Search - Manfred Mann :: Volume 1

Post-Rock 30 Years Too Early

Mark Carlin | Oxford, England | 03/03/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Although in many ways dated, this completely atypical manifestation of Manfred Mann does anticipate '90s epiphanal freakouts from the likes of Spiritualized and the Verve. It's let down, I would say, by Mike Hugg's rather duff vocals (no Richard Ashcroft, or even Bobby Gillespie, he), but, like many similar records of the time, it does at least attempt to build bridges between different musics. Primary in the latter is the free jazz feeling of the horn section (arranged by Mike Gibbs), particularly the completely wigged-out alto playing of New Zealander Bernie Living, a regular on the avant-garde Brit jazz scene at the time (with Mike Westbrook and others) but who seems to have vanished completely from the early '70s onwards. Anyone know what happened to him? Reference for youth: "One Way Glass" could have come off the last Primal Scream album."

An acquired, but required, taste...

collegemoney | 01/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With this recording, in one giant leap, Manfred Mann left their soft pop swimming pool and dove headlong into unknown dark waters. No more "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," no more "Mighty Quinn." What you will hear here is virtually unclassifiable. It surely isn't psychedelic, but it was clearly influenced by Dr. John the Night Tripper at his early ("least accessible"?) period. In places it's pure Coltrane. Heck, we don't need no accessibility. On vocals and piano here, we have none other than the diminutive former drummer Mike Hugg, last seen pecking at his drumkit in his unique downward-pointing-stick style. Now he is raspily whispering his way through some obscure but brilliantly chosen material. I struggle for parallels, perhaps King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man"? That's close, I suppose. But this stands distinctly out on its own.

"

A desert island disk for sure

G. Sykes | South Pasadena, CA United States | 10/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While I appreciated Manfred Mann's pop hits on top 40 radio, they were never anything I got excited about. The first time I heard this album I was just in awe. This is by far one of the most amazing enjoyable collections of music I have ever listened to. And I have listened to it a lot. Right up there with Dr. Johns first album, "The Night Tripper", Van Dyke Parks first album, "Song Cycle" and Tom Waites first album, "Closing Time". This is not a pop album. Closer to jazz, but not that either. More moody. The arrangements are slow, complex and deep. I have a copy on vinyl that is almost worn out. Too bad this CD re-release has those useless "bonus" tracks that prevent you from enjoying the project by forcing you to get up to stop it before the nonsense starts. (Why do record companies think we want that junk?) This album is dark, mysterious and inviting in a very David Lynch sort of way, but without being depressing and moody. Volume two sounded like a second attempt to do what they had already accomplished in Volume one, only not as well. Definitely one of those disks I would choose if I had to take only, say, ten to a desert island. As he says in the liner notes: "This is the album I always wanted to make." I'm glad he did."