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NUMBER TEN

Manning

Eclectic Prog


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Manning Number Ten album cover
3.92 | 101 ratings | 10 reviews | 25% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 2009

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Ships (5:34)
2. The Final Chapter (7:44)
3. An Ordinary Day (6:03)
4. Bloody Holiday! (5:51)
5. Valentine's Night (6:17)
6. A Road Less Travelled (10:34)
7. Another Lazy Sunday (5:25)
8. The House on the Hill (15:51)

Total Time: 63:19

Bonus track on 2013 reissue:
9. Ships (1995 demo) (05:00)

Line-up / Musicians

- Guy Manning / 6- & 12-string acoustic, Classical & electric guitars, keyboards, bass, mandolin, bouzouki, percussion, vocals, arranger & producer

With:
- Julie King / vocals (5-duet)
- David Million / electric guitars
- Andy Tillison / keyboards, drums
- Phil Wilkes / keyboards
- Ian Fairbairn / fiddle
- Laura Fowles / alto sax, vocals
- Ed Neidhart / soprano sax, bass clarinet
- Stephen Dundon / flute, tenor sax
- Kris Hudson-Lee / bass
- Danny Rhodes / additional drums
- Pav Chana / percussion
- Kev Currie / backing vocals
- Hannah Hudson-Lee / backing vocals

Releases information

CD Festival Music - 200902 (2009, UK)
CD Festival Music - 201312B (2013, UK) With a bonus track

Thanks to Uncle Spooky for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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MANNING Number Ten ratings distribution


3.92
(101 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(25%)
25%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(42%)
42%
Good, but non-essential (25%)
25%
Collectors/fans only (5%)
5%
Poor. Only for completionists (3%)
3%

MANNING Number Ten reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by tszirmay
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Guy Manning is severely underrated and Prog's best kept secret, not getting enough tender loving care from us fans. But he troops on like a dedicated soldier, producing quality albums, dripping with juicy folk/rock/blues adventures that have a storyline and a delivery to boot. His tenth album in 10 years proves that he is prolific as well as supremely talented. "Ships" is an infectious cavalcade with bruising organ, rippling guitar and that suave sax that cleverly permeates all his compositions. A sing-along Springsteen like chorus and a rapid pace keeps the toes tapping, as the wind breezes through the open windows of your speeding sports car. Laura Fowles blows with some Clemonsian fury, the synths crackling in the maze, the full fledged guitar solo searching and searing. Yeah, babe! "The Final Chapter" is a moodier venture, perhaps closer to classic Brit folk, loaded with flutes, fiddles and bluesy guitar fills and a light yet impassioned vocal, replete with that now famous nasal twang (a dash Ian Anderson, a slice of Dave Cousins and a tad Al Stewart) and an uncanny ability to compose songs that have meaning. The keyboard bombast adds oomph to the proceedings, clearly progressive and not some folk yawn- inducing lattice, as the instrumental sections display great technical musicianship and that gutsy spirit that must be so utterly amazing live, certainly one of his finest tunes. "An Ordinary Day" lullabies with delicate piano, the spotlight firmly on Manning's trembling voice and his deeply felt lyrics (Cousins, eat your heart out!), condemning the routines of daily life. A stunningly gorgeous melody lights the chorus up with genuine simplicity and the "candles burning bright" reflects on the dim reality of a forlorn existence. "Bloody Holiday" is a sardonic wink and humorous nod at your typical British travel experience , a take on 10CC'genial "Dreadlock Holiday" (mentioned too) with hilarious lyrics dealing with the pains of voyage, the sarcasm and self deprecation dripping with that English savvy. A superb groove section with e-piano, sax and synthesizer really gets the mood aroused. Fun, fun, fun ("Enjoy the ride?") that even hints at early Manzanera or Eno albums. "Valentine's Night" is quite surprising as Guy raises an octave and sings high- pitched with very English skill, as an organ roils into unseen musical gulfs, loaded with colossal string orchestrations that heighten the vague melancholia of a sorrowful evening once, long ago. This is Manning at his most creative, gliding self-assured in a musical terrain he is very comfortable with and its obvious. The 10 minute + "A Road Less Traveled" returns to the slight Gaelic influences that are so particular to the British Isles' musical tradition, mandolin taking the front and center stage with that magic flute , as Guy relates another one of his patented stories about war, heroes and homecomings. Timeless and unpretentious music that flows effortlessly and soothes the soul, it has a mid-section that evokes the sweaty deserts of the troubled lands of war, swirling synths and cascading guitar follies adding to the magnificence of the remembrance theme. Classy guy, Guy! "Another Lazy Sunday" slithers into raunchier expanses, featuring exotic percussives and a quirkier atmosphere that again reveals some early ENO-esque humor with more dashes of 10CC harmonies, another example of an artist enjoying his craft and not swimming in pretense and arrogance. The lazy Sunday sax delivers its sexy message once again with exhilarated verve. "The House on the Hill" is the 15 minute 4 part epic finale, flute propelled by organ (I bet that's Tillison!) that recalls the Tull extravagances with typical Manning passion and attention to detail, some Beatles-like harmonies and a sublime sax blast that exudes warm fury and intricate bravado, the following keyboard section features funky lightning fast piano and an expressive guitar solo that veers towards unconventional dissonance. Manning always surprises, not really pigeon-moldable, constantly on the vanguard of something comfortable yet elusive. I deeply enjoy my 6 albums, I need to get the missing 4 soon because I am convinced that we are in the presence of a prog giant, easily within the prolific realms of Steve Wilson, Xavier Phideaux, Andy Tillison (yeah, love him or hate him) or Roine Stolt. Excellent opus, Guy. I hope you forgive my admiration for your splendid work. 4.5 Downings
Review by Prog-jester
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Sometimes I just can't get the fuzz around some certain artist/release here on PA. While some bands are bashed for being copycats, others recieve positive feedbacks for "carrying an influence" or "preserving the traditions", etc. I mean every single note here screams classic JETHRO TULL, but that's alright for most reviewers. The only tracks I really liked were epics, others float between pompous AOR and average singer/songwriter stuff. This is not bad material, not at all, but these positive reviews make you expect something better, you know. I guess I won't seek further for other GUY MANNING releases, it's just not my cup of tea - enjoyable only for 2-3 spins.
Review by Tarcisio Moura
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars After hearing the brilliant Songs From The Bilston House, I felt the urge to go back to Guy manningīs discography and revise some concepts I had about his earlier works. However, I was also too tempted to listen to his latest CD, Ten. Considering the high quality of the previous yearīs efford, I felt that Ten,. done by the same team of musicians that worked so well on Songs... (plus some guests) could be of the same caliber. Fortunatly, my intuition was right. In fact, Ten is in some ways even better than SFTBH.

