Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Encyclopedia
Manfred Mann's Earth Band is a British progressive rock group formed in 1971 by Manfred Mann
.
-associate Klaus Voormann
alleged to have inspired Mann for the Earth Band's name by having besought Mann several times throughout the 1960s that Mann's soft pop style of those days had to become more "earthier" and rockier, not least of all because of the seemingly effeminate
image of Mann's earlier band which had led to a number of close encounters with violence particularly in Ireland
.
The membership of the Earth Band was stable through their first six albums before becoming relatively informal; Mick Rogers
originally performed lead guitar and lead vocal duties before being replaced by Chris Thompson on vocals and Dave Flett
on guitar, who is currently working on his solo album Flying Blind. Drumming duties were fulfilled by Chris Slade
, who was later to be a member of AC/DC
and Asia
. Bass player Colin Pattenden, after leaving the Earth Band, became a sound consultant, running his own company designing and installing sound systems. There was much about the Earth Band that was potentially successful, but the contrariness of the band's approach and Mann's perfectionism meant that albums frequently came out with different track listings in different territories, or in alternative versions.
with Mann's jazz
-influenced Moog synthesizer playing and keen ear for melody. Beside producing own material, a staple of the band's music and live performances from the beginning has been also relying on covers of songs by other modern pop/rock artists, notably Bob Dylan
and Bruce Springsteen
, in MMEB's progressive rock style.
Mann's interest in English 20th century classical music saw him adapt Gustav Holst
's Planets Suite
, garnering an unlikely UK hit with a version of the "Jupiter" movement, with lyrics added, entitled Joybringer (included on the 1973 album Solar Fire
). Another classical reference was Questions on the 1976 album The Roaring Silence
that is based upon the main theme of Franz Schubert
's Impromptu in G flat Major.
The title song to 1973's Messin'
, as well as most of the album The Good Earth
tapped into ecological concerns, a recurring theme in Mann's music in later years, with The Good Earth giving away a free gift of a piece of land in Wales
with each album sold. Like other progrock acts, beside treating environmental issues the band also issued concept albums on space and sci-fi themes (particularly Solar Fire, a minor resurgence of which was seen in the songs Launching place off The Good Earth
, and Starbird, based upon Igor Stravinski's ballet The Firebird
, on The Roaring Silence) and a number of their songs featured religious or biblical imagery (Prayer on the band's debut album, Buddah on Messin, Dylan's Father of day, father of night and In the beginning, darkness on Solar Fire, The road to Babylon and This side of paradise on The Roaring Silence, Resurrection on Angel Station
).
Social criticism was tackled throughout the 1970s (Black and blue on Messin'
dealt particularly with slavery, and Chicago institute on Watch with mental institutions and science as a mean of social control), a trend which grew throughout the 1980s, with songs such as Lies (through the 80s) on technological progress vs. social setbacks on Chance
, and with Mann's growing involvement with the anti-apartheid
movement which spawned the 1982 album Somewhere in Afrika
. Mann's intention for acknowledgement of oppressed ethnics also influenced the 1992 album Plains Music
working with traditional North-American natives material.
with Bruce Springsteen
's Blinded by the Light
from the 1976 album The Roaring Silence
. While the Springsteen original from 1973's Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
album has a folky, acoustic sound, the Earth Band's version is driving rock, combining Mann's Moog synthesizer
and organ work with Flett's guitar.
The counterpoint
at the end of the song where Manfred can be heard opposite Thompson, was the feature that initially attracted him to the song. The band took advantage of the publicity and re-released another Springsteen song, "Spirit in the Night", which had been recorded the previous year on Nightingales and Bombers
, originally with Rogers on vocals---although for some territories it was re-recorded with a vocal from Thompson.
