MANNERISMS - A CELEBRATION OF THE MUSIC OF GEOFF MANN

On 5th February 1993, the Rev. Edmund Geoffrey Mann B.A. (Hons) passed away, suffering from cancer of the colon. He was only 36 years old. To say that both his life and death affected many people is something of an understatement. Many people (myself included) feel that Twelfth Night were one of the greatest ever prog bands and that with Geoff as lyricist and lead singer they produced one of the classic studio albums of all time in 'Fact and Fiction'.

When Geoff died I contacted many people and asked for their thoughts, attempting to turn #17 into a tribute. Peter Nicholls (IQ) had this to say at the time. "I can't believe it's happened. I can't begin to understand why such a courageous and compassionate person as Geoff should be taken from us. I can't make any sense of it at all. Anyone who knew Geoff, whether it was for five minutes or five years, was touched by him, by his creative energy, his humanity, his zest for life. It was impossible not to be swept along by his boundless enthusiasm. He put people instantly at ease with his honesty and approachability. Whatever the gift is, Geoff had it. I never heard anyone say a bad thing about him. Everyone who knew him liked him. That in itself is quite an achievement. I miss hearing Geoff's laugh, I miss his warmth, his friendship, I miss him popping around for a cup of tea, I miss his smile and his sense of humour, I miss his voice, I miss seeing him play live, I miss him being dotty over a new CD. There's so much I miss about him and I'm not alone because he really did touch so many people's lives. He was a rare and special man, an inspiration to us all."

A decision was taken for bands that had worked with Geoff to perform on a tribute CD, with each album allowed one song (apart from 'Fact' which produced two). Peter Nicholls turned up in various guises, most notably on the IQ version of "Apathetic and Here, I". This is probably the version that Geoff would have enjoyed most as they took a short number and made it an epic. Galahad attempted to capture the raw energy of the Twelfth Night opener "The Ceiling Speaks" and managed to inject a strong keyboard element into what was originally a guitar-dominated song. Twelfth Night even reformed for a passionate "Piccadilly Square", but to my ears the band that dominates proceedings, hearing it again after all these years, is Jadis with "Never Mind". They turn the song into one of their own, unlike Pendragon who fall down badly on the bass solo in "Human Being".

Now re-released on Verglas, this is the same as the SI album, apart from the fact that this version is readily available. A great booklet, a fitting tribute to a man, who according to Andy Labrow "was just like any other ordinary man who performed at Reading Festival, featured on Radio 1, became a vicar, wrote and performed plays, had major exhibitions of paintings, released 15 albums, appeared on national TV and wrote a book. He also found time to be a loving husband, and father of three children". Perhaps the final words on Geoff should go to Peter Labrow "How can someone who left so much of worth also leave such a void?"

Originally appeared in Feedback #62, May 01