Man

In the early 1970s Man ranked among Wales's most promising rock acts. Together with Brinsley Schwarz they helped lay the foundations of the pub rock style, yet their louder approach and progressive leanings set them apart from most contemporaries. The ensemble began in Swansea as the Bystanders, a vocal quartet modeled on the Four Seasons and Beach Boys, before moving toward a tougher, more progressive sound in live settings. Encouraged to develop that direction, they became Man with Micky Jones on lead guitar and vocals, Deke Leonard on guitar and vocals, Clive John on guitar, keyboards, and vocals, Ray Williams on bass, and Jeff Jones on drums.

Revelation, their 1969 Pye concept album, contained the European single "Erotica," which featured recorded orgasm sounds and therefore never charted in England. The follow-up, 2 Ozs. of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle, adopted a nearly live-in-the-studio feel with heightened guitar interplay that some critics compared to early Quicksilver Messenger Service and other West Coast bands. Deke Leonard, whose playing drew heavily from Mick Green of the Pirates, emerged as the group's standout member by popular vote. After their Pye contract lapsed in 1969, the band moved to United Artists-Liberty and replaced the rhythm section with Terry Williams on drums and vocals plus Martin Ace on bass. Their third album, simply titled Man, received strong critical notice, while the 1971 successor Do You Like It Here, Are You Settling In? supplied several enduring concert favorites.

In February 1972 Man performed at London's Greasy Truckers' Ball benefit alongside Brinsley Schwarz and Hawkwind, an event preserved on tape. United Artists executive Andrew Lauder, who had earlier helped the post-Roy Loney Flamin' Groovies refine their sound, was sufficiently impressed to commission a full live album. The resulting Live at the Padget Rooms, Penarth became their breakthrough despite appearing first in a limited edition of 8,000 copies. The record quickly turned into a sought-after collector's item in England and brought the band to the attention of a much wider audience.

Deke Leonard soon departed to begin a solo career, inaugurated by the successful album Iceberg. Man pressed ahead, and Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day delivered several strong songs including "Bananas." Pye then issued a retrospective of the first two albums while the current lineup shifted once more. Deke Leonard returned for Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics, after which Slow Motion launched the band's first American tour. Maximum Darkness marked their first serious misstep, a collaboration with Quicksilver's John Cippolina as producer that yielded a disappointing result. The Welsh Connection, released by MCA in 1976, closed the original group's chapter, though they managed one further album, All's Well That Ends Well.

During the 1980s Micky Jones reassembled interested former members, among them Deke Leonard, and the band sustained a steady presence on the pub rock circuit. Terry Williams went on to join Rockpile and later Dire Straits. Interest remained high enough to warrant the 1991 compilation Perfect Timing: The UA Years. In the mid-1990s Beat Goes On began reissuing Man's individual albums and Deke Leonard's solo catalog on compact disc. Various lineups continued performing and recording into the 21st century, though Micky Jones's battle with a brain tumor forced repeated exits and returns. Jones ultimately lost his fight with cancer on March 10, 2010; former member Clive John died the following year on August 24, 2011, after his own prolonged struggle with emphysema.