The albums Nightingales and Bombers
, The Roaring Silence, and Watch followed. Watch produced another hit single in "Davy's on the Road Again", and the albums were original despite the dependence on covers of other artists' songs. Nightingales and Bombers took its title from a World War II
naturalist's recording of a nightingale
singing in a garden as warplanes flew overhead; the recording appears in a track on the album. Roaring Silence featured a guest appearance by jazz saxophonist Barbara Thompson, and Watch included two stand-out recordings from the band's live performances of "Davy's on the Road Again" and "Mighty Quinn
."
showed a move towards a more electronic approach, and produced several cuts that were hits in the UK and/or saw significant airplay in both the US and UK. The songs "Lies (All Through The 80's)," "Stranded," and "For You" (another Springsteen song) still receive significant airplay over 25 years since their release. Trevor Rabin
(also born in South Africa and at the time a session musician in London) guested on the album.
By the late '70s and early '80s Mann had become active in the international anti-apartheid movement and was banned from entering South Africa
, the country in which he had been born. Undeterred, members of the band made journeys to South Africa to record African musicians for the album Somewhere in Afrika, pre-figuring Paul Simon
's Graceland
. The album included a cover of The Police
's "Demolition Man" and a version of Bob Marley
's "Redemption Song
," which remains in the band's set today.
, Del Amitri
, and The Lovin' Spoonful
. Mann released a solo project, Plains Music, based on Native American music
, and his album 2006
includes collaborations with the German rapper Thomas D
and tracks featuring the music of, amongst others, the Super Furry Animals
. The Earth Band remain active in live performances in Europe, with a line up that includes both Manfred Mann and Mick Rogers.
Most of the band's albums have been re-released in recent years and a 4-CD set (Odds & Sods - Mis-takes & Out-takes
) featuring many previously unissued versions of tracks was released in August 2005. This includes material from the unreleased (and thought to be lost) Manfred Mann Chapter III Volume 3 album and the first Earth Band album, Stepping Sideways. The fourth CD in the package includes both unreleased studio material and live performances.
December 2006 saw the release of the best-of DVD Unearthed 1973-2005 The Best of Manfred Mann's Earth Band. This features twenty tracks ranging from three recorded in Sweden in 1973 ("Father of Day," "Captain Bobby Stout," and "Black & Blue"), to a 2005 performance of "Mighty Quinn." Also included are animations used during the band's live performances of the late 1970s and early 1980s and promo films including two tracks from the Plains Music album.
In 2007, two separate dance remixes of Bruce Springsteen
songs as performed by Manfred Mann's Earth Band entered the Austrian Charts. The first was a remix of "Blinded by the Light", which was credited to Michael Mind featuring Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The second was a remix of "For You", credited to The Disco Boys featuring Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The 1983 Budapest concert, released at the time was made available in DVD format with footage from the show available for the first time - this includes tracks not previously available. 2008 saw the release of the 'Watch' DVD which includes as a bonus footage from a 1979 Austrian concert.
In 2009, vocalist Noel McCalla was replaced by Peter Cox
previously best known for his work with Go West
.
Peter Cox left the band in 2011 due to his extensive commitments with his group Go West. He was replaced by Robert Hart
.
's The Planets
in Masque
s "Joybringer". However there are other less well-known examples:
Manfred Mann (musician)
Manfred Mann is a keyboard player best known as a founding member and namesake of Manfred Mann and Manfred Mann's Earth Band.-Career:...
.
Formation
Having started in the 1960s with a British band that had such hits as "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and "The Mighty Quinn", then moving on to Jazz Fusion with Manfred Mann's Chapter Three, Manfred's third band, "The Earth Band' is still alive and recording. In his 2003 biography, former member of Manfred Mann's earlier Manfred Mann Band and BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
-associate Klaus Voormann
Klaus Voormann
Klaus Voormann is a German Grammy Award-winning artist, noted musician, and record producer. He designed artwork for many bands including The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Wet Wet Wet and Turbonegro. His most notable work as a producer was his work with the band Trio, including their worldwide hit "Da Da...
alleged to have inspired Mann for the Earth Band's name by having besought Mann several times throughout the 1960s that Mann's soft pop style of those days had to become more "earthier" and rockier, not least of all because of the seemingly effeminate
Effeminacy
Effeminacy describes traits in a human male, that are more often associated with traditional feminine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or gender roles rather than masculine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or roles....
