Even the most knowledgeable music connoisseurs may be stumped when asked if there’s a studio denizen who worked with Otis Redding and IRON MAIDEN, Bryan Adams and LED ZEPPELIN, Shakira and ZZ TOP, Isaac Hayes and THE TRAGICALLY HIP. Their answer will likely be negative, because one would assume nobody’s career is that long – and they will be wrong, because Terry Manning‘s resumé includes all these and many more artists. What’s no less important is the existence of the American veteran’s solo career, even though there was a decades-long gap between his 1970 debut “Home Sweet Home” and “West Texas Skyline: A Tribute To Bobby Fuller” from 2013, with a shorter wait between the latter and 2015’s “Heaven Knows” and a longer pause between it and “Red And Black” which is scheduled for release in early January.
Its fifteen pieces bring Manning’s past and present into focus, with a song he concocted with Alex Chilton and a BEACH BOYS cover sitting in the tracklist alongside fresh cuts, including one he came up with in the company of Mutt Lange and one that features his erstwhile charge Billy Gibbons. The results can be sampled below on the platter’s inaugural single. But how did all of this was conceived? Here’s what Terry says:
“I’ve been wanting for a while to do another ‘extremely varied style’ album, taking hints from my long career in recording and producing the many artists I’ve had the fortune to work with over the years. Of course, nothing on ‘Red And Black’ is exactly like another artist’s music, but here and there compliments have been paid to such as LED ZEPPELIN, ZZ TOP, Lenny Kravitz, Joe Walsh, THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS, Otis Redding, Steve Cropper, Mavis Staples and many, many others I’ve worked with making their music.”
Red And Black
1. Do Something Good
2. Drop Dead Gorgeous
3. I’m Awesome
4. The Law Of Attraction
5. What I Want I Want
6. Slo Mod Bluze
7. It’s About Love
8. Gonna Luv U All Nite
9. Turn It Loose
10. Knock Knock Baby
11. Sweet Sweet Stuff
12. Never Wanna Let U Go
13. EMI Song (Smile For Me)
14. Wouldn’t It Be Nice
15. Everywhere I Go
Mr. Manning also offered to comment on each of the album’s songs.
1. “Do Something Good” is a song about the great dichotomies we face in life – yes or no… stay or go… – couched in terms of a young male searching for his mate, afraid to approach, yet also afraid not to. Is it positive? Is it negative? Should I? Should I not? I wanted the style to portray a bit of the Eighties TALKING HEADS/Bryan Ferry albums recorded at my Compass Point Studios.
2. “Drop Dead Gorgeous” is a straight-up story of a repressed accountant who has fallen for a club dancer. He has been ostensibly happy with his completely structured life, but is suddenly thrust into a whole new world of sexual attraction, and is only capable of describing his newfound feelings in stilted, almost Victorian terms. Again, a nod to the Eighties Compass Point “new wave” musical style.
3. “I’m Awesome” is a send-up of the modern “influencer” culture, portraying a guy who is so self-absorbed and clueless that all he can see is… himself. Nothing he does is really of value, yet he is constantly telling the world of his “worth.” Written by my great friend and studio client Mutt Lange.
4. “The Law Of Attraction” takes a well-known relationship phrase and turns it on it’s head. Instead of “The Law” stating that all people are attracted to love, and all works out happily ever after, because our protagonist has been thoroughly devastated by a rejection of his love, his “Law” says that Love can be “life-changingly traumatic.” I wrote this with Dan Hill of “Sometimes When We Touch” fame and Keith Stegall who penned “We’re In This Love Together,” and recorded it in a Nineties power ballad style, like a volcano that rumbles loudly but never quite erupts.
5. “What I Want I Want” lends a nod and a wink to LED ZEPPELIN style, bashing ahead boldly and making one’s desires fully open and apparent. I love the very low guitar solo sound, and made that the musical centerpiece, while the lyrics brashly make demands that “almost” go too far.
6. “Slo Mod Bluze” slows things down, heading into ZZ TOP territory a bit. I loved so much recording ZZ on the slow blues tracks, and wanted to make a “modern” slow blues track that cried in anguish as it recalled happier times from a now destroyed past.
7. “It’s About Love” continues a ZZ TOP theme, this time with the great Billy Gibbons himself singing with me and playing his superb style of slide guitar leads. The song hints at what a guy might be able to do with that girl he’s looking to hook up with. A definite nod stylistically to the “Eliminator” era we had such fun making together.
8. “Gonna Luv U All Nite” is meant to feel like a freight train barreling ahead without abandon, crushing all in its path, recalling some of the heavier rock things I’ve recorded and/or produced over the years… with a slight nod to Bryan Adams in the choruses. Our protagonist here leaves no doubt as to his love intentions.
9. “Turn It Loose” recalls the memory of working at Stax in those golden years. It’s meant to evoke a similar positive message as some of THE STAPLE SINGERS songs we did, such as “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There.” Simple bass, drums, guitars and those “Memphis Style” horns to make us all happy.
10. “Knock Knock Baby” is a simple pop song appeal for a lover to come back, knock on the door, come in the house, and get back together. Again, I wrote this with the great Keith Stegall, producer and writer extraordinaire. Somewhere deep inside there may be a nod to Lenny Kravitz too.
11. “Sweet Sweet Stuff” was originally intended to be very ZZ TOP-style, but I gave the song to Johnny Diesel, the huge Australian rock star I had been working with. He added some excellent lyric changes, and it was recorded on what is now his “lost” and never released album. So I took my original track and spruced it up with more guitars and my gruff vocals.
12. “Never Wanna Let You Go” is a love song hearkening back to my “Heaven Knows” album style. Lots of strings and sweetness in the vocals tell the story of a love that has been found, and will never die.
13. “EMI Song (Smile For Me)” is a song I wrote with the enigmatic Alex Chilton, and recorded for his first solo album. Alex started writing the melody at the piano in Abbey Road Studio One. He bought it back to Memphis where we finished it together. I had originally intended for the long instrumental section in the middle of the original version to be highly orchestrated, but we never got to that. Here I leave out that section, implying just the verses… but someday I’ll do that long-orchestrated version myself.
14. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is another of my nods to the great Brian and Carl Wilson, started with my version of “God Only Knows.” The great New York session bass player Seth Glassman got several of his session player friends together for the track, and I took over from there with the vocals and the mixing. I love Brian and my friend Carl so much, and just love paying tribute to them as best I can.
15. “Everywhere I Go” tells a very different story musically to my normal mode. I put a bit of my friend and studio client Trent Reznor’s style in, and just started making up the lyrics “stream of conscious” style, in one take.
