And today it's Deke Leonard from Man. #wtf
http://www.dekeleonard.com/
And today it's Deke Leonard from Man. #wtf
http://www.dekeleonard.com/
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
wow
coming in at a real fast pace in the last week or so
RIP Deke
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
RIP Deke.
Oh no. Now both of those magic fingermen of the Man band are gone, then.
Leonard was a fine guitarist and singer (his voice was actually quite distinct, although not as bizarre as M. Jones'), but I suppose his true forté was as showman and storyteller; his biography on the Manband is arguably the single most entertaining rock chronicle I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The guy had an unmistakenly stingy wit donning loads of gritty gallow's humour rendering the narrative an element of humane universalism which even the Spinal Tap could only have dreamt of outdoing, yet he was additionally a surprisingly observant and analytically conscious communicator in regard to social and political factors inherent.
Another sad loss.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
RIP, what an eloquent tribute.Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor
Is there a good compilation or album you could point me to?
It seems like bands like this got little exposure in the States.
I read a few chapters of his book about Welsh guitarists or whatever it is, and it was indeed very funny. I also like Man although I have yet to listen to some of their key releases.
RIP, Deke.
RIP Deke.
It was only a couple of months ago that I saw Deke guesting with Son Of Man (the band of Micky's son George and the guys from Sassafras). Yes, he looked a bit frail, but no different to when I've seen him in the last few years. His witty comments, and especially his guitar playing, were as powerful and distinctive as ever.
Sounds like he was quite the character. RIP, Deke.
Rest in peace, Deke.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
This is a terribly sad one too, and as has already been pointed out he joins his wonderful guitar partner in that Manband of the heavens. I also heartily recommend his history of the band to any afficionado of the rock biography, it's a classic. I also read the slimmer volume on Welsh guitarists, but it is not essential in the same way.
As far as a compilation, try the Keep On Crinting double CD set, it covers the bases well.
RIP Deke.
Oh shit, this hurts. I have seen Deke live with Man in London back in 2004 – what a wonderful show that was.
Commercially, they were at the 'almost but not quite' level...One of the best bands never to make it into the really big time, I think, and certainly my favourite Welsh band of that period. Never really liked the debut Revelation, 2 Ozs is a huge leap in quality. The first three/four Man studio albums are all a little patchy, IMHO- the sound of a band searching for a direction and occasionally finding it. After that they nailed it. 'Life On The Road' isn't a particularly great track in itself, just another blues shuffle, but the jam at the end does liven it up somewhat. The 'siren' ending also brings the album to a close fairly well.
Last edited by JJ88; 04-18-2017 at 03:37 AM.
Man were absolutely seminal in championing the "jam band style" in the UK, heavily influenced by Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Grateful Dead, (early) Steve Miller Band, Moby Grape et al. - in other words mainly US west coast artists. There was a significant post-psych underground scene durin the period 1970-75 where this kinda thing was channelled (and eventually would turn into pub-rock) and even to some appeal (the were pretty dominant at the first two Glastonbury festivals, for instance), sporting groups like Quiver, Brinsley Schwarz, Cochise, Gypsy, Help Yourself, Gentle Fire, Skin Alley, Global Village Trucking Co., Quintessence and many more - though none of them were as shamelessly "progressive" as Man.
They were particularly famous for pionéering the double-guitar setup, not as an inroad to anything "metallic" but as a layering of texture and colour much in line with their US compatriots. The first two Wishbone Ash albums are notably informed by Man, even Tony Iommi (of Black Sabbath) has acknowledged their relevance.
Try Back Into the Future from 1973 for starters; originally a 2LP set, it features a studio AND a live album displaying their incredible fire and chemistry - albeit actually without Deke Leonard, as he had his own project called Iceberg at this point. Some of Leonard's best and most lyrical guitar playing with Man (in the studio) can be found on Rhinos Winos and Lunatics from 1974. My personal fave of their extensive discog is still Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In? from 1971, including some dreamy acid rock workouts and deranged arrangements galores.