image of Mann's earlier band which had led to a number of close encounters with violence particularly in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
The membership of the Earth Band was stable through their first six albums before becoming relatively informal; Mick Rogers
Mick Rogers (musician)
Mick Rogers is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, chiefly known for his time with Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1971–1975, and from 1983 to date....
originally performed lead guitar and lead vocal duties before being replaced by Chris Thompson on vocals and Dave Flett
Dave Flett
Dave Flett is a British rock guitarist, chiefly known for his time with Manfred Mann's Earth Band between 1975 and 1978....
on guitar, who is currently working on his solo album Flying Blind. Drumming duties were fulfilled by Chris Slade
Chris Slade
Chris Slade is a Welsh rock drummer.-Career:Slade has worked with Gary Numan, Tom Jones, Olivia Newton-John , and Uriah Heep. He was a member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1972 to 1978...
, who was later to be a member of AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
and Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
. Bass player Colin Pattenden, after leaving the Earth Band, became a sound consultant, running his own company designing and installing sound systems. There was much about the Earth Band that was potentially successful, but the contrariness of the band's approach and Mann's perfectionism meant that albums frequently came out with different track listings in different territories, or in alternative versions.
Themes
The Earth Band combines the stylistic approach of progressive rockProgressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
with Mann's jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-influenced Moog synthesizer playing and keen ear for melody. Beside producing own material, a staple of the band's music and live performances from the beginning has been also relying on covers of songs by other modern pop/rock artists, notably Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, in MMEB's progressive rock style.
Mann's interest in English 20th century classical music saw him adapt Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
's Planets Suite
The Planets
The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst...
, garnering an unlikely UK hit with a version of the "Jupiter" movement, with lyrics added, entitled Joybringer (included on the 1973 album Solar Fire
Solar Fire
Solar Fire is an album released in 1973 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.-Track listing:Side one#"Father of Day, Father of Night" – 9:55#"In the Beginning, Darkness" - 5:22...
). Another classical reference was Questions on the 1976 album The Roaring Silence
The Roaring Silence
The Roaring Silence is an album released in 1976 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Like other Earth Band albums, this includes material by other composers...
that is based upon the main theme of Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
's Impromptu in G flat Major.
The title song to 1973's Messin'
Messin'
Messin' is a rock album released in 1973 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.Messin followed Glorified Magnified and preceded Solar Fire, and like all Earth Band albums contains a mixture of originals and covers ....
, as well as most of the album The Good Earth
The Good Earth (Manfred Mann's Earth Band album)
The Good Earth is an album released in 1974 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.Track 1 was originally done by Gary Wright on his second solo-album, while tracks 2 and 3 are originally by Australian progressive rock band Spectrum....
tapped into ecological concerns, a recurring theme in Mann's music in later years, with The Good Earth giving away a free gift of a piece of land in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
with each album sold. Like other progrock acts, beside treating environmental issues the band also issued concept albums on space and sci-fi themes (particularly Solar Fire, a minor resurgence of which was seen in the songs Launching place off The Good Earth
The Good Earth
The Good Earth is a novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 and awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1932. The best selling novel in the United States in both 1931 and 1932, it was an influential factor in Buck winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938...
, and Starbird, based upon Igor Stravinski's ballet The Firebird
The Firebird
The Firebird is a 1910 ballet created by the composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor....
, on The Roaring Silence) and a number of their songs featured religious or biblical imagery (Prayer on the band's debut album, Buddah on Messin, Dylan's Father of day, father of night and In the beginning, darkness on Solar Fire, The road to Babylon and This side of paradise on The Roaring Silence, Resurrection on Angel Station
Angel Station
Angel Station is an album released in 1979 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Angel Station features a six-note descending theme in most of the songs on the album, woven into the context of each song in a different way. "Hollywood Town" and "You Are, I Am" share a common tune and basic arrangement....
).
