Messin'

Messin'
Studio album by
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Released15 June 1973
Recorded1973
StudioMaximum Sound Studios, London
Genre
Length41:16
LabelVertigo (UK original release)
Bronze (UK 1977 reissue)
Polydor (U.S.)
ProducerManfred Mann
Manfred Mann's Earth Band chronology
Glorified Magnified
(1972) 		Messin'
(1973) 		Solar Fire
(1973)
Singles from Messin
  1. "Get Your Rocks Off"
    Released: 20 April 1973 (UK)
  2. "Mardi Gras Day"
    Released: June 1973 (US)[1]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[3]
Creemunrated[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
Melody Makerfavourable[6]
Only Solitaire[7]
Rolling Stonefavourable[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]
Sounds[10]

Messin' is a rock album released in 1973 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.

"Buddah" also appeared on the Vertigo budget sampler double album Suck It and See, along with tracks by then-labelmates Kraftwerk, Jade Warrior and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, amongst others.

The album was produced by Manfred Mann and engineered by John Edwards at Maximum Sound Studios, London in 1973.

For the United States release, the album was re-titled Get Your Rocks Off and the track "Pretty Good" was included in place of "Black and Blue", seemingly because the latter was about slavery and deemed unsuitable for the US market.[11] Both tracks were included on the 1998 re-mastered re-issue. Under this title, the album just barely made the US Billboard 200, spending only two weeks on the charts and peaking at number 196 on June 30, 1973.[12]

UK track listing

Messin'

Side one
  1. "Messin'"[13] (Mike Hugg) – 9:54
  2. "Buddah" (Manfred Mann, Mick Rogers) – 7:01
  3. "Cloudy Eyes" (Mann) – 5:32
Side two
  2. "Get Your Rocks Off" (Bob Dylan) – 2:51
  3. "Sadjoy" (Mann) – 5:20
  4. "Black and Blue" (Chain: Barry Sullivan, Matt Taylor, Phil Manning, Barry Harvey) – 7:21 (6:44 on the 1998 re-issue)
  5. "Mardi Gras Day" (Dr John Creaux) – 3:02
Bonus Tracks (1998 re-issue)
  2. "Pretty Good" (John Prine) – 4:11
  3. "Cloudy Eyes" (single edit) (Mann) – 3:31

US track listing

Get Your Rocks Off

Side one
  1. "Messin'" (Mike Hugg) – 10:00
  2. "Pretty Good" (John Prine) – 4:00
  3. "Sadjoy" (Manfred Mann) – 4:30
Side two
  2. "Get Your Rocks Off" (Bob Dylan) – 3:00
  3. "Buddah" (Mann, Mick Rogers) – 7:00
  4. "Cloudy Eyes" (Mann) – 5:30
  5. "Mardi Gras Day" (Dr John Creaux) – 3:00

Personnel

The Earth Band
Additional musicians
Technical

Charts

Chart (1973) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[14] 196

Sources

  1. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 514.
  2. ^ Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Messin´ (1973) album review by Bruce Eder, credits & releases at AllMusic
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 4 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ Robins, Wayne (August 1973). "Manfred Mann's Earth Band: Get Your Rocks Off". Creem. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). "Manfred Mann's Earth Band". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Groves Dictionaries. pp. 3438–39. ISBN 1-561-59237-4.
  6. ^ C.W. (14 July 1973). "Manfred Mann's Earth Band: Messin'". Melody Maker. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  7. ^ Starostin, George. "Manfred Mann's Earth Band". Only Solitaire.
  8. ^ Holden, Stephen (2 August 1973). "Manfred Mann's Earth Band: Get Your Rocks Off". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  9. ^ Marsh, Dave (1983). "Manfred Mann". In Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2th ed.). Random House. pp. 313–314. ISBN 0-394-72107-1.
  10. ^ Fielder, Hugh (1978). "And he means it, Mann". Sounds. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  11. ^ Robert M Corich, Sleeve notes, Messin' album, 1998
  12. ^ "Billboard 200 - June 30, 1973". Billboard. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  13. ^ this piece is based on the track "Messin' Up the Land", recorded by Manfred Mann's previous line-up Manfred Mann Chapter Three in 1971. The album was shelved before release. So, this track was first released in 2005 as a part of the box set Odds & Sods – Mis-takes & Out-takes. It furthermore quotes from the Chapter Three track "Konekuf", released in 1969 on the debut album of the group.
  14. ^ "Manfred Mann's Earth Band Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2023.