I thought a few of you might be interested to know what I thought of this show. I know it can be a pain in the rear when people who are fans of another band come swanning in to a forum, laying their trip on people and generally putting themselves about... but I am a Man fan as well, so I'll see if I can sneak under the radar, lol
Anyway, thanx for the seeding, Mike. Had a listen tonight, and, well, thought it was so-so. Enjoyed bits, and other bits would, in a live setting, have prompted me to go off to the bog or to the bar.
Yes, I did note where the guy says they're a progressive band moving forwards and that's why there isn't loads of old stuff. I can fully understand the sentiment, but that sort of comment would definitely make me mutter under my breath, if I were at the show. Fair comment, though. If Man had, all through the 70s, remained rigidly stuck in 1969, we wouldn't have had Spunk Rock.
Broadly speaking, the plodding beat and wah-wah guitar type of Man makes my forearms and back develop goose-bumps. Mad on Her is getting into that territory, for me. Yeah, and the strangely-named Popemobile.
OTOH, the lounge jazz feel, eg the rippling piano on X-ray, doesn't appeal, and nor does melodic and vocal-orientated stuff like the tracks off the new album. I think that says more about me, though... in 1976 I first heard Spunk Rock from the Greasy Truckers album, and I still regard it as one of the finest pieces of rock music ever, outperforming much of what even Hawkwind have offered over the years. To me, it's a spectacular pinnacle of brilliance, really.
Primarily, though, I am a Hawkwind fan, and I've got over 300 bootleg shows in addition to pretty well all their official output. So when it comes to judging a good version from a not-so-good, I can consult a large knowledge base (as Microsoft call it). With Man, I'm still much more of a novice.
Romain, to me, sounded its usual jaunty and rocking self, and I enjoyed it. Many are Called pressed the right buttons as well.
Conflict of Interest was new to me... the instrumentation obviously has echoes of Spunk Rock but I've never heard it before. I see it's on the Endangered Species album... aha, obviously one of the gaps in my knowledge, then.
Anyway, yes, thanx for sticking it on Dime.
08/12/2023 -
Supported by The Trembling Knees, Man at The Bunkhouse in Swansea.
02/02/2024 -
Man at Backstage at The Green Hotel in Kinross.
15/02/2024 -
Man at The Half Moon, Putney in London.