Social criticism was tackled throughout the 1970s (Black and blue on Messin'
Messin'
Messin' is a rock album released in 1973 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.Messin followed Glorified Magnified and preceded Solar Fire, and like all Earth Band albums contains a mixture of originals and covers ....
dealt particularly with slavery, and Chicago institute on Watch with mental institutions and science as a mean of social control), a trend which grew throughout the 1980s, with songs such as Lies (through the 80s) on technological progress vs. social setbacks on Chance
Chance (album)
Chance is an album released in 1980 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.- Track listing :Side one#"Lies " – 4:37#"On the Run" – 3:53#"For You" – 5:41...
, and with Mann's growing involvement with the anti-apartheid
Anti-apartheid
Anti-apartheid may refer to any opposition to the former South African apartheid policy. More specifically, it may refer to:* Anti-Apartheid Movement, British organisation* The internal resistance to South African apartheid within South Africa...
movement which spawned the 1982 album Somewhere in Afrika
Somewhere in Afrika
Somewhere in Afrika is an album released in 1983 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.- Track listing :Side one#"Tribal Statistics" – 4:16#"Eyes of Nostradamus" – 3:28#"Third World Service" – 5:18#"Demolition Man" – 3:45...
. Mann's intention for acknowledgement of oppressed ethnics also influenced the 1992 album Plains Music
Plains Music
Plains Music is an album released in 1991 by Manfred Mann's Plain Music, which was a project initiated by Manfred Mann after he retired his Earth Band in the late 80s.....
working with traditional North-American natives material.
Breakthrough
The US breakthrough for the band came in the third week of February, 1977 when they charted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
with Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's Blinded by the Light
Blinded by the Light
"Blinded by the Light" is a song written and originally recorded by Bruce Springsteen, although it is mostly known by its 1977 #1 hit version recorded by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. It was released in the United Kingdom in August 1976, where it reached No...
from the 1976 album The Roaring Silence
The Roaring Silence
The Roaring Silence is an album released in 1976 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Like other Earth Band albums, this includes material by other composers...
. While the Springsteen original from 1973's Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. is the first studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1973. It only sold about 25,000 copies in the first year of its release, but had significant critical impact...
album has a folky, acoustic sound, the Earth Band's version is driving rock, combining Mann's Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
and organ work with Flett's guitar.
The counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
at the end of the song where Manfred can be heard opposite Thompson, was the feature that initially attracted him to the song. The band took advantage of the publicity and re-released another Springsteen song, "Spirit in the Night", which had been recorded the previous year on Nightingales and Bombers
Nightingales and Bombers
Nightingales & Bombers is an album released in 1975 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band."The title of this album was inspired by a recording made in Surrey, England during the Second World War, by an ornithologist intending to record Nightingales. The bombers flew over at the same time and were recorded...
, originally with Rogers on vocals---although for some territories it was re-recorded with a vocal from Thompson.
The albums Nightingales and Bombers
Nightingales and Bombers
Nightingales & Bombers is an album released in 1975 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band."The title of this album was inspired by a recording made in Surrey, England during the Second World War, by an ornithologist intending to record Nightingales. The bombers flew over at the same time and were recorded...
, The Roaring Silence, and Watch followed. Watch produced another hit single in "Davy's on the Road Again", and the albums were original despite the dependence on covers of other artists' songs. Nightingales and Bombers took its title from a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
naturalist's recording of a nightingale
Nightingale
The Nightingale , also known as Rufous and Common Nightingale, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...
singing in a garden as warplanes flew overhead; the recording appears in a track on the album. Roaring Silence featured a guest appearance by jazz saxophonist Barbara Thompson, and Watch included two stand-out recordings from the band's live performances of "Davy's on the Road Again" and "Mighty Quinn
Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
"Quinn the Eskimo " is a folk-rock song written by Bob Dylan and first recorded during The Basement Tapes sessions in 1967. The song was first released in January 1968 as "Mighty Quinn" by the British band Manfred Mann and became a great success...
."
