Manfred Mann's 1980 album is a strange mix of topical songwriting, progressive rock, and power pop -- from its opening seconds, the Earth Band is pressing serious messages and social commentary on their listenership amid swirling prog rock keyboards and catchy guitar hooks and choruses.
The whole package is challenging in ways that should have put them on the cutting edge of rock music at the outset of that decade, but one suspects that Mann and company were too musically adept and sophisticated for their own good -- a little dumbing down and maybe a little less musicianship on display would have made them more accessible to the coming MTV generation.
As it is, the album has held up remarkably well across a quarter century, however, even if it now seems an uncomfortably accurate warning of the way the world would go, in terms of politics and society, in the decades to come.
It would also be three years before another Earth Band album was forthcoming, and that one would be steeped in world music sounds.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lies (Through the 80's)David "Fathead" Newman | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 2 | On the RunTony Ashton, Manfred Mann | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | For YouBruce Springsteen | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | Play | 05:39 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 4 | Adolescent DreamManfred Mann | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 5 | Fritz the BlankManfred Mann | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 6 | StrandedMike Heron, Manfred Mann | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | Play | 05:48 | 13 MB | 33 MB |
| 7 | Hello, I Am Your HeartDennis Linde | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | Play | 05:18 | 12 MB | 29 MB |
| 8 | No GuaranteeManfred Mann | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | Heart on the StreetTom Gray | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 27 MB |
| 39 mins | 90 MB | |||||
| 39 mins | 232 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Ashton | Composer |
| 2 | David Barratt | Engineer, Tape Operator |
| 3 | Dyan Birch | Vocals |
| 4 | Courtesy Thumb Gallery | Photography |
| 5 | Edwin Cross | Engineer |
| 6 | Willy Finlayson | Vocals |
| 7 | Tom Gray | Composer |
| 8 | Mike Heron | Composer |
| 9 | Pat King | Bass |
| 10 | Ole Kortzau | Cover Design |
| 11 | Laurie Latham | Engineer |
| 12 | Dennis Linde | Composer |
| 13 | John Lingwood | Drums |
| 14 | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | Primary Artist |
| 15 | Manfred Mann | Composer, Keyboards, Primary Artist, Producer, Synthesizer, Vocals |
| 16 | Peter Marsh | Vocals |
| 17 | Robbie McIntosh | Guitar |
| 18 | David "Fathead" Newman | Composer |
| 19 | Martin Poole | Cover Design |
| 20 | Graham Preskett | Vocals |
| 21 | Trevor Rabin | Associate Producer, Guitar |
| 22 | Mick Rogers | Guitar, Vocals |
| 23 | Pete Schwier | Engineer |
| 24 | Bruce Springsteen | Composer |
| 25 | Robert Stewart | Engineer |
| 26 | Carol Stocker | Vocals |
| 27 | Tim Summerhayes | Engineer |
| 28 | Barbara Thompson | Saxophone |
| 29 | Chris Thompson | Guitar, Saxophone, Vocals |
| 30 | Steve Waller | Guitar, Vocals |
| 31 | Rick Walton | Engineer |
| 32 | Geoff Whitehorn | Guitar |
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |