Sometime, way back, there was first this -
Manuel and Geoff Love..are they the same person???
and what followed, back then, was this-
Yes enio otani, they are the same. Geoff Love was also Mandingo too !! He did get around a bit lol
and then, not wanting to be left out, jumping on the bandwagon, getting in on the act, putting my twopence worth in, was this from me -
And the fact he was Mandingo as well - that's new to me.
and that's actually were I left it.
When I was young and listening to the albums my mum and dad had around at the time - yes that's when I got to realise that Geoff Love was also 'Manuel of the Mountains' and apparently appeared on TV a lot (Sunday Night at the Palladium type of thing) - and was just some typically British Ballroom Band Leader (well at the time we were all probably into things like Creedance Clearwater Revival, or some other far removed from Ballroom' or Easy Listening stuff).
Just recently though I came accross these Mandingo albums and 'me lightbulb in me head' thought back to what 'lounge legend' had said and even though it wasn't blatant TV, Movie or Classical - I thought 'what the heck' may as well check it out......
After the initial shock of being blown away I tried to rationalise this by saying to myself "this never came from our little home grown, 'bow-tied' 'play it safe', by the book - ballroom band leader"
How wrong can someone be - so thanks lounge legend for putting the seed of curiousity into my mind
- enjoy (God - how I hate that expression - but it fits)
1973 Mandingo (Geoff Love) - The Primeval Rhythm Of Life
MP3 variable from 241kps to 284kps
Exotica Review 167: Mandingo – The Primeval Rhythm Of Life (1973). Originally published on Jan. 5, 2012 at AmbientExotica.com.
The Primeval Rhythm Of Life is the other debut of the intimidating and tremendously funky Exotica project called Mandingo, released on Capitol Records in 1973, whereas their album Sacrifice of the same year was handed in to the EMI Columbia label. Even though it is valuable to have all four of Mandingo’s original albums, this one is clearly the best for reasons I will synopsize in the final paragraph. In the 70’s, when Exotica slowly deceased, only to be rekindled for a short moment by Nino Nardini’s and Roger Roger’s masterpiece Jungle Obsession in 1971, a short-lived craze about all things Africa took place, as usual Americanized through the eyes of Hollywood, be it the first James Bond flick with Afro-Americans in the spotlight, Live And Let Die of 1973, or the incessant rise of the Funk theme whose tenuous beginnings were already planted in the late 60’s.
One British band leader called Geoff Love (1917–1991) recognized the signs of the time. Having played in Easy Listening bands such as the poetically named Manuel And The Music Of The Mountains before, he decided to go into a totally different direction. With the help of producer Norman Newell (1919–2004), he gathered session musicians around him, got hold of talented song writers and unleashed a highly explosive mixture of exotic drums, gigantic brass layers and electronic devices. While Geoff Love achieved this on every album, it is The Primeval Rhythm Of Life where this concept is brought to life… and then beyond! It is unbelievable how aggressive, hot-tempered, steamy and full-blooded this release is. Mandingo could be the next of kin to the crazy stage persona of Leon Johnson aka Chaino, but are much more versatile due to their manpower. Read more about the ten original takes below, and why the invoked voodoo spell is as strong and convincing now as it was back in the 70’s.
The first track of the debut bakes the band name into its title: Mandingo is the first of two compositions by musical director Brian Fahey and should be famous for the darkest prologue the Exotica genre has ever witnessed! Muffled drums stomp eerily through the pitch-black nothingness, grow louder and become increasingly clearer with each passing second. A tribal bongo and conga placenta is wired around the 4/4 drum beat. Dawn sets in; aqueous marimba droplets and acidic electric guitars change the soundscape into something Mandingo is known for to this day. Funk and Exotica mesh into an intriguing cocktail. The cinematic scope of the song widens, it now presents a wide steppe with frizzling maracas, brass scents, synthetic clangs and plinking particles, letting the opener end on a savage, highly energetic note. What a blast right at the beginning! The drums are downright intimidating, the whole setting full of bile. Mandingo (the song) might get a tad brighter during its course, but remains in murky territories, as Fahey and the session musicians make no compromises.
The following Black Rite is contributed by Tony Page and launches with a euphoric euphony and a sizzling-hot fever. Hammond B3 organs, orchestra bells and brass stabs conflate with wah-wah guitars, a silky lead saxophone and a temple block-interspersed bongo groove. The electric guitar is allowed to flow much more freely in the middle section, with spy theme-evoking Doppler effect legato trumpets accentuating the cymbal-heavy concoction. This is British Big Beat circa 1973! While film scorer Roger Webb’s quirky staccato anthem Medicine Man launches with screeching synthetic two-note sirens and puts the brass players to the forefront for the first time on this album, Tony Osborne’s Jungle Wedding mocks its title by unleashing a hyperventilating drum thicket in close proximity to paradisiac flutes, hammering electric pianos and wonky electric guitars which gleam in a bedazzling fashion. This is the perfect song for jogging. It feels like a whole group of blood-thirsty savages is behind you. Side A closes with Osborne’s second offering Chant Of The Virgins, and even though it launches with an evening dreaminess of polyphonous flutes, croaking guiros, sunset-lit marimbas and electric guitar riffs of the Balearic kind, the rise of the violins and brass sections as well as a further percussion-related complexity boosts the majesty. After a proper full stop, the tempo changes into a car chase frenzy with bone-crushing drums and deeply droning horns. Absolutely wild!
Side B opens with Tony Page’s Sacrifice, a nod to Mandingo’s eponymous debut on the EMI Columbia label of the same year. It is an entirely new track, though, that launches with a mellower set of percussion instruments: maracas, claves and bongos. The ensuing concrete jungle atmosphere full of metropolitan car horn-like brass eruptions and piano rumblings clashes with cacophonous bassoons and farting tubas. Only the drum thicket and the screeching alto flute in the middle and the very end of this song remind of the savage setting. Brian Fahey’s Tiger In The Night surprises with dreamy strings and nocturnal vibraphone droplets. A certain uneasiness and melodrama can never be fend off… and it doesn’t need to, for a rhythmic change allows a roaring tiger and the eclectic drum patterns to electrify the listener. As great the inclusion of the tiger and the wah-wah guitars are, they do not fit with the distinct string setting which is far too melancholic. A rare dud, but nonetheless greatly arranged.
Whereas Tony Osborne’s Black Fire resurrects that Space-Age feeling with chirping laser sounds, synthetic Moog jawbone modulations, mysterious cueca shakers, double bass-backings and further augmentions of this perception thanks to a heart attack-provoking beats full of cyber birds and elastic sound blebs, Roger Webb’s following Moon Goddess launches in the way Black Fire ended, with a Chinese gong that leads to one of the sleazy Lounge themes Mandingo is otherwise known for as well. The drums are in the foreground, but less multifaceted, as the flutes and dark brass tones are in the limelight here. The mood is one of a kind, though: it is expectedly pompous, but also keeps a solemnity and good-natured peacefulness intact which is unexpected. The arrangement of Moon Goddess lives up to the dreamy title. A very good downbeat piece that does not feel like one. The possibly overly shifting outro Pagan Ritual by Tony Osborne reintroduces lava-like organ rivers for the last time and injects them into Spanish brass flourishes, Space-Age slivers, cacophonous warbled flutes, deep pianos and one too many rhythmic shifts. The lacunar structure is by this point tiresome, the melodies feel like foreshadowing devices of mid-90’s video game compositions, but are not memorable enough to catch up.
The Primeval Rhythm Of Life ends on a lackluster note due to its final two tracks, but even those are detailed and intimidating. And the string of eight compositions before them is even better and wilder. This is Mandingo’s wildest album, the session musicians really do not take any hostages, the impetus of the horns, the wrath and voluminosity of the cracking drums as well as the scents of dreaminess delivered by the marimbas and flutes is superb. In contrast to Mandingo’s other three original albums (the fifth one is a Best Of), The Primeval Rhythm Of Life surprises with deliberately horrifying and almost serious compositions. Sure, there are funky wah-wah guitars on here, and flashes of euphony as well as jocular tone sequences and Space-Age sceneries are on board as well, but the mission is clear: coming up with frantic African drum sections and Jericho horns primarily, everything else is of secondary importance.
