If you follow this blog, you've probably noticed that I've been putting a particular emphasis on posting BBC performances from the 1960s and 70s. Not only are they usually great in terms of sound quality and often have unique songs not done anywhere else, but I find satisfaction in editing the songs to remove the annoying BBC DJs talking over the music. It's a particular joy for me to wipe all traces of DJ Brian Matthew, who sounds like the epitome of a smarmy, insincere promo guy.
So as I work my way through the big musicians from that era, Manfred Mann came to my attention. It turns out two official double albums of their BBC performances were released in 2019, one called "Radio Days, Part 1," and the other "Radio Days, Part 2." I got them and gave them a good listen. I must say I was impressed. Manfred Mann sold a lot of records back in the 1960s, but they don't have a very good critical reputation. They're seen much like the Hollies - a poppy singles band, except without Graham Nash and with fewer hits.
Listening to Manfred Mann's BBC recordings made me reassess them. I now think they're much better than they're given credit for. It turns out they actually were really talented jazz musicians who saw the huge success of rock music in the early 1960s and gave that a try. As a result, they were way more talented than other groups they're lumped in with, such as the Herman's Hermits. They had two excellent lead vocalists, and many of their songs, including some of their hits, were written by them. They had a habit of sneaking in jazzy instrumentals to their repertoire as much as they thought they could for a pop band, and there are a few of those here.
So I've decided to do a total overhaul of their 1960s output, much as I did with the Zombies, in hopes of turning more people onto them. It turns out they did a lot of songs for the BBC that they never recorded anywhere else. So I'm not including any of those here. Instead, those will be added to the various studio recording compilations I've made. I also haven't included any of the occasional times when they played the same song twice for the BBC.
What that leaves is essentially a greatest hits of their 1960s material, since they tended to play their most popular songs for the BBC. Just as the official BBC albums have done, I've split their 1960s work into two parts. This album deals with the years when Paul Jones was the band's lead singer. He was replaced in mid-1966 by Mike d'Abo. That era will be the subject of my second and final BBC album from them.
You can see from the song titles which songs I had to edit to get rid of the BBC DJs talking (usually Brian Matthew), because I've included "[Edit]." In all the cases I think, the talking was over the start of the song. Using the sound editing software X-Minus, I was able to wipe the talking completely while keeping the underlying music.
I found a list of all the times Manfred Mann played at the BBC, and it included the names of most of the songs they played. Sadly, I'd estimate only about half of their performances with good recordings. Many unique songs they played are probably lost forever. (It doesn't help that there are virtually no live bootlegs of the band from the 1960s.)
I would guess that "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" is the band's best known song, at least from the 1960s. (The band morphed into Manfred Mann's Earth Band in the 1970s and had a massive hit with "Blinded by the Light.") By chance, none of the band's BBC performances of "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" survived. But I was able to find a version performed live for a TV show that sounds nearly as good. I did the same for "5 4 3 2 1," another big hit that also otherwise wouldn't have been included here. So, with those two songs included, this does include all the big hits from their Paul Jones era.
This album is 58 minutes long.
01 Groovin' [We're Gonna Groove] (Manfred Mann)
02 Watermelon Man (Manfred Mann)
03 Do Wah Diddy Diddy (Manfred Mann)
04 Sha La La [Edit] (Manfred Mann)
05 Come Tomorrow (Manfred Mann)
06 Look Away (Manfred Mann)
07 L. S. D. [Edit] (Manfred Mann)
08 Oh No, Not My Baby (Manfred Mann)
09 The Abominable Snowmann [Instrumental] (Manfred Mann)
10 The One in the Middle (Manfred Mann)
11 When Will I Be Loved [Edit] (Manfred Mann)
12 What Am I to Do [Edit] (Manfred Mann)
13 I Put a Spell on You [Edit] (Manfred Mann)
14 If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Manfred Mann)
15 Watch Your Step (Manfred Mann)
16 There's No Living without Your Loving (Manfred Mann)
17 Spirit Feel [Instrumental] (Manfred Mann)
18 Tired of Trying, Bored with Lying, Scared of Dying (Manfred Mann)
19 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (Manfred Mann)
20 Still I'm Sad [Instrumental] (Manfred Mann)
21 Pretty Flamingo (Manfred Mann)
22 Machines [Edit] (Manfred Mann)
https://www.upload.ee/files/16695555/MANFRDMNN1964-1966_BBSssonsVlum1_atse.zip.html
I'm not sure where the cover art comes from exactly. It looks like they're in a recording studio. But I do know it's from 1965.
