 First album released by the first band Geoff Mann formed after leaving Twelfth Night!
Format: CD / Cat No: WOB01 / Released: 16/06/2023
Track Listing: CD 1: 1. Trumpet Call / 2. Rest Assured / 3. New / 4. Cry Out / 5. His Love / 6. Too Modern / 7. After The Storm / 8. Certainly / 9. Willy Welsh / Cassette Single / 10. Trumpet Call / 11. Too Modern / Live - Recorded At The Witchwood, Ashton-Under-Lyne In July 1988 / 12. His Love / 13. Willy Welsh
CD 2: The Demos : 1. After The Storm / 2. Certainly / 3. Rest Assured / 4. New / 5. Cry Out / 6. His Love / 7. Willy Welsh / 8. Too Modern / 9. Trumpet Cal / LIve - Recorded At Trinity Church, Bolton In August 1987: 10. Rest Assured / 11. After The Storm / Live - Recorded At The Marquee, London In October 1987: 12. New / 13. Certainly
More information: Won By One was the first album released by the first band Geoff Mann formed after leaving Twelfth Night. It was originally released on LP and cassette in 1987, so this is the first time it has been available on CD. All the tracks have been carefully re-mastered by the original recording engineer (and co-producer) Clive Davenport from previously unheard and higher quality master tracks.
To complement the original nine track album, we have added the two tracks originally released as a cassette single. The second disc will contain a full set of demos, also lovingly remastered by Clive, and to round things off a couple of live versions to complete the ‘Definitive Edition’.
The artwork is being updated and expanded by our good friend Spencer Rowbotham. The booklet will contain all of Geoff’s fantastic lyrics, as well as some of Geoff’s artwork, photos, sleeve notes, etc.
Here is some more info on the tracks taken from His Love – the forthcoming biography, courtesy of Andrew Wild and publishers, SonicBond.
The album opens with the forthright, aggressive six-minute ‘Trumpet Call’, ironically described by Geoff as ‘a nice, understated beginning, a bit like King Kong eating New York for breakfast’. The energy is sustained in the driving ‘Rest Assured’ which ends with a wonderful, piercing guitar solo from Dave Mortimer. The song is largely about Geoff’s decision to train for the ministry and how he was positive it was what he was called to do.
‘New’ is a ballad which starts soft and moody. Geoff sings brilliantly and Steve Ridley pumps out two fat saxophone solos. ‘Cry Out‘ is a powerful, angular guitar rocker, described by Geoff as ‘after a good breakfast, Kong baby does some Morris dancing on a crate of nitro-glycerine’. Dave Mortimer again shines.
This is followed by the commanding ‘His Love‘, a gentle ballad with a slow build ending with the lines ‘I’m so grateful for His love, undeserved for me’.
The urgent, powerful ‘Too Modern’ is layered with keyboards and fluid guitar. ‘The large hairy one makes his last appearance banging two battleships together,’ according to Geoff. ‘After The Storm’ is morose and reflective, an almost bluesy track with some wonderful saxophone and guitar work from Steve and Dave and a typically confident lead vocal from Geoff. ‘Certainly’ is another slow song, restrained yet potent, with lovely vocals. This remastered version is the favourite of Clive Davenport.
The masterful ‘Willy Welsh‘ (a spoon Mannerism on the original title ‘Wish You Well’) closes the album. Eight minutes or more of gradual build based around wobble patterns and a single, simple beat, this track has an almost orchestral feel to it, with lots of wobble, great guitar and keyboard stuff, flute, clarinet, sampled voices… sort of ‘Somewhere Here’ meets Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ in a pile up on the M6.
The Bond were a trio in which Geoff was joined by guitarist Dave Mortimer, who had played on his previous two solo albums, and keyboard/saxophone player Steve Ridley. Their first release in 1986 was a cassette single comprising early versions of new songs ‘Too Modern’ and ‘Trumpet Call’. These feature drummer Andy Mason. However, both songs were later re-recorded without him for Won By One, using programmed and real-time drum machines.
This is an official high quality CD-R release.
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