Manfred Mann - Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. James (1966)_HQ

[myrecordcollection]

Geesh, could they possibly give less of a shit? Tired of touring, I guess.

[DoctorRazzArea4]

where's Klaus?

[83RockaRolla]

@DoctorRazzArea4 Right behind Mike, in front of the drum kit.

[MsJadeHamilton]

I love this song. The kyrics are so sniffy about average people with average lives and 'sensible' jobs. A little harsh, too, maybe, but very much of its time, attitude-wise.

I first heard the Manfreds sing this on an LP when I was 6. Mike, Manfred and co made 'normal' life sound so boring that I was more set on being a writer than ever.

I should thank them, really.

[dimmiewitson]

At first, I thought this video was a bout of sixties nostalgia; some retro cinema coming out next month. The quality is mind-boggling.

[wouldntyoulike2know]

Mike's voice sounds a little hoarse on this one. No doubt they had been performing quite frequently back then. I like this song.

[CrazyLady57372]

mr. jones XD

[HoorayTV21]

Yeah the reason the organs screwed up is because its not a mellotron.

[lrd9999]

Never heard this one in the U.S. I'd think it would be awkward fitting a title that long into the chorus, but it comes off just fine. Not bad at all.

PS: What do they mean by "semi detached"? I'm picturing a side by side two-family house with a patch of grass on each side.

[kinkybeatle]

Is that CHRIS FARLOWE on the left ?

[wearyoldman]

@kinkybeatle That is indeed Chris Farlowe. Chris had a great voice but will never win any beauty contests. I hope he's laughing all the way to the bank.

[whyperion]

' so you think you will be happy ,

buttering the toast

for your semi detached , suburban

Mr Most '

Great lyrics , Would like to hear Lily Allen doing a version of this , it might suit her style.

[porridgeeveryday]

uh huh it was the manfreds.

[mangyan100]

MANFRED MANN - SEMI-DETACHED SUBURBAN Mr.JAMES in the time of the 60's you can hear from this fantastic song of the pirate radio antenne's from radio Caroline the real station that Rocked and from Radio Veronica transmit from the Northsea with the legendary ships the Mi Amigo and the Nordeney. Great times for swinging Europe that never come back, thanks whe have the music and clips from that time today on Your Tube. THE MUSIC THAT NEVER DIED!.

[ald2345]

Definitely says 'mucked up' other phrase as suggested wasn't around in '66 :-) -

from a 'Child in the sixties'

[crimsondynamoo]

Listen to Klaus giving that bass a workout!

[eusebius65]

Great addition to the MM videos on YouTube...one of the best Mike d'Abo era singles

[kenfig]

Not only their best single euse but also one of my very favourite pop singles ever.This was a great line up ; notice Klaus Voorman on bass there, one of the Beatles trusted inner circle & best friends who was generous to them before they were famous & had no money.Also there's an absence of mellotron here, a distinctive feature of the studio version

[progmeck1]

The name of this german show was : beat, beat, beat , not Beat Club. The presenter was Mal Sondock an ex american GI , who stayed in Germany. Notice, his introduction of the song "The semi detachted respectable Mr. Jones". He was a nice Guy, but had no idea of Beat -Music at all.

[peterwilliams6]

I love Mick D'Abo's comment at the end... so offhand, "Oh, .. thank you." It is not what he says.. it is the way he delivers it. And who is the goddess dancing behind Manfred in the striped top. I am in love!!

[TWENTIETHCENTURYBABY]

He's taking his time because the organ is f**ked up lol. Great song.

[pernicketty]

Wow! he did say fucked up. You couldn't say that on TV back then. I guess the Germans didn't pick it up - and I used to think he was such a nice boy.

[moorlock2003]

He said "Mucked up".

[pernicketty]

On second listen I have to admit it does sound like an M.

[moorlock2003]

They knew they were on the telly, and they wouldn't have used profanity.

This performance is fantastic. Most of the time MM mimed their latest record, but this is totally live. Great.

[pernicketty]

Ha ha! yes, Manfred does seem rather pissed off for some reason though. Almost pissed off enough to slip the odd profanity in. Note the contemptuous way he spells out the song title to the presenter. Not a happy chappie. Organ problems or otherwise it is still a great performance. A lot of the Beat Club clips were live but not all of them as you've probably noticed.

[moorlock2003]

The host of the show is a doofus who could barely speak English, that's why Manfred pronounced the title very slowly so he could get it right. When the oaf introduced Herman's Hermits, he mis-pronounced 2 of the band member's names after just being told what they were by Peter Noone. It's actually funny.

[wouldntyoulike2know]

@TWENTIETHCENTURYBABY lol I laughed when I heard that. They really did say it too. I didn't notice the first time I watched. Cause you see the announcer guy start to laugh.