Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Can't Eat Meat (1987)

Following the hiccup with the aborted release of their proposed first album 'Stepping Sideways', Manfred Mann's Earth Band eventually issued their eponymous debut in 1972, and although I've always considered them to be primarily an albums band, they did release a number of singles, having their first hit in 1973 with 'Joybringer', based on the melody of 'Jupiter' from Gustav Holst's 'The Planets Suite'. They followed this a few years later with covers of two Bruce Springsteen songs, 'Spirits In The Night' and 'Blinded By The Light', giving them their biggest chart success, and the latter was also their breakthrough release in the US, kick-starting a long and successful career in that country. Generally b-sides were plucked from the then current album, but a couple of their singles were treated to exclusive songs, and they even released a few stand-alone singles, such as their cover of 'I (Who Have Nothing)' in 1981, and in 1983, a cover of Ian Thomas's 'Runner', which had been written in tribute to cancer sufferer Terry Fox and his run across Canada for cancer awareness, which sadly took him before he finished. Despite having a number of gifted songwriters in the band, most of their chart success seemed to be with cover versions, with 'For You' being another Springsteen song, and 'Redemption' Song' coming from the pen of Bob Marley. Despite this, they usually made the songs their own, with 'Blinded By The Light' and 'Spirits In The Night' being considered the definitive versions. This collection spans over a decade of their single releases, and includes three of those stand-alone singles, a number of rare b-sides, and an unreleased take of 'Joybringer', which shows the song in a completely different light.       

Track listing

01 Can't Eat Meat (b-side of 'Joybringer' 1973)
02 Joybringer (unreleased version 1974)
03 Bouillabaisse (b-side of 'Davy's On The Road Again' 1978)
04 A Fool Am I (b-side of 'For You' 1980)
05 I (Who Have Nothing) (single 1981)
06 Man In A Jam (b-side of 'I (Who Have Nothing)')
07 Rebel (single 1983)
08 War Dream (b-side of 'Redemption Song' 1982)
09 Holiday's Dream (b-side of 'Eyes Of Nostradaus' 1982)
10 Two Friends (From Mars & Saturn) (b-side of 'Geronimo's Cadillac' 1987)
11 Runner (single 1983)