''Manfred Mann's Earth Band'' is the eponymous debut studio album by English rock band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band, released in January 1972 by
Polydor Records.
Marketing and sales
''Manfred Mann's Earth Band'' was first released in January 1972 by
Polydor Records in the United States, where it sold modestly
and charted for six weeks on the
''Billboard'' 200, peaking at number 138 on 18 March. The single "Living Without You" spent seven weeks on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching number 69 on 8 April. In the United Kingdom, the album was released on 18 February by
Philips Records to lesser sales.
Critical reception
The album was met with positive reviews from American critics.
Henry Edwards of ''
High Fidelity'' said the Earth Band had proved themselves greatly superior to other acts in the "British Blues Invasion of the Seventies" by displaying a dedication to the music rather than flaunting their individual abilities. He also applauded bandleader
Manfred Mann's performances of "Part Time Man" and "I'm Up and I'm Leaving", writing that they possessed "that haunting, urgent quality that has always marked Mann not only as a quality rocker but also as a musician with serious intentions and the ability to realize them". ''
Ramparts'' magazine called the album a respite from the "excessively abstracted psychedelic/hard rock" of the time, as well as an exceptional-sounding record that would prove to be "a landmark in the assimilation of new technology into rock without yielding to any impulse to make it a gimmick". At the end of 1972, ''Manfred Mann's Earth Band'' was named the third best album of the year in
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
's column for ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
''. The music critic applauded Mann's innovative synthesizer parts and both the "original and borrowed" lyrics, while calling the album "one of those future-rock records that will probably spawn no heirs, even by the group that made it". Reviewers in the UK were less receptive to the album, according to
Robert Corich in his notes for its reissue.
Christgau later ranked the album number 17 on a decade-end list for ''
The Village Voice'',
and described it as "an extraordinary cult record" that achieved rock's
dichotomous "art-commerce" synthesis, something he said Mann had espoused since the early years of his music career.
critic J.P. Ollio called it "a completely satisfying album and one of the most underrated of the '70s", in which the Earth Band explored "arty and progressive directions" without succumbing to the weight of their own pretensions. Ollio highlighted the record's "hypnotic instrumentals", Mann's "exhilarating original songs", and the "three definitive covers" of
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...
's "Living Without You",
Dr. John's "Jump Sturdy", and
Bob Dylan's "
Please, Mrs. Henry
The liner notes for ''The Basement Tapes'' give the following personnel credits for all songs on the album: Bob Dylan – acoustic guitar, piano, vocals; Robbie Robertson – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, vocals; Richard Manuel – pi ...
".
Track listing
Side one
#"California Coastline"
(Walt Meskell, Tim Martin) – 2:48
#"Captain Bobby Stout"
( Lane Tietgen) – 6:54
#"Sloth"
( Manfred Mann, Mick Rogers) – 1:27
#"Living Without You"
(Randy Newman
Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...
) – 3:36
#"Tribute"
(Mann) – 5:32
Side two
#"
Please Mrs Henry"
( Bob Dylan) – 4:32
#"Jump Sturdy"
( Dr. John Creaux) – 4:49
#"Prayer"
(Mann) – 5:41
#"Part Time Man"
(David Sadler, Mann) – 3:05
#"I'm Up and I'm Leaving"
(Mann, Sadler) – 3:11
* Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–10 on CD reissues.
1999 CD bonus tracks
#
"Living Without You" (Single version mono) (Newman) – 3:36
#"California Coastline" (Single version mono) (Meskell, Martin) – 2:47
#"Mrs Henry" (Single version mono) (Dylan) – 2:39
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's 1999 reissue booklet.Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
, Minimoog
The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Part Time Man” and “I’m Up and Leaving”, production
* Mick Rogers – electric guitar, lead vocals
* Colin Pattenden – bass guitar
* Chris Slade – drums
Additional personnel
* David Mackay – producer
* Dave Hadfield – engineer, producer
* John Pantry – engineer
* Bloomsbury Group – design
* Bob Foster – photography
Certifications
References
External links
*
*