The Good Earth is the fifth studio album released by Manfred Mann's Earth Band in 1974. Its opening song is a cover of "Give Me the Good Earth", written by Gary Wright and released on his 1971 solo album Footprint, while tracks 2 and 3 were originally by Australian progressive rock band Spectrum.
The Good Earth | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 11 October 1974 | |||
Recorded | 1974 | |||
Studio | The Workhouse, Old Kent Road, London | |||
Genre | Hard rock, progressive rock, jazz rock | |||
Length | 38:09 | |||
Label | Bronze (UK) Warner Bros. (US) | |||
Producer | Manfred Mann, Earth Band | |||
Manfred Mann's Earth Band chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Good Earth | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | B−[3] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Only Solitaire | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | mixed[6] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Early owners of each copy of The Good Earth were entitled to rights over 1 square foot of the earth situated at Llanerchyrfa in the County of Brecon, in Wales. The inner sleeve included a coupon that had to be sent for registration. This was part of the promotion activities linked to the album that had ecological inspirations. There was no swindle and thousands of fans were registered. Registration could be done on or before 31 December 1975.[8]
The album was on the US Billboard 200 charts for three weeks, peaking at number 157 on 7 December 1974.[9]
Track listing
editSide one
edit- "Give Me the Good Earth" (Gary Wright) – 8:31
- "Launching Place" (Mike Rudd) – 5:52
- "I'll Be Gone" (Rudd) – 3:42
Side two
edit- "Earth Hymn" (Manfred Mann, Chris Slade) – 6:19
- "Sky High" (Mann, Mick Rogers) – 5:15
- "Be Not Too Hard" (Rogers, Christopher Logue) – 4:12
- "Earth Hymn Part 2" (Mann, Slade) – 4:18
Bonus Tracks (1998 CD reissue)
edit- "Be Not Too Hard" (Single version) (Rogers, Logue) – 3:39
- "I'll Be Gone" (Single Version) (Rudd) – 3:28
- "Earth Hymn Part 2a" (Single Version) (Mann, Slade) – 4:13
Personnel
editThe Earth Band
edit- Manfred Mann – Hammond organ, piano, Hohner clavinet, Minimoog synthesiser, keyboards
- Mick Rogers – guitars, vocals
- Chris Slade – drums
- Colin Pattenden – bass guitar
Technical
edit- Manfred Mann's Earth Band – producers
- John Pantry – engineer
- Laurence Latham – assistant engineer
- Linda Glover – design
- Alan Shawcroff – photography
- Re-mastered by: Robert M Corich and Mike Brown
Charts
editChart (1975) | Peak position |
---|---|
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[10] | 20 |
US Billboard 200[11] | 157 |
References
edit- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 68.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. The Good Earth at AllMusic
- ^ 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.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). "Manfred Mann's Earth Band". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Groves Dictionaries. pp. 3438–39. ISBN 1-561-59237-4.
- ^ Starostin, George. "Manfred Mann's Earth Band". Only Solitaire.
- ^ Barnes, Ken (2 January 1975). "Manfred Mann's Earth Band: The Good Earth". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Liner notes". Discogs. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ^ "Billboard 200 - December 7, 1974". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Manfred Mann's Earth Band – The Good Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ "Manfred Mann's Earth Band Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
External links
edit- Manfred Mann's Earth Band - The Good Earth (1974) album releases & credits at Discogs
- Manfred Mann's Earth Band - The Good Earth (1974) album credits & user reviews at ProgArchives.com
- Manfred Mann's Earth Band - The Good Earth (1974) album to be listened on Spotify