Beginnings 1962—1963
The Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers (as the band were originally called) were formed in London in December 1962 by keyboard player Manfred Mann and drummer/vibes player Mike Hugg. Born out of the British blues boom then sweeping London's clubs (which also spawned such luminaries as The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds), the band were completed by Mike Vickers on lead guitar, Dave Richmond on bass, and Paul Jones fronting as lead vocalist and harmonica player. Gigging constantly throughout late 1962 and early 1963, the band soon attracted attention for their distinctive sound propelled by Mann's keyboards, Jones' soulful vocals and an occasional horn section.
Manfred Mann's Cock-A-Hoop (1964)
The group signed to HMV Records in March 1963 after a change of name to Manfred Mann (at the suggestion of their label's producer), and debuted in July of that year with the jazzy instrumental single "Why Should We Not?", which failed to chart, as did the follow up (with vocals this time), "Cock-A-Hoop"
Early success 1964—1965
Groovin' with Manfred Mann EP (1964)
In 1964 the group were asked to provide a new theme tune for the ITV pop music TV series Ready Steady Go!. They responded with the energetic "5-4-3-2-1" which, with the help of weekly TV exposure, rose to No.5 in the UK charts. It was shortly after "5-4-3-2-1" was recorded that Richmond left the band, being replaced by Tom McGuinness - the first of many line-up changes. After a further self-penned hit ("Hubble Bubble (Toil And Trouble)") the band struck gold with "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", a cover of a minor hit earlier that year by The Exciters. The track, which showcased Jones' powerful singing, reached the top of both the UK and US charts (The Exciters version had only charted #78 in the US).
During 1965 the group continued to have hits with both self-penned and cover material, their sound increasingly moving away from the blues-based music of their early years to a highly successful pop-soul hybrid. Notably the group began to have success with interpretations of Bob Dylan songs, including "With God On Our Side" as a track on a best-selling EP.
The One In the Middle EP (1965)
They also reached No.2 in the UK with the controversial "If You Gotta Go, Go Now", which was banned or edited by a number of TV and radio stations. Prior to this latter release, Paul Jones announced his intention to quit the band for a solo career once a replacement could be found.
The Mike d'Abo years 1966—1969
Jones stayed with the band for one more year, during which time Mike Vickers was replaced by Jack Bruce of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (long enough to play bass on the band's second UK No.1 single "Pretty Flamingo"). Jones was eventually replaced by Mike d'Abo - among those on the shortlist was Rod Stewart - and this was one of the few occasions when a band has successfully swapped lead singers and remained at the top. Jack Bruce left to form Cream and was replaced by Klaus Voorman (a longtime Beatles associate), with McGuinness moving to guitar. To complete the changes, the group switched labels to Fontana Records.
With d'Abo as vocalist, the group pursued a softer acoustic pop sound, with a tinge of Dylanesque social comment and surrealism in the lyrics. Their first Fontana Records single was in fact a Dylan cover, "Just Like A Woman", and the group went on to score their biggest hit for two years with a cover of his "Mighty Quinn".
Frustrated with the limitations and image of being seen purely as a hit singles band (their last two albums failed to chart), the group split in 1969.
1970s and on— Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Mann went on to write advertising jingles after the group's demise, but still continued to work in the group format. Initially he formed Manfred Mann Chapter Three (with Mike Hugg), an experimental jazz rock band, described by Mann as an over reaction to the hit factory of the Manfred Mann group. This was, however, short lived and by 1971 they had disbanded and Mann had formed a new group, Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
For further details, see Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
5-4-3-2-1 The Manfreds (1998)
1990s and on—The Manfreds
In the 1990s, most of the original 1960s line-up reformed as The Manfreds, minus Manfred Mann himself (hence the name), playing most of the old 1960s hits and a few jazz instrumentals, sometimes with both Paul Jones and Mike d'Abo fronting the line-up.
At the same time Jones and Tom McGuinness (McGuinness formed McGuinness Flint in 1970, but they disbanded in 1975) have been mainstays of The Blues Band (which they helped form in 1978).