Go get 'em.
This is Leonard with the ubiquitous spectacles here:
Last edited by Scrotum Scissor; 02-01-2017 at 12:14 PM.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Oh no. I have so many great memories of Man live. Deke was a legend.
For anybody that's looking for an introduction to Man, I can't think of a better place than Esoteric's expanded version of Live At The Padget Rooms, Penarth which features a stripped back four-piece line-up from just before Deke left for the first time.
Big fan of the early ones, in particular Man (1971)
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
Got into Man through Nektar. Always enjoyed hearing them. Is the biography you are referring to titled Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics: The legend of Man - a rock 'n'roll band? I was hoping to pick it up, but the cheapest used price was 65$.
RIP, there are enough great musicians up there to start a good band!
RIP Deke, another legend lost, hope you meet up with Mickey soon.
Just settling down to watch deke in his prime on the live at the marquee DVD. I had a tv recording of part of this gig that I must have watched 100's of times when I was 16. GRowing up in Swansea Man had legendary status for me so this is such bad news.
There are lots of great studio albums like rhino's but it's the live albums where they are on fire. Back to the future of course gives you both studio and live, and maximum darkness is a great guitar album.
If you haven't read any of Deke's books you really must, I think they are all readily available as ebooks. In his book about Welsh guitarists- the part about Mickey Jones, his illness and death is incredibly moving, it would be nice if someone could do the same for Deke.
That's the one, it is a great read but at that price perhaps a bit steep. Might be on kindle though, the Welsh guitarists book definitely is, as I picked that up pretty cheaply.
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If this was a just world, Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In? would have been a number one album. As it is, Many Are Called, But Few Get Up is the Stairway to Heaven of the underground. Deke Leonard's Iceberg were almost identical to Man and the 717155I track is another standout track for me.
As has already been mentioned, Man did not always capture their live energy on the studio albums, so their BBC In Concert and radio sessions are among their best work. I hope the BBC will see fit to release this material before I pop my clogs.
Member since Wednesday 09.09.09
A most eloquent slice of instrumental British acid rock/whatever from '69 is this, from Man's second album (2 Ozs of Plastic With a Hole In the Middle), second at that IMO only to Floyd's Ummagumma of the same year. This goes through all the phases of a simulated trip, with those fascinating jangly guitars underneath the piccolo whistle and a carpet of cymbals alluding wind and weather, howling gulls and the lot - and then there's sudden "stiffness" in a distorted ostinato leading into that tune of total tranquility with female whispers. This is truly psychedelic mastery if there ever was any:
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
RIP
Quite the case, which also mirrors their onetime close alignment with the similarly destined (though musically rather different) Hawkwind, with whom they traveled and appeared on numerous bills altogether, especially on the free-festival circuit. They did some of the same with Nektar in W. Germany, of course.
They also went on a brief yet semi-infamous "freakapalooza" (in '74 or '75, I can't quite recall) with brethren Hawks and the Edgar Broughton Band, plus Gong, Henry Cow and Magma (!), rotating stage appearances in a three-a-night concert schedule of the Benelux and Switz (I think). No matter the near-grotesque disparate stewing of that lot, this must have been a tour to behold.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Another freakin' stormer- Spunk Rock from Greasy Truckers
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
This is what John Pugwash Weathers wrote...
As you've already heard yet another bandmate of mine has sadly passed
> and I'd just like to take a moment to tell you that this man, whom I'd
> known since 1963 and roomed with during my 13 years with the Manband
> was one of the nicest guys I ever met. Charming, funny and a great
> devotee of the Rock-n-Roll lifestyle. Certainly a one off and I shall
> miss him greatly.
Dave Sr.
I prefer Nature to Human Nature
Dang, Loved his work with Man and solo stuff, I wonder if I still have Iceberg?
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