Manfred Mann Chapter Three - Manfred Mann Chapter Three Volume Two (1970)

Manfred Mann Chapter Three were a short-lived British jazz-rock band founded by keyboard player Manfred Mann.

Manfred Mann and Mike Hugg's short-lived jazz-rock experiment released a second album in 1970, with the cumbersome title of Manfred Mann Chapter Three Volume Two. It followed the same formula as their debut - dark, brooding, grooves with lots of tasty keyboards and big, blaring horn sections. The second album was perhaps a bit more daring and experimental, potentially not quite as consistent, but with some superb highlights. The most impressive track was the fifteen-minute-plus "Happy Being Me", which began as a hard-driving number with a catchy wordless refrain before drawing out into a series of long, free-form solos from all instruments.

The band had two very interesting albums under their belt, but their sound was never going to result in any sort of radio play or hit songs. More importantly, such a large ensemble was massively expensive to maintain, and Mann and Hugg were financing it from their own pockets. Unable to break out of the club circuit, they called it quits and the experiment ended. Mike Hugg began a solo career, and Manfred Mann formed a new group, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, with which he was able to have a great deal of commercial success over the years.

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Manfred Mann Chapter Three - Manfred Mann Chapter Three (1969)

Manfred Mann Chapter Three were a short-lived British jazz-rock band founded by keyboard player Manfred Mann

Following the breakup of Manfred Mann the band, Manfred Mann the musician was keen to move away from pop music and start something new. Drummer Mike Hugg (whom he had originally formed the band with) stuck with him, and also moved out of the drum seat to play keyboards. The result was Manfred Mann Chapter Three, featuring the lineup of Mann (organ), Hugg (vocals/piano), Bernie Living (sax/flute), Steve York (bass) and Craig Collinge (drums). The new band made their debut performance in October 1969, and introduced their experimental jazz-rock sound.

Their debut album came out a month later. It was fated to never be commercially successful, but was a truly remarkable record. It joined slow, brooding grooves with Hugg's eerie, whispered vocals, creating something brilliantly dark and menacing, somewhat akin to Dr John's Night Tripper albums. The band was also bolstered by a large horn section which added some real power, and at times broke up into blaring free jazz solos. The songs were all originals written by Mann and Hugg, and included one which would have been familiar to many. "Mister, You're A Better Man Than I" had first been recorded by The Yardbirds back in 1965, and was re-invented here as to make it almost unrecognizeable.
The result was a great album with a unique sound. However it was clear from the start that this new band were not going to have any hits and would be restricted to an underground audience.

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