Mojo - The Music Magazine

Man guitarist Micky Jones passed away peacefully on March 10, 2010, following a long illness that had forced him to retire from the legendary Welsh band with whom he'd played since their inception in 1968.

Born in Merthyr Tydfil on June 7, 1946, Jones formed his first band The Rebels in 1960 before turning professional three years later as a member of local heroes The Bystanders. The latter group's harmony-led approach would help define Man's own sound when they formed in 1968.

Hugely influenced by the West Coast scene, Man's melodic suss was welded to Jones's distinctive and dextrous guitar runs, themselves inspired by the Grateful Dead and John Cipollina from Quicksilver Messenger Service. Indeed, the latter would join man in 1974 and forge a firm friendship with Jones.

Man released their debut album, Revelation on Pye in 1969 before moving to the label's progressive rock offshoot Dawn for their second set, 2 Ozs Of Plastic With A Hole In The Middle, the latter featuring the classic Spunk Box.

A deal with United Artists followed in 1970 and it was then that Man truly came into their own, releasing their self-titled third album the following year - characterised by Jones's sparkling post-boogie fretwork on the likes Daughter Of The Fireplace. The follow-up, Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In?, emerged swiftly in November 1971, tracks like Angle Easy proving that Man had hit a rich vein of form.

By 1972 Man were firmly part of Britain's burgeoning post-psychedelic freak-rock scene, often sharing the bill with the likes of Hawkwind, Gong, Brinsley Schwarz, Soft Machine and the Pink Fairies. While their reputation grew abroad, they also became regulars at London's Roundhouse, then home to the UK's underground, a scene celebrated on the seminal Greasy Truckers Party album.

Live, the Man band came to be defined by the contrast between the sweeter, more melodic sound Jones preferred and the more aggressive, biting tone of Deke Leonard's playing, driven by the imperturbable pulse of Terry Williams' drums. Micky's solos, lengthy on record, would unfurl in organic splendour on-stage as he lost himself in the moment of extemporisation. C'mon, Bananas, Spunk Rock, Romain, Many Are Called But Few Get Up were expanded to 19-, 20-, 21-minute pieces of prime Welsh rock. They were also a hugely good company, with Micky the drily humorous and genuinely gentle man who still knew his own mind, and would bridle if there were any suggestion that Man's sound or direction was being overly influenced by, say, Deke Leonard or keyboardist Phil Ryan.

Despite their increasing success, Man's own attitude was one of resolute anti-stardom. While the band's personnel changed incessantly during the rest of the '70s, Jones remained the sole constant but never emerged to assume leadership of the band despite such studio triumphs as 1973's Back Into The Future and Rhinos, Winos + Lunatics (the latter produced by Roy Thomas Baker).

The band's initial split in '76 did not stop Jones from playing, the guitarist contributing to a number of post-Man groups including a reformed incarnation of mod cult heroes The Attack in '79, The Flying Pigs, The Mary Whitehouse Experience and The Penetrators with fellow ex-Man men Tweke Lewis and Will Youatt. Man themselves re-emerged in the '80s and continue to gig to this day.

Jones was forced to abandon playing with Man in 2005 having been diagnosed with a brain tumour three years earlier. In a typically family-orientated fashion, he ceded his place to his son George who assumed six-string duties within the band.

An understated talent, Micky leaves a legacy of fine music and indelible memories for a generation of British rock fans. MOJO would like to extend our condolences to the Jones and Man families...

Phil Alexander