Autumn 2005 sees the release of the new Guy Manning album "One Small Step..."

Tracks:
1. In Swingtime*
2. Night Voices
3. No Hiding Place
4. The Mexico Line
5. One Small Step (Parts I-VIII)

Musicians:
Guy Manning - Vocals, Keyboards, Acoustic 6 / 12 String and Classical Guitars, Electric Guitars, Bass, Mandolin, Drums and Percussion

Laura Fowles - Sax, Vocals
Gareth Harwood - Lead Electric Guitar
Ian Fairbairn - Fiddle
Rick Ashton - Additional Bass

(...athough other contributions may appear before the final release)

Artwork - Ed Unitsky
Release date : Autumn 2005 on ProgRock Records

Track Info:
1. In Swingtime
Original version was recorded as part of the "Tall Stories.." sessions with Andy Tillison. The new version* is a re-working and is more like the way that the live band has been performing it.
A song about getting older and not being able to do the things we used to do..even though we still think we can..these things are now just out of reach.

2. Night Voices
A song which documents a dream in which a man encounters his recently deceased wife and is able to ask her all the questions he needs to know in order to move on. Set on a bridge in the middle of a magical glade at midnight...

3. No Hiding Place
This was partly inspired by the events in which the Beslan children were held hostage in a school gym in Sept. 2004. We watched on our TVs, helpless as these kids went through it, in fear of their lives..it was a horrible spectacle." I began to wonder whether this was the end of innocence for these children? Had that time/'state of being' now been stolen, never to return or were they able to hang on to it somehow, burying it away inside them until it was over? I also realised that this was the same for all children that have suffered some type of abuse...physical, sexual etc.
So this is a song for all the children going through torment..hold on to your innocence (if you can) and hide it deep inside."

4. The Mexico Line
The main character writes a 'Goodbye' letter to his partner from inside a Mexican Hotel room 'across the border'.

5. One Small Step... (Parts I-VIII)
Easily the most ambitious piece Guy has ever done....
It's length is over 30 minutes and it is mainly an extended Acoustic guitar piece; a suite of songs which follows on from the writings of Roy Harper, Al Stewart and Peter Hammill.
Its' main theme is about the ambition of Man to go off in to space to explore and visit new worlds .. ..even to go on holiday into the galaxy (..people are paying out money now to visit the Moon!)
We do all this without a thought for who we are and what makes us what we are. Are we fit to go off and encounter other races? Had we not better get our own act together before we set off?

Guys' take on this...
"If we are to go off on holiday into space, then as well as packing our swimming trunks....we'd better leave the rest of our baggage behind!"

The artwork is again being provided by Ed Unitsky (Ed has previously provided artwork for The Flower Kings, The Tangent and the last Guy Manning album "A Matter Of Life and Death").
The set of images are wonderful and the conceptual imagination in the accompagning booklet artwork is superb. Ed has again pulled out all the stops!

More information will follow...

So make a date in your diary and be prepared to take that one small step...

http://www.guymanning.com - www.guymanning.com