Background
Angel Station features a six-note descending theme in most of the songs on the album, woven into the context of each song in a different way, an idea hatched by Pat King after having watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind. "Hollywood Town" and "You Are, I Am" share a common chord progression and basic arrangement. They occupied almost identical positions on either side of the LP. The album has the air of an emotional and musical crossword puzzle, or has affinities with the work of M. C. Escher, whose art is alluded to on the cover illustration.
Of interest is the involvement of Fingerprintz's Jimme O'Neill whose influence can be heard in the edgy, angular instrumental "Platform End" (a song whose title was probably influenced by the fact that it originally closed the 1979 vinyl's A side, while it was also a play on the back cover of the previous album Watch ), and ex-Slapp Happy/Henry Cow member Anthony Moore who produced the album and influenced its modern, sparse sound.
"This is Chris Thompson's last album with the Earth Band as he is forming his own band in the near future. I wish to thank him for a valuable creative and personal relationship, and wish him every success in the future." – Manfred Mann, 1979 [1]
In spite of this announcement, Thompson's own outfit Night turned out as unsuccessful, releasing two mostly overlooked albums in 1979 and 1980 respectively, so the singer stayed with the Earth Band instead, returning on the group's next album Chance (1980) already. [2]
The album was on the US Billboard 200 charts for thirteen weeks, peaking at No. 144 on 9 June 1979. [3] The single "You Angel You" spent seven weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart peaking at No. 58 on 14 July 1979. [4] The album spent eight weeks and reached No. 4 on the German Media Control Albums Chart. [5]
Kanye West sampled the bridge from "You Are, I Am" for the track "So Appalled" from West's 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy . Manfred Mann adapted this recording into his own track "One Hand in the Air" on his 2014 album Lone Arranger .
Platform End also became the title of the official MMEB fanclub's magazine, [6] nowadays it is the fanclub website's name.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You", "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night". After forming in 1971 and with a short hiatus in the late 1980s/early 1990s, the Earth Band continues to perform and tour.
Don't Ask is the third studio album by Australian singer Tina Arena released by Columbia Records on 14 November 1994.
"Blinded by the Light" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, which first appeared on his 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. A cover by British rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in February 1977 and was also a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada.
Try Anything Once is the first solo album by Alan Parsons, released in 1993. It was his first album following the split of The Alan Parsons Project.
Waiting for the Punchline is the fourth album by American band Extreme, released in 1995. It is known by fans as a distinctively raw-sounding record with a significant influence from grunge, especially when compared to the big production of the two previous albums. Due to its lyrics focused heavily on social matters it is often cited as a concept album. It is also the only Extreme record to feature drummer Mike Mangini. After the album's tour, Extreme disbanded in 1996 when Bettencourt informed the band that he was leaving to pursue a solo career. After the breakup, singer Gary Cherone joined Van Halen in the same year as their new singer, but left three years later.
Here's to Future Days is the fifth studio album by the British pop group Thompson Twins, released on 20 September 1985 by Arista Records. It was the third and final release for the band as a trio, which was their most successful and recognisable line-up. It peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 20 on the US Billboard 200.
The discography of British rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band consists of 17 studio albums, 3 live albums, 7 compilation albums, 5 video albums, and 37 singles. Manfred Mann's Earth Band have been releasing albums and singles since 1971.
Mann Alive is a live double album released in 1998 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
The Best Of Manfred Mann's Earth Band Re-Mastered is a compilation album released in 1999 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The title of track 4 on the compilation, "Blinded by the Light" is errantly printed as "Blinded by the Night".
Soft Vengeance is an album released in 1996 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
Criminal Tango is the twelfth studio album released in 1986 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band with Chris Thompson. Founding guitarist/vocalist Mick Rogers returned to the band for this album and is still an active member. The new bassist Steve Kinch joined the band only when parts of the album were already recorded. Kinch therefore shared the bass parts on this album with bassists Durban Betancourt-Laverde and John Giblin. This is their first album for the Virgin Records label after eleven years with Bronze Records.
Budapest Live is an album released in 1984 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The album was recorded on the "Somewhere in Europe" tour in 1983 in support of the "Somewhere in Afrika" album, and despite its title, also featured recordings from the Dominion Theatre in London. It was the final Earth Band album to appear on the Bronze label and also the last album recorded with Steve Waller and Matt Irving.
Somewhere in Afrika is the eleventh album by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, released in 1982. It is their last studio album recorded for their long time record label Bronze Records. They would record their next studio album, Criminal Tango for Virgin Records. Bassist Matt Irving joined the band, replacing Pat King for this album.
Chance is Manfred Mann's Earth Band's tenth album, released in 1980. The album cover art was an adaptation of Danish artist Ole Kortzau's poster "Strandstole". The album marked the temporary return of guitarist and founding member Mick Rogers to the band. John Lingwood replaced drummer Geoff Britton, who left due to illness. It is also the last album that bassist Pat King appeared on. Although Chris Thompson only appeared as a guest vocalist, he was onboard again for the accompanying tour.
Watch is the eighth album by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, a studio album with two live tracks released in 1978. It is the first album recorded with new bassist Pat King, and the final album for both guitarist Dave Flett and original drummer Chris Slade. In West Germany, it stayed 69 weeks in the charts, receiving platinum status in 1981.
The Roaring Silence is the seventh studio album by English rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band. It was released on 27 August 1976, by Bronze Records in the UK and by Warner Bros. Records in the US. Like other Earth Band albums, this includes material by other composers. "Blinded by the Light", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, is a cover version of a song by Bruce Springsteen; "Questions" is based on the main theme of Franz Schubert's Impromptu in G flat Major (1827); "Starbird" takes its theme from Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird (1910); and "The Road to Babylon" is based on the canon "By the Waters of Babylon" by Philip Hayes. Lyrics and melody of the intro of "The Road to Babylon" is taken from the song "Babylon" from Don McLean's second album "American Pie", released in 1971.
Nightingales & Bombers is the sixth studio album released by Manfred Mann's Earth Band in 1975.
The title of this album was inspired by a recording made in Surrey, England during the Second World War, by an ornithologist intending to record nightingales. The bombers flew over at the same time and were recorded by accident. The recording has been incorporated in 'As Above, So Below'.
The Good Earth is the fifth studio album released by Manfred Mann's Earth Band in 1974. Its opening song is a cover of "Give Me the Good Earth", written by Gary Wright and released on his 1971 solo album Footprint, while tracks 2 and 3 were originally by Australian progressive rock band Spectrum.
Night was a rock band formed in 1978 in Los Angeles, California, United States, whose personnel were veteran British-based session musicians.
Magic! is a Canadian reggae fusion band from Toronto. Based in Los Angeles, the band comprises lead vocalist, guitarist/producer Nasri Atweh, guitarist/keyboardist Mark "Pelli" Pellizzer, and bassist Ben Spivak. Active since 2012, the band is signed with Latium, Sony, and RCA Records, releasing their debut studio album Don't Kill the Magic in 2014, their second studio album Primary Colours in 2016, and their third studio album Expectations in 2018. They are best known for their hit single "Rude", which charted at No. 1 in several countries worldwide, including the US and UK.