The coherence is also remarkable, for despite the many rhythmic changes and shedloads of used instruments, the aura of bloodlust and adventure is ubiquitously in the air. If there is one slight problem regarding this release, it is its no-compromise approach, as stated before. There are not that many gossamer moments of tranquility, each track of every composer serves the purpose of transporting the listener into a bestial faux-world of mayhems, mishaps and megalomania. It is truly hard to pick a favorite, and even the two or three ignis fatuus of this album do not crush its pompousness at all. If you are searching for a funky Exotica album that is so wild and frantic that it elbows everything out of its way (except maybe Chaino's Jungle Echoes of 1959), you have found it. Each tune proves to be exquisitely compatible for running or workout playlists. Heck, clean the house while listening to it and a bumfuzzled hodgepodge ensues.
Is it Mandingo’s best album? From a stylistic viewpoint and taking the novelty as well as the overarching verve or esprit into account, by all means: yes! However, their other albums all provide gemstones and �ber-strong hits I do not want to miss, be it the aforementioned Sacrifice (1973), Mandingo III (1974) or Savage Rite (1975), although each of them has its peculiar flaws. These may even turn out to be the better choices if the constant rhythm changes and the hazardous energy are a bit too much. The later albums are decidedly funkier and still exotic enough to consider them equipollent entries in the genre. The Primeval Rhythm Of Life is available on iTunes and Amazon in a remastered version which I deem very great. The remastering process that took place in 1995 has not destroyed anything at all. Go get it if you don’t know it yet!
Tracklist:
A1 Mandingo
A2 Black Rite
A3 Medicine Man
A4 Jungle Wedding
A5 Chant Of The Virgins
B1 Sacrifice
B2 Tiger In The Night
B3 Black Fire
B4 Moon Goddess
B5 Pagan Ritual
http://www.mediafire.com/file/abnav0w5224ialt/928-MGL-TPROL.rar
1977 Mandingo (Geoff Love) - Savage Rite
MP3 320kps
by Dave Henderson, MOJO magazine, 2012:
A strange netherworld filled with rattling bongos, slick strings, wall wall-infused rhythms and searing guitar solos. The original sleeve of Mandingo's fourth album, 1977's 'Savage Rite' reveals little. Other than an image of a scantily clad Afro-sporting female looking into the middle distance, there's little to go on. Track names summon up the exotic but apart from an associate producer credit for Gil King and the line "A Supertunes Production for EMI, produced by Norman Newell", there arc no details at all. The reverse sleeve image smoulders and rereading the song titles; 'Jungle Juice', 'Rebellion' and 'Requiem For A Warrior' merely adds to the intrigue. Who was this strange band and where did they come from?
Sought after on vinyl and commanding a heavy price if you can find it, the album is a real oddity. From the opening bars of 'Manhunter' with its filmic strings, pounding bongos and funky rhythm section, it sounds like a lost piece of Afro-beat-inspired disco, a souped-up version of 'Bongolia' with a scorching guitar rolling out around the two-minute mark. Tags on the internet mention all genres and the sleeve suggests some level of authenticity, but the sound is unique, it's not from some long lost tribe, the moves are too well rounded, the riffs too well organized, the sound just too perfect.
'Wild Man" continues the groove with a 'Shaft'-styled wah wah underpinning an almost Bond-esque sound while that guitar tears into proceedings again. Indeed it's that 007 sound that permeates this whole album that makes it so exciting. It's a larger than life drama played out over pounding drums and exotic percussion from vibraslap to maraca, all held together with a pin sharp funk rhythm. A hint of disco, for sure, but this is a big production.
Side one closer 'Requiem For A Warrior' adds tribal African drums, a fistful of electronic swirls and a brass sound that's more Chicago Transit Authority than Fela Kuti. And, side two's opener 'The Man From Takoradi” continues the sleuth-some sound, while 'Jackal' sounds like a backing track from a Motown ballad with layers of jazz funk strangeness unevenly placed on top with more than a nod to David Axelrod.
