Bananas

from the LP Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day, UA Records, 1972



Though firmly tied to the core of Britain’s pub rock scene, the Welch act known simply as ‘Man’ always did seem to favor the proggy side of their identity, a leaning which may seem out of place within the narrow framework of pub rock but one which wound up defining them as the unique band of smart-asses they were. This song has far more in common with the Dead than with scene peers Brinsley Schwarz, and the more I listen to it, the more I become convinced that at least one member in Phish might very well have been listening to this album way back in the day, absorbing both the sound and overall delivery, but that’s just a hunch. Phil Ryan’s lighthearted keyboard work is at once playful & prodigious, and it’s fair to say that Man’s overall level of musicianship deserved more accolade; in fact, that entire ‘70s Welch scene which so ably combined traditional blues rock with a progged out, California jamming twist ought to be more celebrated in general. Extra points for the cheeky album title (tee hee hee), and you can’t really shake a stick at non-cryptic lyrics like, “…“I like to eat bananas, ‘cause they got no bones; I like marijuana, ‘cause it gets me stoned…” !!!