The Welsh rock band Man, also known as The Manband, has a rich discography that spans from their formation in 1968 to their current activities. Here are some of their notable albums: The group were formed in November 1968 by Micky Jones (guitar and vocals), Deke Leonard (guitar and vocals), Clive John (guitar, keyboards and vocals), Ray Williams (bass guitar) and Jeff Jones (drums), in Merthyr Tydfil, out of previous local band the Bystanders. They were active through to 1976 with an ever-changing personnel, the last line-up consisting of Jones and Leonard with John McKenzie (bass), Terry Williams (drums) and Phil Ryan (keyboards). Amongst others, Martin Ace (guitar and bass) had a significant spell with group.
Man’s style combined elements of psychedelia, space rock and progressive music, With their debut album, “Revelation”, Man positioned themselves between the space prog of Nektar and the acid rock of Quicksilver Messenger Service”. Man were one of the most promising rock bands to come out of Wales in the early ’70s, 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.
Member Martin Ace has denied that Man are a pub rock band, saying, “We ended up playing in pubs, but it would be completely false to lump us in with that scene. Terry Williams, a former member of Man went on to join Rockpile, who were the definitive pub rock band, but we sounded nothing like them. The BBC called Man a progressive rock band and “psych-prog titans”. Classic Rock magazine called Man a jam band. Frank Zappa was an admirer of Man’s music, and once described Man guitarist Micky Jones as “one of the 10 best guitarists in the world”
Their musical style is rock encompassing elements of psychedelia and progressive, and they are noted for their extended live improvisations.
Man were initially signed to Pye Records, for which they recorded their first two albums with John Schroeder producing: “Revelation” (January 1969), noted for the simulated orgasm on “Erotica”, which received a UK ban, A blast from Man’s psychedelic past, this debut shows the band making an auspicious debut with Hammond-drenched guitar rock. It’s easy to see, between the spacy effects and unearthly vocal choruses of their single “Sudden Life,” how Man positioned themselves between the space prog of Nektar and the acid-fried rock of Quicksilver Messenger Service.
When “The Future Hides Its Face” melds Apollo mission control transmissions with jamming, it’s certainly evocative of time both musically and historically. “And Castles Rise in Children’s Eyes” takes a more measured and orchestral approach, while the wonderful “Don’t Just Stand There” is the great should-be single of the album, careening as it does between spiraling organ solos and sunny choruses of harmonica and Dylanesque vocals. Not every experiment works on this album, but when Man get it right, they get it very right.
Next came “2 Ozs of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle2 (September 1969). While mixing the second album, Leonard left and was replaced by Martin Ace from Leonard’s previous band. Martin joined the Manband in 1969 as a replacement for Deke Leonard who was returning to Wales to support his ailing wife Fran.
This release sees Man rely less on the Hammond and harmonized vocals, and more on hard-driven guitar. Its compositional ambitions are perhaps a bit greater — it opens with “Prelude” and “The Storm,” an extended jam that became ever longer and even more free form over the years as a concert favourite. “It Is as It Must Be” circles around the monster groove of a two-chord guitar vamp, while “Spunk Rock” struts over a jagged floor of overdriven guitar and yelped vocals. If nothing else, both the song and the album can be said to live up to their names.
Martin simply took over Deke’s guitar parts and vocals and the group carried on much the same as before. An intensive touring schedule around mainland Europe was still being pursued thanks to manager Barrie Marshall’s policy of keeping them busy abroad while trying to extricate them from the clutches of the clueless Pye records.
When Deke rejoined in March 1970 Martin stayed on. Deke explains; “Martin, freed from the strictures of a set instrument, did what the hell he liked. Sometimes he would pick up a guitar and whip off a solo, sometimes he would play percussion, and sometimes he would perform a tightrope walk along the top of the balustrade that ran around the stage. At this time, Man were recording three demo sessions a week for Leeds Music, including “Down the Dustpipe”, which was loaned out to Status Quo
The band obtained a new record contract with Andrew Lauder of United Artists Records, for whom the band recorded the album “Man” (March 1971), which received mixed reviews. From the first UA album “Man”, the song ‘Country Girl’ came with him and Deke from The Dream.
This album has long been mistaken as a debut effort. However, prior to this title, they had already released a pair of LPs, By the time of this platter, Clive John (organ/piano/electric guitar/harpsichord/vocals), Deke Leonard (guitar/vocals), Martin Ace (acoustic guitar/bass guitar/vocals), Terry Williams (percussion/drums), Roger Leonard (acoustic guitar/piano/electric guitar/steel guitar/vocals), and Micky Jones (acoustic guitar/electric guitar/vocals) had settled into what most enthusiasts consider to be a seminal aggregate.
