Comments on: MANFRED MANN - “Pretty Flamingo”

By: Keith

Keith — Mon, 03 Oct 2005 18:53:00 +0000

The girl is like a flamingo because she has one leg, like the bloke from Jethro Tull.

Mann’s Earth Band are a vast improvement, though I still like this one.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 14:19:00 +0000

Looking forward to it.

Thanks , Marcello for the link to the "Escalator Over The Hill " article of yours.
I'm gonna have to get a copy of that.

Just had an interesting summer pastime. There is a book called " Kind of Blue " about tha making of the classic album of the same name by Miles Davis.
To read the book and listen to the album was a real eye-opener for me as jazz has not always been my strongest suit.
SO I'm in jazz mode/modality now and could just about listen to anything, except maybe Cher

Brian in Canada

By: Marcello

Marcello — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 07:30:00 +0000

We’re just about to enter a reasonably purple patch…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 18:15:00 +0000

Just looking back through the last 6 FT entries and it was a pretty lame time for Brit Pop. We saw Day Tripper & Keep On Runnin in May but then had 6 weeks of basic crap and novelty songs.
Of the lot , I think probably ” Flamingo” is the best of bunch.
Dusty always struck me as a bit over the top , all time.
Let’s hope we something better soon…..and give this lively !

By: Alan Connor

Alan Connor — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 18:35:00 +0000

I suppose it is pretty bad. I've always loved it, though. It reminds me, for reasons elusive, of the Casuals' "Jesamine" (hey, ace bass there, too!).

Resurrection Watch: Talent shows again -- Darius did a version for that NME One Love covers record in 2002. Los Mustang did a Spanish version, Gene Pitney, The Queers and The Huxton Creepers stuck to English, and Rod did one on A Night On The Town.

The Boss used to make quite a meal of "Pretty Flamingo" in concert (a return for "Blinded By The Light"?), taking it over 10, 11, 12 minutes, and improvising speaky bits about how he was going to use a private detective to find his lost love.

In what will surely and hopefully be their only mention on Popular, Cud did a sort-of version ("Pink Flamingo") on Asquarius. (I realise that may be taken more as a challenge than a truth.)

And let us not forget Iggy Pop and Rolf Harris. Not together, heartbreakingly.

Surely it's been used in adverts for dainty things, maybe shoes or hairspray?

Sigh. I'm guessing that the next time I hear it, I'll be distracted by the image of a flamingo in a dress that clings so tight.

By: lena

lena — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 13:07:00 +0000

Thanks!

By: Marcello

Marcello — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 06:36:00 +0000

Here’s a good start…

By: Lena

Lena — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 16:52:00 +0000

And the Banana Splits theme always reminds me of “Buffalo Soldier” which some of you may regard as a bad thing.

I’ve never heard this song, but if Jack Bruce plays on it, okay with me. Obv. I have to catch up on Escalator Over The Hill!

By: Marcello

Marcello — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 05:05:00 +0000

Also the last single the Manfreds recorded with Paul Jones on vocals. Jack Bruce played bass on the track, so there’s a very flimsy link to Escalator Over The Hill there.

Writer was Mark Barkan, perhaps better known as the subsequent author of the Banana Splits theme.

By: Andrew Hickey

Andrew Hickey — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 16:17:00 +0000

I always liked this song, but the lyrics are frankly ridiculous - “On our block, all of the guys call her flamingo, because her hair is like the sun and her eyes are like the sky”

As far as I’m aware, two of the attributes that in flamingoes are noticeable by their absence are shiny blonde hair and blue eyes. Also, I can’t imagine any woman actually being anything other than horribly insulted by being compared to a flamingo at all. They’re rather ridiculous-looking creatures…

Paul Jones’ vocal *almost* saves the lyric though…