MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND

When people think of what Prog rock sounded like in the 70s, most people would think of either the more symphonic stuff of Renaissance or Genesis, and or the jazzy stuff of Gentle Giant or Van Der Graaf Generator. Most people won't really think of the more space rock side of things unless they are fans of Gong or Pink Floyd. Space rock style of Prog has existed since the 60s but never really caught on with the scene until the 70s, and even then it wouldn't be the most popular bunch of music until like the 2000s. Not to say it wasn't influential, but it wasn't what most people would gravitate towards 'less we talk about Pink Floyd. Though, while the scene wasn't as grand as some may say others are, it still brought about some great albums and songs, especially on today's subject of Solar Fire.

I have known about Manfred Mann's Earth Band for a bit, but never had interest diving into them, not until I heard their cover of Bob Dylan's Father of Night, which is also on this album. I am not a Bob Dylan fan, but I take any chance I can get in hearing a good cover of his music. This is one of my favorite Dylan covers now, and it's impressive a band can make a minute and a half song be extended to 9 minutes long. It made me grow interested in listening to the rest of this album since it was such a good cover.

However, that song is probably the only really big number on this album. While the songs here aren't bad to me, I feel as though the band raised the bar of expectations really high to where they couldn't meet expectations. Songs such as Pluto The Dog or Earth The Circle parts 2 and 1 do not hit the same marks that Father Of Day, Father Of Night gave. What you get here though is some fairly well made hard progressive rock standards. You get a lot of songs that sound very close to groups like Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple, but obviously with a more progressive twist. In The Beginning, Darkness is a number that really does sound very good in the hard rock camp in my opinion, and with the few meddlings of the more progressive flavors, it does sound good.

I think what this album excels at is the general fun flavor the band exudes. They aren't clearly trying to be big and epic, but they aren't being wild or crazy either. They kinda just do what they feel like, and that is honestly really respectful since you'll know their work will be of quality and be generally good. However, my main issue with this fact is that the more I listen to this album the more apparent it is that they aren't gonna be as groundbreaking as say Camel or Alan Parsons Project. Really, I compare them more to Nektar, being this generally good Prog rock sound that never really extends past the good markings. It's not something I hate with all my heart, but I cannot help but feel the band have missed some opportunities within what they could've done.

Solar Fire, to me, is great at best, and good at worst, but never a complete masterpiece. It is an album that I think can work well introducing new people into Prog Rock, but as a piece of music that can extend the boundaries of what music can be, I am sorry but you can find a lot more out there. Sorry for the disrespect, but I think it should be said to some degree.

Spirits in the night, Demolition man, For you, Davey's on the road again, Lies (through the 80's), Blinded by the light, Redemption song (No Kwazulu) and Mighty Quinn... These are the live titles! A live album of which you have to find the original, since you can find some at 37 minutes, with one track less, others at almost 60 minutes with some additions not even live! In short, 50 mins and 55 sec is the right one with the aforementioned pieces! you have to be patient because even with the original you have cuts with often 2 or 3 pieces linked together and a gap not even connected which brings down the audience's mood; for those who have difficulty, go for the DVD which retraces the almost complete concert, but be careful with the releases, you often still have differences... Apart from these little hassles, take the time to settle down and enjoy this concert released just after the release of the magnificent 'somewhere in Africa', unfairly snubbed with 2 titles from the latter inside. Well, otherwise Chris and Steve are there and represent the best period, Manfred does as usual with his little dreamlike moments and John performs well for this kind of music, fresh live drums that flow well; on the bass side don't forget Matt especially on the somewhere titles with this very tribal rhythm. One of the best live ones which represents the prog rock of the 80s with a more metallic, more energetic sound, well a dated sound as my girlfriend says so well with synth and amplified bass sounds; but I love it in particular the 'Blinded by the light' and its guitar solo which melts everything around it... Just like the acoustic 'Redemption song' to take a break from this fusion of genres... Just like 'Spirits in the night' and its vocoder and its intoxicating solo, its progressive ambiance at the height, its break and its final orgasmic rise... just like 'Demolition man' and its frantic rhythm, syncopated with this piano behind which sets the title on fire, a tribal title with a fire that goes well in my opinion, not to mention the well-executed guitar solo which stands out at the end and makes me swoon, ah this ending worthy of a hard band... Just like 'For You', like 'Lies' and its hypnotizing chorus on stage, like 'Davey's on the road again' which is magnified in public with the latency of the intro, that of the break, the classic finale, the cut cover or not always a mystery, in short I will not cite all the titles, but an essential album.