In addition to their exceptional improvisational skills, Man would display a more aggressive sound. The opening track, “Romain,” instantly gels into driving blues behind Leonard’s woozy steel guitar interjections. ‘Romain’ was written in two parts; the lyrics tell the story of Martin’s unhappy meeting with Belgian police officer Romain Bracx; the music first appeared as ‘First Song Rock And Roll’ with different lyrics, and was written back in the last days of Plum Crazy.
“Country Girl” is reminiscent with a distinct West Coast county-rock lilt. Both of the extended pieces, “Would the Christians Wait Five Minutes?…The Lions Are Having a Draw” and “Alchemist” are pastiches of well-developed instrumentals, although at times they come off as somewhat dated. There is plenty of inspired interaction, however, especially on the latter song as they unleash some definitive heavy metal licks that could easily be mistaken for seminal Sabbath.
“Daughter of the Fireplace” is another highlight as a compact and attitude-heavy rocker. [Interested parties should note that Repertoire’s CD reissue of “Man” (2003) augments the original five cuts with the 45 rpm edits/mixes of “Daughter of the Fireplace” — which has been amended from five-minutes-and-19-seconds to just under three minutes — and “Country Girl [Single Version].”
The next album, “Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In?” (November 1971), recorded at Rockfield Studios by Kingsley Ward, received good reviews, and the band appeared on German TV and in Iceland with Badfinger.
Long a fan favorite, Man’s fourth studio album was recorded in 1971 during a harried one-week studio session that found the group having to write nearly the entire album, barring the tight and rocking “Angel Easy” and the group’s multi-part masterwork “Many Are Called but Few Get Up.” the fractured multi-layered masterpiece of which features Martin’s lyrics.
The album sounds like a record that was largely jammed in the studio; the eight-minute-plus jams that close each side, “We’re Only Children” and “Love Your Life,” are particularly tiresome, good instrumental and lyrical ideas stretched well past their breaking points.
However, besides the superior “Angel Easy” and “Many Are Called but Few Get Up,” the album does include the rather wonderful “All Good Clean Fun,” a showcase for pianist Clive John and lead guitarist Deke Leonard that has a delightful prog pop playfulness. The album may be only half good, but that half is among Man’s very best work.
“Do You Like It Here Now” also featues ‘Manillo’ Once the record was released in November the gig sheet took a surprising turn. Extensive dates in Europe, peppered with occasional dates in the UK, were suddenly reversed in December 1971, when at last the entire month was spent in Britain. it was the start of major UK exposure for them, and the beginnings of cult stardom. The Manband had been promoted to league division two and were on their way up.
Constant touring was creating internal pressures and, in January 1972, the keyboard player Clive John left the band to form Iowerth Pritchard and the Neutrons with Phil Ryan and Will Youatt.
Although no studio albums were recorded as a four piece the group were captured in this guise on two limited edition live albums, both of which showed that they had no intentions of slowing down.The new four-piece supported Hawkwind and Brinsley Schwarz at a charity gig at The Roundhouse in February 1972, recorded and issued as the “Greasy Truckers Party” (with other artists, April 1972), it was a limited-edition double album which rapidly became a collector’s item.
Andrew Lauder, persuaded them to follow this with a live album. “Live at the Padget Rooms, Penarth” was recorded on April 1972.
This new band line-up recorded the first of Man’s three Peel Sessions the first on 29th August 1972, (the others being on 18th September 1973 and 31st October 1974).
Man then recorded “Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day” (November 1972), The introduction of Ryan and Youatt brought what Will described as a “more magical, lighter feel” to Man. The new songs were classics and the album that this line-up produced, the eccentrically titled ‘Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day’ remains a highpoint of the group’s career.
The only Man album recorded without Deke Leonard is something of a curiosity, a view of the band without the frontman who wrote most of their material. As might be expected, the vocals on this album are less accomplished and further back in the mix, but that is actually an asset in this case. Lacking their lead singer, Man proceeded to assemble their best instrumental set ever, and then to add sparing vocals more for texture than communication. The group interplay here is remarkable, with musical themes and ideas tossed from instrument to instrument with considerable creativity. The side with “C’mon” and “Keep on Crinting” is one long and intricate jam, and unlike most progressive marathons from the period, one doesn’t wish for it to end even a second earlier than it does.