The 1980s
Flett left before 1979's Angel Station to be replaced by Steve Waller, sharing the vocal duties with Thompson who was also intent on pursuing a solo career. 1980's ChanceChance (album)
Chance is an album released in 1980 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.- Track listing :Side one#"Lies " – 4:37#"On the Run" – 3:53#"For You" – 5:41...
showed a move towards a more electronic approach, and produced several cuts that were hits in the UK and/or saw significant airplay in both the US and UK. The songs "Lies (All Through The 80's)," "Stranded," and "For You" (another Springsteen song) still receive significant airplay over 25 years since their release. Trevor Rabin
Trevor Rabin
Trevor Charles Rabin is a South African born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
(also born in South Africa and at the time a session musician in London) guested on the album.
By the late '70s and early '80s Mann had become active in the international anti-apartheid movement and was banned from entering South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, the country in which he had been born. Undeterred, members of the band made journeys to South Africa to record African musicians for the album Somewhere in Afrika, pre-figuring Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
's Graceland
Graceland (album)
Graceland was Paul Simon's highest charting album in the U.S. in over a decade, reaching #3 in the national Billboard charts, receiving a certification of 5× Platinum by the RIAA and eventually selling over 14 million copies, making it Simon's most commercially successful album...
. The album included a cover of The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
's "Demolition Man" and a version of Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
's "Redemption Song
Redemption Song
The song urges listeners to "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery," because "None but ourselves can free our minds". These lines were taken from a speech given by Marcus Garvey in Nova Scotia during October 1937 and published in his Black Man magazine:...
," which remains in the band's set today.
Recent years
Manfred Mann's Earth Band has continued recording, covering tracks by artists as varied as Paul Weller, Robert CrayRobert Cray
Robert Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.-Career:...
, Del Amitri
Del Amitri
Del Amitri were a Scottish pop-rock guitar band, formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1983. The band grew out of Justin Currie's Jordanhill College School band and came together after teenager Currie placed an advertisement in the window of a music store asking for people who could play to contact him...
, and The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful is an American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. When asked about his band, leader John Sebastian said it sounded like a combination of "Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry," prompting his friend, Fritz Richmond, to suggest the name...
. Mann released a solo project, Plains Music, based on Native American music
Native American music
American Indian music is the music that is used, created or performed by Native North Americans, specifically traditional tribal music. In addition to the traditional music of the Native American groups, there now exist pan-tribal and inter-tribal genres as well as distinct Indian subgenres of...
, and his album 2006
2006 (album)
- Personnel :*Manfred Mann – keyboards, vocals*Mick Rogers – guitars*Geoff Dunn – drums*Steve Kinch – bass*Noel McCalla – vocalswith*Chris Thompson – vocals*Thomas D – vocals*Matt Loffstadt – guitars...
includes collaborations with the German rapper Thomas D
Thomas D
Thomas D. is a rapper in the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. He frequently works on solo projects.- Life :...
and tracks featuring the music of, amongst others, the Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...
. The Earth Band remain active in live performances in Europe, with a line up that includes both Manfred Mann and Mick Rogers.
Most of the band's albums have been re-released in recent years and a 4-CD set (Odds & Sods - Mis-takes & Out-takes
Odds & Sods - Mis-takes & Out-takes
Odds & Sods - Mis-takes & Out-takes is a 4CD Box set compilation album released in 2005 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. It features alternate takes, outtakes and other assorted rarities, recorded over the 35 year career of the band.- Track listing :...
) featuring many previously unissued versions of tracks was released in August 2005. This includes material from the unreleased (and thought to be lost) Manfred Mann Chapter III Volume 3 album and the first Earth Band album, Stepping Sideways. The fourth CD in the package includes both unreleased studio material and live performances.
December 2006 saw the release of the best-of DVD Unearthed 1973-2005 The Best of Manfred Mann's Earth Band. This features twenty tracks ranging from three recorded in Sweden in 1973 ("Father of Day," "Captain Bobby Stout," and "Black & Blue"), to a 2005 performance of "Mighty Quinn." Also included are animations used during the band's live performances of the late 1970s and early 1980s and promo films including two tracks from the Plains Music album.
