ANGEL STATION

Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Eclectic Prog

3.51 | 183 ratings

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SouthSideoftheSky
Special Collaborator
Symphonic Team

"You are the time between Solar Fire and The Silence"

The first three songs of Angel Station are cover songs as are track number 8 which mean that almost half the album was written by outsiders. Were Manfred & Co. perhaps running out of inspiration here? Well, yes and no. There were always cover songs on this band's albums, but they seemed to increase in number with each album leaving less space for the band's own compositions. For Prog fans it is clearly the band's self-penned material that is the most interesting on all their albums. Sadly, today Manfred Mann's Earth Band is just basically a cover band despite having a back catalogue with many excellent self-penned compositions.

Waiting For The Rain is worth a special mention because it is a ballad which is quite unconventional for Manfred Mann's Earth Band. It has some nice uncharacteristic violin work too! Resurrection is also a bit unusual being a sarcastic reflection on commercialized religion! A bit weird to end the album with that perhaps.

Angel Station is a bit more commercial compared to earlier albums and the songs are all very catchy and accessible. There is a slight New Wave-ish sound and the keyboards are more modern. Even if I definitely like this album, I think it is not up to par with the earlier ones between Solar Fire and The Roaring Silence which indeed seems to be Mann's own view too since he acknowledges the special value of this particular period in the lyrics to You Are, I Am ("You are the time between Solar Fire and The Silence").

Good, but not the place to start.

SouthSideoftheSky | 3/5 | 2009-6-27

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