Manfred Mann

Don't be fooled by the bar code and thorough Hollywood address (actually that of Capitol Records) on the back cover: this is a bootleg, comprised of mid-1960s Manfred Mann rarities. But just because these are undeniably rare, or at least uncommon, doesn't mean there's a whole lot here than any fan devoted enough to consider buying a Manfred Mann bootleg in the first place wouldn't already own. Running down the list, the four German TV songs with the Mike D'Abo lineup are now readily available on unauthorized DVD, let alone CD; the unedited Canadian version of "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" was on EMI's The Best of Manfred Mann CD; the Saturday Club takes of "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" and "Come Tomorrow" were on the official 1998 collection of mid-1960s Manfred Mann BBC tracks; and "Ain't That Love" was on The Best of the EMI Years CD. There are also a bunch of "true stereo" and "LP Only Stereo Mixes" versions, and the US-only track "A Love Live Ours" -- not all that easy to find if you're collecting Manfred Mann from scratch, perhaps, but not all that hard to have found if you've been keeping up with the group's catalog. So what's that leave in terms of true rarities? Well, there are five BBC tracks not included on the official CD comp of Manfred Mann Beeb sessions, with somewhat muffled sound and Jack Bruce in the lineup. In addition to different versions of "Pretty Flamingo" and "When Will I Be Loved," it has the passable blues-jazzy item "Know Your Friends," the less remarkable semi-comic number "Long Haired Unsquare Dude Called Jack," and a jazzy instrumental that is not, contrary to what the sleeve tells you, a version of "Machines." These five tracks are pretty slim reason to pick up the disc; even if on the whole the CD plays well as off-the-beaten-track Manfred Mann, there's just too much here that's done the rounds elsewhere. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide