There have been quite a few compilations of Manfred Mann‘s material – mostly with MANFRED MANN and MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND, not so much with CHAPTER III – released over the years, so one more of those could hardly deserve attention, yet the double-disc collection which will see the light of day out on September 29th on both CD and vinyl seems to appear rather special.
It’s not the score of numbers on offer as there’s no rarities on display; it’s the fact that the enlightening and hilarious liner notes to “Hits From The Sixties” – this is the comp’s title – were written by Manfred himself as well as his band mates Tom Mcguinness And Mike Hugg, and the record’s cover which was drawn by the collective’s former bass player, the legendary designer Klaus Voormann, the man behind the Grammy-winning artwork of THE BEATLES’ “Revolver” and The Fabs’ Hamburg friemd. If there’s ever a collector’s item, here’s one to get.
Disc 1:
1. 5-4-3-2-1
2. Hubble Bubble (Toil And Trouble)
3. Do Wah Diddy Diddy
4. Sha La La
5. Come Tomorrow
6. Oh No Not My Baby
7. The One In The Middle
8. If You Gotta Go, Go Now
9. There’s No Living Without Your Loving
10. Pretty Flamingo
Disc 2:
1. You Gave Me Somebody To Love
2. Just Like A Woman
3. Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. James
4. Ha! Ha! Said The Clown
5. Sweet Pea
6. Mighty Quinn
7. My Name Is Jack
8. Fox On The Run
9. Ragamuffin Man
10. Handbags And Gladrags (BBC session)