Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Watch [Japan Edition] (1978)

Year: 24 February 1978 (CD Oct 19, 2005)
Label: Air Mail Archive (Japan), AIRAC-1130
Style: Rock, Art Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 54:28
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 331 Mb

Charts: UK # 33, AUS #40, AUT #14, CAN #85, NL #18, NZ #29, NOR #2, SE #9, Us #83, GER #3. Netherlands - Gold.
Альбом считается студийным, хотя только его первая сторона содержит студийные композиции, а вторая составлена из трех концертных записей (качество записи и исполнения которых весьма высоко и поэтому мало отличается от студийного).
Наиболее известные композиции - "Davy's On The Road Again" и "Mighty Quinn" со второй стороны альбома, они вышли также в виде отдельного сингла и многократно исполнялись на концертах. Первая - обработка одноименной песни Джона Саймона (John Simon) и Робби Робертсона (Robbie Robertson) с альбома John Simon's Album (1971). Вторая композиция - обработка известной одноименной песни Боба Дилана 1967 года. По мнению самого Дилана, Мэнфред Мэнн является самым интересным интерпретатором его песен, в которые он внес "дыхание электронных инструментов".
Интересно отметить, что десятью годами ранее Манфред Манн уже исполнял эту песню в составе группы Manfred Mann, причем с весьма большим успехом? песня достигла позиции №1 в хит-параде синглов Великобритании (17 февраля 1968). Новое исполнение отличается от версии 1968 года более виртуозным исполнением и "тяжелым" хард-роковым звучанием.
(ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watch_(альбом))

Band History eng:

Charts: UK # 33, AUS #40, AUT #14, CAN #85, NL #18, NZ #29, NOR #2, SE #9, Us #83, GER #3. Netherlands - Gold.
Watch is the eighth album by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, a studio album with two live tracks released in 1978. It is the first album recorded with new bassist Pat King, and the final album for both guitarist Dave Flett and original drummer Chris Slade. In West Germany, it stayed 69 weeks in the charts (# 3 highest position), receiving platinum status in 1981.
Truth be told, it's not at all Sixties-influenced any more; more truth be told, I just personally cannot stomach Manfred Mann without the humour. Just like Roaring Silence (which at least had the kitsch of 'Blinded By The Light'), Watch is deadly serious. Deadly obsolete for 1978 as well, and deadly pointless. At this point, the band isn't really all that different from Styx, doing lame-hook-based poppy numbers mostly dedicated to eco-rock, social critique and the usual blah blah of acts who think they're gonna save the world with their output but nobody really gives a damn anyway. Okay, so I'm not saying Manfred Mann wanted to save the world, but the music which came out of their minds sure wanted, yet the world basically told it to go fuck itself. That's my understanding of the metaphysical "music and ambience interaction" process.
Everything's well-produced, everything's well-played, and everything's boring to the extreme, as if they were so dreadfully out of ideas it didn't even matter to add up to the "gimmicks pool" or to concentrate on the album's production; I don't even hear Manfred Mann coming up with a particularly new type of Moog solo or anything. It's pretty telling, then, that six and a half minutes of the album are dedicated to the band playing a live rendition of Dylan's 'Mighty Quinn', which was a hit for the early Manfred Mann. It's also telling that it's easily the best track on the album. Their original rendition was fun, and this live track is done with verve and energy, and the typical "hot solo" intermission.
(starling.rinet.ru/music/earth.htm)

01. Circles (04:49)
02. Drowning On Dry Land / Fish Soup (06:00)
03. Chicago Institute (05:47)
04. California (05:31)
05. Davy's On The Road Again (05:54)
06. Martha's Madmann (04:52)
07. Mighty Quinn (06:27)
08. California (Single Version) (03:46)
09. Davy's On The Road Again (Single Version) (03:38)
10. Bouillabaisse (03:59)
11. Mighty Quinn (Single Version) (03:40)