MAN

Considering that Man were given just a matter of weeks to come up with a new album following the surprise success of both previous studio album 'Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day' and the live offering 'Christmas At The Patti' it's a wonder the Welsh psych-rockers came up with something so good. And so long. A double-sided affair, 'Back Into The Future' mixed new studio tracks with live recordings and found the group on top form with both. The line-up of Micky Jones(guitar, vocals), Tweke Lewis(guitar), Phil Ryan(keyboards), Will Youatt(bass) and Terry Williams(drums) had just finished a tour of Germany and, by all accounts, had very little to work with upon entering the studio. However, despite the perceived difficulties surrounding the sessions and the tight recording schedule imposed by the label the group managed to fashion an impressive set of upbeat, good-time tracks that combined the usual flavours of acidic guitars, spiky keyboards and West coast- style harmonies. Although mainly rather brief-in-length, 'Back Into The Future' features some great Man workouts, the bouncy 'Just For You' blending woozy keyboards and slick vocal harmonies, 'Never Say Nups To A Nepalese' showcasing a nice line in dopey humour and a bravura, nineteen-minute-long live version of stone- cold classic 'C'mon'(from 'Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day') capturing Man in their natural live habitat and close to their scintillating best. Most of side two - taken from a 1973 performance at the Roundhouse, London - concentrates on more material from their previous studio effort, and yet again the playing is exemplary, as featured on the breathtaking, guitar-solo-heavy rendition of 'Spunk Rock '73'. Whilst previous Man studio efforts, and indeed future ones, would find the group struggling to replicate their live energy within the confines of the studio, this 1973 release bucks the trend, which may well be a result of having to get the goods in the can so quickly. There's a real lively feel to much of 'Back Into The Future' and those you have yet to explore the delights of 'the Welsh Grateful Dead' as they are so often called(the 'Welsh Quicksilver Messenger Service is probably more apt) then this is as good a place as a any to start. A rollicking, fun-time ride, this is very much a career high for all involved.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012

Wales x West Coast hippie prog

My first Man album turns out to be a very satisfying experience. The band hailed from Swansea and while never exactly a household name, managed to release many acclaimed works in the 70s. While the album has an English psych-rock vibe it also draws comparison to the West Coast sounds, reminding me of bands like the Airplane and Spirit. It was recorded very quickly and features guests Dave Edmunds and Pete Ham, not surprising, as there are some Badfinger attributes here via the combination of good songs and economical, occasionally blistering rock. Man seemed to have a good sense of humor and an imaginative songwriting style, not unlike Stackridge, but they were much more rocking. This album features many grooving bluesy-psych jams with two lead guitarists who peel off some hot solos. The drumming is also pretty tight and interesting. The vocals are passable hippie rock vocals, nothing to write home about there. "Angel Easy" has a real Grateful Dead vibe. "All Good Clean Fun" gets high-minded with some crazy time changes and absurdist vocals. The highlight of the album is the creative take, lots of twists and turns worked into what would otherwise be just a period jam. I can't say if this is the definitive Man album since I have not heard the others, but it certainly worked as an album to get me interested in hearing more. Quite good.

Man's third album, and the first of theirs I have bought, is a disappointment for me. I have seen their albums for many years now, but have only heard them from video samples on the Archives. I liked the twin guitar attack on those spots and that is what I expected with this album. Sadly, it is not the case.

With two previous albums that made nary the tiniest splash, the band here seems unsure of what direction they want to go. The first song, Romain, is straight blues rock with a decent instrumental section at the end. Not a bad song, but it reminds me more of Canned Heat than anything else, which is just fine when I want to hear Canned Heat but not when I want to hear some twin guitar space rock. The next song starts with a promising riff, but then goes into country rock with a severe case of twang. If you like The Band, you might like this song. I admire The Band, but they are far from my favorites. This is a song I merely put up with. The next song is split into two tracks on the edition I have, and I have no idea why. It is definitely space rock very much in the line of Pink Floyd. At nearly thirteen minutes, it is long and drawn out, and gets quite boring after a while. It does however, have the capacity to grow on the listener. Maybe because of its hypnotic nature? The title is also rather cruel in my estimation: Would the Christians wait five minutes? The lions are having a draw. Now, I am not Christian, nor should that have anything to do with it; the joke on being thrown to the lions is simply in bad taste. The next track, Daughter of the fireplace, is a smoker (pun intended) and perhaps my favorite on the whole album. Still, it is straight blues rock and no more. The remainder of the album is taken up by the twenty-minute long Alchemist. This is much like the other long spacey piece, but even more tedious, although there is an ominous theme I can get into.

The main problem I have with this album is I am never sure if I am ever listening to Man. Every song reminds me very strongly of other bands. So, while it is not a terrible album overall, it lacks originality and uniqueness. When I want country rock, I can find better elsewhere; when I want straight blues rock, I can find better; when I want space rock, I can still find better. This band still holds promise for me, and I intend to keep an eye out for some of their work, but this is one outfit I will have to be more careful with. While I can get into Man by Man, it is not what I expected, nor is does it rise above those expectations. Two stars.

Man were a curious beast of a band whose West Coast-inspired brand of guitar-solo heavy psych rock constantly straddled the dividing line between 'progressive rock' and 'psychedelic rock'. A bit like, say, The Grateful Dead blended carefully with Yes - when the Welsh rockers are at their very best - Man cultivated a strong live following during their early- 1970's heyday and released a succession of excellent studio albums despite their frequently-changing line-up. Efforts such as 'Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day' and 'Back Into The Future' showed a debt of gratitude to the likes of Quicksilver Messenger Service, but also shone with rambling-yet-intricate prog psych aesthetic coloured by their love of epic, bluesy guitar-driven marathons - many of their cuts break the twenty-minute mark - and a sincere love of all things musically West Coast. Some compared them to psych-folk high priests The Grateful dead, yet elements of their sound, especially in their later years, were fiendishly progressive. However, unlike many of their cohorts, Man's weakest material proved to be their earliest recordings, such as debut 'Revelations' and follow-up '2 Oz Of Plastic (With A Hole In The Middle)'. 'Man', their self-titled third album from 1970, sought to somewhat counter their early, and rather kitsch, psychedelic pop sound with a heavy dose of twangin' rock 'n' roll country, placing their new sound far from the old. Indeed, at first listen 'Man' sounds authentically American; tracks such as 'Country Girl' and 'Romain' have a vibrant, rustic and almost funk-driven quality, with steel guitars to the fore and raw, good-time feel soaking each chord. The longer songs feature more proggish ingredients mixed in with the country rock, yet at this point at least, Man had not mastered the art of transferring the epic grandeur of their live shows onto vinyl.The 22 minute long 'Alchemist' has it's moments, but it is more of a case of bad, or maybe inexperienced, musical architecture than simply weak melodies. The other, shorter epic, the punnishly-titled 'Would The Christians Wait Five Minutes? The Lions Are Having A Draw', is a less ambitious affair that shares the sweaty ambience of the album's shorter, funkier tracks but again remains far too long, even at twelve minutes. 'Man' is very much a case of being half a great album - surely one of the only country prog albums? - yet also marks the passage where the boys from Wales grew up to be...well, Man. As transitional abums go, 'Man' does have much to recommend it, especially to those who enjoy the psychedelic West coast rock of Jefferson Airplane and their US counterparts Wizards From Kansas, H.P. Lovecraft and The Grateful Dead. It's certainly not their proggiest or best release(it's probably their least proggiest), but more a fun-time musical experiment that produced a couple of genuine rockers for the road. Recommended for it's uniqueness then, but 'Man' is no serious contender. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010

"Man" is a group that incorporates rock n roll, progressive rock, blues, country and hard rock. This album is no exception. They have the gift to make their studio albums (mostly those issued around 1973) sound like live recordings. The twin guitar solos, the tight and groovy rhythms, their enthusiasm and energy are combined with skill and good ideas. The piano and keyboards play a district role with soulful solos here and there as compositions lead into jams. If a reference is needed, I 'd dare to say that Wishbone Ash, Marshall Tucker Band or Quicksilver Messenger plus hammond organ jamming on stage sound similar at times. The most progressive oriented piece in this album is the beautiful instrumental "Keep on crinting". Although "Man" don't play progressive rock in the strict meaning of the word -and even the last song "Life on the road" is a rhythmic blues piece- anyone who loves good pure rock music will find this a delightful recording.

Keep quiet and everyone believe you are an idiot. Open your mouth and you are removing any doubts.

This is exactly what I am now doing by writing this review. I bought this album three years ago on Ebay and have been listening on and off to it since then. I honestly do not "get" Man from Wales, United Kingdom. They are in my view all over the place. But most off all, I regard this band as a noisy, energetic band with a predominant live feel both live and in studio. This album is no exception.

This album does have some surprising melodic, folk music like songs though. Both the opener C'mon and Keep On Crinting does have good folk rock vibes in addition to blues and space rock vibes. The same with Bananas. Life On The Road is an all out blues rocker which sounds like it was written by a disillusioned blues guitarist from the racial segregated Louisiana back in the 1940s. It is a good blues song too and I am pretty sure, a good live tune.

All the songs on this album is good, I find their music a bit too one-dimensional for my liking. Too much americana southern state blues for my liking, to be more precise. Hence, this album is not a regular visitor in my CD player. But I have a lot of time for this band and I think this album is good, but nothing more.

3 stars

My five star rating for this album is because of the tripple box Esoteric Records released a few years ago. It includes all of the original double album with the full Roundhouse concert as a very fine bonus. The second album of the original release included only a small part of a great concert and the "new" tracks is mostly from the studio part, not released at the time. What a line up - Mickey Jones is joined by Tweke Lewis on guitar and the ever brilliant Phil Ryan. The solid beat from Will Youatt and Terry Williams makes shure that the improvisations stays in order (by the Man Band standards anyway). And Mickey Jones really shines as a vocalist. He really serve you the Welsh soul!

