Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Man - Do You Like It Here Now Are You Settling In (1971 uk, space prog jam rock, 2007 bonus tracks remaster)



Long a fan favorite, Man's fourth studio album was recorded in 1971 during a harried one-week studio session that found the group having to write nearly the entire album, barring the tight and rocking "Angel Easy" and the group's multi-part masterwork "Many Are Called but Few Get Up." Frankly, the album sounds like a record that was largely jammed in the studio; the eight-minute-plus jams that close each side, "We're Only Children" and "Love Your Life," are particularly tiresome, good instrumental and lyrical ideas stretched well past their breaking points. However, besides the superior "Angel Easy" and "Many Are Called but Few Get Up," the album does include the rather wonderful "All Good Clean Fun," a showcase for pianist Clive John and lead guitarist Deke Leonard that has a delightful prog pop playfulness akin to some of Genesis' more lighthearted early moments or the daffiness of the later band Hatfield & the North.
by Stewart Mason
Tracks
1. Angel Easy - 5:02
2. All Good Clean Fun - 4:34
3. We're Only Children - 8:30
4. Many Are Called, But Few Get Up - 7:26
5. Manillo - 5:17
6. Love Your Life - 8:59
7. Many Are Called, But Few Get Up - 8:55
8. Angel Easy - 5:06
9. Romain - 18:32
All compositions by Martin Ace, Clive John, Michael Jones, Deke Leonard, Terry Williams
Bonus Tracks 7-9 recorded Live at Grugahalle, Essen, Germany

Man
*Martin Ace - Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Clive John - Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Michael Jones - Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Roger "Deke" Leonard - Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Terry Williams - Drums 

1969  Man - 2 Ozs Of Plastic With A Hole In The Middle (2009 remaster)
1971  Man - Man (2007 remaster)
Related Acts
1971-73  Help Yourself - Reaffirmation An Anthology (2014 Remaster)
1973  Help Yourself - 5 (2004 release)
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