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01 |
Don't Kill It Carol |
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06:17 |
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02 |
You Angel You |
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04:02 |
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03 |
Hollywood Town |
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05:10 |
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04 |
"Belle" of The Earth |
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02:45 |
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05 |
Platform End |
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01:32 |
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06 |
Angels At My Gate |
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04:49 |
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07 |
You Are - I Am |
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05:11 |
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08 |
Waiting For The Rain |
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06:17 |
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09 |
Resurrection |
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02:40 |
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10 |
Joybringer |
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02:26 |
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11 |
Sister Billies Bounce |
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02:15 |
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12 |
What You Give Is What You Get (Start) |
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02:34 |
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13 |
Telegram To Monica |
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05:38 |
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14 |
Billies Orno Bounce |
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03:17 |
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15 |
A Couple Of Mates |
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03:20 |
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16 |
Neptune (Icebringer) |
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01:06 |
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17 |
Rivers Run Dry |
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03:03 |
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18 |
Hymn |
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03:57 |
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19 |
We're Going Wrong |
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04:01 |
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20 |
Planets Schmanets |
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02:41 |
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21 |
Geronimo's Cadillac |
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04:44 |
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1979 - Angel Station
After a longish wait, the new Earth Band featuring Chris Thompson, Manfred Mann, Pat King, Geoff Britten and guitarist/vocalist Steve Waller launched another of the great Earth Band albums. Again the whole album is really good but outstanding tracks include "Don't Kill It Carol" penned by Mike Heron and Dylan's "You Angel You".
Produced by ... Anthony Moore
Executive Producer ... Manfred Mann
GEOFF BRITTON Drums.Alto Sax.
PAT KING Bass
MANFRED MANN Keyboard. Vocals.
CHRIS THOMPSON Vocals.
STEVE WALLER Vocals. Guitar.
C P 1979 Petbrook Ltd.
1 Don't Kill It Carol (6:14)
Heron EMI Music Publishing Ltd
2 You Angel You (3:59)
Dylan Sony/ATV Music Publishing
3 Hollywood Town (5:04)
Schock Screen Gems-EMI Music Ltd
4 "Belle" Of The Earth (2:43)
Mann Scalehand Ltd
5 Platform End (1:29)
Mann/Britton/King/Waller/ Thompson/O'Neill Scalehand Ltd
6 Angels At My Gate (4:47)
Mann/Martinez/O'Neill Scalehand Ltd/Minder Music Ltd
7 You Are - I Am (5:06)
Mann Scalehand Ltd
8 Waiting For The Rain (6:14)
Falcon Sony/ATV Music Publishing
9 Resurrection (2:34)
Mann Scalehand Ltd
1987 - Masque
This was the sequel to "Solar Fire" and contains some superb music, some of which is based around Holst's "Planets" including a reworking of the 70s hit "Joybringer".
PRODUCED BY: MANFRED MANN EXCEPT
* CO-PRODUCED WITH HARD TIMES PRODUCTION.
** PRODUCED BY MANFRED MANN AND STEVE FORWARD.
***PRODUCED BY MANFRED MANN AND MICK ROGERS.
MANFRED MANN KEYBOARDS&TRUMPETON
MAGGIE RYDER VOCALS
MICK ROGERS GUITAR &VOCALS
JOHN LINGWOOD DRUMS
DENNY NEWMAN VOCALS & BASS(TELEGRAM TO MONICA)
FRANK MEAD SAXOPHONES
P C 1987 10 RECORDS LTD.
1 Joybringer (2:25) **
Holst/Mann/Rogers/Slade Gustav Holst/J Curwen & Sons Ltd
2 Sister Billie's Bounce (2:13) *
Silver/Parker/Ryder/Mann Scalehand Ltd
3 What You Give Is What You Get (2:31)
Weller BMG Music Pub Ltd
4 Telegram To Monica (5:34) **
Newman Scalehand Ltd
5 Billie's Orno Bounce (3:10) *
Parker/Ryder/Mann Scalehand Ltd
6 Couple Of Mates (from Mars and Jupiter) (3:17)
Mann Scalehand Ltd
7 Neptune (Icebringer) (1:05) ***
Mann/Rogers/Lingwood Scalehand Ltd
8 Rivers Run Dry (3:01) ***
Rogers Maxwood Music Ltd
9 Hymn (from Jupiter) (3:54) **
Mann/Rogers/Lingwood Scalehand Ltd
10 We're Going Wrong (3:56) ***
Bruce Dratleaf Ltd
11 Planets Schmanets (2:37)
Mann Scalehand Ltd
12 Geronimo's Cadillac (4:40)
Murphy/Quarto Calin Music Corp
Angel Station (UK review) 1979
Most of us potter through life without any clear aims or objectives. Somehow we imagine that having heaved the cat out of bed and wiped sufficient marmalade on the morning toast, we'll get through the day without too many mishaps.
Manfred Mann is not like us ordinary mortals. He sets out to do more with his life than remove marmalade from cats. he decided a long time ago to make the best damn pop records money and brains could devise, even if it meant going to the Master - i.e. Bob Dylan - for inspiration.
Old Manfred has proved over and over again that he has an alchemist's touch. "You Angel You" done in the Manfred fashion would, I'm sure, wring praise from the Inscrutable One. It is one of the outstanding performances on this vibrant, cleverly wrought album by one of the strongest ever versions of the Earth Band. It's also the last album to feature Chris Thompson on vocals - he's quitting to form his own band - and with a generosity not often detected among musicians, Manfred offers a tribute to his past help and wishes him well on the sleeve.
The sheer attack of the band is immediately evident from the opening piece, "Don't Kill It Carol", which features deep, probing vocals from Chris and guitarist Steve Waller, and stabbing crystal-clear piano accents from Manfred. A voice-bag adds to the atmosphere of menace, and the arrangement immediately establishes the level of intensity maintained trhoughout. With Geoff Britton on drums and Pat King on grumbling bass, the Earth Men play like men possessed.
Not all the material is wonderful. "Platform End" for example, while containing intriguing effects on the 4-6-2 Pacific steam synthesizer, tends to flag after several choruses. Quite frankly, and not to put too fine a point on it, the piece is dull, dull, dull.
But "Angels At My Gate" which opens side two restores faith. It has a spooky flavour heightened by Britton's rumbling drums, and this continues into "You Are - I Am" a piece which recalls the haunting "Rainbow Chaser" by Nirvana, if anyone can remember that far back. I think producer Anthony Moore's sequencer must be responsible for some of the effects here, but there are sounds of human acdtivity too as odd voices break through the veil of sound. It's reminiscent of some of the Beatles' more experimental work and will repay many a listen.
I commend this highly to all who appreciate a mixture of sincerity and skill. Just listen to Graham Preskett's violin solo on "Rain" and the curious "Resurrection", which concludes with what sounds like a totter shouting "any old iron", followed by a burst of laughter.
Chris Welch