MMEB and 1979 or how the sound of MMEBs will change again, before being forced to!

1 Don′T Kill It Carol this vocoder, this riff, this drums, this organ which seems to sing alongside, the catchy air and fresh rock but not only; a break ah that smells prog, a bit of piano on the right, on the left, yes we loved the stereo before, the carabineer synth solo which comes at length; timeless zik which certainly begins to date but whose rhythm remains engraved fresh, twirling; playful, toned, rock with a drawer in it, nothing better until the final aggressive guitar 2 You Angel You... shh, I put the intro back... perfection is there; a title to listen to, don't watch the clip, too dated! a perfect rhythm, we feel the break that will come with the display of all the instruments, yes, yes, well yes I have already listened to it, hold the keyboard, the piano, the second synth, the other piano, the battery, in short the perfection this title even if Bob Dylan was the creator. 3 Hollywood Town where we have the voice of Steve who will take place, good beard and tuft of hair too; when the sound changes we are in 1979 and the disco, the punk hurt; we need shorter titles with twirling breaks to give more space to daydreaming, that's it 4 "Belle" Of The Earth and an interlude one; dark and gripping, fast-paced nursery rhyme talk that doesn't lack for pep; the flowing synth, the heavy riff that I like, in short, pure happiness in less than 3 minutes; a title that could have been much longer...ah those crystalline keyboard keys on that riff, ah! 5 Platform End for the second interlude, it scratches, it squirts, often with MMEB, the musicos are very good and don't hesitate to release a little title that could be a break from another song, in short, I love it 6 Angels At My Gate side B, did you get up, did you flip the LP, the K7? Well what can I say, I'm a fan and find everything good? Yes! But hey it's worth it, the title that gets going, the vocoder that refills, the strong riff, the tortured solo, the spatial break, heavy, fat, gripping, bewitched and bewitching, it's simple my legs move all alone, it's... stamped Prog de prog and it's not Manfred's final solo that will make me change my mind 7 You Are - I Am for the dreamlike second track, the one where you don't throw anything away: the spatial intro, the choirs, the rise, the synth-keyboard solo of Mr Manfred, the heavy rhythm with this drums that get you into the head; you are, dark break, a cello, or a note from Manfred, the voice of a lost and frightened extraterrestrial, Ann in real life but I believed in the extraterrestrial; the organ that starts... divine; we put the cover back I Am, you are... 8 Waiting For The Rain and Graham's intro on the violin that gives you chills, yes MMEB is also the intro first, the moment when you don't know where you're going... you want a 1st or a 2nd, nan the 1st with no return is too good! One of the most beautiful airs with the pompous, grandiloquent and divine side, all that at the same time, a proof? I had to go back to it three times to write on it, remaining paralyzed with happiness just at this melody of Falcon coming down from the sky... Falcon-sky quite a bit in the middle of the Paris Air Show right now, yes a marker temporal will not hurt; well the violin returns, declines, fights on this divine air... I have already said it, I leave the end, speechless 9 Resurrection or how to walk perky in the clouds for those who don't want to come back down after this perfect musical moment; the ideal bucolic nursery rhyme to end up there... back down... to earth

MMEB has taken the step of the 70s by offering an avant-garde album of the 80s, rock with drawers so as not to get lost, to make fun of the dinos who did not accept this offspring who wanted to make a hit, ah not well ! So what wouldn't we do without music these days? The war? Ah yes the music does not have all the exclusivity, too bad.

1. Circles du du du di says the note, for the start, intro prog that makes you want to prick up your ears; great drums from Chris, I love it, a bit of violin and you're propelled into a thick prog with the most beautiful voice of the MMEB, I named Chris.. the other; violin again and the solo magnifies the space; well one of the greatest underrated prog groups who had the power to re-release songs by other artists and distill them into an enjoyable form; 2. Drowning on Dry Land / Fish Soup primary acoustic guitar, and it starts with a dark, swirling sound, a saw cutting wood, in short only images; break like the/ of the title with the flight towards musical plains where the guitar is spleen with the keyboards... shh it's beautiful I'm silent about writing; prog is that by the way; a space outside the system, which takes you by the feelings and tricks Chris; return to our world, the guitar roars, the choirs start, yes we must come back to earth 3. Chicago Institute vocal on the right, keyboard on the left, all in the center and vibrant notes that bring everyone into agreement, the intro is finished; consensual piece which marks with its break at 2'22, which really cuts the title and Chris who prides himself on a thunderous guitar solo, the one which makes you play it secretly in your room, yes you know it's too complicated , the title which doesn't look like much but which sends a prog missile right into your head, beauty of this misunderstood genre, the finale with these voices, these voices

