Manfred Mann Chapter Three. 1969 England

Manfred Mann leaps from his mod pop days and into the murky waters of the British rock underground. As such you have a seasoned veteran who bridges the gap from other pros such as Ian Carr's Nucleus with newcomers like Locomotive, Raw Material, Ben, and Tonton Macoute. The songwriting is top notch, and you get some great jazz inflicted background music complete with sax/flute/trumpet solos and a horn section. But of course it's Mann's creaky organ that puts it all together, and sends this one to a higher level. It does get a loose in places ('Devil Woman', 'A Study in Inaccuracy'), which can be annoying depending on your preference. For my tastes, the best track is 'Snakeskin Garter' followed by 'Time' and 'Mister You're a Better Man Than I'.

CD: 1999 Cohesion. The CD above adds 4 bonus tracks which are pretty much worthless as they are single and/or mono versions of tracks from the album. The CD features a nice 2 page essay in English and full recording details. A very nice reissue that is still widely available.

8/13/12 (new entry); 4/15/18