Ndrew Manning

Charlestown is the eleventh studio album released by Guy Manning. Guy Manning 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.

Anser's Tree is the 2006 release from singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Guy Manning, a concept album telling the story of Dr. Jonathan Anser and his quest to find the truth and history of his family tree. As Manning takes you through this history, from six ancestors up through Jonathan himself, a rich musical tapestry of moods and styles are weaved, led by Guy's enticing, Ian Anderson-ish vocals, layers of acoustic guitars, flutes, fiddle, keyboards, mandolin, biting electric guitar, and percussion. More dense and intricate than Manning's last release One Small Step, this album is a little closer in style to 2004's A Matter of Life and Death, but as with all of the output from Mr. Manning, the end result is a charming mix of folk and prog rock sounds.

Is it possible to release on an annual basis an album that contains enough musical quality to entertain devotees of progressive rock? Well, Guy Manning proves that it is. He's a British singer-songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist who made some name in bands like Parallel Or 90 Degrees and The Tangent. In 1999 he released his first solo album Tall Stories For Small Children. Since then he released a solo album or an album with his band Manning each year.
"Margaret's Children" is a sequel to "Anser's Tree" from 2006. The immediate reaction once the music starts is how innovative the music is, with incredible violin and a very pronounced flute from Steve Dundon that reminds one immediately of Ian Anderson's style. There is a genuine folk vibe with some odd time sigs and very melodic choruses.

Have you ever driven past one of those really old homes that looks like the local "haunted house", and wondered who might have lived there over the years? As kids we probably all knew of one of those homes and made up horror stories about them around the camp fire. At a more serious level it's been the storyline of countless movies… and now Guy Manning has written an album about a place he saw on the way to his Summers End gig.
So it's another Guy Manning concept piece, and once again, Manning's CD is more than just a collection of songs - he always produces music with a purpose - or at least, with a story…