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DVD video |
Kérjen
árajánlatot! |
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| 1. | 7171-551
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| 2. | Hard Way To Die
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| 3. | C'Mon
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| 4. | Someone is Calling
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| 5. | A Hard Way To Live
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| 6. | Many Are Called But Few Get Up
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When this live in the studio performance was taped for German television Martin Ace had only been back in the band for just over two weeks. His recall to the ranks of Man was due to the sudden departure of the previous bassist in Man, Ken Whaley who departed just before the end of the American tour. Whilst being a member of Man during the years 1970 through 1971 Martin had been busying himself with other projects including his own band The Flying Aces. Watching this live in the studio concert however it would seem to the outsider as though it was business as usual such was the quality of the performance.
The set was pretty much as it had been for the American tour and included the long time Man staples C'mon, Many Are Called But Few Get Up and Romain alongside some newer material such as Hard Way To Die which had appeared on the bands most recent album Slow Motion and the song Someone Is Calling which had surfaced during the sessions for Slow Motion but unfortunately due to the restrictions of vinyl was omitted from the final running order. There were also a couple of songs from Deke Leonard's Iceberg including A Hard Way To Live and the opener 7171-551. As has already been mentioned the band seemed incredibly at ease despite the problems caused by Ken Whaley's departure and the concert ranks amongst the best performances captured on tape of the band.
This line up of Man however was only ever considered a temporary solution to the bands problems and following a tour which featured former Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist John Cippolina and the subsequent live album entitled Maximum Darkness and a few European dates at the end of July Martin Ace headed off once more to pastures new although as history has proved it wasn't to be his last brush with the Man Band.
---Jon Kirkman October 2006
'Live in Cologne 75' finds the Welsh riff driven guitar band Man to be a suitably road tested outfit, even with the recently returned bass player Martin Ace back in the ranks.
Predictably with Ace replacing his more mellifluous processor Ken Whaley, Man's core sound had already become a shade harder. But it is the rock solid rhythm section of Terry Williams and Martin that gives both guitarist Micky Jones and Deke Leonard the platform on which to weave their magical spells. Listen to Micky's opening solo on the Deke penned '7171-551' and his first solo on 'Many Are Called But Few Get Up' and you realise you are in the presence of player whose touch, dexterity and tone mastery are exceptional, as he conjures up some magical psychedelic riffs.
One of the most underrated guitarists from the 70's Jones communicates in a guitar speak that is all his own, as Deke manfully adds an initial tough rhythm and then delivers his own gnarled edgy riff laden repost.
The number builds into a frenzy of echo reverb as Martin stomps all over the stage. Curiously the magnificent opening number elicits an eery silence from the audience who must have been slightly inhibited by their TV surroundings.
Micky adds more searing licks and some delightful slide as Deke switches to piano on the doomy 'Hard Way To Live' before Deke leads the band into an extended feverish psychedelic intro to 'C'Mon'. This grand opening salvo was later trimmed to being a Micky's solo spot, but here it is a great reminder of the spacier contours that coloured Man's hard rock epicentre. Mick's familiar funky riff intro follows before taking us on the kind of improvised journey that Grateful Dead would have been proud to call their own. As the number heads into the home straight Jones ironically shouts out 'guitar solo' as he slips into Zappa style angular mode for a few minutes of absolute bliss.
And is it with the extended 'C'Mon' that you inadvertently stumble on Man's career divide. While 'C'Mon' hails back to the late 60's west coast jam feel, things had hardened by '75 and the band themselves seemed divided as to which way to go, as evidenced by the stark contrasting playing style of Jones and Leonard. As it happens the tension is played out through some thrilling sparring and dynamic touches with Ace being the humorous conduit. For example Deke tries to introduce the new 'Someone is Calling' when Martin suddenly launches into a German diatribe about nothing in particular, save for a reference to the CDU party which generates some audience laughter. And after Deke has explained the opening to the newly reinstated bass man, it eventually proves to be another slide led cameo for Micky.
The band finally rock out on Deke's 'A Hard Way To Live' before closing with their then customary big chord, tub thumping 'Many Are Called But Few Get Up'.
As you would expect, this German TV special is an excellently filmed concert that catches a band playing some magnificent music against a background of revolving personnel and fast changing times.
---Review by Peter Feenstra
Man
Active Decades: '70s and '90s
Born: 1969 in Swansea, Wales
Died: 1977
Genre: Rock
Styles: Hard Rock, Prog-Rock, Psychedelic, Heavy Metal, Pub Rock
Man were one of the most promising rock bands to come out of Wales in the early '70s. Along with Brinsley Schwarz, they helped establish the core of the pub rock sound, but they played louder and also had a progressive component to their work that separated them from many of their rivals. The group originated as a Four Seasons-cum-Beach Boys vocal outfit, based in Swansea, Wales, called the Bystanders, who began experimenting with a tougher, more progressive sound on-stage. They were encouraged to pursue this direction, and Man were formed -- Micky Jones (lead guitar, vocals), Deke Leonard (guitar, vocals), Clive John (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Ray Williams (bass), and Jeff Jones (drums).
Their first release, Revelation, issued in 1969 on Pye, was a concept album that yielded a successful European single, "Erotica," which contained the sound of an orgasm and thus failed to chart in England. Their second album, 2 Ozs. of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle, showed a slightly new direction for the band, with a nearly live-in-the-studio sound and more creative interplay between the guitars, that some critics compared to early Quicksilver Messenger Service and other West Coast bands. Deke Leonard, in particular, whose playing was heavily influenced by Mick Green of the Pirates, became the star of the group by popular acclaim. When their contract with Pye Records ended in 1969, the group signed with United Artists-Liberty, with a new rhythm section consisting of Terry Williams on drums and vocals and Martin Ace playing bass. Their third album, Man, was a critical success, and their follow-up, 1971's Do You Like It Here, Are You Settling In, yielded several popular concert numbers.
In February 1972, the group appeared at the Greasy Truckers' Ball, a benefit concert held in London that was taped for posterity, alongside Brinsley Schwarz and Hawkwind. Their performance was so impressive that United Artists chief Andrew Lauder (who was also responsible for helping the post-Roy Loney Flamin' Groovies get their sound together) encouraged them to do a full live album. The result was Live at the Padget Rooms, Penarth, the band's breakthrough album, even though it was originally released in a limited-edition pressing of 8,000 copies. The album became a much sought-after collector's item in England, and suddenly the group had the attention of most of the record-buying public.
Unfortunately, it was at after the release of that album that Deke Leonard decided to exit the lineup to pursue a solo career, which he launched with the successful album Iceberg. Man were making a reputation for themselves and their next album, Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day, yielded some good songs (including "Bananas"). At that point, Pye released a retrospective of their first two albums, while the group's current lineup began shifting again -- Deke Leonard was back for Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics, and Slow Motion led to the group's first American tour. They followed this up with their first serious misstep, a hookup with Quicksilver's John Cippolina as producer for what proved to be a disappointing album, Maximum Darkness. The Welsh Connection, released by MCA in 1976, marked the end of the original group's history, although the band did get one more album out, entitled All's Well That Ends Well.
During the 1980s, Micky Jones reunited the group and those interested members (including Deke Leonard) and found a steady living on the pub rock circuit. Meanwhile, Terry Williams went on to join Rockpile and Dire Straits. Interest in Man was strong enough to justify the release of a compilation, Perfect Timing: The UA Years, in 1991. In the mid-'90s, Beat Goes On began reissuing Man's individual albums and Deke Leonard's solo work on compact disc.
---Bruce Eder, All Music Guide |
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