Diving into the pre-punk Pubrock 70s this weekend with a set from Man, recorded in Cologne Germany on April 17, 1975.
Because of Founder and lead guitarist Deke Leonard’s fondness for the West Coast of the U.S. and the era of Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service, Man were sometimes referred to as The British Dead, there were even a few collaborations with John Cipollina from Quicksilver.
But Man were the quintessential PubRock band, epitomizing mid-70s rock in Britain.
Man were formed in November 1968 by Micky Jones (guitar and vocals), Deke Leonard (guitar and vocals), Clive John (keyboards and vocals), Ray Williams (bass guitar) and Jeff Jones (drums), in Merthyr Tydfil, out of previous local band The Bystanders. They were active through to 1976 with an ever-changing personnel, the last line-up consisting of Jones and Leonard with John McKenzie (bass), Terry Williams (drums) and Phil Ryan (keyboards). Amongst others, Martin Ace (guitar and bass) had a significant spell with group. They released nine studio albums, including the UK charting albums Back into the Future (#23), Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics (#24) and the live album Maximum Darkness (#25). Their musical style is rock encompassing elements of psychedelia and progressive, and they are noted for their extended live improvisations, hence the Grateful Dead reference.
Man reformed in 1983 with Jones, Leonard and Ace being joined by new drummer John Weathers. The band are presently active, with Ace being the only ever-present member after further personnel changes. They have released a further eight studio albums.
This gig puts Man smack in the middle of their most popular period – riding high on the crest of a laidback wave.
Enjoy.
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