Mannerisms: The Five Phases of Manfred Mann by Greg Russo
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Book Reviews of Mannerisms: The Five Phases of Manfred Mann
Book Review: Stunning detail. Very informative and factual. Great!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was long overdue. A brilliant tribute payed to one of the most inovative and creative bands to emerge from the 60's Rock/Jazz/Blues boom. The detail is wonderful. Information on record sleeves Lp's,Ep's & 45's is a wealth of information alone, plus all the chronological info. and individual band members activities both pre and post Manfred Mann. A wonderful, spell binding and amazing read. This one is a must.Book Review: A good read
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a good primer for the Manfred Mann novice. Its full of informative tid bits and writtin in yeoman style. Photograph reproduction should be better and would make for a more serious addition to rock and roll literature. The biggest problem here is the publishers willingness to allow some of the worst layouts ANY publication will ever see. The reader is constantly taxed to put sentences together with photographs inserted in between the copy. This is editing 101 stuff, and should have never been allowed to go to print with such rookie mistakes in layout. It actually causes the reader to skip over copy so as to not get a headache trying to line up sentences between photographs. This may not sound like much now, but wait till you try and read this abomination of copy editing. Endnotes are not assembled with much forthought and is confusing to the reader who may like to pore over the back pages for facts and references. This is important because this is just the type of book that a fan (like myself)would wish to study for interesting facts in the book's back pages. I'll give it an A+ for effort, but as a major release for ANY publication this book is put together like a junior high school student was at the helm.Book Review: An OK overview of Mann and the MMEB
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this with excitement - but the content is less than expected. I applaud the guy who wrote it - someone finally wrote a book on Mann! But his material lacks depth, staying to a general history of the band and discography without too many details or personal histories. The text is spread painfully thin on many pages (as a graphic designer, I winced at how bad the layout is). I recommend this book for anyone yearning for info on Mann and the MMEB. But if you want to know the details - for example, where did the lyrics of 'Fat Nelly' come from or what inspired them? When and where did the band tour? Any tour anecdotes? Any personal reflections by Mann (or his present or former bandmates) on his career other than general platitudes?Book Review: Don't Bother
Summary: 2 Stars
Much like Greg's Yardbird's book, this documentation on Mafred Mann is fundematally weak. Greg' prose, dare I call it that, is farily pedantic. This work is purley a catalogue of vinyl releases without any real insight into the creative process behind the music.It is sad that there has not been a real book about this band - becasue this is NOT it!
Book Review: Ill Mannered
Summary: 1 Stars
There is little doubt that Manfred Mann's various incarnations deserve a book. There is also little doubt that it could be a good book. This, however, is not it. It is little more than an annotated discography, and as such is good. As a biography, history of the band it is of little use. It quickly becomes little more than a list of records, dates and chart placing. I saw Manfred Mann in Australia in the early 60s and they were sensational live. No mention of this tour in the book. In fact the Paul Jones era is over by page 39! apart from discographies.
Until someone comes along who can write well, research more than record listings and put it all together, we are still waiting for a biography of Manfred Mann.