Guy Manning

Guy Manning (born (1957-01-20)20 January 1957 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England) is an English multi-instrumentalist and singer, best known for his own album releases and for his membership of progressive rock bands Parallel or 90 Degrees, The Tangent, The United Progressive Fraternity (UPF), Damanek and his own band, Manning.

Biography

Manning was the founding member of two Leeds based bands in the 1980s, Let's Eat! and Bailey's Return. He was also recruited in 1987 to be the keyboards player (joining Julie King) in art-rock band Through The Looking Glass. This band split up a year later and a more pop based offshoot, KingGlass, emerged which continued for a further year.

Manning and local keyboardist/vocalist Andy Tillison had an early unsigned band called Gold Frankincense & Disk Drive. This band's final line-up included David Albone on drums and a guest spot from Van der Graaf Generator organ player Hugh Banton. One piece by this line-up, "A Gap in the Night", was later included on Parallel or 90 Degrees' The Corner of My Room before being reworked for the second album by The Tangent.

Tillison and Manning also recorded the album No More Travelling Chess at this time, which consisted of a set of covers of material by Peter Hammill plus a couple of original pieces. This album was first released as a mail order cassette item (before an augmented and remastered version was eventually released by Cyclops Records in 2001 -under the band name of Parallel or 90 Degrees).

Tillison and Manning then formed the new band, Parallel or 90 Degrees, with Sam Baine also on keyboards.

Manning has gone on to release his own albums,^[1] five for the Cyclops label and three more for USA label, ProgRock Records. With a further change of record label, the 2007 release, Songs From The Bilston House was released on the Festival Music (F2) label based in the UK (as have all subsequent releases).^[2]

Tillison has guested on several of these albums, while other special guests have included Martin Orford (IQ), Ian 'Walter' Fairbairn (Hedgehog Pie & Jack the Lad), Stephen Dundon (Molly Bloom), Leon Camfield (Tinyfish), Marek Arnold (Toxic Smile & Seven Steps to the Green Door), Chloe Herington (Knifeworld), John Young (Lifesigns, John Young Band, Asia, Scorpions, Bonnie Tyler & more), Phideaux and Angela Gordon (Mostly Autumn).

The ProgRock Records album covers and also the later "Margaret's Children" (as the sequel to "Anser's Tree") were created by notable graphics artist, Ed Unitsky.

Manning and Tillison also teamed up as fictional Italian band La Voce Del Vento to provide two long pieces for the Colossus Project Discs (The Spaghetti Epics #1 and #2).^[3]

Manning has also provided an unreleased track for KINECTIONS, the US ProgDay festival support album.^[4]

Manning (the Band)

In April 2008, news appeared on the Classic Rock Society website^[5] stating that Manning had recruited a new band consisting of Kevin Currie, Kris Hudson-Lee, Julie King, Danny Rhodes and Phil Wilkes. The band (minus Julie King) debuted at the Classic Rock Society's Tribute to Rob Leighton concert in June 2008. Drummer Danny Rhodes left soon after and was replaced by former colleague, David Albone in 2009. The band performed at the prestigious Rites of Spring Festival in Gettysburg, PA on 1 May 2010 debuting material from their album 'Charlestown' which was released in October 2010.

The MANNING live band was put on hold and retired in January 2014.

Guy Manning and The Tangent

In 2001/2, plans for a solo album by Andy Tillison transformed into the first release by The Tangent, The Music That Died Alone (2003). This initial line-up included Manning and Sam Baine plus Roine Stolt, Jonas Reingold and Zoltan Csorsz from The Flower Kings, and David Jackson from Van der Graaf Generator. Other later Tangent members have included Theo Travis, Jaime Salazar, Krister Jonsson, Jakko Jakszyk, Jonathan Barrett, Luke Machin, Daniel Mash and Tony Latham.

On 11 May 2010 a statement appeared on the Guy Manning website indicating that he would no longer be partaking in future Tangent activities, although he has provided Acoustic Guitar [cameo only] for 2013's "Le Sacre du Travail".

In all, Manning has played on six official studio, two unofficial studio and one live album by The Tangent. See main article on The Tangent.

