Search - Manfred Mann :: Messin

Definately his best

bregt | Belgium | 10/14/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Forget the Doo-wah-diddies, this is what you should listen to when you want to know Manfred Mann's music: Energizing, soulful, jazzy, exciting, rock 'n' blues. Solar Fire and The Roaring Silence are also good, but this one beats them by far."

From Mann's Heavy Period

El Kabong | 08/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Rock'n'roll adaptogen Manfred Mann parlayed an ability to roll with the musical punches into a 25+ year career as a reliable second-tier 'name' act: starting out as a English Freakbeat combo with bluesy, then bubblegum, leanings; segueing into a half-hearted jazz sound with Chapter Three; hopping on the prog bandwagon with the formation of the Earth Band; and, finally, carving out an small radio niche with the well-crafted, slightly-sterile pop that comprised their late 70s-and-beyond output, nearly all of it punctuated by their trademark classic-rock covers of first Dylan and, later, Springsteen tunes. While this kind of resume doesn't read too encouragingly, those 'prog era' albums - mainly 'Glorified Magnified', 'Messin', and 'Solar Fire' - sounded a lot better than you'd expect them to, and 'Messin' might constitute the Earth Band's finest 40 minutes. The album's standout cuts are its first two, the (long) title track's sonorous hippie dirge for a dying Earth which leads to an extended instrumental section showcasing Mann's heavy, shuddering organ (ahem) and the spirited wailing of axeman/vocalist Mick Rogers. Even better (and nearly as long) is 'Buddah', which, like the opener, begins twee but morphs halfway thru into a frenetic synth-driven jam that sounds engineered for an accompanying strobe-light freakout. Mind you, MESSIN's not gonna make anyone's Desert Island list - apropos for a band generally known as a surprisingly good opening act and a disappointing headliner. But MESSIN' rides past the finish line in full stride, maybe because it's happily riding the coat-tails of that early-70s aesthetic of rock-solid heaviosity that seems to inform so many albums of the period. (By the way, this set's Dylan cover is 'Get Your Rocks Off', done with their usual aplomb.)"