Plain and Fancy: 07/06/25

Thirteen line-ups, twelve albums, a few bits and pieces and no fatalities. So went the opening text of the Man Family Tree poster included with the first 500 copies of the Welsh supremos last album before their six-year hiatus. In 1976 the musical scene was in flux with the first flowerings of the short-lived punk scene forcing their shoots through the established foliage. However, it wasn't fear of being pushed aside or sounding dated that prompted the split, the band were still selling out live concerts with ease, but after nine years on the road the band had all had enough.

Their label at the time, MCA, were owed a final album and although the band did make a half-hearted attempt to record some new material the sessions crumbled amongst in-fighting and the reluctance of anyone to submit any songs, preferring to keep what they were working on in the bag to be used in future projects of their own. Tensions between band members were not helped by guitarist and vocalist Deke Leonard offering to write the whole album himself, an offer that was seen by the rest of the band as Leonard trying to claim the writing royalties for himself. The day was saved, and litigation prevented, when booking agent Brian Marshall managed to persuade MCA that a farewell live album would sell, as the group always managed to achieve the greatest heights when playing on stage.

The recording was, perhaps inevitably, taken from a series of three concerts at the Round House in London's Chalk Farm, a venue where the band had recorded two previous live albums (the live half of 1973's Back Into The Future and the Maximum Darkness album recorded with John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service) as well as appearing on the bill and subsequent album of the infamous Greasy Truckers Party. Only the first two nights of the run were recorded, possibly because the final night was on a Sunday, with roughly half of the original album taken from each of the Friday and Saturday night's concerts. The newly remastered version of the original album is included as the first disc of this set but it is the second and third discs where the value of this release lies, a newly mixed rendition of the entire set list of the concerts taken from the original 24-track tapes which, fortunately, had been kept safe and secure in storage.

Because of technical issues arising from an electrical buzz emanating from a faulty on-stage monitor, only one of the extra numbers is included from the Saturday night so the bulk of the 90-minute concert derives from the first of the three nights. However, as the band were on scorching form that is not an issue. And what a band Man were at the heights of their powers. The twin guitars of Leonard and main man Micky Jones may not have provided the same intertwined complexities of the likes of Wishbone Ash, but support each other superbly, each of the guitarists providing a foil for each other to play off, the origins of the often lengthy jams the band would indulge in. Future Dire Straits sticksman Terry Williams occupied the kit, Phil Ryan had returned on keyboards and newest recruit John McKenzie, who reasonably enough was the most upset about the decision to call it a day, filled in the bass end.

So what of the music? The selection for the original album was chosen so as not to over replicate material that had appeared on previous live efforts so three tracks from the latest studio album, The Welsh Connection, the title track, The Ride And The View and Born With A Future, were a given as that album had only been released a few months prior to the concerts. All three concerts were kicked off with the Louis Jordan/Ray Charles standard Let The Good Times Roll, a song never previously performed live or recorded by the band which as well as providing an affirming statement to kick things off also ticked a couple of boxes on the commercial front, although I doubt very much if that was ever a consideration.

A Hard Way To Live, first released on Leonard's debut solo album Iceberg in 1973, is perfectly suited to the Manband approach making maximum use of the twin guitars and being an energetic, good time piece of music. It is also possible that it was chosen as a partial explanation for the bands reason for calling it a day as the lyrics bemoan the trials of surviving in a rock band. The album was completed by two live favourites, the seminal (excuse the pun!) Spunk Rock, the band's signature tune that was only reintroduced into the live set shortly before these final concerts, and Romain which had been the favoured closing number since it first appeared on the eponymous 1970 album. A decent enough collection that would satisfy the fans even if there was no band to push its release and MCA not putting any great effort into its promotion, something that is obvious from the totally half-arsed cover.

It is the remainder of the set that was left off the original album that entices with this re-release. Three of the culled tracks, 7171 551, originally titled after Monkee Mike Nesmith's telephone number and another number from Leonard's Iceberg album, the folk ballad Babe, I'm Gonna Leave you, also recorded in rocked-up versions by Led Zeppelin and Quicksilver Messenger Service and Many Are Called, But Few Get Up had all appeared on the 1975 live album Maximum Darkness, and the remaining two tracks, C'mon and Bananas, both from the classic Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day were regular favourites and were probably omitted because of internal weariness of the numbers and fear of over-reliance and exposure on specific numbers.

Although the concerts were perhaps more concise and featured less jamming - limited largely to tracks that did not appear on the original album (the limitations of vinyl!) - than other Man concerts the performances are excellent with the version of Bananas being particularly poignant and memorable. A fitting end to the classic era of this fine band and with the full set restored across two CDs an essential addition to any decent music collection. Just a shame that permissions for the full unedited film of the concerts could not have been obtained prior to this release as that would have made a perfect complete package, still one can hope that its release will eventually be sanctioned. In the meantime we have the audio recordings to relish in.

by Mark Hughes, Monday 21 April 2014