After the success of his band Manfred Mann in the Sixties, the man Manfred Mann himself went on to form Manfred Mann's Earth Band in the Seventies. Still with me?
Joybringer, which borrows two melodies from the Jupiter movement of Gustav Holst's suite The Planets, reached no. 9 in the UK singles chart in 1973. I would have heard it under the bedclothes on Radio Luxemburg, where it was probably sandwiched between Nutbush City Limits and My Coo-Ca-Choo.
I can remember liking it then, and today the way that the song makes Holst sound totally at home, even exciting, in his new setting reminds me how talented Manfred Mann has always been.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band is still touring - the only original member now is Mann himself. Meanwhile, The Manfreds – which is a sort of tribute band comprised of former members of the Sixties band Manfred Mann, including both Paul Jones and Mike d'Abo – are touring too.
The singer and guitarist on Joybringer is Mick Rogers, who went on to play with Frank Zappa.
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