Man (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Man | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Swansea, South Wales |
| Genre(s) | Progressive rock Pub Rock |
| Years active | 1968 – 1976 1983 – present |
| Website | The Man homepage |
| Members | |
| Josh Ace Martin Ace George Jones Bob Richards Phil Ryan |
|
| Former members | |
| John Cipollina Clive John (AKA Clint Space) Jeff Jones Micky Jones Deke Leonard Tweke Lewis Gareth Llewellyn Thorrington John McKenzie Rick Martinez Malcolm Morley John Weathers Ken Whaley Ray Williams Terry Williams Will Youatt |
|
Man are a rock band from South Wales with a cult following. Originally the second incarnation of Welsh rock harmony group The Bystanders, they are a band with 'more history than the Greeks', who are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year.
Contents |
[edit] History
Man's history is full of weird, colourful stories. Some stories include getting arrested in Belgium on both of their visits, brawling with an Icelandic audience, meeting the likes of Tommy Cooper and Bill Graham, their many line-ups, and so on. Man also have connections with bands like the Neutrons, Badfinger, Status Quo and Iceberg (Deke's band while he went solo).
The Bystanders had been a pop harmony group in the 1960s, signed to Pye Records and living in London, who had released a few singles to no great success. But with the departure of singer Vic Oakley and the arrival of guitarist Deke Leonard in 1968, the band - Leonard, Micky Jones, Ray Williams, Clive John and Jeff Jones - decided to change their style altogether, moving from pop to West Coast psychedelia, inspired by American bands such as Quicksilver Messenger Service and Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention.
From 1968 up to 1976 they rocked the UK, America and Germany with their gritty progressive rock. They have been hits with many radio DJs, producers, promoters, and John Lennon was (supposedly) a fan of Deke's album, Iceberg. Some of their most popular songs from this era include Spunk Rock, Bananas, Many Are Called But Few Get Up, C'Mon, Daughter of the Fireplace, and Romain.
1974 was probably Man's biggest year commercially. Rhinos, Winos & Lunatics was tipped to be the album which brought them international fame. Certainly, it was the best reproduction so far of their improvisational live format in the studio. They were subsequently joined by Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist John Cippolina (or "Chippo" as they called him) for a live album, "Maximum Darkness" which featured two old Quicksilver gems, the Buffy Sainte-Marie song "Codeine" and "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You". Of course, they never did become famous, and in 1976, they broke up, swearing never to be "like one of those bands who reformed in a futile attempt to recapture past glories and maybe earn a buck or two along the way".
[edit] Reformed
They reformed in 1983. The band this time was to stay constant until 1996(ish): Micky Jones and Deke Leonard on guitars, Martin Ace on bass, and John Weathers on drums. During this time, they produced more hits (sic), such as "Feather on the Scales of Justice", "Mad On Her", "Wings of Mercury", "Call Down The Moon", and "Heaven and Hell".
Weathers was fired in 1996 and was replaced by returning former drummer Terry Williams, probably the most successful of the band, having served elsewhere in bands such as Dire Straits although this is not held against him (not much, anyway). Terry left the band in 1997 and was replaced by continuing incumbent Bob Richards. Bob's first gig was a welcome back to Deke who had suffered a mild stroke which required some time off the road for recovery.
Former keyboardist Phil Ryan returned in 1998 taking the band back to the classic 5-piece line-up. Phil played a major role in producing 2000's Endangered Species (which ranks amongst the strongest of the band's lengthy discography) but had to withdraw from the band for personal reasons. He was replaced by Gareth Thorrington who continued with the band until 2006 when he joined the list of sackees.
After surviving into the next millennium, Man produced another album, Undrugged which an attempts at an unplugged type album which started off when Terry Williams was in the band and was finalised by some fresh recordings. It's particularly noticeable for some covers, most notably on Brian Wilson's Sail On Sailor and the Ray Charles classic Georgia On My Mind - the lead vocals on both being handled by Micky.
It was during this time that Micky developed a brain tumour and had to take time off for numerous surgeries. Man continued though, and Micky's son George entered the band temporarily. When Micky recovered, he rejoined just as Deke decided to call it a day, so George became a permanent member of the group.
