manfred mann " ragamuffin man " 2020 new stereo mix...

manfred mann " ragamuffin man " mono to stereo mix 2...
Another band who split up at their peak, in fact while this single was in the top 10.

Manfred Mann had been remarkably consistent since their breakthrough. Just two of their singles had failed to chart and most of the ones that did went into the Top 10. They had managed to ride personnel changes in 1965-66. First guitarist Mike Vickers left ; Tom McGuinness switched to guitar and his bass slot was filled briefly by Jack Bruce and then Klaus Voorman. Then Paul Jones quit to pursue a solo career. Not many thought they would be able to prosper without their pin-up frontman but they replaced him with the unknown Mike D'Abo, almost as pretty , with a smoother but less distinctive voice and some songwriting nous , and confounded their critics by maintaining their position. In fact they were the first band to successfully replace a popular well-established lead singer and not too many have pulled off the trick since.

They flourished through a single-minded devotion to the music, which was why Vickers and Jones's extracurricular ambitions could not be accommodated, and judicious song choices. "Ragamuffin Man" written by Mitch Murray and Pete Callendar is well up to standard. It's lush late sixties pop , an interesting song addressed to a young rich boy slumming it, brimming with hooks like the little harpsichord flourishes and a rousing chorus where the lads are joined by some unidentified females to make it even stronger.

This all makes the decision to split still rather mysterious. Manfred Mann ( the guy ) said in 2011 "We weren't making great records . Some things come to a natural end" . It's difficult to identify which songs he was meaning. I think in his case , it was just the jazz musician's desire to escape the pop straitjacket and do something else.