Manny Charlton Band Classic Grand Glasgow Saturday 11th March 2017 the ‘Home Coming Tour’ with (gues

Manny Charlton Band Classic Grand Glasgow Saturday 11th March 2017 the ‘Home Coming Tour’ with (guests) Anchor Lane

It is fantastic to see Manny Charlton back in Glasgow after so many years as part of a 3 date ‘Home Coming Tour’ of Scotland which for many might be the last for us to able to see and pay tribute to one of Scotland greatest adopted sons of Rock n’ Roll. Manny himself born in Spain in July 1941 (he’s now 75 years old) immigrated with his parents to Scotland in the 1960’s and took up residence in Dunfermline. Manny is most known for his tenure in probably Scotland’s greatest ever Rock and Roll outfit, Nazareth. Between 1968 and 1990 Manny played a huge part in Nazareth's worldwide success, his gritty bluesy style of playing combined with Dan McCafferty's vocals, first came to the attention of a wider rock audiences when Nazareth toured in 1971 as the opening act for Deep Purple’, by 1973; they were headlining their own shows.

Charlton also became the band's producer for many years, succeeding Deep Purple's Roger Glover, where his flair for being able to identify a great hook or spot a song to do as a cover version and ability to arrange became apparent and much sought after in later years by non-other than Guns n’ Roses; who wanted Manny Charlton to produce Appetite for Destruction! Axl & Slash being massive fans of Nazareth themselves for many years and still are, told, GnR’s record label Geffen Records they wanted Manny and after the call was put in, he did produce several yet unreleased performances recorded at Sound City in Los Angles back in June 1986. However, after the initial work (sessions yet to see the light of day), Nazareth duties were pressing for Charlton to return to Europe and Guns n’ Roses eventually hired Mike Clink to produce the album.

Since leaving Nazareth in 1990, Manny Charlton has gone on to major critical acclaim for solo work and contribution for other artist and projects from such things as a cassette tape sent to Joe Romero co-founder of id Software the creator of Doom, featuring an untitled song that later Romero titled "Blood on the Walls" he who would later find this tape and record it to mp3, providing it for free on his website; the song was actually titled "Doom" from Charlton's album Drool. In 2004 Manny Charlton released a critically acclaimed solo album Say The Word on the Scottish label River Records Most notably known for bring the great Radio Clyde Mobile 2 recordings of the old Glasgow Apollo back to life! In 2014, Charlton's solo albums "Sharp" and "Sharp Re-Loaded" were issued as a double CD. Neil Jefferies then of Classic Rock Magazine commended Manny Charlton's production citing it as ” a truly gifted arranger." In particular for his quissi - reggae version of Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along the Watch Tower’.

So what about tonight’s gig, if I can put it into context with the last time that I saw Manny Charlton, it might frame the scene in a more vivid light comparing my last abiding memory of Manny when with Nazareth he played at the old Heathery Bar in Wishaw, in the mid 1980’s after Nazareth released The Catch album. At that time the band now back down to the original four piece set up after both Billy Rankin guitar and John Locke keyboards had departed after the 2XS studio album and Snaz live album era, had set about bickering on stage, arguing with the audience about what numbers to play and then blowing the roof of the place with a thunderous gig, played with bite, venom and the renowned snarl of Dan McCaffertys vocals; as if their very lives and careers depended on it. I was right down the front right hand corner of the stage that night, a gig I will and have never forgotten.

With that memory seared into my mind tonight and on a last minute take up of a ticket for tonight’s performance, the best part of 30 years later, we get a virtually empty venue, lack of publicity in advance that seemed left to the last minute, meaning that due to a very busy weekend of gigs throughout the Glasgow area, the troops were very thin on the ground for tonight’s gig; in fact most of those present seemed to be friends and family of the local support band. I managed to arrive about 3 numbers before the end of local support band Anchor Lane set but just on the E.P size glimpse of these young guys you know with the right management and production they are destined for bigger things, the Sabbath style, the dustbin riffs, the quality of material of these young men is staggering, the legacy of the riff meister general has obviously been indelibly stamped on this generation just as much as it had been on the generations and legion of Sabbath fans that have gone before. I am sure Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler if they got to hear of their riff in-juiced offspring would if asked; love to get involved to produce and promote such mercurial talent. Watch out Mason Hill and Eden’s Curse these young upstarts are after your throne and growing up fast, very fast indeed!

