Hubble Bubble Toil And Trouble/Sha La La/Come Tomorrow/Oh No, Not My Baby
Manfred Lubowitz was born into a well-to-do family on October 21st, 1940, in Johannesburg, South Africa. As a child he studied piano and while in his teens his love of music dominated his every thought, and he realised that he wanted to play Jazz and Blues for a living. To do this, he ultimately had to leave South Africa for England, where he invented a new stage name, Manfred Manne (the last name borrowed from Shelly Manne), later dropping the 'e' to just Manfred Mann. He also found a friend and collaborator in one Mike Hugg, a drummer with whom he formed a band they called The Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers. The line-up was completed by Paul Jones on harmonica and vocals, Mike Vickers on flute, guitar and saxophone and Tom McGuinness on bass. As time went on, against Manfred's wishes, the band took the name of its leader and became known as simply Manfred Mann.
After being signed by a talent-hungry HMV Records and following one unsuccessful instrumental record, Manfred Mann made an impression with the non-charting EP, "Cock-A-Hoop". The prominent use of Jones' harmonica gave them a distinct sound and they soon became one of Britain's leading groups. Two of their singles were used as the theme music to the pioneering British television music program, Ready Steady Go!. Another early release called, "5-4-3-2-1" provided their breakthrough Top 10 hit in early 1964. By the Summer, the group registered a number one record on both sides of the Atlantic with the catchy "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", a cover of The Exciters' #78 Hot 100 hit earlier that year.
Over the next two years they charted regularly in the UK with memorable hits such as "Sha La La", "Come Tomorrow", "Oh No, Not My Baby" and Bob Dylan's "If You Got To Go, Go Now". Their non-single album cuts were mostly Jazz, Soul and R&B covers, not Pop tunes. In May 1966, they returned to the number one spot on the British charts with the sublime "Pretty Flamingo", which topped out at #29 in America. It was to prove the last major hit on which Paul Jones appeared. When Jones left the band in 1966 to pursue a solo career, he was replaced with former Band Of Angels singer Mike D'Abo, who won the final audition over Rod Stewart. Mike Vickers had previously departed for a lucrative career as a television composer, and was replaced by future Cream member, Jack Bruce on bass, allowing Tom McGuinness to move to lead guitar. Later, Henry Lowther (trumpet) and Lyn Dobson (saxophone) were added to the line-up, and Klaus Voorman replaced Jack Bruce on bass. D'Abo's debut with the group was another hit rendering of a Dylan song, "Just Like A Woman", their first for the Fontana label. He fitted in astonishingly well with the group, surprising many critics by maintaining their hit formula despite the departure of the charismatic Jones. Both "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. Jones" and "Ha! Ha! Said The Clown" were formidable Top 5 hits in Britain, but went largely un-noticed in the US.
Along with the American band, The Byrds, the group were generally regarded as the best interpreters of Bob Dylan's material, a view endorsed by the songwriter himself. This point was punctuated in 1968 when Manfred Mann registered their third number one hit with the striking reading of his "Mighty Quinn", their only US Top 10 single. While the band's follow-ups could barely make the national record charts in the States, they ended the '60s with a flurry of Top 10 hits in England, "My Name Is Jack", "Fox On The Run" and "Raggamuffin Man", before abdicating their Pop crown in favor of a heavier approach. In 1969 Manfred Mann finally disbanded his eponymous group for good. D'Abo went on to appear in US productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, and later became a session musician, songwriter and BBC radio host.
"Sha La La" is a song written by Robert Mosley and Robert Taylor and performed by Manfred Mann. It reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart and #12 on both the U.S. pop chart and the Canadian chart in 1965 #52 was the best it could do in Australia. It was featured on their 1965 album The Five Faces of Manfred Mann.
"Oh No Not My Baby" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded by Manfred Mann in 1965 it reached #11 in the UK and charted low in Australia at #67.
"Hubble Bubble Toil and Trouble Written By Mann, Hugg, Vickers, Jones, and McGuinness was released in1964 and charted at #11 in the UK.
"Come Tomorrow" Written By Elgin, Phillips and Augustus was released in 1965 and hit #4 in the UK charts and #24 in Australia.
Thanks to Mustang
Great sound, thanks.
ReplyDelete