Won By One (by The Bond) by Geoff Mann

Won By One, a 1987 album, here in its final edition, by The Bond, a band founded by Geoff Mann.
By Geoff Mann, I chose what, after some research, seems to be the album that received the best reviews, and then moved on to explore his other works. Suggestions are welcome.

Geoff Mann (1956–1993) was a writer, composer, musician, singer, painter, and Church of England priest. Reading his official biography (which you can find here https://twelfthnight.info/?people=geoff-mann) made me realize how this artist, who died of cancer on February 5, 1993, at the age of just 36, remained too little known and acclaimed.

The Bond is a band formed by Geoff Mann himself after he left Twelfth Night and released several solo albums. This definitive edition was released by Twelfth Night themselves and contains all the lyrics and photos, and has been expanded to include single versions of two songs, a demo of each song from the original, and live tracks. All tracks have been carefully remastered by original engineer (and co-producer) Clive Davenport from previously unreleased, superior-quality master tapes. An absolutely unmissable album for Geoff fans and beyond. After listening to it, and all the versions of the same songs, I have to say it's an excellent work. They've been transferred to digital, including cassette takes and beautiful demos in which Mann drives each track with his passionate voice.

The original album consists of the first nine tracks, which are truly beautiful! I wonder why they aren't as well-known as they should be; they're real hits, especially His Love, Certainly, and Willy Welsh, in my opinion.

The lyrics are predominantly religious in nature, and musically, there is neither bass nor drums in most of the songs. However, given the highly refined nature of the music, generally based on a basic pattern supported by guitar and keyboards, this "absence" of a rhythm section is either irrelevant or very well replaced by electronics.

The compositions vary in style, from light and hopeful ballads to pieces with tense and pressing atmospheres, often creating a bridge between classic rock, symphonic rock, and electronic pop, but also moments of pure progressive rock, sometimes with folk accents, where folk is the culture that inspired them, and also absolutely top-notch electronic pop, as in the beautiful "Certainly."

His voice is extremely emotional—a splendid, convincing, intense voice with great interpretive ability. It exudes passion and reveals a commitment not only to the technical skill but also to the intention of conveying a message. In this, it reminds me of Nick Cave at times, less profound and certainly less mature given his age, and therefore very spontaneous, perhaps immature at times, but with the same great ability to convey passion and intensity.

In his biography, we read that Geoff Mann...

"He died on February 5, 1993, at the age of 36, but not before selling two of his CDs to his doctor, just hours before his death!"

What a passion for art and music! A passion I wanted to honor by sharing with you what little I've been able to describe, inviting you to listen to this work (or others), because this man's life revolved around art and music, which are his legacy and the place where he will always be alive among us, regardless of any religious or philosophical beliefs.

Tracklist
CD 1 (59:35)
1. Trumpet Call (5:59)
2. Rest Assured (4:13)
3.New (4:01)
4. Cry Out (4:37)
5.His Love (4:19)
6. Too Modern (5:03)
7. After the Storm (5:57)
8. Certainly (5:48)
9. Willy Welsh (8:06)
10. Trumpet Call (Cassette single) (5:54)
11. Too Modern (Cassette single) (5:38)
CD 2 (66:42)
1. After the Storm (5:49)
2. Certainly (5:42)
3. Rest Assured (4:10)
4. New (5:08)
5. Cry Out (4:48)
6.His Love (4:32)
7. Willy Welsh (6:00)
8. Too Modern (5:28)
9. Trumpet Call (5:54)
10. Rest Assured (4:12)
11. After the Storm (5:37)
12. New (4:06)
13. Certainly (5:16)
Running Time: 126:17

LineUp
- Geoff Mann - vocals, guitars, programmed and real-time drum machines
- Dave Mortimer - guitar
- Steve Ridley - backing vocals, keyboards, wind instruments