'Jungle Juice' turns up the heat in a neo-strip erotica fashion and the closing title track sounds like the chase scene from Live And Let Die. There's voodoo in those rhythms and heady funk in the finish. There's flutes, there's odd noises, it has everything.
Before I came across 'Savage Rite', I'd heard Mandingo's 'Black Rite' on the compilation 'The Sounds Of Monsterism Island' a fantasy collection by artist Pete Fowler that also included Millennium, Martin Denny, The United States Of America, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Silver Apples, Eden Ahbez and Dead Meadow among others. Heady company to be in for sure. But, who were Mandingo? I had to find out more. It seems that, at a time when Osibisa had carved a small niche for themselves in the UK with their funky African rhythms and Roots was being screened on TV, Mandingo were created in an EMI studio to cash in on the interest in African culture, some time around the early 1970s. Knowingly removed from the real thing, Mandingo possessed a contemporary orchestral sound and clever arrangements that were navigated by seasoned composer and bandleader Geoff Love.
A staple'of the easy listening circuit in the 1960s, Love had provided the music for everyone from Shirley Bassey and Mrs Mills to Max Bygraves, while taking a leaf from Mantovani's book by recording a series of albums as Manuel And The Music Of The Mountains. A gifted songwriter and seeming workaholic, Love also made a string of instrumental albums that featured great themes from TV series to movies. And, in doing so, he had the best players at his command. So, when the concept of Mandingo came along they were allowed to break free a little, to flourish on four albums that began with 'The Primeval Rhythm Of Life' in 1973.
By 1977, the concept was in closure but their final hurrah, 'Savage Rite' was to be their masterpiece. The brief had been relaxed somewhat and the juxtaposition of sounds and styles took them to a new place. Just listen to 'The Man From Takoradi' if proof were needed. As punk was exploding, Mandingo were on a wild flyer, making bongo-powered funk that was far removed from the original source idea but no less exotic.
Tracklist:
01. Manhunter (Mike Vickers) - 3:17
02. Wild Man (Roger Webb) - 3:04
03. Arachnid (Brian Fahey) - 2:39
04. King Of The Jungle (Mike Vickers) - 2:56
05. Requiem For A Warrior (Roger Webb) - 4:22
06. The Man From Takoradi (Roger Webb) - 4:05
07. Jackal (Brian Fahey) - 2:49
08. Rebellion (Mike Vickers) - 2:37
09. Jungle Juice (Roger Webb) - 4:17
10.Savage Rite (Mike Vickers) - 2:39
http://www.mediafire.com/file/fcszcrdgzl7m750/929-MGL-SR.rar
The Best Cinema Classics…Ever!
MP3 320kps
Tracklist CD1:
01 Crouch End Festival Chorus/David Temple, City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra/Nic Raine - Zimmer,Gerrard,Badelt - Gladiator- Gladiator Suite Extract
02 City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra/Nic Raine - Desplat - The Girl With the Pearl Earring - Griet's Theme
03 Nikolaj Bloch, Sally Herbert - Newman (T) - American Beauty - Any Other Name
04 City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra/Nic Raine - Shore (H) - Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring - The Fellowship
05 Carol Vaness, Delores Ziegler, Claudio Desderi, London Philharmonic Orchestra/Bernard Haitink - Mozart - Closer - Cosi Fan Tutte, K 588 - Soave Sia Il Vento
06 Craig Armstrong, elements of "Kissing You" (Weekes/Atack) - Armstrong,Hooper,Vries - William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet - Balcony Scene
07 Lesley Garrett, Robin Blaze, London Session Orchestra/ Paul Daniel - Pergolesi - The Talented Mr.Ripley - Stabat Mater - Stabat Mater Dolorosa
08 Christopher Parkening - Tarrega - Sideways - Memories Of The Alhambra
09 Miklos Rozsa: Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra - Horner - Titanic - My Heart Will Go On
10 City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra/Nic Raine - Williams - Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets - Fawkes The Phoenix
