Jan 14, 2012

MANFRED MANN - AS IS (FONTANA 1966) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve mono+stereo




The FONTANA years 1
The departure of frontman Paul Jones left Manfred Mann with a large void to fill in the summer of 1966. Not only was Jones a charismatic vocalist, he was also a writer and one of Manfred Mann's key selling points with the record buying public. The group's record company, HMV, realised this and hedged their bets by signing Jones for a new solo deal, but dropping the band from its roster.
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In late 1966 while Jones was enjoying success with his first solo single, "High Time," a new version of Manfred Mann emerged with a cover of Bob Dylan's "Just Like A Woman" on Fontana. The new line up featured Mike D'Abo as vocalist (previously with A Band Of Angels) and was augmented by Klaus Voorman on bass, with Tom McGuiness switching to lead guitar. Despite the magnitude of this personnel change, the single was a top 10 hit and paved the way for this album, As Is.
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Released in October 1966, As Is continued the pop sensibilities of their previous album, Mann Made, with the group firmly removed from its original R&B roots. In addition to "Just Like A Woman," highlights included a humorous tribute to a hangover entitled "Morning After The Party" and a slick vibes led rendition of the jazz standard "Autumn Leaves." Like many mid sixties albums, As Is seems to be a collection of songs, rather than a complete entity like Pet Sounds or Sgt. Pepper.
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In this instance some of the material does appear to be filler, such as the banal "Box Office Draw" and the chaotic "Another Kind Of Music." The general feel of the album shows a band searching for a direction and does not seem as focused or disciplined as the Jones-led R&B material. Nevertheless there is some excellent playing, particularly from drummer Mike Hugg and Manfred Mann himself, whose jazz influenced style helped add a high brow dimension to the group.
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The album was a top 20 hit in the UK charts and consolidated the group's reputation, on which they would continue to build over the next three years[allmusic]
Here

12 comments:

ComadrejaPep said...

Thank you very much for this and for all Manfred Man records. Fantastic.

Anonymous said...

All of this build-up and all we get is crummy MP3256 format! What's the point in having a nice blog like this if all of the stuff in it sounds like CRUD on a nice stereo?

Ever hear of hi-fidelity? It's not a new concept, really.

Anonymous said...

256 is fine for me - not that much different to 320 - and perfectly good for listening on an iPod or from my computer. Anything I get in Flac I end up converting to MP3 anyway. If I want real hi-fi then I buy the CD.

Anonymous said...

thanks, georgie, a complete work!!

jose

Anonymous said...

Many good music but 256 kbps is out of time. At least 320, we are in 2012....

Anonymous said...

Thanks for these great Manfred Mann albums. One of the most under-rated groups of the 60s (both Mark 1 & 2)!

Desparately seeking Japan-only release: "The Walker Brothers Live In Japan" (originally 1968). This long OOP recording is rarer than rare! Thanks for any help here.

Darren Thomas Brennessel said...

Thank you for such kind offerings! I LOVE your site and music taste!

I have a here a gift for you to enjoy and/or share if you wish....my new DIY album of the highest in low-fi quality recorded with the technology of 1967! Thanks for offering such great music!

The New McFadden's Parachute Album (art included)

https://rapidshare.com/files/2938676164/McFadden_s_Parachute-Flashback_To_my_Hometown.zip

https://rapidshare.com/files/394269843/McFadden_s_Parachute-Flashback_To_my_Hometown.rar

Sebcircus said...

Hello, I love your blog, I hope you will post new good albums
Thanks

Anonymous said...

tienen el oido tan fino?? compren el original ratas inmundas

tico tico

Anonymous said...

That's the whole point. The low kbs rate dumped on you the listener by these Schlockmeister bloggers is indicative of the time in which we live. Definitely a regression in standards and tastes.

Phillip said...

Many thanks for these Manfred Mann albums. Beautiful work.

Anonymous said...

WTF. COMPLAINS AND COMPLAINS, BE GRATEFUL YOU'RE GETTING IT FOR FREE, AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE GO F**K YOURSELVES RIGHT!!!