Man (band)

Man (also known as The Manband) are a Welsh rock band. The group were formed in November 1968 by Micky Jones (guitar and vocals), Deke Leonard (guitar and vocals), Clive John (guitar, keyboards and vocals), Ray Williams (bass guitar) and Jeff Jones (drums), in Merthyr Tydfil, out of previous local band the Bystanders. They were active through to 1976 with an ever-changing personnel, the last line-up consisting of Jones and Leonard with John McKenzie (bass), Terry Williams (drums) and Phil Ryan (keyboards). Amongst others, Martin Ace (guitar and bass) had a significant spell with group.

They released nine studio albums, including the UK charting albums Back into the Future (No. 23), Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics (No. 24) and the live album Maximum Darkness (No. 25). Their musical style is rock encompassing elements of psychedelia and progressive, and they are noted for their extended live improvisations.

The group reformed in 1983 with Jones, Leonard and Ace being joined by new drummer John Weathers. The band remains active, with Ace being the only ever-present member after further personnel changes. They have released a further eight studio albums.

Man evolved out of the Bystanders, a successful close harmony pop group from Merthyr Tydfil who played in numerous club residencies in Wales, often playing at several clubs a night. The Bystanders issued eight singles, including "98.6" (No. 45 in UK Singles Chart in February 1967) which was played in the 2009 film The Boat That Rocked (although Keith's version was the bigger hit, reaching No. 24 in the UK) and "When Jesamine Goes", written by their manager Ronnie Scott and Marty Wilde under the pseudonyms of Frere Manston and Jack Gellar, which was later covered by the Casuals as "Jesamine" and got to No. 2 on the UK chart. They also recorded sessions of cover versions for the BBC, as rules restricting needle time required "live" performances between the records during the 1960s; they became regulars on the Jimmy Young Show, the David Symonds Show and others.

When formed in 1962, the Bystanders included Owen Money, then known as Gerry Braden, but he was replaced by Vic Oakley, giving the classic line-up of Vic Oakley (vocals), Micky Jones (guitar), Clive John a.k.a. Clint Space (keyboards), Ray Williams (bass guitar) and Jeff Jones (drums). By 1968, the other members wanted to change musical direction to a more psychedelic/American west-coast guitar sound, so Oakley left, to be replaced by Deke Leonard, and the band changed its name to Man.

Man were initially signed to Pye Records, for which they recorded their first two albums with John Schroeder producing: Revelation (January 1969), noted for the simulated orgasm on "Erotica", which received a UK ban, and 2 Ozs of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle (September 1969). While mixing the second album, Leonard left and was replaced by Martin Ace from Leonard's previous band, Dream. At this time, Man were recording three demo sessions a week for Leeds Music, including "Down the Dustpipe", which was taught to Status Quo.

Man then toured Europe, predominantly Germany, supporting Chicago, but on the band's return, they were stopped as suspected terrorists, then jailed for drugs offences in Belgium. Leonard then rejoined, but Ace stayed on as a multi-instrumentalist. Shortly after, the bass guitarist Ray Williams and the drummer Jeff Jones were fired, with Terry Williams joining on drums and Ace moving to bass guitar. Leonard, Ace and Terry Williams having been together in Dream, this was seen by some^[who?] as a take-over.

A bootleg of the first gig by this line-up, in October 1970 in Hamburg, was issued as To Live for to Die (recorded 1970, CD issued as The Honest One in 1992 and 1997) and was later re-bootlegged by the band. Despite good reviews in Britain, Two Ounces of Plastic ... was more popular in Germany, so the band spent a year in Germany, where, having to play 4–5 hours a night, most numbers became extended jams.