11Tasmin Little, New World Philharmonic Orchestra/Iain Sutherland - Williams - Schindler's List - Schindler's List Main Theme
12 The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra/James Fitzpatrick - Kaczmarek - Finding Neverland - Impossible Opening
13 Ron Goodwin & His Orchestra - Vangelis - Chariots Of Fire - Chariots Of Fire Main Theme
14 Michael Nyman - Nyman - The Piano - The Heart Asks Pleasure First The Promise
15 City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra/Nic Raine - Barry - You Only Live Twice - You Only Live Twice Main Theme
16 Ennio Morricone - Morricone - The Mission - Gabriel's Oboe
17 Brian Eno - Eno - Traffic - An Ending Ascent
18 Lenka Pecharova, The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra/James Fitzpatrick - Debney - The Passion Of Christ - Resurrection
19 Ennio Morricone and his Orchestra - Morricone - Once Upon A Time In The West - The Man With The Harmonica
20 Geoff Love and His Orchestra - Williams - Star Wars - Star Wars Main Theme
CD 1
http://www.mediafire.com/file/2bsefvg587l2abx/930a-TBCCE1.rar
Tracklist CD2:
01 Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields/Neville Marriner - Handel - Four Weddings And A Funeral - Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba (Solomon)
02 Philadelphia Orchestra/Wolfgang Sawallisch - Bach (J.S) - The Aviator - Fugue (From Toccata And Fugue In D Minor BWV 565)
03 City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Crouch End Festival Chorus/Paul Bateman - Williams - Saving Private Ryan - Hymn To The Fallen
04 Angela Gheorghiu, Chorus of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London Symphony Orchestra/Evelino Pido - Bellini - The Bridges of Madison County - Casta Diva (Norma)
05 Manuel Barrueco, Steve Morse - Myers - The Deer Hunter - Cavatina
06 Mikhail Rudy, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra/Mariss Jansons - Rachmaninov - Shine -Piano Concerto No.3 In D Minor, Op.30 - Allegro Ma Non Tanto (opening)
07 City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra/Nic Raine - Newman - Lemony Snickert's A Series OF Unfortunate Events - The Letter That Never Came
08 Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Herbert von Karajan - Schubert - Minority Report - Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony -1.Allegro Moderato (opening)
09 London Philharmonic Orchestra/Adrian Boult - Williams - Master and Commander - The FAR Side OF THE World - Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis (opening)
10 Ann Queffelec - Satie - What Lies Beneath - Gymnopedies - 1. Lent Et Douloureux
11 Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy - Barber - Adagio For Strings, Op. 11
12 Martha Argerich - Chopin - The Truman Show - Piano Concerto No.1 In E Minor op.11-II.Romance:Larghetto(opening)
13 Northern Sinfonia/Richard Hickox - Elgar - Vera Drake - Salut D'Amour, Op. 12
14 Ron Goodwin And His Orchestra - Williams - E.T. - E.T. Main Theme
15 Wayne Marshall, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle - Gershwin - Manhattan - Rhapsody In Blue jazzband version - opening
16 City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra/Nic Raine - Giacchino - The Incredibles - Overture (Road Trip,The Glory Days)
17 Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra/Mariss Jansons - Wagner - Apocalypse Now - The Ride Of The Valkyries (Die Walkure)
CD 2 (with scans)
http://www.mediafire.com/file/7ekihan81ae77ha/930b-TBCCE2.rar
1978 Mandingo (Geoff Love) - Tiger tn The Night
MP3 320kps
Apparently there were only 4 Mandigo albums (unless I stand corrected, hopefully)
and the following post is just a compilation of these:
The other remaining albums are
'Sacrifice and Mandingo III' - if anyone can help with posting these - would be great...
Tracklist:
01 - black rite
02 - jungle juice
03 - war dance
04 - sacrifice
05 - kiss of death
06 - uomo
07 - the man from takoradi
08 - chant of the virgins
09 - manhunter
10 - tiger in the night
11 - sacrifice to the sun
12 - jungle wedding
http://www.mediafire.com/file/hhpg24d2drk8kfl/931-MGL-TITN.rar
