Man (band)
Man are a Welsh rock band. The group were formed in November 1968 by Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Clive John, Ray Williams and Jeff Jones, in Merthyr Tydfil, out of previous local band the Bystanders. They were active through to 1976 with an ever-changing personnel, the last line-up consisting of Jones and Leonard with John McKenzie, Terry Williams and Phil Ryan. Amongst others, Martin Ace had a significant spell with group.
They released nine studio albums, including the UK charting albums Back into the Future, Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics and the live album Maximum Darkness. Their musical style is rock encompassing elements of psychedelia and progressive, and they are noted for their extended live improvisations.
The group reformed in 1983 with Jones, Leonard and Ace being joined by new drummer John Weathers. The band remains active, with Ace being the only ever-present member after further personnel changes. They have released a further eight studio albums.
The Bystanders
Man evolved out of the Bystanders, a successful close harmony pop group from Merthyr Tydfil who played in numerous club residencies in Wales, often playing at several clubs a night. The Bystanders issued eight singles, including "98.6" which was played in the 2009 film The Boat That Rocked and "When Jesamine Goes", written by their manager Ronnie Scott and Marty Wilde under the pseudonyms of Frere Manston and Jack Gellar, which was later covered by the Casuals as "Jesamine" and got to No. 2 on the UK chart. They also recorded sessions of cover versions for the BBC, as rules restricting needle time required "live" performances between the records during the 1960s; they became regulars on the Jimmy Young Show, the David Symonds Show and others.When formed in 1962, the Bystanders included Owen Money, then known as Gerry Braden, but he was replaced by Vic Oakley, giving the classic line-up of Vic Oakley, Micky Jones, Clive John a.k.a. Clint Space, Ray Williams and Jeff Jones. By 1968, the other members wanted to change musical direction to a more psychedelic/American west-coast guitar sound, so Oakley left, to be replaced by Deke Leonard, and the band changed its name to Man.
Pye years
Man were initially signed to Pye Records, for which they recorded their first two albums with John Schroeder producing: Revelation, noted for the simulated orgasm on "Erotica", which received a UK ban, and 2 Ozs of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle. While mixing the second album, Leonard left and was replaced by Martin Ace from Leonard's previous band, Dream. At this time, Man were recording three demo sessions a week for Leeds Music, including "Down the Dustpipe", which was taught to Status Quo.Man then toured Europe, predominantly Germany, supporting Chicago, but on the band's return, they were stopped as suspected terrorists, then jailed for drugs offences in Belgium. Leonard then rejoined, but Ace stayed on as a multi-instrumentalist. Shortly after, the bass guitarist Ray Williams and the drummer Jeff Jones were fired, with Terry Williams joining on drums and Ace moving to bass guitar. Leonard, Ace and Terry Williams having been together in Dream, this was seen by some as a take-over.
A bootleg of the first gig by this line-up, in October 1970 in Hamburg, was issued as To Live for to Die and was later re-bootlegged by the band. Despite good reviews in Britain, Two Ounces of Plastic... was more popular in Germany, so the band spent a year in Germany, where, having to play 4–5 hours a night, most numbers became extended jams.
United Artists years
The band's manager, Barrie Marshall, obtained a new record contract with Andrew Lauder of United Artists Records, for whom the band recorded the album Man, which received mixed reviews. The band's media break came when outperforming Soft Machine, Yes and Family at a concert in Berlin, but Man continued to play on the continent. Having appeared on the United Artists double sampler album All Good Clean Fun, Man undertook a tour of Switzerland to promote the album, with Help Yourself and the Leicester band Gypsy.The next album, Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In?, recorded at Rockfield Studios by Kingsley Ward, received good reviews, and the band appeared on German TV and in Iceland with Badfinger. Constant touring was creating internal pressures and, in January 1972, the keyboard player Clive John left the band to form Iowerth Pritchard and the Neutrons with Phil Ryan and Will Youatt.
The new four-piece supported Hawkwind and Brinsley Schwarz at a charity gig at The Roundhouse on 13 February 1972, recorded and issued as Greasy Truckers Party, a limited-edition double album which rapidly became a collector's item. United Artists' A&R man, Andrew Lauder, persuaded them to follow this with a live album. Live at the Padget Rooms, Penarth was recorded on 8 April 1972. It was sold at a reduced price and only 8,000 copies were pressed, which sold out in a week, making it No 1 in the "budget" album chart.
The band then tried to write a new studio album, but lacked inspiration. Ace left, to form The Flying Aces, with his wife George, so Micky Jones and Terry Williams sacked Leonard, and Clive John rejoined with his new band members, Ryan and Youatt. The new band recorded the first of Man's three Peel Sessions on 29 August 1972,. Man then recorded Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day, which received good reviews. A party on 19 December 1972, with Dave Edmunds, Help Yourself, The Flying Aces and others, was issued as Christmas at the Patti, a double 10" album, which again topped the "budget" album chart, but on tour Clive John fell out with Micky Jones and left again.
The four-piece started to record Back into the Future, but felt the need for a second guitarist, so Alan "Tweke" Lewis joined from Wild Turkey. On 24 June 1973 they recorded the live half of this double album at Man's spiritual London home, The Roundhouse, backed by the Gwalia Male Choir, who had previously sung with Man at The Oval, when they supported Frank Zappa. The album initially sold well, rising to No 23, and again, this was tipped to be the album that would make the band, but pressing was restricted by a lack of plastic during the oil crisis. The follow-up tour had Deke Leonard's Iceberg as support. During the tour, Micky Jones and Leonard discussed a new Man line-up, so when Ryan and Youatt left to form The Neutrons in December 1973, Leonard disbanded Iceberg and rejoined Man along with two former members of Help Yourself: Malcolm Morley and Ken Whaley, who had also played in Iceberg.
The next album, Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics, was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, noted for his work with Queen, and spent four weeks in the UK album chart, peaking at No 24. In March/April 1974, Man supported Hawkwind on The 1999 Party, a five-week US tour. At the Los Angeles Whisky a Go Go on 12 March, Jim Horn joined on saxophone, which was included as a bonus disc with the reissue of Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics in 2007. The 21 April gig in Chicago was recorded for radio and issued on CD in 1997 as The 1999 Party Tour, but omits Morley from the credits, although he is on the recording.
Morley left the day before recording started on the next album, Slow Motion. Before the album was released, the band toured the UK and USA in August–October 1974, and returned to the US in March 1975, to promote the album by touring with REO Speedwagon and New Riders of the Purple Sage, but the tour collapsed on the first night. A new US tour, with REO Speedwagon and Blue Öyster Cult broke up two-thirds of the way through. Additional dates were arranged, but most were cancelled when Micky Jones developed pneumonia, so the final gigs were at the San Francisco Winterland. These were a great success, and the promoter Bill Graham paid them a bonus, and rebooked them, but Whaley had had enough and left.
Ace flew out as a stand in and the band met and rehearsed with John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service, who played with them at Winterland and agreed to play a UK tour. On this tour, the Roundhouse gig was recorded for commercial release and, although Buckley and Ellingham said that it is rumoured that Micky Jones had to over-dub Cipollina's guitar, it was only the track "Bananas" on which his playing was replaced: "Everything on Maximum Darkness which sounds like Cipollina is Cipollina", per Deke Leonard. The album Maximum Darkness reached no 25 in the UK album chart and Ace continued as a "stand in" bass guitarist until the end of a French tour, with Hawkwind, Gong and Magma, when he returned to the Flying Aces.