Guy Manning and The United Progressive Fraternity (UPF)

On 31 March 2014, this new band was formally announced. Led by Mark 'Truey' Trueack, Matt Williams, Tim Irrgang and David Hopgood (ex-members of Unitopia) plus Guy Manning, Marek Arnold and Dan Mash.
The debut album "Fall in the love with the World" has been released and includes guest appearances by Jon Anderson, Steve Hackett, Steve Unruh, Ian Ritchie, Jonathan Barrett and Claire Vezina, among others.
The band did a short promotional tour of UK/Europe in Autumn 2014 including that year's Summers End (X) Festival.

Guy Manning and Damanek

The new band (DAMANEK) was formally announced at the start of 2016. Led by Guy Manning, Marek Arnold, Dan Mash (all of whom had worked together in UPF) plus Sean Timms (ex-Unitopia and now with his own new band, Southern Empire).
Other announced guest contributors are Nick Magnus, Brody Thomas Green (Southern Empire), Antonio Vittozzi (Soul Secret), DavidB, Phideaux, Luke Machin (Maschine, The Tangent, Kiama), Ulf Reinhardt (Seven Steps to the Green Door), Tim Irrgang (UPF), Stephen Dundon (Molly Bloom), Julie King, Chris Catling, Kevin Currie, the Sanducci Horns.

Recording for the debut album "On Track", was started Feb 2016.

The band debuted live on October 2nd 2016 at Summers End Festival with the line-up announced 09/09/2016 of Guy Manning, Marek Arnold, Dan Mash, Sean Timms with Special Guests: Luke Machin and Henry Rogers. On March 14th 2017, it was announced that the band had signed to top Uk Independent label Giant Electric Pea (GEP) and that "On Track" would be released in May 2017.

Discography / Contributions

Cover of Charlestown

Guy Manning / Manning

• Tall Stories For Small Children (1999) as Guy Manning & (Remaster 2010) as Manning
• The Cure (2000 & Remaster 2010)
• Cascade (2001 & 2008)
• The Ragged Curtain (2002 & Reissue 2013)
• The View From My Window (2003)
• A Matter Of Life & Death (The Journal Of Abel Mann) (2004)
• One Small Step... (2005 & Remaster 2010)
• Anser's Tree (2006)
• Songs From The Bilston House (2007 & Reissue 2010)
• Number Ten (2009 & Reissue 2013)
• Charlestown (2010)
• Margaret's Children (2011)
• Akoustik (2012)
• The Root, The Leaf & The Bone (2013)
• Akoustik #2 (2014)

Damanek

• On Track (2017)

The Tangent

Studio albums

• The Music That Died Alone (2003)
• The World That We Drive Through (2004)
• A Place in the Queue (2006)
• Not as Good as the Book (2008)
• Down and Out in Paris and London (2009)
• A Place on the Shelf (2010)
• Le Sacre Du Travail (2013) [Cameo Only]
• L'Etagère Du Travail (2013)

Live albums

• Going Off on One (2007)

The United Progressive Fraternity (UPF)

• Fall In Love With The World (2014)

La Voce Del Vento

• The Spaghetti Epic #1 (2005)
• The Spaghetti Epic #2 (2006)

Parallel Or 90 Degrees

• The Time Capsule (1998)
• No More Travelling Chess (1999)
• A Can of Worms (2009)

Cyril

• Paralyzed (2016) [Wrote lyrics for majority of album]

Seven Steps to the Green Door

• Fetish (2015) [Wrote lyric for track "Set in Motion"]

References

• Eclectic Moonlight interview
• 2003 interview
• 2004 interview
• 2008 interview
• 2010 interview
• Review
• Discography

External links

• The Official DAMANEK Website
• The Official Guy Manning Website
• Seven Steps to the Green Door Website
• Cyril Website
• Maschine Website
• Southern Empire Website
• Soul Secret Website
• Nick Magnus Website
• The Official United Progressive Fraternity Website
• The Tangent - Official Website
• Parallel or 90 Degrees - Official Website
• 2010 interview with Guy Manning
• Interviews/Reviews listed at Damanek Website
• Damanek signs to GEP