PLAYS CLEAN 1968 ORIG MANFRED MANN MIGHTY QUINN Popsike Garage MOD PSYCH LP

$

36

                     PLAYS CLEAN!

1968 FIRST PRINTING ~ UK MOD-PSYCH GROOVES !

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             MANFRED MANN

         "THE MIGHTY QUINN"

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                USA -(red) Mercury - SR 61168

Original 1968 first pressing of the famous UK "beat" (& British Invasion) band gone Mod-psychedelic with several cool melodic grooves inspired 'popsike' flourishes that hold up well 50+ years later. One of their harder to find albums that isn't found all that much contains the cool nugget "The Mighty Quinn" ...

The U.S. record industry was renowned for doctoring U.K. albums and including commercial single material. The situation with The Mighty Quinn was a little more complicated than that, however — it is derived from Manfred Mann's U.K. album The Mighty Garvey, which did, in fact, contain the group's last big hit, the U.K. number one/US Top Ten "The Mighty Quinn." But that LP also had the veneer and appearance of a concept album and Mercury Records in America evidently figured that this was a little bit too much of a concept for American audiences (who weren't as attuned to the The whole album was deconstructed, and suddenly the hit "The Mighty Quinn" (a cover of a Dylan song that had not, as yet, appeared in a version by the composer) was the title of the piece and moved from last to first spot on the first side of the LP, followed by "Ha Ha Said the Clown," a catchy piece of pop-psychedelia with some interesting tempo shifts and aggressive use of a Mellotron, that had been on the U.K. version's second side. The rest is a lot more challenging and diverse: "Everyday Another Hair Turns Grey," with its Kinks-like choruses and beat (circa Village Green Preservation Society), and the ethereal pop-psychedelia of "It's So Easy Falling"; from there we jump to "Big Betty," cool Bo Diddley beat generated by seriously pounding bass and drums, and some sharp guitar flourishes, and then the psychedelic mood piece "Cubist Town," a sort of downbeat "Penny Lane"; Side Two opened with the slightly folkish "Country Dances," which manages to sound like the Strawbs and psychedelic-era Kinks at various moments, followed by the U.S. single "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. James"; "The Vicar's Daughter" was a fascinating effort at pop-psychedelic songwriting that manages to be cautionary and wistful all at once, dealing with lost innocence from a male point of view; "Each and Every Day" was as fine a piece of pop R&B as the group had delivered since "Do Wah Diddy Diddy"; and "No Better No Worse" closed this version of the album on a pop psychedelic note with a catchy chorus. On a purely commercial level, the Mercury executives were probably right, while Americans at least purchased it in sufficient numbers. It is rare that U.S. versions of '60s album are preferable to their U.K. counterparts, as they usually contain fewer cuts and go against the artist's intentions with regard to track running order. However, The Mighty Quinn might be the exception, at least for casual listeners who don't know Manfred Mann as a psychedelic band — the hits in combination with the more intricate and eclectic material make a more varied and enjoyable listen for the ordinary record buyer.

The Mighty Quinn

Ha Ha Said The Clown

Everyday Another Hair Turns Grey

It's So Easy Falling

Big Betty

Cubist Town

Country Dancing

Semi-Detatched Suburban Mr James

The Vicars Daughter

EAch And Every Day

No Better, No Worse

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people..

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record