Produced by MAN with help from Dave Edmunds at Rockfield Studio, Monmouth
between August and October 1972
Mixed at Trident Studios, London. Engineer--Roy Baker
All music by Man, Published by Man Music
Alright, then, we'd better mention them 'Help your Self' (The Most Boreing Group In The World)
Cover concept:
Photography, Origami work by Pierre Tubbs
Design, Flying Colours, Map Illustration by David Anstee
Family Jungle by Duke Leopard
There are a lot of great things about this album. It had a great package with the two foot square fold-out "Man's Map of Wales" cleverly unfolding from the inside, and inner sleve with Deke's "Man's Family Jungle", actually a parody of Peter Frame's popular Band Family Trees of such bands as Fairport Convention and Soft Machine (he would eventually create one for 'All's Well That End's Well'). The band takes one more opportunity for a jab at Help Yourself, although with Deke now adding a third guitar to the Helps they were getting much less boreing, as evidenced by the live tracks on 'Christmas at the Patti', which, unfortunately, are the only recordings Deke made with the band.
This album also marks Clive Johns brief transition from Keyboards to Guitar, he would leave the band finally after this album.
The music on this album is written for live performance with four 8 to 10 minute songs with simple lyrics and lots of room for jamming. In fact the live versions of "C'mon" and "Bananas" recorded less than a year later during the 'Back Into the Future' show much more energy and are generally superior. Although this may be due to "Tweke" Lewis being a more confident guitarist than Clive.
P.S. It may just be me, but there is something about Ted Koehorst's liner notes that makes my blood boil. Who is this guy, anyway?
Man were formed in 1968 from Merthyl Tydfil's The Bystanders, who were a "Beach Boys" come "Four Seasons" band, and another South Wales band, The Dream, from which Deke Leonard came. Their original line-up was Micky Jones (Guitar, Vocals), Clive John (Keyboards), Ray Williams (Bass) and Jeff Jones (Drums). During 1969 they recorded two albusm, "Revelation" on Pye and "Two Ounces of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle" for Dawn (subsid. of Pye), neither of which shook the world and were termed by them as "incredibly hampered bands".
After these albums, a series of personnel changes began which probably hampered any long term consistent success. Ray Williams (who was on the first two albums but failed to get credited) and Jeff Jones left, with the latter going to form Wild Turkey, the early '70's band featuring ex-Jethro Tull bassist, Glenn Cornick. In came Martin Ace on bass and vocals from Deke's old band, The Dream, as well as Terry Williams on drums, another ex-Dream and Love Sculpture member (Love Sculpture was fronted by Dave Edmunds who Terry Williams was to re-join in later years in Rock Pile.
During August '69 and March '70, Deke Leonard began his wanderings which resulted in him coming and going from MAN. Now signed with Liberty (later United Artists), they recorded two albums between October '70 and January '72, "MAN" and "Do You Like It Here Now (Are You Settling In?)". Their four week German tours were enabling them to survive in England and their renown live stage act began to tighten up and take shape.
Some well known MAN quotes begin to surface, "Dope is the most important thing really - so we just loll around", and "the truth is that Man is Barry Marshall (groups manager) full stop, all the other people are just in transit in some kind of weird psychedelic condition". Their music echoed the feel of America's West Coast and the long improvising guitar work, interwining Mickey Jones and Deke Leonard became a hall mark of the band. They contributed to "Greasy Trucker's Party" album which also featured Brinsley Schwartz. Subsequently Martin Ace left the band to form the "Flying Aces", and Deke Leonard left again to join Help Yourself as a third guitarist.
May 1972 saw a radically re-jigged MAN with Phil Ryan and Will Youatt joining the fold to record "Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day" and contributed to one side of "Christmas at the Patti" helped out by Dave Edmunds. help Yourself were also on this album which was a live recording of a party organized by MAN. Help Yourself and MAN had become friends after the legendary "All Good Clean Fun" tour of Switzerland.
More changes occurred with original members Clive John leaving and Tweke Lewis joining. This band recorded the double album "Back into the Future" and completed the successful "Up for the Day Concert"
The quote "People go through different things at different times... but the name MAN has lasted a long time", never rang more ture with the next change. Out went Phil Ryan, Will Youatt and Tweke Lewis. Back came, yes, the return of the prodical [sic] son, Deke Leonard with two Help Yourself members in tow, Ken Whaley and Malcolm Moverly [sic, inexcusibly sic], to form with Terry Williams and Mickey Jones one of the strongest line ups of the band. 1974 saw this band record "Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics", rumoured to have been written, recorded and mixed in three weeks; eat your heart out, Michael Jackson!
They did a twenty date tour of the States which Zig Zag Magazine described as magnificent. Rolling Stone magazine record buyer book indicates Deke Leonard's return injected a new lease of life into the band and his presence dominates "Rhinos".
By now MAN were a perennially popular live band with reasonable album sales. They were also popular in San Francisco's Bay area which led to Quicksilver Messenger Services legendary guitarist, John Cipollina joining the band in 1975 for a British Tour and a live album "Maximum Darkness" coming from said tour. It is alleged that the results were not what was anticipated and that John Cipollina's guitar parts were re-recorded by Mickey Jones.
They moved record labels to MCA in 1976 to record their last album "The Welsh Connection" and broke up early the next year. Punk was emerging, music styles had moved on. Financial problems were hampering efforts to expand on the audience they had achieved in the early '70's. With the current huge success of The Grateful Dead in America, another San Francisco Band MAN were likened to, would the time not be ripe for a MAN reformation? Who knows, but as the band themselves said "We may not be the best band in the world, but we sure smoke the most dope".
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