...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI...
To wspaniałe wydawnictwo przygotowano dla uczczenia 40. rocznicy powstania zespołu. Pięknie wydany zestaw zawiera 21 CD (zremasterowanych i opakowanych jak LP), 36-stronicową książeczkę z historią zespołu i szczegółowymi opisami każdego albumu oraz 32-stronicową książkę ze wspomnieniami Manfreda, anegdotami i plakatem przedstawiającym aktualny skład zespołu.
Atrakcją jest bez wątpienia album 'Live In Ersingen' zarejestrowany 22 lipca 2011r. z nowym wokalistą Robertem Hartem oraz kompilacja 'Leftovers' zawierająca przebojowe single, nie publikowane wcześniej nagrania oraz rarytasy.
Nakład zestawu jest limitowany!
This album was certainly not a return to form or even a new direction for the Earth Band, coming as it did near the end of the active recording period of the group's existence. And really this wasn't much of a band anymore. Even though Mick Rogers had returned to the fold with the prior year's 'Criminal Tango' release, there were no other remaining original members save Manfred Mann himself. Drummer John Lingwood was still around since joining the band in the late seventies, but otherwise the lineup consists almost exclusively of friends, acquaintances and studio musicians.
On the positive side the sound here is at least somewhat different than the bland 80s tripe Mann had been pushing out for the past decade. There is a recurring jazz theme interwoven with Holst-inspired space themed tunes that hearken back to the band's excellent 'Solar Fire' release from the early seventies, and even the more staid numbers are at least bolstered by professional and sometimes even mildly interesting musicianship. Vocalist Maggie Ryder and a host of brass players give some depth and range to what would otherwise have been little more than another synth/guitar dominated album.
There are a few different track listings depending on which release of the album you get your hands on. The most common is the original CD issue which opens with a redone version of the old Earth Band tune "Joybringer", one of the original 'Solar Fire' Holst- inspired songs and the closest the album would come to anything resembling classic Earth Band. The instrumental "Hymn" provides another example of the sort of spacey, keyboard-driven sound that made 'Solar Fire' so appealing, although the overall mood is much more subdued here and this is actually one of the shorter songs on the album.
Other than "Joybringer" and the Charlie Parker jazz tunes the other songs worth noting include a nostalgic and moody remake of the Cream song "We're Going Wrong" and another Paul Weller tune "What You Give is What you Get (Start)", originally titled simply "Start!" when Weller wrote it for the Jam in the late seventies. The only other interesting oddity is a decent but somewhat out-of-place version of the Michael Murphy Native American tribute "Geronimo's Cadillac", made famous by Cher (Bono) but interestingly enough also resurrected by the Europop band Modern Talking who turned it into Top-10 single throughout much of Europe around the same time 'Masque' was recorded.
This isn't much of an improvement over the three previous Earth Band albums but at least it was a bit more interesting and the three remaining members do appear to have at least tried to do something more than crank out yet another glossy soft-rock album. For that I'm going to be a bit generous and slap three (out of five) stars on this one, but expectations should be tempered for anyone who is familiar with the band from their seventies heyday. Worth a listen but certainly not something that reflects a Renaissance of the Earth Band sound.
ClemofNazareth
The official Manfred Mann's Earthband website describes "Masque" as the sequel to the 1973 album "Solar Fire". Quite how this definition is arrived at is not explained. There were some eight albums in between and there is little musically to tie the two together. Whereas "Solar fire" was a very complete album with a clear concept and all the tracks knitting together, "Masque" is a diverse collection of styles and sounds. Mick Rogers, who sang on "Solar fire", is firmly back in the lead vocal role here, having shared the duties on the previous "Criminal tango" with Chris Thomson.
There is certainly an enjoyable vocal reworking of "Joybringer", a piece which appeared on some but not all versions of "Solar fire", to kick things off. We also have some variations on "Planets" themes, but these are interspersed with songs which are quite at odds with any such concept. The rather jarring diversity of styles is immediately apparent on the following instrumental "Sister Billies bounce", an out and out jazz piece with brass lead. This is one of a pair of tracks, Charlie Parker's "Billies bounce" theme reappearing later on "Billies orno bounce", another jazz workout with a swing flavour and big band style.
While there are none of the customary Dylan or Springsteen covers we are instead treated to a radical interpretation of The Jam's "Start", re-titled "What you give is what you get". Maggie Ryder guests on lead vocals for this fine but woefully brief rendition which inexplicably fades midway through the instrumental section. Cream's "We're going wrong" is the second of the covers, Rogers vocal delivery being uncannily like that of Jack Bruce. The final cover closes the album. Michael Martin Murphey's "Geronimo's Cadillac" is probably best known through Cher's version, Maggie Ryder doing a passable impersonation of the ex Mrs Bono. The song tells the tale of how the native Indians were misled by false promises and broken treaties.
"Telegram to Monica" is a basic power ballad, written and sung by another guest vocalist Danny Newman. Mick Rogers offers a similar ballad with "Rivers run dry", his pleasant vocals giving the track an appeal on a pop level.
Apart from "Joybringer", the planets themes are located in the latter half of the album, "A couple of mates" bringing together "Mars" and "Jupiter" in a jazz styled improvisation. The brief "Neptune" which follows is a very soft, largely superfluous vocal piece. "Hymn (from "Jupiter") is recognisable as the "World in union" theme from the Rugby Union world cup, this instrumental rendition finally allowing Mann to take centre stage on keyboards. "Planets Schmanets" (silly title) is a gentle improvisation which once again fades far too soon, remaining substantially under-developed.
At under 40 minutes, the album is very short for a CD era release, reflecting the under-developed nature of many of the tracks. This would be MMEB's last album for almost 10 years. In retrospect, it describes a band desperately searching for a direction they feel comfortable with, and which will suit the mood of the times. In the end, it has to be said that they did not accomplish that objective.
Easy Livin
CD 14 - Masque [Songs And Planets] (1987):
1. Joybringer 2:28
2. Sister Billie's Bounce 2:17
3. What You Give Is What You Get 2:36
4. Telegram To Monica 5:40
5. Billie's Orno Bounce 3:15
6. Couple Of Mates (From Mars & Jupiter) 3:21
7. Neptune (Icebringer) 1:09
8. Rivers Run Dry 3:05
9. Hymn (From Jupiter) 3:59
10. We're Going Wrong 4:00
11. Planets Schmanets 2:42
12. Geronimo's Cadillac 4:43
Keyboards, Performer [Trumpeton] - Manfred Mann
Saxophone - Frank Mead
Vocals - Denny Newman, Maggie Ryder, Mick Rogers
Guitar - Mick Rogers
Drums - John Lingwood
Bass - Denny Newman (tracks: 4)
with:
Linda Taylor - vocals
Tommy Willis - guitar
Guy Barker - trumpet (2,7)
Chris Batchelor - trumpet (2,7)
Mark Feltham - harmonica
Byron Byrd - sax
Andy Pask - bass
Durban Betancourt-Laverde - bass
Ian Porter - emulator
Anthony Moore - programming (3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFc_6ZWfWSI
SEED 15:00-22:00.
POLECAM!!!
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