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Swinging Singles



For some, these days singles are sort of an old joke. 'Do they still make those little records?' Actually they do, and a lot of what I buy and listen to is on 7' vinyl. While Man have hardly been a big singles band, they've managed to release a fair number of 45s. Scattered through out the Man family discography there are even a few essential singles. My collection is far from complete, but over the years I've accumulated a sizable stack of goodies. Let's take a look...

Man



Sudden Life/Love-Pye 7N.17684

Being a big Kinks fan, I always stop to check any Pye label releases. I seem to remember this turning up at a stall in Putney. My trip to London in 1975 was a collectors dream. I must have been just ahead of the rush, because I never did as well on later trips. Mouse had carefully written his name on the center disc of the B side, but Steve just scrawled his name on the label. I don't know why people do this. If they were so concerned about keeping their collections intact, how come their records always end up in the bins?

Sudden Life is one of the better bits from Revelation, with that squonky riff Deke plays. When I met Nigel Cross in 1996, he wondered why they didn't play this one again. He hummed the lick, and I had to tell him that while recording CDTM, Deke picked up the guitar one day and had a go at that riff. He turned to Pugwash and smiled as he played it. I think N Cross turned a couple of shades of green at that moment.

The flip side is one of those sentimental songs that Deke writes. I can't really place the influences on this one. Listening to it again, the verse is reminiscent of Babe I'm Gonna Leave You as performed by Led Zep. It's the same descending chord pattern. Deke sings in a sweet voice not often heard from him these days. It breaks into a bossa nova beat for the chorus, something also not heard from Man since. Mouse and/or Steve must have liked this one as it's well worn, but it still sounds fresh.

Daughter Of The Fireplace/Country Girl-Liberty LBF 15448

One of the many records Andrew Lauder gave me over the years was a fresh copy of this single. While both sides are again album tracks, it's a nice pairing of tunes, and probably the only ones that they could pull off the Man album. Daughter is one of Deke's best rockers. The Padget Rooms album was one of the first Man records I heard, so this version seems a little tame. It's still got a lot of go, and the production on this is very good. It just lacks the searing guitar solo in the middle. Country Girl seems to be a product of the era of 'wooden music' as it was called at the time. The Brinsley's were specialists in this field, but I'm sure there is no way Man were influenced by them! At a 1984 gig I saw, someone shouted out for Country Girl. Martin said 'well this next one is a lot like Country Girl, but the words are different, and the melody is considerably different'....

Don't Go Away Mono/Stereo Promo UA UA-XW341W

They've knocked off a minute of this song for this single release. It seems to have come off the top, as the vocals come in straight away after the intro. Removed from the album, this song stands up well on it's own. I always thought it was little lightweight on that otherwise guitar heavy album. Mick does a couple of swell solos, sounding a little like Dicky Betts and Duane Allman. The guitar lifts the song up to another level, real beauty from Jones. Did the Neutrons ever play this? It's got that feel. It could just be my imagination, but the mono side seems to feature Micky's voice more than the album version.

Bananas Parts 1+2 UA REM 408

This fits the time line about here, though it was released three years after it was recorded. By that time Man had left UA for MCA. If UA wanted to cash in on Man's last hurrah, then a whole album of unreleased material would have surely been welcomed by us fans. What we got is this wonderfully annoying release. It's 15.33 of Man at their best. I wish they'd take it at this tempo when they play it these days. I picked up a spare copy last year for a fiver from an east coast mail order shop. If you want to hear a live version by this band without the fade out in the middle, the now out of print BBC cd will have to do.

Day And Night/Hard Way To Live- UA UP 35739

Another attempt by UA to get a hit single for Man. A great tune, but it wouldn't have had much of a chance on American charts of the time. Malcolm told me an interesting story about Thunder And Lightning Kid. He said that when Barry Marshall heard the track he had high hopes that this would be the single from Rhinos. That was until they heard the lyrics. Barry was furious when he heard what they came up with.

The live version of Hard Way To Live on the B side is the only song from the famous 1974 Chicago gig to get a legal release. Man's version is a very limber compared to Deke's solo recording. Micky takes a solo that is heaven. Another huge mistake on UA's part not to have ever released this storming gig. Too bad they didn't record the Berkeley gig, as it's even better.

Rainbow Eyes mono/stereo promo

This should have been a hit. It was a popular radio song in the Bay Area, but of course the band wasn't prepared to play it live. I always felt that this song and Grasshopper were a strange departure for the band, and that they both ran a little too long. The radio edit cuts the running time in half, which sort of confirms my theory. At 3.02 Rainbow Eyes is a beautiful slice of radio friendly pop. Move over ELO. When asked, Micky insisted that this song was about his dog.