I like Matthew's commentary. It's charmingly lame and he looked just like
ReplyDeleteyou'd think a guy that cheesy with his intros and outros would look.
I feel the same.To people of my age Brian Matthews is a legend,he introduced most of us to the Beatles in 1963.Anyway.your work is appreciated.Thanks
ReplyDeleteI didn't grow up with him. Maybe I'd have a different perspective if I did. From my point of view, "smarmy" is the word that fits the best. He's so impossibly enthusiastic about everything that he can't possibly be sincere.
Deleteglad you've moved on to these guys...& my 2 cents Manfred Mann Chapter III was the inspired perfect version of the band. Completely embracing the description you gave of jazz guys....but taking the perfect mix of psychedelic- in their formula for this version of the band. So for me Manfred Mann- pop jazz- Manfred Mann Earth Band - some prog -guys- the world had caught up with them. Im a very big fan of Soft Machine -particularly in the Wyatt era & I think MMC3 did it just as well....my 2 cents
ReplyDeleteSo far, I've focused on their Mark 1 and Mark 2 versions. I'll have to look more closely into Mark 3.
DeleteBrian pre-dated pirate radio and Radio 1, so he was old school and he never changed his delivery style, so, yes, he sounds uncool, but there is no doubt that he loved his music and was dedicated to bringing the best to his listeners and some of the new wave DJs were unspeakable, though I'll not point the finger..... Having said all that, please keep up the good work, it's appreciated.
ReplyDeleteBrian Matthew was an excellent dj who can't be judged by modern standards. H e was charming and used his charm to have fun with his interviewees particularly the Beatles and the Stones. When he died it was a huge loss to a very loyal listener fan base in the UK.
ReplyDeleteDespite my fondness for some dj's of my youth, I find the way you remove their talk is a nice improvement.
ReplyDeleteThanks. And remember, if you prefer it with the talking, you can still get that on the official albums. This provides another option.
Deletethanks for taking the talking out- totally appreciate the extra work- yuck I say- as you say its commonly available-
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ReplyDeleteBrian Matthew presented Sounds Of The Sixties until 2017, when he died at the age of 88. Sounds Of The Sixties was a two hour show and he would play a big sixties hit at the start and end of the hour, but practically everything else was obscure, to the very obscure. He opened my eyes to a world outside of the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, et al. And yes, he was a legend.
ReplyDeleteI know he is not to your taste, but a little respect for a great DJ. You love the music that he promoted.
I'm glad if he helped keep obscure music heard. That said, he rubbed me the wrong way. And he certainly could have done that WITHOUT talking over the music!
DeleteBrian Matthew was The Beatles favourite dj and toured with them in the USA. He was one of the very best. As for dissing The Hollies - well ............
ReplyDeleteWho is dissing the Hollies? Not me! I like them.
DeleteWhere is Song Number 10??
ReplyDeleteWhere is Song Number 14?
ReplyDeleteWhere is Song Number 10??
ReplyDeleteD'oh! I really screwed up, didn't I? I just fixed that. I also fixed the album title. (I'd left out the Volume 1 part.) On top of that, I adjusted the volume balance between songs for this album and all the other Manfred Mann albums.
DeleteI'm so glad you've been going through the Manfred's catalogue. MM were one of my four favourite bands during the singles era, essentially London Mod (the other three were the Who, the Small Faces, and the Kinks. I was also a Beatles fan of course, but they weren't a London band. Mann Made was actually the first album I ever bought. Even back then I thought their jazz stuff was rubbish. But they had one of the best white r&b vocalists of the era, Paul Jones, whose phrasing was up there along with Eric Burdon. And MM, as you point out, were regularly on Ready Steady Go--a show no teen liked to miss.
ReplyDelete