First of all Iīve got say I donīt agree with another recent review at all. Although 70īs Jethro Tull is an undeniable influence on some tracks, saying JT is all over the CD is going way too far. If anyone cares to give the CD a little careful atention, heīll find that Manningīs music here is not only a labor of love, but also a fantastic mix of different styles of music put together to come up with something that becomes of its own (after all, who is totally original? Everybody has influences!). And Guy Manning did it in a inspired and well crafted way, putting together classic rock, celtic folk, symphonic prog and jazz in a creative manner. Some moments are truly brilliant, but none is bad or even weak. All the tunes rate from very good to excellent. And on at least two ocasions, they reach a truly transcendental beauty (more aout it below)..

The arrangements are very tasteful (I really love the way he uses the late 60īs/early 70īs styled Hammond organ). Not a single note wasted here, everyone and everything work for the music. Itīs one of the most balanced CDs I heard in a long time. So while I like to hear this masterpiece from start to finish, two tracks are simply too good not to be mentioned: the ethereal, poignant, Valentineīs Night (with its delicate melody and great duet vocal by Manning and Julie King, truly magnificent) and the albumīs biggest moment: the 15 minute epic House On The Hill. Itīs the albumīs track-worth-the price-of-the-CD type. Itīs full of emotion, beauty and power, building up through many shifting moods and turns, until it reaches its climax that gives goose bumps everytime I reach this point. Itīs the kind of song that seems only too short and makes you want to listen to it again and again and again (yes! This album has another prog classic).

Even though Manning himself claims he hasnīt īwritten my Dark Side Of The Moon yetī, it is clear that heīs heading towards the right direction to deliver it. The man is releasing some of the finest works Iīve heard these days.. My final rating: something between 4,5 to 5 stars. Highly recommended to anyone who loves good, inspired, melodic music.

Review by Marty McFly
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Oh, in at least one thing here you're right Prog-jester, Guy Manning's voice sounds to some extent like Ian Andreson's. But I wasn't able to realize it before I saw it written here. Strange. Anyway, that doesn't matter much to me, Guy manages to sound like "himself". After all, they both are British, it's not fault of anyone to sing like somebody else. But notes, or - music ? Nope, that's different cup of tea (speaking of Britain). One thing this guy Guy always have interesting. Album covers, they always catch my attention

From frontal assault of Ships, furious song (which is also available for free download) is perfect choice for first song on album. When I first heard it, it was like shocking therapy, I realized and described this song to my girlfriend as that it: "has everything" to depths of final epic The House on the Hill. In general, this music offers wide diversity of musical experience, changing styles, incorporating one to another, blending them together and making unique sound. Indeed, G. Manning never fails.