I turned up this record in Great Fall, Montana last year. For some reason I'd never got a copy at the time it was released. How or why it was in the record bins at the St Vincent de Paul's thrift store in northern Montana is a real mystery to me. When I placed a stack of records on the counter to pay up, the clerk eyed them and said 'how about $3.50?' 'er um, just fine....'

Out Of Your Head/I'm A Love Taker-MCA MCA 236

Out Of Your Head: 'Come on, everybody sing, louder, louder'. Then flick Brains beer mats at the crowd. Another brilliant marketing effort from the Man management. A nice little song, from a great little album. It's got a tricky drum pattern, that little synth hook, and some very good words. If the rest of the country had been tuned in like they were in the Bay Area, Man could have broken through with this one. Well, you know how the story ended.

The flip of this is a weird one. It's one of Deke's demos. I had it on an acetate with Lies, Lies, Lies on the other side. One of those songs Deke could write without breaking a sweat. Good lyrics on this one too.

What A Night/Last Birthday Party-Rock On Records

Who are those guys on the single sleeve? It could be them, but maybe the Germans just brought in some celebrity look a likes. It sounds like, Man though. I enjoyed the material from this album when I heard it live.

What A Night could be Day And Night revisited. It's got a touch of rock-a-billy feel that Deke can always do convincingly. Maybe a little tame, but nothing wrong with it at all. The flip is Micky exploring his reggae roots. I really like this one too. This material seemed like a continuation of the Micky Jones Band and Manipulator to me. Jet Laggin' and Asylum from these sessions were both in the set list for MJB. In some ways it's too bad this album never got released. The sound is as understated as Twang was over the top.

The Neutrons



Dance Of The Psychedelic Lounge Lizards/Suzy And The Wonder Boy UA UP 35704

A tuneful excerpt from the first Neutrons album. It reminds me of one of those Pratlinu songs from Road Of Cobras. Actually the turn around before the verse reminds me of If I Were You. I knew I was hearing that Phil Ryan sound when we cut that song, I just didn't realize how close we were. If Phil and Will could have been tamed by some famous American producer, they could have been the Welsh Steely Dan. Too bad not all the Neutrons material was this good. They seemed to miss the mark by a nose on occasion.

The flip is a fab non-album track, which should have been the A side. It's a little bit of stomping glitter rock. I hope that any Neutrons reissues include this one.

The Knees



Day Tripper/Slow Down UA UP 35773

This is one of those UA sympathy records. Clive's album falls into the same category. There was no way this was ever going to sell, but it so good that they had to release it. Is that Clive soloing on the tastefully edited Slow Down? Wow, not bad.

Too bad the second Knees single never saw the light of day. Still in the can are great versions of Baby Please Don't Go and the Animals' Outcast.

Help Yourself



Running Down Deep/Paper Leaves Liberty LBF 15459

Two tracks from the until recently hard to find Helps debut. Running Down sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday or maybe a lost classic from 1968. The combination of Malcolm's voice and Richard's guitar is really stunning. It's as if the Helps appeared fully formed. Unlike Man, who'd been playing together in some form or other since the mid 60's, the Helps came together not long before they went into the studio.

I suppose it unfair to even compare Man and the Helps. Man were serious players, while the Helps were formed around a genius songwriter. Malcolm could have gone the solo route. Under different circumstances he might have fallen into the Nick Drake school of the tortured artist.

Heaven Row/Brown Lady UA UP 35355

I don't really understand why this alternate mix of Heaven Row didn't appear on the recent BGO reissues. Most of the album's budget was spent on this one song. It's the same story for most of the bands career. It would seem that they've pushed the background vocals up more, at the expense of the piano and guitar. Did UA look at the Helps and the Brinsleys as their answer to the Band? Might have been. The flip is another one of those haunting Morley compositions with exquisite guitar sounds.

Mummy Won't Be Home For Christmas/Johnny B. Goode UA UP 35466

Neil Innes and Roger McGough composed this classic Christmas number. McGough should be well known for his work with the Liverpool Scene and the Scaffold. He was also the Liverpool dialect consultant for Yellow Submarine. And Neil Innes, he's an idiot. He's also the genius behind the Rutles and all those Bonzo's recordings. I'm not really sure how this song was presented to the Helps, but it is a lost gem. It all comes in a beautiful hand drawn cover with a gift label on the back side. Neil Innes and Paul Jones get a credit for corruption?? Treece might have mentioned something about this, but I don't really remember what it was. He might have said Neil Innes was a good guy and very businesslike. I'll ask him again some day. The flip is a Sean Tyla led version of the Chuck Berry standard. The Flying Aces are given a credit too.