Then all of a sudden no pomp no circumstance The Manny Charlton Band amble on, fairly early for a headliner (ok Manny is 75) and despite the atmosphere being akin at a sparsely populated rehearsal space, with booze, bar and lights thrown in for good measure, they crack up the volume. By the second number in Nazareth’s ‘Razamanaz’, the landing gears up and the afterburners have kicked showcasing the quality of Manny’s Band including Kevin Wilson (second guitar), Kenny McCabe (drums) and Pete Nicol (bass) but especially throughout the gig, the quick wit and bit of banter from our front man Linton Osborne (who had a short stint in Nazareth), as a resident Nessun Dorma tribute act he might have even cut the muster but his one liners and quips through the set announcing ‘‘If you have requests keep them to yourselves’’ and ‘’Manny loves coming back to Scotland for his Tea and Tesco Battenberg cake’’ plus a quick jib at the venues excellent soundman, explaining to the engineer that no matter how good he is ‘’your still not getting paid more than national minimum wage’’; endeared him to the Glaswegian audience. As part of the set we get a number of Manny’s own solo career numbers, including ‘This Month’s Messiah' (originally on Nazareth’s The Catch album), ‘Family’, 'Changing Times' and ‘Sleep’. We get a great version of Nazareth’s ‘Boys in The Band’ from 2XS; where by this time everyone wondering where we go next? The answer a skonker of a version of Nazareth’s ‘Expect No Mercy’, when finished not only am I impressed but so is everyone else in the venue; by virtue of rapturous applause! To hear great versions as well of ‘This Flight Tonight’ and ‘Hearts Grown Cold’ was magic to my ears, old favourites dusted down one last time and still in the hands of Manny and his excellent band sounding brilliant. With a set that should have been recorded for a live album or DVD, especially the smouldering versions of Nazareth’s set finale of 'Hair of The Dog' and rabble rousing encore number 'Bad, Bad Boy', that were pulsing, snaking and rhythmically sliding up to you and kicked you in the butt, that it was that good, if you closed your eyes and listened you would swear it was Dan McCafferty was on vocals with bad ass Manny booting Slash right in the proverbial testacies with his swampy, slithering, snaking rhythm and blues; ring out of his guitar down to the very last note.

For god sake someone at the Hard Rock Café or Donald MacLeod of The Cathouse, Garage and now Rock Radio Glasgow fame, or both(!), kick start again the cry for a ‘Scottish Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame’, in the process the first thing they do is buy one of Manny guitars, put it in a case surrounded by some choice ‘Memorabilia’, probably best of all from Back to the Trenches; a double live album by Nazareth released in 2001. A collection of thirty-one live tracks taken from the soundboards of six concerts, on both sides of the Atlantic, between 1972 and 1984, of which nine of the tracks are featured on the band's acclaimed 1981 double live album 'Snaz. The CD comes with a fifty-two page booklet containing old photos and interviews but it was also issued on vinyl both included in the package a Pete Frame of Rock Family Trees fame, Nazareth Family Tree, commissioned by the band; based on detailed info taken from interviews with band members. Maybe one for Scots label River Records to get their hands on for re-release and certainly one for new fans of ‘The Man‘ to check out, or just for older fans, as a gem they might have missed first time round; River Records could also try and secure a CD distribution deal for Manny’s own extensive back catalogue over and above the 2004 Say The Word album of Manny’s that they have on their books at present.

I really hope we get a live album and or DVD of the set from somewhere on these dates of the kind of performance Manny Charlton and his excellent band put on tonight, well worth the admission price of £16.75 incl booking fee, to see a legend play one last time, I would not have missed it for the world, I bet both Axl and Slash from Guns N’ Roses would not have missed it either, especially if they had been in town (you know how GnR were always late on), to sum up - one word: Staggering!

Stewart Eadie Words, Video,& photo's

#ProgBluesReview #GlasgowProgBluesReview