Man

First a confession – I am an unabashed fan of ‘The Manband’ and will listen to just about anything that has their label attached. However, I am also a discerning fan of the band and can tell the difference between the performances when they were ‘on it’ and when they were just too stoned to fire anything more than another joint. This captures then when they had just returned from the US and on this night they were definitely ‘On it’.

This was one of the classic lineups with Deke Leonard, Mickey Jones, Terry Williams and Martin Ace sharing the stage and was around the time of the ‘Slow Motion’ album but the sound is classic Man, long jams, a West Coast kind of musical experimentation and all shambling around the stage until the music kicks in and they suddenly take off.

Anyone who has ever seen them live will know that they have no stage presence but the music draws them together and brings the audience in – this isn’t a ‘show’ but rather an organic growth that happens night after night, changing every time and each gig a child frozen in the moment; this recording captures that pretty well.

Only six tracks on an hour long show but that does include a sparkling ‘7171 551’ as well as a great jam around ‘C’mon’ and ‘Someone Is Calling’ definitely shows the hookup with John Cippolina leaving fruit.
As ever with a Man gig they end with an incendiary version of ‘Many Are Called, But Few Get Up’.

The sleeve notes for the album are a delight – Deke Leonard telling some truths – and like all the other Rockpalast series this captures a seminal band at a great time in their career; all around an excellent package.