In 2007, two separate dance remixes of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
songs as performed by Manfred Mann's Earth Band entered the Austrian Charts. The first was a remix of "Blinded by the Light", which was credited to Michael Mind featuring Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The second was a remix of "For You", credited to The Disco Boys featuring Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The 1983 Budapest concert, released at the time was made available in DVD format with footage from the show available for the first time - this includes tracks not previously available. 2008 saw the release of the 'Watch' DVD which includes as a bonus footage from a 1979 Austrian concert.
In 2009, vocalist Noel McCalla was replaced by Peter Cox
Peter Cox (musician)
Peter John Cox is an English singer-songwriter, currently the lead singer in Manfred Mann's Earth Band, but is best known as one half of the 1980s blue-eyed soul duo Go West.-Early career and Go West:...
previously best known for his work with Go West
Go West (band)
Go West is an English pop duo, formed in 1982 by lead vocalist and drummer Peter Cox ; and guitarist and vocalist Richard Drummie...
.
Peter Cox left the band in 2011 due to his extensive commitments with his group Go West. He was replaced by Robert Hart
Robert Hart (musician)
Robert Hart is an English rock vocalist and songwriter. He is the lead singer of Manfred Mann's Earth Band. He has performed as a solo artist, and with The Distance and also with former Whitesnake members in the band called Company of Snakes and with Bad Company...
.
Use of classical music themes
Mann trained as a classical musician, and his love of classical music surfaces in references within songs. The most obvious is the use of "Jupiter" from HolstGustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
's The Planets
The Planets
The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst...
in Masque
Masque (Manfred Mann's Earth Band album)
Masque is an album released in 1987 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.The album is subtitled Songs And Planets and features some parts of Gustav Holst's Planets Suite. It represents the completion of an original project started back in 1973, which planned to use Holst's work as a basis...
s "Joybringer". However there are other less well-known examples:
- "Starbird" from The Roaring SilenceThe Roaring SilenceThe Roaring Silence is an album released in 1976 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Like other Earth Band albums, this includes material by other composers...
uses a theme from Stravinsky's ballet The FirebirdThe FirebirdThe Firebird is a 1910 ballet created by the composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor....
. - "Questions" from The Roaring SilenceThe Roaring SilenceThe Roaring Silence is an album released in 1976 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Like other Earth Band albums, this includes material by other composers...
uses the main theme of Schubert's Impromptu in G flat major. - The riff in "Fat Nelly" from Nightingales and BombersNightingales and BombersNightingales & Bombers is an album released in 1975 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band."The title of this album was inspired by a recording made in Surrey, England during the Second World War, by an ornithologist intending to record Nightingales. The bombers flew over at the same time and were recorded...
uses the opening phrase of the String Quartet No. 1String Quartet No. 1 (Janácek)Leoš Janáček’s String Quartet No. 1, "Kreutzer Sonata", was written in a very short space of time, between 13 and 28 October 1923, at a time of great creative concentration. The work was revised by the composer in the autograph from 30 October to 7 November 1923.The composition was inspired by Leo...
by JanáčekLeoš JanácekLeoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
. - Blinded by the LightBlinded by the Light"Blinded by the Light" is a song written and originally recorded by Bruce Springsteen, although it is mostly known by its 1977 #1 hit version recorded by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. It was released in the United Kingdom in August 1976, where it reached No...
paraphrases the motif from ChopsticksChopsticks (music)"Chopsticks" is a simple, extremely well known waltz for the piano. It was written in 1877 by the British composer Euphemia Allen under the pseudonym Arthur de Lulli...
by Euphemia AllenEuphemia AllenEuphemia Allen was a British composer. She composed the tune Chopsticks in 1877 under the pseudonym Arthur de Lulli.- External links :...
Current members
- Manfred MannManfred Mann (musician)Manfred Mann is a keyboard player best known as a founding member and namesake of Manfred Mann and Manfred Mann's Earth Band.-Career:...
– keyboards and vocals (founding member) - Mick RogersMick Rogers (musician)Mick Rogers is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, chiefly known for his time with Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1971–1975, and from 1983 to date....
– guitar and vocals (founding member) - Robert HartRobert Hart (musician)Robert Hart is an English rock vocalist and songwriter. He is the lead singer of Manfred Mann's Earth Band. He has performed as a solo artist, and with The Distance and also with former Whitesnake members in the band called Company of Snakes and with Bad Company...
