ARTIST: Roger Joseph Manning Jr
TITLE: The Land of Pure Imagination
LABEL: Cordless Recordings
GENRE: Rock
TIME: 52:57 min
SIZE:  78,4 MB
RIP DATE: Dec-11-2006
RELEASE DATE: Sep-12-2006
WEBSITE: n/a

Track List:

01. The Land of Pure Imagination               06:02
02. Too Late For Us Now                        03:24
03. Wish It Would Rain                         05:43
04. The Loser                                  03:36
05. Sandman                                    03:38
06. Pray For The Many                          03:02
07. Dragonfly                                  05:20
08. Creeple People                             05:31
09. In The Name of Romance                     05:27
10. You Were Right                             05:43
11. Appleby                                    05:31

Release Notes:

"Roger Joseph Manning Jr." solo album. Says it all.
Manning`s first solo album for Jellyfish fanatics
will not disappoint. !!

Well, here`s a bit about "The Land of Pure
Imagination". If you`re a Jellyfish fan, get down on
your knees and thank the High Heavens! Or break out
Handel`s "Hallelujah" for even greater affect.
Effortlessly straddling such disparate genres as
Funk, Prog, vaudeville, Psychedelia, and Brill
Building Pop, "The Land of Pure Imagination"
resounds with the sound of a prodigious artist
enjoying the delights of his own musical playground,
an artist comfortable in his own musical skin,
unyielding to artistic compromise.

Sounding like the "lost" Jellyfish album, the record
is produced by Manning and features the artist
playing all the instruments on this tour-de-force.
Solid State Warrior is a dazzler, a stylish, and
intricately orchestrated slab of transcendent Pop,
imbued by Manning`s keen artistic vision, sublime
songwriting chops and blazing instrumental
virtuosity. Opening with the hazy psychedelia of
"The Land Of Pure Imagination" (a ringer for
inclusion on the Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
soundtrack), the record unfolds like a towering
musical tree of riches, each branch displaying a
newfound exploration of sonic wizardry and clever
songcraft. Manning bats .1000 on the record, each
track rewarding the listener with each successive
listen.

"Solid State Warroir: you`ve got 11 pieces of pure
pop grandeur. Hoo baby, is this sweet. Sturmer and
Manning were two of the best pop voices since, well,
you know who. On Solid State Warrior, Manning did it
all himself in his basement studio, with John
Paterno mixing and mastering. "The Land of Pure
Imagination" opens, a psych pop epic with sweet
melodies, Moog textures and distinctive Manning
touches. "Too Late For Us Now" scales things back
(if there`s such an approach for Manning), bopping
along to piano and feeling like a long-lost
Bellybutton track. And it`s got a banjo! On "I Wish
It Would Rain," a 50s-style groove that`d wilt in
the hands of a lesser musician sparkles. Three songs
into the CD the vocal harmonies become more
prominent, and it`s pure pop bliss. But it`s on
"Sandman" that we really get that eyelid-fluttering
dose of the good stuff, a vox deus behind
Jellyfish`s similar "Hush." Over a palette of
ethereal strings and harpsichords, Manning sings an
ageless lullaby.."Dragonfly" is almost
lounge-inflected, mellow with harps and synths.
"Creeple People" is a chugging Imperial Drag-style
groove, and it`s currently number one on the Weed
sales chart. "Sleep Children" bookends with
"Sandman" beautifully as Manning`s cirrus
pseudo-strings carry us all away. And "Til We Meet
Again" is the right note of optimism to wrap things
up, a fond farewell after a near-perfect pop
vacation."-HighBias.com.

On a record overflowing with towering melodic
riches, for starters, tune into the propulsive
Wurlitzer piano / Supertramp powered stylings of
"You Were Right," the exquisite pure Pop of "What
You Don`t Know About The Girl," the lush vocal
melange that characterizes "Sandman," the Dirty Funk
grooves that propel "Creeple People" and the elegiac
closer, "`Til We Meet Again." "The term
`genre-hopping` which has been used to describe
Jellyfish and Beck is apt," observes Manning. "It`s
always been very natural for me to evoke all
different emotions and styles in my songs. I love
the Pop roller coaster ride that I get to take the
listener on. The album becomes a whole experience.
If the experience is good you don`t want it to end.
When I sit down to write music that I want to write
the most immediate access to my soul is kind of in
that `60s, `70s Pop expression." Simply, Pure Pop
Perfection.

