As Is | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 21 October 1966 | |||
Recorded | 30 June – 22 August 1966 | |||
Studio | Philips, Marble Arch, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 31:36 | |||
Label | Fontana | |||
Producer | Shel Talmy | |||
Manfred Mann chronology | ||||
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Manfred Mann album chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() 2004 reissue cover | ||||
Singles from As Is | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
As Is is the third British studio album by Manfred Mann,released in the United Kingdom on 21 October 1966 through Fontana Records. It was their fourth overall (including a "greatest hits" package) but their first to feature new members Mike d'Abo and Klaus Voormann.
The twelve tracks on the record include the line-up's first single release,a cut-down version of Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman" that reached the UK top ten,and a short cool jazz version of "Autumn Leaves",reminiscent of the Modern Jazz Quartet with Mike Hugg's vibraphone and double bass from the group's former bassist Dave Richmond,sounding like an out-take from the group's instrumental releases:these two make weight for a fairly short collection of group compositions. As d'Abo's presence somehow sparked Mike Hugg into producing baroque pop miniatures,both contribute three songs:d'Abo's "Box Office Draw" and "Trouble and Tea" are well-crafted pop,while "As Long as I Have Lovin'" is a generic soul ballad. Hugg's "Morning After the Party",also released as a "B" side and on the compilation album What a Mann,recalls the rowdy rhythm and blues of the group's past,while two of his three collaborations with Mann suggest something of the direction they would later take with Manfred Mann Chapter Three. Guitarist Tom McGuinness provides a range of textures,including his trademark National Steel Guitar and contributes sleeve notes and a gentle folk-ballad. The group continued to exploit studio multitracking:keyboardist Mann layering Mellotrons,bassist Voormann taking over from Mike Vickers on flutes. [2] [3] [4]
All of the songs were recorded 30 June –22 August 1966,at Philips Studio in Stanhope House,London,England,together with producer Shel Talmy: [5]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Trouble and Tea" | Mike d'Abo | 2:12 |
2. | "A Now and Then Thing" | Tom McGuinness | 2:44 |
3. | "Each Other's Company" | Mike Hugg | 2:56 |
4. | "Box Office Draw" | d'Abo | 2:13 |
5. | "Dealer, Dealer" | Hugg, Manfred Mann, Peter Thomas | 3:17 |
6. | "Morning After the Party" | Hugg | 2:34 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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7. | "Another Kind of Music" | Hugg, Mann | 2:32 |
8. | "As Long as I Have Lovin'" | d'Abo | 2:44 |
9. | "Autumn Leaves" | Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer | 1:56 |
10. | "Superstitious Guy" | Hugg | 2:46 |
11. | "You're My Girl" | Hugg, Mann, Thomas | 2:48 |
12. | "Just Like a Woman" | Bob Dylan | 2:54 |
Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two different lead vocalists, Paul Jones from 1962 to 1966 and Mike d'Abo from 1966 to 1969.
Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann is a German artist, musician, and record producer.
Michael Graham Vickers is an English musician who came to prominence as the guitarist, flautist, and saxophonist with the 1960s band Manfred Mann.
"Just Like a Woman" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde (1966). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. Dylan allegedly wrote it on Thanksgiving Day in 1965, though some biographers doubt this, concluding that he most likely improvised the lyrics in the studio. Dylan recorded the song at Columbia Studio A in Nashville, Tennessee in March 1966. The song has been criticized for supposed sexism or misogyny in its lyrics, and has received a mixed critical reaction. Some critics have suggested that the song was inspired by Edie Sedgwick, while other consider that it refers to Dylan's relationship with fellow folk singer Joan Baez. Retrospectively, the song has received renewed praise, and in 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Dylan's version at number 232 in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. A shorter edit was released as a single in the United States during August 1966 and peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single also reached 8th place in the Australian charts, 12th place on the Belgium Ultratop Wallonia listing, 30th in the Dutch Top 40, and 38th on the RPM listing in Canada.
Michael John Hugg is a British musician who was a founding member of the 1960s group Manfred Mann.
Thomas John Patrick McGuinness is a guitarist, songwriter, author, record and TV producer.
The Manfreds is a British pop group, formed in 1991 as a reunion of former members of the 1960s pop group Manfred Mann, however without their eponymous founder Manfred Mann.
Mighty Garvey! is the fifth and final studio album by Manfred Mann, released on 28 June 1968 by Fontana Records. It was the last recorded by the band after the change of direction and personnel of their 1966 album As Is. It continued a transition away from jazz and blues towards self-composed art-pop. Despite including two UK top 5 hit singles, the album did not chart and the band split up the year after. In the US and Canada, it was released as The Mighty Quinn by Mercury Records.