4. California with Chris and Manfred with suave voices, I always think of Chris not very rock star, but so beautiful on these pieces, suave title, the acoustic guitar at the start, Manfred's organ which distills this solo languid on a borderline jazzy tune, a musical melting pot of the best and the guitar solo that could come out of a THIN LIZZY track, a track that was cut on K7 when he left, sacrilege!! as if we could cut MMEB

5. Davy's on the Road Again (live) cast doubt with this live track, well before that was it? One of the best, again with this fruity side, the voice, the guitar, the bass, the drums, the keyboards, everything is there... and it will start on an orchestral jig-proviso which will swell, swell and turn heads; the slap yes; the pan bang which replays the intro of the WHO of 'Tommy' to resume and this end of the end of the cartoon, the slap 6. Martha's Madman soft, an unpretentious ersatz, bam guitar, bass, come on slamming drums, ah real drums are still annoying; come on the heady riff, the title is launched; majestic, your head is spinning for a good reason for once, no need to take these damn drugs; prog latency and this riff which comes to tease you again... ah Manfred now, the prog digression in its firmament; that's it, it's going and it won't stop, enjoyable 7. Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) (live) by Bob at the start, taken up unsuccessfully by Manfred and emerging with more Cadbury, peach, chocolate, rhythm and we arrive at this pearl with the Moog squirting; sudden, sneaky break and the guitar whirs before going on an explosive solo; and this title will become one of the flagship titles, like what, go the abused organ with the piano next to it, Manfred makes the most of it, oops a break within the break, spatial, brutal, heavy before its time; If I had to give an example of the title it would be this one; of the keyboard which flirts with that of DEEP PURPLE, the hard guitar of a metal group yes the prog should have eyed it more quickly and merge rather than keeping connections with jazz, dead music like Latin although we say.

MMEB of uncompromising prog, old, OK but prog has no age!

1 Spirits In The Night yes Bruce SPRINGSTEEN has been there, MMEBs can't make hits, one of the taboos of prog rock in fact... so they're going to take songs from some big names and grab them, from positive way; already hold the break with the crowd in the distance, the organ which navigates and invites the guitar, ah this guitar which pierces, which squirts... which does its job in a monstrous way; a perfect prog title as I like them, a bit of violin scratching and that's how in those days we didn't take the trouble to do very good. 2 Countdown for the interlude in my opinion or how to make an instrumental that washes your ears after such a title; Good 3 Time Is Right hard attack, I always thought that this group lacked something to be even better; it goes up too soft, but it goes up all the same and in the end, the drums and the guitar take you quickly to progressive lands; 2 mn and boom the progression occurs, as with the BJH, suddenly we feel that it goes elsewhere; it vibrates, it titillates, it titillates; finished the conventional chorus-verse, we went off track! 4'30'' and a glimmer of Visionary.. we will have to wait for the B side, huge, the clock, PINK FLOYD, the country guitar, these sound effects that only the proguous can understand, it's the good time 4 Crossfade or the counterpart of 2; the limited title linked from the previous one to drift a little more on the southern lands of prog; or how Manfred uses his beast by extracting sounds from elsewhere, extra-terrestrials; the contribution of the guitar for a fight in perfect similarity 5 Visionary Mountains .... here is the title, THE TITLE, the one that symbolizes easy-to-access prog; an intro, the intro, the rise, this vibrato, the languorous voice limits MOODY BLUES, warm, warm, haunting and so comfortable; the guitar which spleens, which vibrates, the organ because yes MMEB is the Hammond organ; the cymbal, the angelic voices, bare sirens that graze on a rock of seaweed and it starts again like a surf 6 Nightingales And Bombers much worse than Visionary but with a superb entry; a declination, a purely MMEB musical research with vibrations, a more telling jazzy side, a gradual departure from the title to arrive at a surging Mick's guitar, free rock, free jazz, it really rocks on a dreamlike crescendo which puts you in a trance; put elsewhere in the album this title is purely enjoyable; a bell, a cymbal and it starts again; yes the standard prog must be inside this album 7 Fat Nelly for a Manfred interlude with the help of his friend on the guitar, or how to create a frenetic title? would like to pass the organ of the WHO backwards and there it was well before 8 As Above So Below (Recorded Live) and another bonus, yes I take certain titles as a plus, as a singular research apart, like ... a declination, a moment of improvisation, a non 'radio edit' title , something that you would only see in concert, a jam... but there it is .. for you, for us: the air gets going; there's everything I like to know about musical exploration, you don't know where it's going to take us and that's what's good, very good; well it gets into action, the mothership is about to dock, well, maybe they know the ELOs too... in short, don't be afraid since the chaffinch won't stop singing!

