Although many of the British Invasion s most prominent bands were comprised of inexperienced rockers learning their craft as they went along, Manfred Mann was something different. The versatile British quintet, which took its collective name from that of its South African-born keyboardist, was comprised of four seasoned musicians with a solid grounding in jazz and blues, plus a charismatic frontman who was also one of England s finest blue-eyed soul singers. Together, the five members of Manfred Mann or the Manfreds, as their fans called them turned their diverse talents towards rock n roll, and came up with a series of albums and singles that are among the catchiest and most enduring of the period. Now, Sundazed reaches back to present Manfred Mann s first five U.S. albums, out of print for decades and reissued for the first time in their original vinyl format, mastered from the original tapes and featuring complete cover art.
1965's punningly titled My Little Red Book of Winners is one of Manfred Mann s most eclectic efforts, with the band stretching out into more sophisticated musical territory on My Little Red Book, their historic collaboration with Burt Bacharach. They also deliver memorable original compositions like the autobiographical The One in the Middle, and indelible readings of classic tunes by Bob Dylan, the Coasters and Maxine Brown.
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