The first cut on the next side, “Bananas,” became a concert favourite for obvious reasons: it consists of four lines of silly poetry followed by nine minutes of inspired playing, then a repetition of the four lines of poetry. Tracks like that might almost be taken as a sneer at the idea that this band needed a singer at all, though the relationship with Deke Leonard was obviously cordial.
After all, he contributed a “family jungle” of the band to the liner notes and was back for their next album. [Note: Fans of album art will cherish the LP version of this release, which featured an origami cover that folds out into a two-foot square map of Wales with humorous illustrations. Original releases in good shape are collector’s items,
A party on 19th December 1972, with Dave Edmunds, Help Yourself, The Flying Aces and others, was issued as Christmas at the Patti (July 1973), A magnificent rendering of Man’s 1972 Christmas party staged at Swansea’s Patti Pavilion, “Christmas at the Patti” was released as a limited-edition budget-priced double-10″ vinyl package, its gatefold packed with party pics and its grooves bristling with some remarkable music. No simple Man gig this — no less than the mighty underground gatherings convened at such legendary London holes as Dingwalls and the Roundhouse, “Christmas at the Patti” was to be a celebration of southern Welsh rock in as many guises as they could fit in.
But, whereas the result is usually filed alongside those other live remembrances of early-’70s British rock Glastonbury Fayre and Greasy Truckers, the reality is far more cohesive and, ultimately, far more enjoyable. The Jets and Plum Crazy, long dead heroes of the local scene, both re-formed for the evening, turning in singalong sets as joyous and relaxed as any music their main members went on to create — Man men Deke Leonard and Martin Ace were members of the Jets, but you’ve probably never heard them play “Jambalaya” before; the great Dave Edmunds guests with Plum Crazy, and lets rip with a signature slam through “Run, Run, Rudolph.”.
Help Yourself, longtime friends of the headliners, also boast a couple of guests — Leonard again plus pedal steel whiz B.J. Cole. Two lengthy tracks, a hypnotic “Mona” and their own marathon “Eddie Waring,” are preserved here, and bear gripping testament to the band’s own magnificent powers of improvisation, too seldom heard on its regular albums but looming larger than life in concert.
Ducks Deluxe, newcomers to the scene in 1972, make their recorded debut by turning in a growling “Boogaloo Babe,” while another previously unheard band, Martin Ace’s the Flying Aces, are introduced via their first ever show; they open the album with the absolutely fitting “Welcome to the Party,” although at the show itself the Flying Aces were the next-to-last band of the evening — the last, of course, being Man itself. Joined by vocalist Stan Phifer and a returning Dave Edmunds, the group turns in just two songs, “Life on the Road” and “Shuffle,” but both rank high in any pantheon of all-time great Man performances.
“Live at the Padget Rooms, Penarth” ranks among the all-time greatest Man concert recordings, the sound of the band at the peak of its game in 1972. The recording’s genesis lay in Man’s contributions to the Greasy Truckers benefit album, recorded and released a little earlier in the year.
Though Man was granted little more than one side of vinyl, the marathon (22-minute) version of “Spunk Rock” that ensued has since been described by Deke Leonard as one of the best things the band ever released — and that despite the vinyl version fading in some ten minutes into the actual performance!
For this latest release, there would be no such shortcomings. With a raw sound that seems to spill straight out of the amps, just three songs devour the album, including a remarkable rendition of the so evocative “Daughter of the Fireplace” and a positively yowling take on “Many Are Called, But Few Are Raised,” a live staple that had long since outgrown its studio incarnation. “H Samuel,” titled for a once-thriving chain of British jewelry stores, completes the set with further dynamic improvisation, leaving the album hovering closer to the brink of a massive stoner rock-jazz fusion hybrid than any other Man album ever dared to go.
One needed to move astonishingly quickly to hear this remarkable treasure, however. As with the Greasy Truckers and “Christmas at the Patti” albums,”Live at the Padget Rooms, Penarth” was a budget-priced limited edition of just 8,000 copies and, though it entered the mid-priced LP chart at number one, the album then disappeared completely seven days later. It would be another three decades before it returned to the stores.
On 24 June 1973 they recorded the live half of this double album at Man’s spiritual London home, The Roundhouse, backed by the Gwalia Male Choir, who had previously sung with Man at The Oval, when they supported Frank Zappa. The album initially sold well and again, this was tipped to be the album that would make the band, but pressing was restricted by a lack of plastic during the oil crisis.
The four-piece started to record “Back into the Future” (September 1973), but felt the need for a second guitarist, so Alan “Tweke” Lewis joined from Wild Turkey. Man carried on for three months as a four piece before recruiting the 19 year old Tweke was a fan long before he became the guitar player and in 1991 had fond memories of his brief part in the story; “…they were called upon by the audiences who expected to be taken further and further by this musical machine all the time.