MMEB released a major album with pharaminous titles on it and other titles of pure musical research; an album which would surely not work today but which gave the band its letters of nobility, prog of course! ... Emotion memory sequence.

Glorified Magnified is the 2nd album of the band and it shows. It shows a band trying to find the balance between the heavier guitars and the lead man(n)'s keys. The balance between showing strong musicianship and writing (or covering) good songs. By no means is it a bad album. Actually it grows on the listener after a couple of listens. But it never gets off the earth (pun unintended!), never really excites.

And let's get one thing straight. It is not a prog album, although it has its proggier moments. It could be better classified under a term such as 70s heavy rock or something like that. So it has to be reviewed for what it is and not what it isn't. Having said that, I think the best parts of the album are still the ones that are not guitar dominated. "One Way Glass" on the mellower side of things and the title track on the more adventurous side. From the more typical 70s guitar driven rockers I would have to go with "I'm Gonna Have you All" (which also has a strong keyboard section at the end). Actually I have the impression that this is the only one that would fit on the later band releases.

As for the individual players, the first thing to notice is that Manfred, while not absent, is not really the centre of it all. He shines only in certain moments. To be sure, throughout the band's career he was never dominant like, say, Keith Emerson, but still you could tell who is the leader. On this album this is not the case. Normally this would not be a bad thing, but the space he leaves for Mick Rogers' guitar, while not exactly poorly covered, leaves the listener wanting. Rogers playing is adequate and he takes a few longer solos here and there, like on "Look Around". His playing looks towards Alvin Lee or a bit of Duane Allman, but he surely lacks the imagination of the former and the technical abilities of the latter. Also lacks the sophistication of, say, Peter Green. In general, it lacks! The rythm section, while not spectacular, is solid and especially Chris Slade's playing is very enjoyable.

All in all, GM is a good album on its own, but doesn't even hint towards the direction the band would take. It has its moments, but it is still very unlikely to become your favourite...

Then: May 1972, Roundhouse Theatre in Sydney, Australia. Manfred Mann's Earth Band had only released their eponymous debut album two months earlier, and when they had given their third ever gig in Australia a year prior (planned Australian tour with Deep Purple and Free was cut short due to a mysterious threat, ie. "I will kill Manfred Mann on Sunday" headline on a rock magazine, as the liner notes reveal), they still had used the name of Mann's previous band Chapter Three. So, the "Then" part of this DVD really shows MMEB at the beginning of their long career, and it undoubtedly has historical value. On guitar and vocals is Mick Rogers.

Subjectively speaking, the 55-minute gig, filmed black and white for the Australian TV, bored me as hell with its four- song cycle and very modest visual and audio quality. 'I'm Gonna Have You All' appeared later that year on their 2nd album Glorified Magnified. Mann's Moog intro aside, this is uninspiring blues rock I have no real interest in. 'Black and Blue' is IMHO equally boring blues rocker, originally by an Aussie band called Chain. 'Mighty Quinn' (written by Bob Dylan) was recorded by Manfred Mann in 1967 when he "used to be a pop star" as he introduces the song. This version rocks hard and contains an over-extended jam section. Although I personally am not so impressed by such things, this is clearly the audience-thrilling highlight of the short gig.

The band's TV interview during the same Australian tour gives me next to nothing as it's hard (because English is a foreign language to me) to hear what Mann mumbles, and the other members seem very shy. Then comes a bonus clip, 'One Way Glass' originating from Chapter Three's 1970 debut album, in which Manfred handles the vocals himself and is accompanied by a brass section. A rare archival view into that phase of MM's career.

