MANFRED MANN/ AS IS STL 5377 (-66) UK

 

Their third studio album. Here with new members Klaus Voorman  and Mike D'Abo replacing Jack Bruce, who eventually would go on to Cream, and Paul Jones leaving for a solo carreer  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-best-of-paul-jones-ssx-1056-68.html . It was also the first after they left HMV for Fontana and new producer Shel Talmy. And what I can hear it's also musically a new chapter for the band. The jazz/blues foundation from their previous albums are almost gone. The instrumental "Autumn Leaves" (with double bass played by one of the band's founding members Dave Richmond, who left 1964) is jazzy and "You're My Girl" best described as psych, but the rest positive melodic pop. I do like their earlier stuff though this is not bad either. Well performed and nicely arranged it's quite embracing with lots of catchy moments. Good listening all through. Favorite tracks apart from the aforementioned would be "Trouble And Tea" and the Dylan cover "Just Like A Woman". Originally issued like this over Europe, Downunder, Canada and a couple of South American countries - some as "Manfred The Musicmann" with other sleeve and same tracking - but not in US where instead the "Pretty Flamingo" LP was released 1966  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2018/08/manfred-mannpretty-flamingo-ual-3549-66.html . Japan 2003 Fontana CD (UICY-9246) came with both mono and stereo versions of the LP.  Very first UK copies (also as mono  TL 5377) had a "locomotive" cover that for some reason was quickly replaced with the one shown here. Otherwise this copy seems to be rather early with low matrix number, structured labels and laminated flip/back cover.  (MÄNÄ*)