Manfred Mann´s Earth Band - Watch (1978 (LP) - €10,00

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Watch is the eighth album by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, a studio album with two live tracks released in 1978. 

It is the first album recorded with new bassist Pat King, and the final album for both guitarist Dave Flett and original drummer Chris Slade.

By 1978, Manfred Mann´s Earth Band were round about their peak in terms of success. Creatively, they appeared to have stalled, if anything moving back towards a more commercial sound. 

That said, they were still producing excellent albums.

"Davy's on the road again" is the (rightly) the best known track on "Watch". 

It was a huge hit in the singles chart, but don't let that put you off, it's still a great song. 

The album version is somewhat longer, including as it does a keyboard solo omitted from the single. Like "Blinded by the light" before it, the song is a great piece of pop prog.

"Drowning on dry land/Fish soup" has some good guitar work, backed by mellotron. "California" was also released as a single, but enjoyed far less success. It's a much softer track, with some beautiful vocals by Chris Thompson. The song makes for a fine album track, but was clearly not strong enough in a pop context for singles success.

"Martha's madman" has become something of a live standard over the years. The album track here is probably the nearest to true prog the album gets, with Dave Flett once again contributing some admirable guitar.

The inclusion of the Dylan composed Manfred Mann classic "Mighty Quinn" is for me, a bit of a waste of space. The song, which was a huge hit for Manfred Mann's eponymous 60's combo, already sounded dated by the time this album was released, and is now little more than a fun sing-a-long.

Side A

A1.  Circles - 4:50

A2.  Drowning on Dry Land/Fish Soup - 6:01

A3.  Chicago Institute - 5:47

A4.  California - 5:32

Side B

B1.  Davy’s On The Road Again (Live) - 5:55

B2.  Martha’s Madman - 4:52

B3.  Mighty Quinn (Live) - 6:29

Line-up / Musicians

- Chris Hamlet Thompson - lead vocals, guitar

- Dave Flett - lead & acoustic guitars

- Manfred Mann - keyboards, backing vocals, co-producer

- Pat King - bass, backing vocals

- Chris Slade - drums, percussion

With:

- Doreen Chanter - backing vocals

- Irene Chanter - backing vocals

- Kim Goody - backing vocals

- Stevie Lange - backing vocals

- Victy Silva - backing vocals

Technical

• Manfred Mann's Earth Band – producers
• Laurence Latham – engineer
• Rick Walton – engineer
• Edwin Cross – assistant engineer
• Michael Sanz – cover painting
• Pat King – photography
• Re-mastered by: Robert M Corich and Mike Brown

Notes

Release:  1978

Format:  LP, Vinyl

Genre:  Progressive Rock

Label:  Bronze Records

Catalog#  25762

Vinyl:  Goed (LP)

Cover:  Goed (LP)

Prijs: €10,00