As before, just when you though a period of stability might ensure circumstance, damned circumstance conspired to intervene once again. In 2005, Micky's health deteriorated due to the re-occurrence of a brain tumour and was replaced by Martin Ace's son Josh. To this day, Micky remains in hospital and the chances of him ever being able to perform again are slim. This is a tragedy for an undervalued and underrated master of the guitar.
Meanwhile, Deke plays sporadic gigs with a reformed Iceberg band, which initially comprised of Deke, former Man member Will Youatt, Clive Roberts, and Bob Richards (Bob was still with Man, though). Sadly, Clive Roberts was diagnosed with lung cancer after their first gig, and died soon after. He was replaced by Brian Breeze, who featured in the original seventies Iceberg lineup (Brian has since been replaced by Ray "Taff" Williams - not to be confused with Ray Williams, the original Man bass player, who died in 1993). Deke is also adding to his literary record by working on a third book. His first two books documented the history of the Manband and also Deke's adventures prior to this. They have been the subject of award-winning radio broadcasts, and the rights have been secured with a view to transferring them to the big screen. Unlike Muhammed Ali, though, Deke is unlikely to be able to play his younger self in the resulting movie!
The latest album "Diamonds And Coal" was released in 2006, after which Gareth Thorrington left, and the band continued as a 4-piece. A 40th anniversary tour in 2008, saw the return of Phil Ryan on keyboards.
For 40 years, Man have delighted fans, angered police and rocked the world with their music. The incorporation of the younger generations of Jones' and Aces' might mean they are able to continue for the next forty.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Contemporary Albums
This includes those live albums that were released contemporaneously.
For live albums that were issued much later, see Archive Albums below.
The 2007/2008 re-issues were completely re-mastered, and issued with bonus tracks and/or bonus CDs
- Revelation LP (January 1969) Pye
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Ray Williams, Jeff Jones, Clive John
- 2 Ozs of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle LP (September 1969) Pye
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Ray Williams, Jeff Jones, Clive John
- Man LP (October 1970) United Artists: CD (1998) Point PNTVP117CD: CD Remix (2007) Esoteric ECLEC 2012
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Terry Williams, Clive John
- Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In? LP (November 1971) United Artists: CD Remix (2007) Esoteric ECLEC 2013
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Terry Williams, Clive John
- Greasy Truckers Party (with other artists) LP (1972) UK: United Artists UDX 203/4: CD (1997) Point PNTVP 104: CD Re-mix (2007) EMI 0999 503235 2 4
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Terry Williams
- Live At The Paget Rooms Penarth LP (September 1972) United Artists USP1000: CD (1997) BGO CD 365: CD Re-mix (2007) Esoteric ECLEC 2014
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Terry Williams
- Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day LP (October 1972) United Artists: CD (1991) BGO CD 14: CD Remix (2007) Esoteric ECLEC 2019
Micky Jones, Will Youatt, Terry Williams, Phil Ryan
- Christmas At The Patti (with other artists) LP (1973) United Artists: CD (1997) Point PNTVP110CD: CD Re-mix (2007) Esoteric ECLEC 2018
Micky Jones, Will Youatt, Terry Williams, Phil Ryan, Clint Space (Clive John) with Dave Edmunds, Stan Pfeiffer
- Back Into The Future LP (September 1973) United Artists: CD (1993) BGO CD 211: CD Re-mix (2008) Esoteric ECLEC 2060
Micky Jones, Tweke Lewis, Will Youatt, Terry Williams, Phil Ryan
- Rhinos, Winos, and Lunatics LP (May 1974) United Artists: CD (1993) BGO CD 208: CD Re-mix (2007) Esoteric ECLEC 2020
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Ken Whaley, Terry Williams, Malcolm Morley
- Slow Motion LP (November 1974) United Artists: CD (1993) BGO CD 209: CD Re-mix (2008) Esoteric ECLEC 2062
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Ken Whaley, Terry Williams
- Maximum Darkness LP (1975) United Artists: CD (1991) BGO CD 43: CD Re-mix (2008) Esoteric ECLEC 2061
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Terry Williams, John Cipollina
- The Welsh Connection LP (March 1976) MCA: CD (2003) Point PNTVP102CD
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, John McKenzie, Terry Williams, Phil Ryan
- Alls Well That Ends Well LP (1976) MCA MCF2815: CD (1998) Point EAMCD 068
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, John McKenzie, Terry Williams, Phil Ryan
- Friday 13th (1983)
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, John Weathers
- The Twang Dynasty (1991) Road Goes On Forever: CD (1997) Point PNTVP113CD
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, John Weathers
- Call Down the Moon CD (May 1995) Hypertension HYCD 200 154
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, John Weathers
- 1998 At The Star Club CD (1998) LC5768/LD5768
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Bob Richards, Phil Ryan
- Endangered Species CD (June 2000)Evangeline GEL 4001
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Bob Richards, Phil Ryan
- Down Town Live (2002) Altrichter Music AM 310559
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Bob Richards
- Undrugged (May 2002) Point PNTVP121CD
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Terry Williams/Bob Richards, Gareth Llewellyn Thorrington
- Diamonds & Coal (2006) Point PNTVP 134 CD
George Jones, Josh Ace, Martin Ace, Bob Richards, Gareth Llewellyn Thorrington
[edit] Archive Albums
These Man albums were compiled and released retrospectively from previously un-issued archive tapes.
