Manfred Mann Earth Band, a little late to this party, any fans here at WBF

[Hi-FiGuy]

Never paid any attention to this band other than the Springsteen cover tunes played on the radio years ago. I apparently acquired a copy in one of my bulk purchases awhile ago. Recently I have been turning my head to my record collection and blindly pulling out a record and listening to both sides and make a decision to keep or discard.

So this time I pulled out Roaring Silence, not the original, this one had Spirits in the Night stuck in there, the one and only MMEB album I own.

Let me just say it was a big mistake on my behalf to assume I knew what this band was about based on a couple cover tunes played on the radio. I had ZERO idea they were a Prog-ish band with gobs of talent on display. I am working my way through their catalog now via streaming. Really surprised no one has taken an interest ( Steve Wilson) in remixing these seventies recordings, alot of magic there!

Any fans out there, anyone care to rub in my ignorance on not investigating this music decades ago...

 

[Al M.]

Have Nightingales and Bombers (1975). Crazy good (!!) album, all excellent musicians. Great own compositions, and great, inventive covers. Spirits in the Sky by Springsteen, Visionary Mountains by Joan Armatrading. Incredible drumming on the latter.

As a teenager I also had Solar Fire (1973) and Watch (1977) on vinyl. Big fan back then, still am, but it hasn't been a main interest of mine to listen to the albums. I should. I am also a big Beatles fan, but don't own a single album currently (after I ditched my vinyl following my teenage years).

Your post inspired me. I should listen on YouTube to some of the other old stuff of MMEB that I used to have and see if it still grabs me. Probably it will, given how much I love Nightingales and Bombers.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

Have Nightingales and Bombers (1975). Crazy good (!!) album, all excellent musicians. Great own compositions, and great, inventive covers. Spirits in the Sky by Springsteen, Visionary Mountains by Joan Armatrading. Incredible drumming on the latter.

As a teenager I also had Solar Fire (1973) and Watch (1977) on vinyl. Big fan back then, still am, but it hasn't been a main interest of mine to listen to the albums. I should. I am also a big Beatles fan, but don't own a single album currently (after I ditched my vinyl following my teenage years).

Your post inspired me. I should listen on YouTube to some of the other old stuff of MMEB that I used to have and see if it still grabs me. Probably it will, given how much I love Nightingales and Bombers.

Just finished up from the first album through Solar Fire so I have Good Earth to get through before N&B, looking forward to all of it.
The song Road to Babylon on Roaring Silence hooked me and took me down the rabbit hole.

I like how he draws off Classical / Jazz / Blues. His interpretations of classical are pretty cool. He is like the modern day band Disturbed making killer covers. Quite the social justice / environmental warrior of the day too! So much so he was banned from going to his home in South Africa due to his very outspoken stance on apartheid.

 

[PierreB]

I have the lp version of Angel Station and Chance.
Long time not listen to them. Will do.

 

[P-pan]

Better to be late to the party than to miss it completely.

I've probably been listening to MMEB since the late '70s. Maybe not so regularly but in periods.

Thx for reminding me.

First out...

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...I had and liked the "My Name's Jack" 45 rpm circa 1968. That count for anything?

 

[Al M.]

...I had and liked the "My Name's Jack" 45 rpm circa 1968. That count for anything?

Well, it's not his Earth Band, but it counts as Manfred Mann. I also like his "Pretty Flamingo" and "Mighty Quinn".

 

[Al M.]

Actually, I just listened again to "Pretty Flamingo". I don't like this song, I *love* this song!!

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...I love the pants they're wearing on the Pretty Flamingo album cover, Qobuz version, but the version/pic with the girl and the boa seems more "correct." Good call. Cool song. So very "of the time" musically, right?

 

[cjfrbw]

Yes, have several vinyls, still listen to them in rotation. I don't even know how famous they ever were, first heard on WTUL radio in New Orleans in the olden days, taped some of the music, got the vinyls in the 90's.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

So I have made it up through Roaring Silence thus far. So blown away by the music and the talent. Least favorite thus far, The Good Earth, some bright spots and some not so bright. Favorite so far, everything else. N&B, damn Gina!

Some damn brilliant music here.

I was talking about the band with someone and he made the statement that there was so much of that kind of music at the time that some got over looked. I could not agree more.

Looking forward to moving on to Watch and then seeing what they did with the 80's, an era that in my opinion, the only good thing that came out of it was Metal, we shall see!