Manfred Mann Chapter Three – MANFRED MANN CHAPTER THREE***

Travelling Lady/Snakeskin Garter/Konekuf/Sometimes/Devil Woman/Time/One Way Glass/Mister You’re A Better Man Than I/Ain’t It Sad/A Study In Inaccuracy/Where Am I Going

Chapter Three was an interim incarnation of the Manfred Mann saga, sandwiched between the pop of the original group and the later progressive Earth Band.

“Out of left field in 1969 came Manfred Mann Chapter Three. Totally unrelated to the pop years, this was a marriage of jazz and rock. Of course, this was a time when the cross-pollination of these styles held great promise. Many artists dipped into the waters in the next few years. There was some exciting music. Eventually the bandwagon got full and collapsed under the weight of record companies forcing everyone to 'fuse and bland out'.”

“This album drips with menace. Mike Hugg sounds like he has never slept in his life as he sings his way through the doom laden tracks backed by organ, bass, drums and assorted brass. The songs are simple but it is the big brass sound that makes the music exceptional, especially when the structure completely falls apart, in the middle of a tune, into a sprawling avant-garde of honks and squeals which, after dying down the tune, slowly grinds it's way back to the fore again.”

“This is not light listening, it is however one of the most interesting and satisfying LPs. The atmosphere created is claustrophobic but totally demanding. To fully enjoy this you need to appreciate the more extreme side of jazz, squeals and all.”

“Manfred Mann have always struggled for critical, though not commercial, success and if they were ever going to get it, it would have been with this 1969 project. Almost all of the tracks are individually ambitious and impressive. Mann's keyboard playing is almost mind-blowing at times, helped by its dominance in the production. The music tends to be at its best when organ meets the brass section.”

“Manfred Mann leaps from his mod pop days and into the murky waters of the British rock underground. The songwriting is top notch, and you get some great jazz inflicted background music, complete with sax/flute/trumpet solos and a horn section. But it's Mann's cranky organ that puts it all together sending it to a higher level.”