MAN

Six-CD set of post-90s material and a banging vintage live show.

To put this set into perspective we need to start at CDs five and six, which feature the group live at The Keystone, Berkeley CA in 1976. Back in the day Man were known as a ‘people’s band’: unpretentious, purveying a good time vibe, and fond of spliffing-up, as exemplified by the lyrics to Bananas. But they were also exceptional musicians purveying a homegrown quirkiness combined with a West Coast feel in the vocal harmonies by guitarists Deke Leonard and Mickey Jones, and in their fluid live improvisations. On the 17-minute C’mon they come across like a Welsh Grateful Dead, their trip punctuated by drummer Terry Williams’ taut repetitive patterns and updated by Phil Ryan’s textural synth lines, while Leonard’s lead guitar is flamboyant throughout. On the 12-minute, episodic Many Are Called But Few Get Up, they show their darkly psychedelic side.

Guitarist John Cipollina, formerly of Quicksilver Messenger Service and who had briefly been in Man, guests on a handful of tracks, including a dramatic Babe I’m Gonna Leave You and the full throttle rock’n’roll of Hard Way To Live.

Wind forward to 1992 and a reformed Man recorded The Twang Dynasty, their first new set for 15 years. Their approach was more focused, and with John Weathers, ex-of Gentle Giant, on drums it’s rhythmically tight if a tad foursquare in places. But the standard is high, particularly Fast And Dangerous, with its rhythm and blues shuffle – spiced up by some spectacularly loopy guitar from Leonard – and closer The Wings Of Mercury with its sweeping vocal harmonies.

From 2000, Endangered Species saw Phil Ryan returning on keyboards. It has its share of highlights, particularly Stuck Behind The Popemobile, which shifts between haunting verses and droll choruses and the inspired instrumental passages of Face To Face.

Released two years later, Undrugged finds Leonard and Micky Jones mainly playing acoustic guitars, and kicks off in style with the intricate, fleet-footed Scotch Corner but overall is rather inconsistent, with so-so covers of Georgia On My Mind and Brian Wilson’s Sail On Sailor.

By Diamonds And Coal (2006), bass guitarist Martin Ace was the only remaining member of the reformed band and took over lead vocals. The opening title track with its insistent chiming guitars bodes well, but overall it’s patchy. It would be great to say that these later albums rival Man’s glory days – and musicians change and develop so it would be pointless to replicate them – but although they are all solid affairs the magic was in shorter supply.

THE 17-MINUTE C’MON

COMES OVER LIKE A WELSH GRATEFUL DEAD.