Graham Clark, Music Features Writer

Album Review: Manfred Mann - The Greatest Hits

MANFRED MANN 5-4-3-2-1 THE GREATEST HITS (DECCA RECORDS)
Catalogue Number 00600753952757

4 Stars


Track listing

1 5-4-3-2-1
2 HUBBLE BUBBLE (TOIL AND TROUBLE)
3 DO WAH DIDDY DIDDY
4 SHA LA LA
5 COME TOMORROW
6 OH NO, NOT MY BABY
7 THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE
8 IF YOU GOTTA GO, GO NOW
9 THERE’S NO LIVING WITHOUT YOUR LOVING
10 PRETTY FLAMINGO
11 YOU GAVE ME SOMEBODY TO LOVE
12 JUST LIKE A WOMAN
13 SEMI-DETACHED SUBURBAN MR. JAMES
14 HA! HA! SAID THE CLOWN
15 SWEET PEA
16 MIGHTY QUINN
17 MY NAME IS JACK
18 FOX ON THE RUN
19 RAGAMUFFIN MAN
20 HANDBAGS AND GLADRAGS (LIVE AT THE BBC/ BONUS TRACK)


Currently on tour as The Manfreds, this new collection brings together the group's big hits of the 1960’s.

It is interesting to hear how their sound developed over the years although the majority of the tracks are very much of their time.

The album title track 5-4-3-2-1 was the theme tune to the TV programme Ready Steady Go! It contains the band’s original bass player Dave Richmond who went on to play on Elton John's Top 40 debut, Daniel.

Pretty Flamingo was Number 1 in May 1966, the track is still one of the group's live favourites to this day. Just Like A Woman is a Bob Dylan composition and was the first track to be released featuring Mike D'Abo after Paul Jones left to pursue a solo career.

Another song that many might not know was written by Bob Dylan is Mighty Quinn, another Number 1 hit, Dylan also wrote If You Gotta Go,Go Now which the band recorded.

My Name Is Jack is still one of my favourite Manfred's tracks, the melody is one of those that is hard to forget.

Their last Top 40 hit Ragamuffin Man concludes the album though as a bonus track there is a live version of Handbags and Gladrags written by Mike D'Abo but not released as a Manfred Mann single. The song was a hit for Chris Farlow though it was Stereophonics who had the biggest hit version of the song in 2001.