade, Chris) 4:15








Tracklist:

01. Spirit in the Night (Springsteen, Bruce) 6:27
02. Countdown (Mann) 3:06
03. Time Is Right (Mann, Manfred Individual/Rogers/Slade) 6:34
04. Crossfade (Mann/Slade/Rogers/Pattenden) 3:40
05. Visionary Mountains (Nestor, Pam/Armatrading, Joan) 5:42
06. Nightingales and Bombers (Rogers) 4:56
07. Fat Nelly (Thomas/Mann, Manfred Individual) 3:21
08. As Above, So Below [Live] (Mann/Slade/Rogers/Pattenden) 4:13








Tracklist:

01. Blinded by the Light (Springsteen, Bruce) 7:07
02. Singing the Dolphin Through (Heron, Mike) 8:15
03. Questions (Mann, Manfred Individual /Slade, Chris) 3:58
04. The Road to Babylon (Mann, Manfred Individual /Thomas, Peter /Pattenden, Colin) 6:52
05. This Side of Paradise (Mann, Manfred Individual /Thomas, Peter /Pattenden, Colin) 4:44
06. Starbird (Mann, Manfred Individual /Slade, Chris) 3:07
07. Waiter, There's a Yawn in My Ear (Mann, Manfred Individual) 5:37








Tracklist:

01. Circles (Marks, Alan) 4:52
02. Drowning on Dry Land/Fish Soup (Mann, Manfred Individual/Flett, Dave/Slade, Chris) 6:02
03. Chicago Institue (Mann, Manfred Individual/Thomas, Peter /Flett, Dave) 5:48
04. California (Vickers, S.) 5:32
05. Davy's on the Road Again (Robertson, Robbie/Simon, John) 5:56
06. Martha's Madman (Tietgen) 4:52
07. Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) (Dylan, Bob) 6:20








Tracklist:

01. Don't Kill It Carol (Heron, Mike)
02. You Angel You (Dylan, Bob)
03. Hollywood Town (Schock, Harriet)
04. "Belle" of the Earth (Mann, Manfred Individual)
05. Platform End (O'Neill/Waller/King, Ben E./Mann, Manfred Individual)
06. Angels at My Gate (O'Neill/Martinez, Hirth/Mann, Manfred Individual)
07. You Are - I Am (Mann, Manfred Individual)
08. Waiting for the Rain (Falcon)
09. Resurrection (Mann, Manfred Individual)








Tracklist:

01. Lies (Through the 80's) (Newman, David "Fathead") 4:37
02. On the Run (Palmer, Florrie/Mann, Manfred Individual/Ashton, Tony) 3:52
03. For You (Springsteen, Bruce) 5:43
04. Adolescent Dream (Mann, Manfred Individual) 2:42
05. Fritz the Blank (Mann, Manfred Individual) 2:51
06. Stranded (Mann, Manfred Individual/Heron, Mike) 5:50
07. Hello, I Am Your Heart (Linde, Dennis) 5:19
08. No Guarantee (Mann, Manfred Individual) 3:50
09. Heart on the Street (Gray, Tom) 4:52








Tracklist:

01. Redemption Song (No Kwazulu) (Marley, Bob) 7:38
02. Somewhere in Africa (Traditional:M.Mann/J.Lingwood) 1:40
03. Tribal Statistics (Quinta, A.) 4:15
04. Africa Suite:
a) Brothers and Sisters of Africa (M.Mann) 3:06
b) To Bantustan? (M.Mann) 2:36
c) Koze Kobenini?(How Long Must We Wait?) 1:26
d) Lalela (M.Mann/J.Lingwood) 1:31
05. Eyes of Nostradamus (Stewart, Al) 3:29
06. Demolition Man (Stingley, B.) 3:44
07. Third World Service (Moore, A.) 5:19
08. Brothers and Sisters of Azania (M.Mann) 2:46








Tracklist:

01. Spirits in the night (Bruce Springsteen) 6:04
02. Demolition man (Stingley, B.) 4:26
03. For you (Bruce Springsteen) 6:49
04. Davey's on the road again (J.Simon/R.Robertson) 4:40
05. Lies (through the 80's) (D.Newman) 4:35
06. Blinded by the light (Bruce Springsteen) 7:46
07. Redemption song (No Kwazulu) (B.Marley) 3:24
08. Mighty Quinn (B.Dylan) 4:09








Tracklist:

01. Joybringer (Mann/Slade/Rogers) 3:29
02. Interview 48:58
03. The Runner (Ian Thomas) 4:39





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