Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Label: Vertigo Records
Released: 1973
Running time: 48:04
Rating: 4/5
»Messin’« was the third studio album from British art-rock champions Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, who, under the leadership of the brilliant South African keyboardist, arranger and occasional vocalist Manfred Mann, grew more sonically sophisticated and more polished in their arrangements with every record. Like most other Earth Band albums, it mixes original compositions with covers of other artists. One fun fact: in the US, »Messin’« came out as »Get Your Rocks Off«, and the track »Black And Blue« was swapped for »Pretty Good« for a downright banal reason: the proverbially dense Americans misread the references to slavery in its lyrics.
The original Earth Band lineup shone in full glory on »Messin’«, driven by Mann’s shrewd organ commands, even though their best work actually came on the next three albums. No surprise there, since in Mick Rogers they had one of the most gifted (and sadly also most overlooked) British guitarists of the seventies plus a superb singer, while the rhythm section, made up of cult drummer Chris Slade (later also a member of Uriah Heep, Asia and AC/DC) and bassist Colin Pattenden, blessed with a melodic playing technique, could stand up to the best classic rock acts of the decade. Beyond firing off heavy rock cannonades, Rogers’ guitar style was packed with colorful blues and jazz influences, so it complemented the band’s chieftain, keyboard wizard Mann, perfectly. Mann, when playing his favorite instruments, the Hammond organ and the mini Moog, swore by jazz as much as by classicism.
The album kicks off with the title track, written by Mike Hugg, a founding member of Manfred’s original sixties band and later of the short-lived jazz rock fusion project Manfred Mann Chapter Three, where he played on both albums. Today Hugg runs a touring replica of the sixties Manfred Mann band, which, ironically, performs without Manfred. »Messin’«, an ecological lyrical plea of the kind Manfred made quite a few of over his career, is full of ‘shamanic’ effects that conjure up an African atmosphere. It proves that Mann never forgot where he came from. The skeleton of the song is built from hefty guitar phrases, Rogers’ charismatic vocals, the ‘chieftain’s’ cunning organ maneuvers and female backing harmonies. Despite plenty of complex guitar and keyboard improvisations, the band keeps hold of the central melodic motif and a dramatic, hard rock atmosphere that takes on epic proportions in the chorus.
»Buddah«, ruled by ethereal acoustic guitar chords and melancholic synth textures, is an entirely original number born from a collaboration between Mann and Rogers. It takes the expected turn into rougher waters, where mighty guitar phrases and merciless thrashing of the drum kit dictate a decisive rhythm, while Mick’s strikingly sensual vocal performance once again takes center stage. The instrumental »Cloudy Eyes«, another original, sags under the weight of Manfred’s and Rogers’ melancholic keyboard and guitar improvisations, which conjure up a mighty yet shattering atmosphere in no time. The level of virtuosity between the two central Earth Band instrumentalists is staggering, but this time the ‘star scepter’ goes to the incredible Rogers, who casually pulls off one of the best guitar solos of his career.
After the hard-rock-spiced »Get Your Rocks Off«, hands down the most commercially minded piece on the album, comes a Bob Dylan cover, so it’s no surprise the Americans picked it as the title for their version of »Messin’«. It definitely sounds the most ‘American’ of the lot, mostly thanks to the typical ‘cowboy’ lyrics about the highway, grimy, bluesy guitar passages and a distinctly commercial chorus. The instrumental »Sadjoy«, another Mann original, is full of melodic guitar improvisations, complex drum transitions and dreamy choir-like vocalizations in the background, which makes it yet another fun art rock treat.
»Black and Blue«, the aforementioned cover of the Australian blues band Chain, which wasn’t allowed onto the American market even though it’s a sharp critique of slavery and not the other way around, is a classic blues rocker that the Earth Band spice up thoroughly with a string of complex instrumental improvisations on guitar and especially on the mini Moog, with which Mr. Mann throws a veritable improvisational orgy. »Mardi Grass Day«, a cover of American musician Dr. John soaked in a Caribbean, ‘Hawaiian’ vibe, makes for a rather light-hearted close to the album, with its dance rhythms, cheerful vocal harmonies and mellifluous guitar passages that only heighten the overall playful structure.
The 1998 reissue of »Messin’« includes a shortened single version of the instrumental »Cloudy Eyes« and the previously mentioned cover of American country/folk singer John Prine, »Pretty Good«, a typically American-flavored blues rock crowd-pleaser that the Earth Band, as expected, rearrange into harder rocking waters and top off with a bit more improvisation.
With »Messin’«, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band announced that they meant to become serious competition for the leading progressive rock bands of the day. Their original music, alongside plenty of top-quality covers, kept getting more sonically sophisticated and technically polished, though they still had to wait four more years for their big commercial breakthrough on the other side of the Atlantic, by which time the lineup that recorded this studio classic had already changed.
Lineup
Manfred Mann – synthesizer, organ
Mick Rogers – guitar, vocals
Colin Pattenden – bass
Chris Slade – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Laurie Baker – sound effects on “Messin’ “
Liza Strike – backing vocals
Vicki Brown – backing vocals
Judith Powell – backing vocals
Ruby James – backing vocals
Production
Manfred Mann
Tracklist
1. Messin’ (10:00)
2. Buddah (7:00)
3. Cloudy Eyes (5:30)
4. Get Your Rocks Off (3:00)
5. Sadjoy (4:30)
6. Black and Blue (8:16)
7. Mardi Gras Day (3:00