The Mighty Quinn
Manfred Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Everybody's building ships and boats
Some are building monuments
Others jotting down notes
Every girl and boy
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here
Everybody's gonna jump for joy
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
I like to go just like the rest, I like my sugar sweet
But jumping queues and making haste
Just ain't my cup of meat
Everyone's beneath the trees feeding pigeons on a limb
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here
All the pigeons gonna run to him
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Let me do what I wanna do, I can't decide 'em all
Just tell me where to put 'em and I'll tell you who to call
Nobody can get no sleep, there's someone on everyone's toes
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, everybody's gonna wanna doze
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
The Mighty Quinn by Manfred Mann is a song that tells the story of a person who is revered and celebrated by everyone. The song begins with an invitation to everyone: “Come all without, come all within.” The person being celebrated is Quinn, also known as “Quinn the Eskimo,” and he is described as someone who is unlike anyone else, “You’ll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.” The song goes on to describe how everyone is busy doing different things - building ships and boats, building monuments, jotting down notes, and being in despair. But when Quinn arrives, everybody is going to jump for joy.
The song then shifts to a more personal tone as the singer describes himself. He is someone who likes to go with the flow, but he doesn’t like jumping queues and making haste just to get ahead. The singer then observes that everyone is busy feeding pigeons, but when Quinn arrives, all the pigeons are going to run to him. The song ends with the singer requesting some autonomy and asking to be told where to put things, and he’ll tell you who to call. Finally, he says that nobody can get any sleep, but when Quinn gets there, everybody’s going to want to doze off.
Line by Line Meaning
Come all without, come all within
Everyone is welcome, both those who are outside and those who are inside this story/situation.
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Quinn is a unique individual who is unlike anyone else and who will bring something special to this situation.
Everybody's building ships and boats
Some are building monuments
Others jotting down notes
Everybody's in despair
Every girl and boy
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here
Everybody's gonna jump for joy
People are busying themselves with various activities, but they are all unhappy and without hope. However, when Quinn arrives, everyone will become joyous and happy.
I like to go just like the rest, I like my sugar sweet
But jumping queues and making haste
Just ain't my cup of meat
Everyone's beneath the trees feeding pigeons on a limb
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here
All the pigeons gonna run to him
The artist is like everyone else in some ways, but does not like to rush or be pushed around. Everyone is relaxing and feeding birds, but when Quinn arrives, they will all stop and pay attention to him.
Let me do what I wanna do, I can't decide 'em all
Just tell me where to put 'em and I'll tell you who to call
Nobody can get no sleep, there's someone on everyone's toes
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, everybody's gonna wanna doze
The artist wants to be able to make some decisions, but is willing to take direction. Everyone is stressed and unable to sleep until Quinn arrives, when they will all be able to relax.
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Again, everyone is welcome and Quinn is one-of-a-kind and unique.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
nanlisa
I was only ten when this song was first out. I still love it forty-six years later. 1968, just like the rest of the 60's, had the best music ever! Give me this instead of all the junk that's out today. Thank God I'm not a 21st Century kid!
Lorraine Dalu
nanlisa
This makes us the same age. and I also am thankful to have grown up with the best music of all time. Today's kids have NOTHING.
Gary Pender
nanlisa Me too!
Gary Twitchett
I was 11 yrs old, & I concur. The other Great Songs of the time were "Xanadu" Dave Dee & Co , "Everlasting Love" Love Affair , "Rosie" Don Partridge , "Jennifer Juniper" Donovan , "Delilah" Tom Jones". I still Love 'em all 50 yrs down the line.
Ken Welckle
This is music. That had passion, heart period.
Lar
Not even a pandemic can dampen my love for the music of the 60's.
Bob Lewis
As a ten year old I discovered this song and 54 years later, still love it! Rock On!
Steve Mack
Late winter early spring 1968...still sounds amazing 50 years on!
Bob.
This song means a lot to us of the QUINN CLAN I've had the 45 record now for 48yrs and all my children know the words by heart thanks Mike from Robert Quinn
MrSonicAdvance
Amazing recording! Never heard it better. :-)