WIRED

I am kind of in two minds about this album. I had never before heard Manfred Mann live other than the live recordings, ' Nightingales and Bombers' from the same album and the incredible ' Waiter there is a Yawn In my Ear' from the Roaring Silence, so it was quite a surprise listening to Wired after purchasing it through secondspin.com.Chris Thompson does the vocals and in my opinion he always complimented MMEB with his strong voice and consistent range. Flett, Pattenden, Slade and Mann make up the rest of the band ( This is probably their most successful and long lived lineup) The highlight for me is ' Blinded by the Light' and ' Times is Right'. The songs chosen on this album are good especially the Watch album versions as well. The only draw back for me being the the difference between the live version and the studio version do not hold up as well. Still a good album however.