MANFRED MANN EP "Come Tomorrow" (1965-01)

"Up The Junction" Original Soundtrack

Original released on LP Fontana STL 5460

(UK, 1968)

One of the great soundtracks of the 1960s, "Up the Junction" shows Manfred Mann shedding their pop skin and evolving into a truly awesome jazz outfit, which would later be fully realized in their Chapter Three incarnation. Not that they didn't have some lovely pop gems on this record. The title song, sort of a flipped-out, very very British alternative to "Good Vibrations," is one of Manfred Mann's finest pieces ever, with an excellent vocal from Mike d'Abo, Paul Jones' (Manfred's original vocalist) replacement. But the series of brief jazz-based instrumentals such as "Sheila's Dance" and "Belgravia" are equally arresting, showing off Mike Hugg's drumming and Mann's own piano abilities as never before. Priceless. (Matthew Greenwald in AllMusic)

MANFRED MANN - "Mann Made"

Original released on LP HMV 

CLP 1911 (mono) / CSD 1628 (stereo)

(UK 1965, October 15)

The group's second British album - released just as the original lineup was entering a state of collapse with the impending departure of two key members -shows some of the changes that can happen in a year, as they moved away from Chess Records' brand of blues as their baseline. Instead, they produced a sound that's slightly smoother and a lot more soulful. A handful of originals, mostly by Mike Vickers and Mike Hugg with one Paul Jones-authored number thrown in, are scattered amid covers of songs originated by the Temptations, the Skyliners, and T-Bone Walker. If it isn't as fierce, bold, or daringly ambitious as the Manfreds' debut long-player, "Mann Made" is just as much a virtuoso effort, and a surprisingly cohesive one, considering that it was released immediately after Mike Vickers and Paul Jones announced their respective departures from the band. (Bruce Eder in AllMusic)

"Pretty Flamingo" By MANFRED MANN

"Do Wah Diddy Diddy" By MANFRED MANN

MANFRED MANN: EP "Sha La La"

Original released on EP La Voix de Son Maitre EGF 781

(FRANCE, 1964)

MANFRED MANN: EP "Do Wah Diddy Diddy"

Original released on EP La Voix de Son Maitre EGF 747

(FRANCE, 1964)

MANN MADE HITS

Original released on LP EMI Parlophone XLPH 1017

(UK, 1966)

MANFRED MANN: "So Long, Dad" (EP)

Original released on EP Fontana 465 400 TE
(PORTUGAL, 1967)

MANN'S INSTRUMENTALS

Original released on LP HMV Records CSD 3594 (mono)

(UK 1967, January 13)

Amidst their pop/rock, blues, and folk-rock, Manfred Mann peppered their early recordings with jazzy instrumentals that faintly suggested a jazz-rock direction. "Soul of Mann", never issued in the U.S., is a compilation of most of these early instrumental efforts, which originally appeared on various singles, EPs, and LPs between 1963 and 1966 (though one song, "L.S.D.," and is actually a blues-rocker with a Paul Jones vocal). Instrumentals were not the band's forte, but this collection is more interesting than you might think. No one would put Manfred Mann on the level of a jazz artist like Oscar Peterson, but these cuts are executed with a surprising amount of style and wit. And Mann and his men were nothing if not eclectic, producing downright strange instrumental takes on "Satisfaction," "I Got You Babe," and "My Generation." There are straighter (but still imaginative) versions of songs by the Yardbirds and Cannonball Adderley, as well as their own originals (the bluesy stomper "Mr. Anello" is a standout). Manfred Mann fans will find this worth picking up, especially given that several of the tracks never came out in the U.S., such as the aforementioned "Mr. Anello," and all of the pop covers they did for the 1966 EP Instrumental Asylum. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

MANFRED MANN - Pretty Flamingo (1966)

MANFRED FIRST

Original released on LP HMV / CLP 1731

(UK, 11/9/1964)

The debut album by Manfred Mann holds up even better 40 years on than it did in 1964. It's also one of the longest LPs of its era, clocking in at 39 minutes, and there's not a wasted note or a song extended too far among its 14 tracks. The Manfreds never had the reputation that the Rolling Stones enjoyed, which is a shame, because "The Five Faces of Manfred Mann" is one of the great blues-based British invasion albums; it's a hot, rocking record that benefits from some virtuoso playing as well, and some of the best singing of its era, courtesy of Paul Jones, who blew most of his rivals out of the competition with his magnificently impassioned, soulful performance on "Untie Me", and his simmering, lusty renditions of "Smokestack Lightning" and "Bring It to Jerome". The stereo mix of the album, which never surfaced officially in England until this 1997 EMI anniversary reissue (remastered in 24-bit digital sound), holds up very nicely, with sharp separation between the channels yet - apart from a few moments on "Untie Me" - few moments of artificiality. (in AllMusic)

MANFRED MANN - Ha! Ha! Said the Clown (1967)