The band’s tight performance and increasingly ambitious musical experimentation made “Back into the Future” the first Man album to chart in the U.K.; when it hit number 23, it was to be the band’s high-water mark. Despite the band’s live reputation, the studio album probably holds greater interest for listeners today. The title track is a lyrical evocation of the album’s charming cover art a staged before-and-after shot of a railway station in its Edwardian prime, and then in modern decrepitude.
The song’s wistful glance at the past blurs with dabs of modern psychedelia, and it conveys the post-Sgt. Pepper’s fascination of British rockers with the costumed grandeur of Empire past. But it is “Ain’t Their Fight,” with its echoing vocals and windmilling guitar riffs, that stands out as one of the band’s most satisfying tracks.
Most of the rest of the album is comprised of lengthy instrumentals, but the opening “Never Say Nups to Nepalese” is worth noting for its gloriously crashing crescendo, cheerfully lifted from Pink Floyd’s “Echoes.” And while the live set uses a male choir to haunting effect in the slow psychedelic jam of “C’mon,” it’s more typified by the indulgent 21-minute boogie marathon of “Jam Jelly Up Tight.” Nonetheless, the album stands up as a fine artifact of the band’s heyday.
The next album, “Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics” (May 1974), was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, noted for his work with Queen.
An excellent set of material energized by the return of the pleasingly abrasive vocals of Deke Leonard; it charted nearly as well as “Back Into the Future”, and its tighter composition means that in many ways it’s held up better over the years.
The second half may be the band’s artistic high point — bookended by the pomp-wah instrumentals, “Intro” and “Exit,” it contains the unusually sultry “Kerosene” and the epic “Scotch Corner,” which builds up from rattling snare and picked guitar verses to beautiful choruses of harmonized vocals.
The next album, “Slow Motion” (October 1974). Before the album was released, the band toured the UK (again with Badfinger) The returned to the US in March 1975, to promote the album Additional dates were arranged, but most were cancelled when Micky Jones developed pneumonia, so the final gigs were at the San Francisco Winterland. These were a great success, and the promoter Bill Graham paid them a bonus, and rebooked them, but Whaley had had enough and left Ace flew out as a stand in and the band met and rehearsed with John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service, who played with them at Winterland and agreed to play a UK tour.
This is a less successful follow-up to “Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics“, with almost the same personnel. While this album has the same California-via-Wales guitar twang and spit as its predecessor, evidenced by the laconically witty “You Don’t Like Us,” it somehow lacks ambition. Perhaps it’s the absence of keyboardist Malcolm Morley. The pensive “Grasshopper” rises to the occasion, though, with a percussive piano part and weeping strings overlaid by gentle strummed guitar.
The obligatory album, ‘Slow Motion’ was rehearsed and recorded during the summer, sessions being shoe-horned into a busy tour schedule. Recording at Rockfield was frequently diverted by the antics of Foghat, who had achieved some success in America, but who were ignored in their native Britain. Deke’s comic description of events in his ‘Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics’ book may serve as some retribution.
On this tour, the Roundhouse gig was recorded for commercial release and, although Buckley and Ellingham said that it is rumoured that Micky Jones had to over-dub Cipollina’s guitar, it was only the track “Bananas” on which his playing was replaced: “Everything on Maximum Darkness which sounds like Cipollina is Cipollina”, per Deke Leonard.
Originally released in 1975, “Maximum Darkness” was the final album by Welsh Rock legends for United Artists Records. Recorded live in 1975 at the Roundhouse as part of a UK tour, Man were at the top of their game on stage. For this concert they were joined by John Cippolina from San Francisco’s legendary Quicksilver Messenger Service. A triumphant concert, the album has since become legendary.
An appearance on the BBC music programme ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’ in January 1975 proved difficult, the second in a set of two songs, ‘Many Are Called But Few Get Up’, had to be re-recorded as the band weren’t happy with the first take. It was the last time they appeared on BBC TV.
They then recorded “The Welsh Connection” (March 1976) This was to be Man’s last studio album for two decades, and with its weak sales (it failed to chart) and underpowered material it’s easy to see why the band called it quits for the time being. There’s some irony, then, in the closing track being “Born with a Future.” It’s a good final bow, though, as it’s well harmonized and ultimately one of the best cuts on the album.