- vocals - Jimmy CopleyJimmy CopleyJimmy Copley, sometimes credited as Jim Copley is an English rock drummer who has worked with Jeff Beck, Graham Parker, Paul Young, Roger Glover, Magnum, Ian Gillan and Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple, Go West, Killing Joke, Tears for Fears, Seal, Tony Iommi and Paul Rodgers.Born James Copley in...
– drums and percussion - Steve KinchSteve KinchSteve Kinch is the current bass guitar player for Manfred Mann's Earth Band. He joined the band as a permanent member in 1991, having previously appeared as a session player on the Criminal Tango album in 1986...
– bass guitar
Former members
- Chris SladeChris SladeChris Slade is a Welsh rock drummer.-Career:Slade has worked with Gary Numan, Tom Jones, Olivia Newton-John , and Uriah Heep. He was a member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1972 to 1978...
– drums (founding member) - Colin PattendenColin PattendenColin Pattenden , is a professional bass guitar player chiefly known for his membership of Manfred Mann's Earth Band from its formation in 1971, to 1978 when he left to form the group Terranova with Chris Slade...
– bass (founding member) - Noel McCallaNoel McCallaNoel McCalla is a British rock singer. He was the lead vocalist for the rock group Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1991 until September 2009, when his mutually accepted departure was announced...
– vocals - Peter CoxPeter Cox (musician)Peter John Cox is an English singer-songwriter, currently the lead singer in Manfred Mann's Earth Band, but is best known as one half of the 1980s blue-eyed soul duo Go West.-Early career and Go West:...
– vocals - Chris Thompson – vocals and guitar
- Steve WallerSteve WallerSteven Charles Waller was best known as the lead guitar player and a vocalist for Manfred Mann's Earth Band between 1979 and 1983...
– guitar and vocals - John LingwoodJohn LingwoodJohn Lingwood is an English drummer.John has played with many top people over the years Stomo Yamashta, Leo Sayer, Roger Chapman , Maddy Prior, Elkie Brooks...
– drums - Pat KingPat KingPat King is best known as the bass guitar player for Manfred Mann's Earth Band between 1978 and 1982. He featured on the albums Watch, Angel Station and Chance, and was the replacement for founder member Colin Pattenden who left the band in 1978...
– bass - Dave FlettDave FlettDave Flett is a British rock guitarist, chiefly known for his time with Manfred Mann's Earth Band between 1975 and 1978....
– guitar - Cecil Jorgensen - slide guitar, pedal steel
- Matt IrvingMatt IrvingMatt Irving is a musician perhaps best known as the bass guitar player for Manfred Mann's Earth Band between 1981 and 1986. He featured on the albums Somewhere in Afrika and Budapest Live...
– bass - Clive BunkerClive BunkerClive William Bunker is a British rock drummer. He was the original drummer in the British band Jethro Tull....
– drums - John Trotterhttp://www.johntrotterdrums.com/ – drums
- Pete May – drums
- Shona LaingShona LaingShona Laing is a New Zealand musician. She has had several hits in her native country, as well as a few minor international hits, most notably " Not a Kennedy" and "Soviet Snow". Laing also contributed to the Manfred Mann's Earth Band album Somewhere in Afrika...
– vocals - Richard Marcangelo – drums
- Geoff BrittonGeoff BrittonGeoff Britton is a rock drummer known for his work with Paul McCartney's Wings from 1974 to 1975, where he was featured on the Venus and Mars album,...
– drums - Geoff DunnGeoff DunnGeoff Dunn has since 2002 until 2007 been the drummer with the rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Prior to joining the Earth Band, his long list of credits includes a stint playing and recording with Van Morrison, featuring on the albums Too Long In Exile, A Night in San Francisco, Days Like...
– drums (on loan from Epic) - Paul JonesPaul JonesPaul Jones may refer to:*Paul Jones , Australian politician*Paul Jones , American Episcopal Bishop*Paul Jones , British former professional boxer...
- vocals