Again, why isn't this on one of the reissue sets? If you ever see one, buy it. You will not be disappointed.

Deke Leonard



Diamond Road/Turning In Circles UA UP 35494

This was one of the first records that Greg Shaw at UA America sent me. He described Deke as 'ex-Hawkwind'. It didn't take long to figure out what he meant to say. I loved this from the first note, and ran down to KSJO and told them to play it. Deke was a short story writer by this point. I guess it owes a little to Romain, but it still stands up on its own. This was added to the Iceberg album in the States replacing You Just Can't Win. It's the B side, Turning In Circles, that is a real revelation. Deke isn't the most confident fellow I've ever met, and this is one of the clues. I think it's Man doing the backing on this, as you can clearly hear Micky doing the high harmonies on the chorus.

Nothing Is Happening/She's A Cow UA UP 3556

Promos of this single were pressed and it was given a release date (20-7-73) but was cancelled at the last minute when it was decided the A side was 'too noisy'. I think UA might have been attracted to the big ballad sound of Nothing Is Happening, but it would seem to be an unlikely single. Martin told me the intro lick was his contribution. Didn't they use it on When Was The Last Time You Went Dancing?

She's A Cow is one of Deke's real nasty songs. It's also one of his best. Not to worry about this single's non appearance. She's A Cow did finally get a release on Deke's fourth single.

Hard Way To Live/The Aching Is So Sweet UA UP 35556

Second try at the follow up to Diamond Road. Too bad Deke balked at Edmunds mix, I'd sure like to hear that. Deke also claims that Dai recorded his own version, but never finished it. That may or may not be entirely true. It's one of Deke's best ever tunes, and eventually made it to Man's set list.

Again the B side is a glimpse into Deke's darker side. I mentioned to him once, that he was hiding some great songs on the flip sides of his singles and he just laughed. The single version of this song is a good two minutes shorter than the version on the CD compilation. Funny it wasn't noted on that release. You can hear it fade abruptly on the 7'. A must.

Louisiana Hoedown/She's A Cow UA UP 35668

Deke tackles Memphis Bend for his second album, and fourth single. It's a little heavier than the original which prompted Andrew Lauder to tell me that 'Deke must have learned it from a more rock and roll demo version'. She's A Cow finally gets an airing.

Map Of India/Hey There! (Lady In The Black Tuxedo) UA UP UP 36488

A non-album single preview to Deke's final solo album. The trials of making Before Your Very Eyes are many. Deke complained to me in 1978 that they were making him record demos, and then rerecording the demos. There was a load of material written for the album. Oh! was cut three separate times. I attended one of those sessions, and I'd be hard pressed to tell the versions apart. It was an age of record company confusion, which resulted in the album being shelved after it was pressed, when UA learned their contract with Deke had run out.

Map Of India is a fab track, and shows some new sophistication on Deke's part. I missed out sitting in on an Edmunds produced session for an early version of this song. There was some sort of miscommunication resulting in me going somewhere else that week. Hey There is one of the best tracks from a load of good ones from that period. I picked up a copy when in London this summer for a pound.

Memfis Bend (aka Memphis Bend)



Louisiana Hoedown/Right String, But The Wrong Yo Yo UA UP 35571

Tommy Riley, Lincoln Carr, and Micky Gee joined together in the mid 70's to make so fantastic music. The original version of Louisiana Hoedown was an Andy Ferret-Weather Lowe production. This version is a little sweeter than Deke's more familiar take. A celebration of rock and roll. The B side is the old Piano Red chestnut Right String, But The Wrong Yo Yo.

Ubangi Stomp/Tennessee UA UP 36132

This time around Memphis Bend cover Warren Smith's racist Sun single for the A side. Man told me a story about Plum Hollis playing this at an American military base, not giving much thought about the lyrics. He was stopped and cautioned by one of the black GI's that it wasn't very nice to sing those words! Content aside, it's another great slab of Welsh roots music. The flip is a Carl Perkins number.

In 1976 Memphis Bend released a full length album on UA/Rockfield (UAS 30036). This seems to be a very rare release. Only Tennessee makes an appearance on this fine album of covers. Two more tracks are included on the BBC compilation album It's Rock 'n' Roll vol 2. A fantastic overlooked band from the circle of Man friends.
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