Manfred Mann Chapter Three, Vol. 1 (Release Date: 1969)

If you ever wondered how Manfred Mann (the band) went from the 60s pop fluff of Do Wah Diddy and Sha La La to the massive progressive acheivements of the Earth Band (think Solar Fire and The Roaring Silence), well Chapter Three's two albums will provide you with a partial explanation. I say partial because while this is a leap forward from the earlier poppy material (the group did have a tendancy for jazzy B-sides though!) the brass-heavy jazz-tinged rock that Chapter Three made is far from being a linear progression that leads to the "spacier" sounds of the Earth band.

Taken on their own merit the two Chapter Three albums are extremely listenable, sometimes fascinating examples of very early progressive jazz-rock … remember that this first album was cut in the summer of 1969. The core of Chapter Three was Manfred Mann (the guy) and his former cohort in the pop band, Mike Hugg. Mann and Hugg formed a formidable double keyboard line-up and the pair also wrote all Chapter Three's material between them, with Hugg also assuming lead vocal duties. The band featured Bernie Living on flute/alto sax and a barrage of guests on brass, while bassist Steve York, who also played on East Of Eden's fascinating debut album Mercator Projected, and drummer Craig Collinge rounded off a highly competent outfit.

The music on this album is particularly "song-based" with most pieces hanging on a verse/chorus format before exploding into instrumental excursions, which are clever rather than flashy. The tone is set by the bluesy opener Travelling Lady and it barely lets up through the album.

MANFRED MANN'S CHAPTER THREE biography

Manfred Mann Chapter III was formed in England in 1969 after the break up of Manfred Mann famous for their chart topping pop hits throughout the 1960s. Manfred Mann’s Chapter III had a more Progressive appearance and moved away from their Pop roots.
Chapter III was formed after the break up of the (Chapter II) line up of Manfred Mann in 1969 which featured singer Mike D'Abo, not forgetting the legendary (Chapter I) line up in the early 60s which featured singer Paul Jones.

The band was fo…Manfred Mann Chapter III was formed in England in 1969 after the break up of Manfred Mann famous for their chart topping pop hits throughout the 1960s. Manfred Mann’s Chapter III had a more Progressive appearance and moved away from their Pop roots. Chapter III was formed after the break up of the (Chapter II) line up of Manfred Mann in 1969 which featured singer Mike D'Abo, not forgetting the legendary (Chapter I) line up in the early 60s which featured singer Paul Jones.

The band was formed by South African born Manfred Mann on Keyboards, Mike Hugg on Keyboards & Vocals, Steve York on Bass, Bernie Living on Saxophone , Brian Hugg on Acoustic Guitar and Craig Collinge on Drums. Manfred Mann's Chapter III turned their backs on three minute Pop singles and light hearted songs to develop a more Jazz and Progressive sound often had lengthy tracks with solos.

Manfred Mann's Chapter III only recorded Mike Hugg or Manfred Mann compositions this was deliberate to avoid lead guitar. Sadly for Manfred Mann's Chapter 3 the band had unsuccessful record sales and paid the price for this and unfortunate for Manfred Mann's Chapter III they had disbanded late in 1970. During the period they had released two studio albums the debut album was self titled “Chapter III - Volume 1” released in 1969 and “Volume 2” released in 1970.

Source: Prog Archives

A useful review of this album is in this page:
http://crudcrud.blogspot.com/2006/09/very-pleasant-surprise.html


The list of the songs:

01 - Travelling Lady
02 - Snakeskin Garter
03 - Konekuf
04 - Sometimes
05 - Devil Woman
06 - Time
07 - One Way Glass
08 - Mister,You're A Better Man Than I
09 - Ain't It Sad
10 - A Study In Inaccuracy
11 - Where Am I Going
12 - Travelling Lady (alternate)



For me it's a wonderful album. My favorites songs are the “Travelling Lady (alternate) (Original version)”, the “Mister, You're A Better Man Than I”, the “Devil Woman” and the “Time”

I hope you enjoy it.


The link to the file:

http://rapidshare.com/files/44...ann_Chapter_III__Volume_1_.rar