Some were issued as bootlegs, before being "ripped-off" by the band and issued “officially”
- To Live For To Die (Recorded 1970) CD issued as “The Honest One” (1992) CD (1997) Point PNTVP108CD
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Terry Williams, Clive John
- Live At The Rainbow 1972 CD (1998) Point EAMCD060
Micky Jones, Clive John, Will Youatt, Terry Williams, Phil Ryan
- The 1999 Party Tour (Recorded 1974) CD (1998) Point EAMCD069
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Ken Whaley, Terry Williams
- Live In London 1975 CD (1998) Eagle Records EAMCD061
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Ken Whaley, Terry Williams
- Live At Reading '83 (Recorded 1983) CD (1993) Raw Fruit FRSCD 010
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, John Weathers
- Friday 13th (Recorded 1983) CD (June 2001) Point PNTVP106CD
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, John Weathers
- The Official Bootleg (Recorded 1994) CD (June 2001) Point PNTVP109CD
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, John Weathers
- Live at Crosskeys Institute 25th May 1984 CD - Effigy Music - Official Bootleg Series Vol 1
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, John Weathers
- Live at the Keystone Berkeley, 9th August 1976 Double CD - Effigy Music - Official Bootleg Series Vol 2
Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, John McKenzie, Terry Williams, Phil Ryan + John Cippolina on 4 tracks
- Live at Hebden Bridge Trades Club 11th December 2004 CD - Effigy Music - Official Bootleg Series Vol 3
Micky Jones, George Jones, Martin Ace, Bob Richards, Gareth Thorrington
[edit] Compilation Albums
- The Definitive Collection CD (1998) Castle CCSCD 832
All of “Revelation” and “2 Ozs of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle" plus the Bystanders singles
- 3 Decades Of Man CD (2000) Point EAMCD099
From:- Do You Like It …? 1999 Party, Live In London, Welsh Connection, All’s Well …, Friday 13th, Twang Dynasty & Live Official Bootleg
- Rare Man CD (June 2001) Point PNTVP120CD
Singles, Cassette only tracks, Out-takes etc.
- Man Alive CD (2003) Snapper Music SMDCD 478
From:- Greasy Truckers, Rainbow 1972, 1999 Party, BBC In Concert, All’s Well …, Friday 13th & Glastonbury 1994
- And In The Beginning (The Complete Early Man 1968-69) Double CD (December 2004) Castle Music CCDCD 921
All of “Revelation” & “2 Ozs of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle" the Pye singles & 2 unreleased tracks from the "2 Ozs" session
- Keep On Crinting (The Liberty/UA Years Anthology 1971-1975) Double CD (2006) EMI 94636066028
Album selections from "Man" to "Slow Motion" Plus live version of "The Storm" and the single "I'm Dreaming"
- Sixty Minutes With Man CD (April 2007) Voiceprint VP6001CD
From:- Man, Do You Like It...?, Twang Dynasty, Call Down The Moon, Diamonds & Coal & Bananas Single
[edit] Tribute Album
- Man We're Glad We Know You (2000) Pete Gifford PGRSCD
[edit] References
Leonard D. (1996 & Rev. 2001) Rhinos, Winos & Lunatics. Northdown Publishing ISBN 1900711 00 1 & ISBN 1 900711 09 1
Leonard D. (2000) Maybe I Should’ve Stayed in Bed? Northdown Publishing ISBN 1900711 09 5
