Roland: The number one musical hero of my youth was Manfred Mann, who somehow appeared to be an old man already at the height of his Earth Band at the end of the Seventies. I remember visiting London in 1980 where a radio station played 'For You' and the voice on the radio explained that "he is quite old now: Forty already!".
Manfred Mann's Earth Band is known in North America pretty much only for their version of Springsteen's 'Blinded By The Light', but in Europe they were a top act in the Seventies and early Eighties filling the biggest arenas. While their albums changed from Rock to Pop over the years their concerts continued to be a tour de force in improvisation: usually the song lengths doubled or tripled in comparison to the album versions, fired by speed changes, solos and moog vs. guitar duels.
Manfred Mann is 73 now and the Earth Band still exists, but nowadays they play smaller cities and venues. When I read that they would give a concert in Appenweier, a mere 30 minutes drive from our home, I decided to get nostalgic again, being fully aware that this would be a whole 'nother trip than the perfectionist Peter Gabriel concert two weeks ago.
So after surviving a disastrous one hour gig by Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd (another big act in Europe in the 70s) I was not sure what to expect from my old heroes. When they finally entered the stage it became obvious right away that these guys are NOT to old to Rock'n Roll. The two founding members, Manfred Mann and Mick Rogers, seemed to have as much fun as they always did, the new singer did not have the slightest problems with the catalogue, and the rhythm section was as precise as always. Being the keyboarder of the band Manfred Mann is usually stuck behind his equipment but still he managed to dance over the stage a couple of times, even shaking his booty once! Not bad for a guy in his Seventies!
Unfortunately the set list did not change a lot during the last two decades(!), but the band manages to breathe new life into each and every song whenever I see them. But as much fun it was seeing them again, there is always the sad feeling involved that there won't be many more of these opportunities in the future...
I find it strange that the audience seems to age faster than the geriatric performers!
ReplyDelete..the present company excepted (I meant to add) cough cough
DeleteHihi! But you are correct, the audience seemed older than the band! Unfortunately that DOES include myself, as I tend to get a bad back when I stand too long. This is why I prefer seated concerts nowadays which clearly means that I AM too old to Rock'n Roll...
DeleteNancy and I had the opportunity to see the Moody Blues in 2001 or 2002. It was the last tour for Ray Thomas, the flutist. It was so neat to see them, but it also reminded me that the clock never stops ticking... Not only am I getting older, but so were they.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got to see Manfred Mann. And, yes, in the US he's mostly known for Blinded by the Light, For You, and Mighty Quinn
I think the only other song that gets some airplay in North America is "Runner" which was released at some Olympic Games but I don't remember which one. But somehow I never got to see the Moody Blues for some reason, although I believe they are still touring?!
DeleteBlinded by the Light would be how I know Manfred Mann as well. Funny how we didn't hear much more of the music over here.
ReplyDeleteNo way to stop the aging process, but we do see to age less that rockers. Wonder why that is?
The funny thing is that most people believe that Manfred Mann is the singer which he never was! In the 60s he had Paul Jones and Mike d'Abo. Mick Rogers (the guy in the photo playing guitar) was the original singer of the Earth Band. Blinded by the Light has been sung by Chris Thompson who was a member of the band in the late Seventies and then went on for his own career. Manfred DOES sing the counter vocals at the end of Blinded though, one of the rare opportunities to hear him sing (and a good explanation why that did not happen more often).
DeleteDo Wah Diddy was actually a song from the sixties "Manfred Mann" band. Manfred then went on to launch a Jazz band called "Manfred Mann Chapter 3", and when that did not work he started the "Earth Band" that exists until today. So he pretty much did everything from Jazz to Blues to 60's Pop to Rock to South African and North American native music!
ReplyDeleteBob...Peter Gabriel was the original singer and multi-instrumentalist for the band "Genesis". Look up songs like "The Knife" and "The Return of the Giant Hogweed". Most people only know him for his solo material. Shame, he has done a lot to popularize World music and introduce various acts to the Western world.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I could not forget the lyrics as I was never able to understand them! I did not have the slightest idea that this was what Paul Jones was singing. They did not play it though, but there is a band called "The Manfreds" (that includes Paul Jones) that plays it live. I just googled 'Greta Garbo's home for wayward boys and girls", and this must have been a grand hotel in San Francisco that has been torn down in the meantime.
ReplyDelete