By the time of the release of Slow Motion, Man was riding high on the succsess of Winos Rhinos and Lunatics. By now a quartet, they followed the previous album guidelines and concentrated on well crafted shorter tunes. The opener A Hard Way to Die, one of the best songs they ever made, is followed by Grasshopper. A beautiful and orchstrated classic that is a showcase for Deke Leonards abilities. The rest of the album is sometimes close to rock n roll by Man standards and it really swings! Not a record for anyone looking for long improvisations though, but a real pleasure since it is packed with everything Man is about - exemplary musicanship, fine interplaying and extraordinary singing. Enjoy!

This is one of the most underrated "progbands" ever, and Rhinos Winos and Lunatics is the best in a splendid catalouge. It has always puzzles me why Man stays outside the prog radar. Maybe because they are very down to earth( in musical terms anyway) and they never fall into introspective nodling.

On RWL the Man Band skipped the long improvisations from the latter albums. The reason is I belive the return of Deke Leonard and his ability to write a simple (hmmm) tune. But do not get me wrong. The album is packed with fantastic interplaying and Micky Jones, the mainstay, is bending the strings as clever as ever. The album kicks off with the single Taking the easy way out and is followed by California Silk and Satin, the only weak tune (sort of) on the album. If the rest of side one is great, side two is were it all gels perfectly.

Do not miss this album. Is one of these classic albums from the mid 70´s. And the reissue on Esoteric is beautifully remastered with an extra disc with live material.

'Live At The Padget Rooms Penarth' is an excellent documentation of the band's live qualities. MAN's most solid line-up ever is on the stage in April 1972 consisting of Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace and Terry Williams. Clive John, formerely caring for organ and piano, has a break here.They are offering some extraordinary live versions of early band hits. The Esoteric Recordings double CD reissue rounds this up to an album which is really recommended to prog fans who want to explore the rich legacy of this Welsh band.

And important to point out - the complete evening seems to be presented in the right song order now. Never could mention Deke Leonard's guitar playing more varied alternating between space and rock n' roll! He is known for prefering the bluesy, boogie and american westcoach style but at least partially this is an old hat for this evening when listening to this gig.

MAN's performances are dedicated to free improvisations - they never played a song in the same way twice. And this especially applies to their wildest and most innovative times - the first half of the 1970s. So we have a long warm-up initiated by some announcements and jokes. It takes nearly seven spacey minutes until the main theme of Spunk Rock is to recognize for the first time. A very powerful version of this song furthermore which is concipated as a straightforward uptempo rock jam based on duelling as well as corresponding guitars and a rather simple repetitive bass.

The highlight is the band's perfect interplay - hard-earned due to playing uncounted gigs. Although stylistically coming from different fields Jones and Leonard complement each other - it's an enjoyment to follow their guitars interacting, swirling around, evolving contrary, finding together again - always alternating between rhythm and solo work. This is the band's trademark. If you have the chance to compare with the predecessor release you will recognize the improved sound quality. Martin Ace's deep bass is less dull - much more accentuated - great work by the sound engineers.

And it's always a special manifestation for me to follow Terry Williams' driving drum playing - a solid part of the band's uniqueness which unfortunately never could be brought back regarding the reunions in the 80s and 90s. So they are in a good mood after 25 minutes(!) when going over to Many Are Called, But Few Get Up - probably the best MAN composition ever and released in studio version only a few months before. This song has a quite complex skeleton far away from plain jamming - I would even say this is rather eclectic with its tension-filled behaviour holding polyphonic vocals, catchy moments, weird impressions ... this is really hard to describe.

Angel Easy is presented close to the original studio version also coming from the previous album 'Do You Like It Here Now'. Well, the piano is substituted by the second guitar here - but nevertheless a little bit more playful as for my impression. Second CD of the Esoteric reissue starts with H. Samual (Jam) - another twenty minute improv consisting of excerpts from the 1970 'Man' album. I would say this gets close to krautrock - the band eventually was on the road in Germany very often. The most experimental thing on this evening with lights and darks - a weird combination of different patches including 'Would The Christians Wait Five Minutes' and 'Alchemist'.

They continue with Romain which does not belong to my favourites because more presented with a straightforward rock n' roll fundament. It's a long runner though and given on nearly every concert by the band. Jones and Leonard are hunting each other during the last uptempo spacey minutes before the sirens appear. This is really impressing but as for the full length it may only work when you're at the venue. The encore Daughter Of The Fireplace - another one from the self-titled 'Man' album - closes the set and appears more sophisticated as the forerunner provided with a fulminant point of culmination.

So my conclusion: a big plus for the improved sound quality - CD 1 is very enjoyable where the second one decreases a bit. A recommended MAN album though - 3.5 stars. Not much later the line-up will change once more and prepare for the next studio highlight 'Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day'.