The "Now" half of the DVD is an outdoor performance at the Burg Herzberg hippy festival in 2005. MMEB's setlist contains six pieces, although the starting Springsteen cover 'Dancing in the Dark' (combined with 'House of the Rising Sun') is just a brief clip. The essential Dylan cover 'Father of Night, Father of Day' from Solar Fire, 1973, is guitarist-vocalist Mick Rogers' spotlight number, and this jam-extended version bursts with live energy. The smash hit 'Blinded by the Light' (Springsteen cover) has a long and meditative instrumental prologue titled 'She Was', which is quite interesting in its keyboard/guitar interplay.

'Demolition Man' (originally by The Police) appeared on the MMEB album Somewhere in Afrika (1983) and works nicely here, as well as the 1978 hit 'Davy's on the Road Again'. The set is finished by a slow and bluesy version of 'Mighty Quinn' thus bringing an interesting contrast to the 1972 performance. The long instrumental intro -- and near the end the citing of 'Smoke on the Water' -- makes me think of the way Dire Straits broke the album-based format in the excellent Alchemy Live (1984). And finally, Manfred Mann interview from 2008, dealing with the Australian tour '72 etc. The 12-page booklet gives valid background information especially on the 1972 part; I only miss the 2005 live line-up information. Strongly recommended for a fan of MMEB, but the more casual listener can happily live without this DVD.

MMEB's sixth album Good Earth (1974) is sandwiched between more classic releases Solar Fire (1973) and Nightingales & Bombers (1975), and frankly, especially for a prog listener it is not quite as satisfying as them, not to speak of my fave MMEB album Roaring Silence (1976). This single took both songs from the album, the B sider being much more interesting this time.

'Be Not Too Hard' is a relaxed and semi-mellow song with a blues oriented classic rock sound. Mann's keyboards mainly just repeat one note during the song while Mick Rogers' vocals and guitar are on the front. Like so much of the band's output, this is not theirs originally. It was composed by Christopher Logue (never heard...) and recorded also by Joan Baez, about seven years before MMEB.

'Earth Hymn Part 2' is among Good Earth's best and proggiest pieces. It's almost an instrumental by nature since the treated main vocal part comes only near the end. Before that one hears an exciting, Mellotron-loaded soundscape with space rock nuances, even a hint of Tangerine Dream. Too bad that the source album dwells more on the hard rock as a whole.

Respect to the band to combine progressive rock and classic rock elements in such a crispy and catchy piece of work and introduce an advanced planetary concept. Manfred Mann Earth's band brings other progressive rock bands' influence to the table: King Crimson (listen to the epic "Father of Day, Father of Night", The first composition is not overly complex but very epic, solemn - the guitar and keyboards excelling in creating dense atmosphere. Moog, synths, organ and mellotron are all represented. Would you ever say that the song was penned by Bob Dylan?

"In the beginning, darkness" is a hard-rock classic song with progressive keyboards.

"Solar fire" finally shows some irregular rhythm by the band. The male and female vocals are powerfully combined. "Saturn, Lord Of The Ring / Mercury, The Winged Messenger" is the definitive masterpiece on this album and one of the best progressive rock tracks by the band. Starting off as a hard-rock piece with interesting chord sequence. Things calm down and a furious moog/guitar tandem based on a traditional rock rhythm takes the stage. I like moog playing in particular. It reminds me of some Kansas tracks that put weight on guitar/keyboards while maintaining straightforward bass/drums.

The suite "Earth, the circle part 1/2" are muscular Moog and synths matters but not pretentious. The latter part 1 is actually also a beautiful composition with short-lasting vocals.

It remains one of my top bands album and greatly recommended especially to newbies in prog that are looking for an accessible entry.

This is first and foremost a rock album rocking harder or softer. The band are in their formative years but showing potential individually to form a strong and distinctive results. I like compositional strengths with guitar and keyboards standing out. Keyboard in particular shows some hints of progressive rock while bass and drums more or less sticks to staightforward rock. Vocals are competent, too. "Look around" is a semi-prog almost instrumental number and despite its short length, "Our friend George" has a decent progressive chord twist with quite good Hammond. The title track has organ/Moog willing to tackle current progressive rock but it's marred by unsuitable rock'n'roll drumming that has little fantasy. "I'm gonna have you all" has nice organ touch that remind me of The Who. Last traces of bluesy sound can be found in "Down home".

Quite a good album (better ones are to come) but hardly essential.