Man – Revelation
The sad death from a brain tumour of Man guitarist and vocalist Micky Jones, back in March, sees us revisiting the band’s 1969 pleasingly psychedelic debut Revelation.
Liberally laced with Hammond organ and scorching guitar abuse, Revelation is a throbbing blend of West-Coast style acid rock and crunching Ladbroke Grove freakouts, channelled through the rolling valleys of the Brecon Beacons and delivered courtesy of Wales’ finest.
‘And In the Beginning…..’ applies the jump leads to the still beating heart of previous incarnation The Bystanders (responsible for psych classic ‘Cave of Clear Light’) with its biblical flavoured dawning of Man, giving way to a triumvirate of deep-fried psychedelic tripping in ‘Sudden Life’, ‘Empty Room’ and the largely instrumental ‘Puella! Puella! (Woman! Woman!)’.
‘Love’ puts the brakes on proceedings, dare I say, sounding a little out of place amidst the scorching riffs and raucous happenings elsewhere, before the simulated female orgasm and all round seediness of ‘Erotica’ kicks in, a song that, when issued as a single in 1969, was roundly banned throughout the UK.
With the bouncy boogie-woogie piano of ‘Blind Man’ taking us into the final straight, it’s a melting pot of acid-chewing soundscapes and apocalyptic effects that lead up to ‘The Future Hides its Face’, an alternative reprise of the opening track.
A concept album of sorts, telling the story of Man’s journey through life or some such, Revelation is a joy to behold. Hardcore, unforgiving psychedelic rock, char-grilled on a bed of spaced-out lyrics and ideas, this is possibly Man’s tightest offering, remaining more focused than their later (albeit, still great) progressive/acid rock outings.
The Esoteric reissue boasts four bonus tracks, including all the single mixes released from the original album and a previously unreleased instrumental of ‘Erotica’.
The 2009 reissue of Revelation by Man is available to buy from Amazon.co.uk
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