MANFRED MANN/THE FIVE FACES OF MANFRED MANN CLP 1731 (-64) UK MONO

I'm a sucker for debute albums, especially from the early to mid sixties r&b/pop boom. Those first trials were often recorded live in the studio with a garage atmosphere and lots of positive attitude sometimes missing on the follow-ups. I also like getting the flaws and less elaborated parts just for the reality check. As a debute this doesn't fit that 100%. You get the impression of an already experienced band who knows exactly what they're doing and keeping it cool. Started as Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers 1962, playing London clubs paralleling acts like Alexis Korner, Yardbirds and the embryotic Rolling Stones. Musically part of early British r&b though with a slightly more jazzy style, including vibraphone and flute. Later development went towards pop and eventually melodic prog which generated bigger sales, but here it's still day one and I imagine this LP sounds a lot like what the audience heard at Flamingo Club or The Marquee at the time. Already the front cover image with a bunch of sober guys in black turtlenecks shows this is serious stuff. And it is, but at the same time so well performed I can't help smiling. A young uninhibited Paul Jones showing he was one of the better white blues singers then and backing adaptable to the point breed and come alive. That together with the vibraphone used on some of the tracks, the partly inventive piano and the jazzy instrumental pieces make me wanna call this an early prog album. Before the genre was properly coined, but all ingrediences are there. Favorite tracks - "Untie Me", "What You Gonna Do?" and "I'm Your Kingpin". US 1965 version (Ascot ALM 13018/ALS 16018) as a twelve track only had two songs in common, for the rest choosing '45 cuts and a much lighter orientation. 1964 Canadian (Capitol T/DT 6093) same as UK, except "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" replacing "Got My Mojo Working". First UK had label as shown here with "Recording first published 1964" and laminated flip/back cover. There's also a stereo number on lower flip - CSD 1539 - so a two-channel may have been planned, but I doubt any was made. (MÄNÄ*)