5(+), I don't see much reason why not to give masterpiece rating, nor I see any fault here. Oh, there's something that can help you with this jungle of styles (which by the way works well together, but just in case you still wonders what to do), it's his voice. Because the more you listen to his vocal work, the less you hear Ian here. And more of Guy.

Not only you can set your clock to this release schedule, you can also set your mind on his release of great albums.

Review by TheGazzardian
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars This album does not really excite me in any way, after multiple listens.

To be fair, it sits in a period where I've been hearing a lot of concept albums...Porcupine Tree's "The Incident", Phideaux's "Number Seven", The Decemberists "Hazards of Love", Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Night Castle". But I don't think that's what it is specifically about this album that makes it sound somewhat disjointed. The feeling I get from this album is one that I don't usually get when listening to prog rock, and that is of this being an album that is the sum of it's individual pieces, and no more.More than any album I have heard in a long time, this album sounds like a collection of songs.

Okay, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The songs on this album are alright. Ships is a catchy rocker, if not much more. Bloody Holiday! is a somewhat amusing song. Valentine's Night is probably the best song of the bunch, with a nice underlying layer holding the gentle song together, and my favorite vocals on the album. Another Lazy Sunday is another nice track.

None of these tracks are really so exciting that I would recommend them to anyone. Strangely, I found the longest 'epic' tracks to be rather uninteresting. They weren't particularly bad, but they weren't good enough to justify the length on the album. (On the other hand, A Road Less Travelled has a really awesome part with great strings, and if that whole song sounded that good, it would boost this albums rating by a decent amount).

Good enough to be a 3 star album, but I would say just barely.

Review by kev rowland
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Reviewer
4 stars To my mind, Guy remains one of the UK's most under-rated prog musicians, who consistently provides great pieces of work that often get overlooked. I first came across Guy when he was a member of PO90, and of course he was also later in The Tangent (both of which also involved Andy Tillison who provides some keys and drums to this album). Years ago we sat together in his studio and discussed his music, and our mutual love of Jethro Tull. True, there are times when that particular influence comes shining through his music but it is unfair to concentrate on that element although some reviewers seem unable to look past it. Guy does at times sound like Ian Anderson, in a similar fashion to Mark Colto (Credo) sounding somewhat like Fish ? it's the way they sing, not mimicry.

This was his tenth album in ten years, released in 2009, and is full of the things that I expect from Guy ? great musicianship, a large variety of music and orchestration, well constructed and thought out lyrics and layers upon layers of instruments that make an album that is immediate yet with great depth that rewards the listener the more time they devote to it. In another time and space Guy would be a prog superstar, but as it is we just have to be grateful that he is so prolific and that he keeps delivering the goods. www.guymanning.com

Latest members reviews

4 stars Surprise, surprise.... I only know Guy Manning from THE TANGENT and it is 16 months since I their last album hit my ears and a new universe opened up for me. I purchased this album together with some other MANNING albums and forgot about it. I finally gave it a listen some days ago and....... ... (read more)

Report this review (#212998) | Posted by toroddfuglesteg | Wednesday, April 29, 2009 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Another superb album for uk songwriter Guy Manning. 10 albums in 10 years..does he sleep? Number Ten is crammed full of memorable music and lyrics covering a wide variety of styles from wildly rocky to quiet ballad, from symphonic epic to introspective piano pieces. With the its iconic 10, D ... (read more)

Report this review (#200770) | Posted by DinoL | Tuesday, January 27, 2009 | Review Permanlink

4 stars You can almost set your watch by this man, give him just twelve months & he will have written, recorded & produced a great new album. This is a momentum he has kept going now for TEN years. A fact that becomes even more amazing when you hear how good each new album sounds. Not to mention the v ... (read more)

Report this review (#199432) | Posted by Simon Jackson | Saturday, January 17, 2009 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Here We Have The New Guy Manning,By all means this is his best work to date!! By Look Of The Alblum Cover,We see an House with an door.An door to nother realm,Filled with stories and dreams that we can encoprate into our lives,Learn to advance our lives spiritually.Get rid of our selfish desire ... (read more)

Report this review (#199419) | Posted by Jegheist2009 | Saturday, January 17, 2009 | Review Permanlink

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