Manfred Mann Chapter Three were a British experimental jazz rock band founded by South African keyboard player Manfred Mann and long-time partner Mike Hugg, both former members of the group Manfred Mann. The line-up for its debut at Newcastle's Mayfair Ballroom on 24 October 1969 was: Mike Hugg, Mann (organ), Bernie Living, Steve York (bass) and Craig Collinge (drums), augmented by a five-piece brass section of Clive Stevens, Carl Griffiths, Dave Coxhill, Gerald Drewett (trombone) and Sonny Corbett (trumpet).
A Sideman's Journey is the first solo album by German musician and artist Klaus Voormann, released in July 2009. Voormann is best known as the creator of the cover art for The Beatles' album Revolver as well as for being a much-in-demand session musician during the 1970s. He played bass on a large number of well-known albums by ex-Beatles John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr − including All Things Must Pass, Imagine and The Concert for Bangladesh − and by artists such as Harry Nilsson, Doris Troy, Lou Reed, Gary Wright, Carly Simon and Randy Newman. Before then, Voormann had been a member of the 1960s pop group Manfred Mann. A Sideman's Journey is notable for including performances by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Yusuf Islam, among others.
Mann Made is the second British and fourth American studio album by Manfred Mann, released in October 1965 on His Master's Voice in the United Kingdom, and November 1965 on Ascot Records in the United States. It was the group's final recording project with original members Mike Vickers and Paul Jones, as well as their last to be recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, England, before switching to Fontana Records.
Instrumental Asylum is an EP by Manfred Mann, released in 1966. The EP is a 7-inch vinyl record and released in mono with the catalogue number His Master's Voice-EMI 7EG 8949.
Manfred Mann's Cock-A-Hoop is an EP by Manfred Mann, released in 1964. The EP is a 7-inch vinyl record and released in mono with the catalogue number His Master's Voice-EMI 7EG 8848.
Groovin' with Manfred Mann is an EP by Manfred Mann, released in 1964. The EP is a 7-inch vinyl record and released in mono with the catalogue number His Master's Voice-EMI 7EG 8876.
Instrumental Assassination is a 1966 jazz-rock EP by Manfred Mann, produced by Shel Talmy and released by Fontana Records (TE17483). Mann reported that the group "loved it" and the producer was "particularly pleased": Fontana's Jack Baverstock found it full of ideas, humour and new thinking, but the EP sold poorly and was re-released in its entirety on the 1968 Fontana compilation album What A Mann.
"Ha! Ha! Said the Clown" is a song written by Tony Hazzard, first recorded by British pop group Manfred Mann. Hazzard claims the song "came out of the blue" though he did not demo it for weeks. Following recording a demo, he approached manager Gerry Bron, who liked it enough to want one of his groups, Manfred Mann, to record it. Manfred Mann recorded their version of the single on 10 February 1967 at Philips Studio in Marble Arch, London, together with producer Shel Talmy. It was the second of three singles Manfred Mann recorded to feature the Mellotron.
As Was is an EP by Manfred Mann, released in 1966. The EP is a 7-inch vinyl record and released in mono with the catalogue number His Master's Voice-EMI 7EG 8962.
"My Name Is Jack" is a song written by American record producer John Simon and released as a single by British group Manfred Mann in 1968. Their version reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. It became an international Top 10 hit, but only reached number 104 in the US.
The Five Faces of Manfred Mann is the debut British and second American studio album by Manfred Mann. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 11 September 1964 by His Master's Voice. In late October/early November, the album was released in Canada by Capitol Records. The Canadian track listing was almost the same as the UK version, except it included the hit "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" instead of "I've Got My Mojo Working". The record has been called "one of the great blues-based British invasion albums; it's a hot, rocking record that benefits from some virtuoso playing as well".
"Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James" is a song written by songwriters Geoff Stephens and John Carter, recorded by English pop group Manfred Mann in 1966. Stephens and Carter, who were writers for a publishing company on Denmark Street, London, wrote the song in a style different from their usual compositions, as love was not the prevalent theme. Introduced to the song by producer Shel Talmy, Manfred Mann recorded it at Philips Studio in August 1966. Released by Fontana Records on 21 October 1966, the song was backed by drummer Mike Hugg's composition "Morning After The Party" as the group's second single on the label. Keyboardist Manfred Mann plays the Mellotron on the recording; it was one of the earliest recordings featuring the instrument. Following a trend set by Bob Dylan, the song tackles the subject of life in British middle class suburbia from the perspective of a narrator, who laments the loss of a lover after her marriage to another man.