BACK INTO THE FUTURE

The first double LP in the Manbands roster in this case one studio, one live. The CD format manages to squeeze all on one disc without making any cuts or edits. Yet another lineup change here: the loss of Clive John. Most of the studio tracks here have just one guitarist, which sadly loses a little of the 'twin axe' magic found in previous albums. All selections on the studio LP have a slightly more commercial feel to them. Vocal harmonies and tight playing make it a very pleasent listen, but just not as strong as the material found on their previous 2 masterpieces.

If this had been a purely studio only release, I may have been inclined to give this 3 stars. However the live material boosts it to a well deserved 4. Not to mention the lack of playing time there would have been! Just 2 extended jams dominate each side. A brilliant version of C'mon from the previous album features a traditional Welsh male choir during the middle section. It give the piece an incredible haunting quality and makes it the definitive live version ever released. The second side in purely improvised, based around the track Spunk Rock. This demonstrates the band on stage to a tee, great stuff. The Welsh choir I mentioned can be heard warming up, although this doesnt tend to warrant repeated listening.

Not the best album to start on, but a great one all the same.