Andrew Wild - 2024 - His Love: Art, Music & Faith. The authorised biography of Geoff Mann [Book]

(160 Pages; Sonicbond Publishing)

In recent years Andrew has been making quite a name for himself in the progressive rock scene with his books on Galahad and Twelfth Night (as well as his view on the Eighties scene, ‘A Mirror of Dreams’), and here we have another in the same vein, this time providing the official biography of the one and only Edmund Geoffrey Mann. There is no doubt that while Geoff only lived to the age of 36 that he crammed way more into those years than anyone would have believed possible. He started his career as an artist, exhibiting his paintings at ten galleries, but was also a musician, performing hundreds of concerts and releasing fifteen albums. If that was not enough, he was a poet and a playwright before becoming a Church of England vicar and continued to perform while also having a family with his wife Jane. As with all of Andrew’s books this has been meticulously researched and provides us with details of his childhood in Manchester through becoming a student at Reading and making friends with musicians who would form Twelfth Night, his time as a professional artist through his incredible time with Twelfth Night and then his solo efforts, later bands and collaborations.

To say this is essential to any fan of Twelfth Night and/or Geoff Mann is superfluous, and hopefully you will have already got your hands on one of the limited-edition hard copies as soon these will sell out. I never saw Geoff perform, something I regret to this day, He was supposed to support Jadis and Shadowland at a gig I attended at The Marquee but was too ill, so we all signed a huge “Get Well Soon” card for him, none of us thinking he would soon no longer be with us. Over the many decades I have been interested in music there have been a great many musicians pass away, but for all the household names (way too many to mention), the one which had the biggest impact on me was the Mann. I asked people I knew in the scene to give me some comments I could include in the next issue of Feedback, and some of these are now reproduced in this book. Again, Andrew has gone above and beyond as I am not only thanked in the beginning, but he also gives credit to Feedback, which is very much appreciated indeed.

I have all of Geoff’s albums, and felt that through my contacts I knew him well, but this book has provided lots more information I have not previously come across and I devoured it. For anyone interested in the progressive underground and one of the most essential people to come from it, then this is not a book you can do without as Andrew has undertaken a wonderful job of portraying all the facets of a truly exceptional individual.

Kev Rowland, November 2024

Links:
https://www.andrew-wild.co.uk/
https://www.sonicbondpublishing.co.uk/