Perhaps this releases’s most nagging overall problem is the mix — Phil Ryan’s keyboards are high up, while Deke Leonard’s bracing guitar parts are less evident than usual. Although this isn’t always a liability — the lengthy title track lazily wends its way through some pleasant Moog solos and electric piano flourishes — the grittiness of the band’s sound is largely squandered here.
The MCA record deal, however, was for three albums, but nobody was willing to contribute new material, and their attempts at covers were poor, so MCA eventually agreed to a live farewell album. “All’s Well That Ends Well” (November 1977) was recorded at the Roundhouse on 11th–13th December,
The very definition of the contractual obligation album, “All’s Well That Ends Well” is a live record recorded at London’s Roundhouse less than a week before Man’s split in 1976 and released in place of the album that was supposed to come from the fractious and ultimately unproductive studio sessions that had led to the band’s dissolution. Nearly half the songs come from the recent Welsh Connection album, the others being mainstays of the live act like a rubbery, almost disco-tinged version of the standard “Spunk Rock.” The one new song, the opening “Let the Good Times Roll,” is actually quite good, a bluesy pub rocker featuring some swell organ work by Phil Ryan and a typically excellent performance by drummer Terry Williams, but the rest of the album, particularly the three tracks from the rather subpar “Welsh Connection“, is rather dispirited and dull. Man would eventually reunite in various permutations of the classic lineup, but to coin another cliché, “All’s Well That Ends Well” proves only that all good things must come to an end.
Man’s first studio recording in over 15 years, 1992’s “Twang Dynasty” finds Deke Leonard and an only slightly rejiggered group (drummer Terry Williams is absent) largely picking up where their late-’70s albums left off, bridging the gap between rollicking pub rock and twiddly prog with not-always-successful results.
Most of the album leans rather toward the latter side of the equation; although songs like the opening guitar workout “A Feather on the Scales of Justice” have memorable riffs and catchy tunes to their credit, they could have stood to be trimmed by a minute or two. Indeed, as was often the case in the early CD age, the whole album could easily have been trimmed by 20 minutes, losing perhaps the overlong three-chord jam “Mad on Her” and the inscrutable blues “Chinese Cut” and trimming songs like the crystalline “Price” by half of its six-minute length to emphasize its clever pop-song gleam. Still, “Twang Dynasty” is a more credible comeback attempt than many of Man’s ’70s contemporaries made.
The first studio album to be issued, “The Twang Dynasty”, was issued in 1992 and included the track “Fast and Dangerous”, Their performance at 1994’s Glastonbury Festival was issued as Live 1994 – Official Bootleg (and reissued as Live Official Bootleg), and in 1995 they recorded “Call Down the Moon” (May 1995) issued on the Hypertension label,
The band reformed in 1983, with a line-up of Micky Jones and Deke Leonard on guitars, Martin Ace on bass and John “Pugwash” Weathers (formerly of Gentle Giant) on drums. This line-up was to stay constant until 1996,
Man’s first American release in 20 years, “Call Down the Moon” arrived in 1995, the successor to 1992’s brilliant “Twang Dynasty“, and a worthy one at that. Almost half the album tracks find the band approaching the nine- or ten-minute barrier that, in the past, was always the hallmark of Man at their most magical, while the song titles positively ooze the old spirit as well — “Burn My Working Clothes,” “The Girl Is Trouble,” “Call Down the Moon” itself. Indeed, that latter cut might well have crept out of any past incarnation of the band you could dream of; it’s a gliding slice of anti-gravity that lifts the album into the atmospheres that Man have always been capable of reaching, but so rarely actually get to. considering it was a brand new album by a much beloved band, the package screams “cheap cash-in” so loudly that even loyal fans initially gave it a wide berth.
The group reformed in 1983 with Jones, Leonard and Ace being joined by new drummer John Weathers. The band remains active, with Ace being the only ever-present member after further personnel changes. They released a further eight studio albums.
The essential new albums,
- Back into the Future: This album reached No. 23 on the UK charts. 1
- Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics: Another UK charting album, reaching No. 24. 1
- Maximum Darkness: A live album that also charted, reaching No. 25. 1
- Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In?: This album is a retrospective compilation of previously unissued archive tapes. 1
- Anachronism Tango: The latest album released by the band, accompanied by a limited edition CD EP ‘Mojo Train’. 1
The band’s music is characterized by its rock style, incor - porating elements of psychedelia and progressive rock, and they are known for their extended live improvisations. Despite changes in personnel, the band has maintained its presence in the music scene and continues to release new music. 2
For a complete list of their albums and more detailed information, fans can visit the Manband Archive or check out their discography on platforms like Discogs.
