Solar Fire
1973 studio album by Manfred Mann's Earth Band
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Solar Fire is the fourth studio album by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, released in 1973. It spent 15 weeks on the Billboard 200 charts, peaking at number 96 on 11 May 1974.[1] It was initially intended to be a full adaptation of The Planets suite but Gustav Holst's heir, who had previously given permission for the adaptation of "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" in the hit single "Joybringer", did not allow this to happen, so the band made their own "cosmic" album using mostly original themes, although the most well-known song is the (greatly reworked) Bob Dylan composition "Father of Day, Father of Night", which is in the Earth Band's live set to this day and remains a popular song on rock radio. "Pluto the Dog" (a play on the Disney character) and the two-part "Saturn, Lord of the Ring/Mercury, the Winged Messenger" are instrumentals, and "Earth the Circle Part 2" features only two lines of sung vocals. The album is often considered to be the peak of the early Earth Band line-up and, for a lot of progressive rock reviewers, the pinnacle of Mann's career in general.[2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[4] |
| Disc | [5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
| Melody Maker | favourable[7] |
| Record Mirror | favourable[8] |
| Rolling Stone | mixed[9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
| Solar Fire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 November 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Studio | The Workhouse, Old Kent Road, London | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, progressive rock, jazz rock | |||
| Length | 37:10 | |||
| Label | Bronze (UK) Polydor (U.S.) | |||
| Producer | Manfred Mann, Earth Band | |||
| Manfred Mann's Earth Band chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Solar Fire | ||||
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Track listing
- Side one
- "Father of Day, Father of Night" (Bob Dylan) – 9:55[nb 1]
- "In the Beginning, Darkness" (Manfred Mann, Mick Rogers, Chris Slade) – 5:22
- "Pluto the Dog" (Mann, Rogers, Slade, Colin Pattenden) – 2:48
- Side two
- "Solar Fire" (Mann, Rogers, Slade, Pattenden) – 5:15
- "Saturn, Lord of the Ring/Mercury, The Winged Messenger"[nb 2] (Mann/Mann, Rogers) – 6:31
- "Earth, The Circle Part 2" (Mann) – 3:23
- "Earth, The Circle Part 1" (Debussy/Mann) – 3:56
- Bonus Tracks (1998 re-issue)
- "Joybringer" (Gustav Holst, Mann, Rogers, Slade) – 3:25
- "Father of Day, Father of Night" (Edited version) (Dylan) – 3:03[nb 3]
The track listing varied from area to area. The US edition omitted the final track "Earth, the Circle Part 1" but included "Joybringer" before "Earth, the Circle Part 2". "Joybringer" had been released as a non-album single in 1973.[11]
Personnel
The Earth Band
- Manfred Mann – organ, Mellotron, Minimoog synthesiser, vocals on "Earth, the Circle Part 1"
- Mick Rogers – guitar, vocals
- Colin Pattenden – bass guitar
- Chris Slade – drums
Additional musicians
- Irene Chanter – backing vocals
- Doreen Chanter – backing vocals
- Grove Singers – backing vocals
- Paul Rutherford – trombone
- Peter Miles – additional percussion on "In the Beginning, Darkness"
Technical
- Manfred Mann's Earth Band – producer
- John Pantry – engineer
- Dave Stephens, John Edwards – assistant engineers
- Laurence Latham – tape operator
- Fin Costello – design, photography
- Re-mastered by: Robert M Corich and Mike Brown
Charts
| Chart (1973−1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[12] | 96 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 96 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Silver | 60,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||