The One in the Middle

The One in the Middle
EMI Studios, London
Genre	Rock and roll
Label	His Master's Voice-EMI
Producer	John Burgess
Manfred Mann chronology
Groovin' with Manfred Mann (1964) The One in the Middle (1965) Mann Made (1965)
Manfred Mann EP chronology
Groovin' with Manfred Mann (1964) The One in the Middle (1965) No Living Without Loving (1965)

The One in the Middle is an

in the UK for nine weeks during the summer of 1965. The cover picture was taken by Nicholas Wright.

Background

The title song The One in the Middle was written by Manfred Mann's lead singer Paul Jones for Keith Relf of the Yardbirds, but Relf "shied away from the lyrics". It was then determined that Jones would sing it and he did, mastering "the art of singing tongue in cheek". The Dylan song ("With God On Our Side"), set to piano and military snare-drum, was the first of several recorded by the band, included here, according to the record's liner notes, because Dylan had attended a gig and declared them "real groovy".^[1] The remaining tracks see the Manfreds on familiar ground, mining the US Rhythm and Blues charts for a Paul Jones vocal vehicle and picking up a funky jazz-blues classic that, like the title track, leaves room for the band's excellent soloing.

Chart performance

The record reached the number one spot on the

. After a week Manfred Mann recaptured the top spot for four weeks only to see the Rolling Stones regain it for another week before The One in the Middle went back to number one again for another four weeks.

Track listing

Side A

1. "The One in the Middle" (Paul Jones)
2. "Watermelon Man" (Herbie Hancock, Jon Hendricks)

Side B

3. "What Am I to Do" (Phil Spector, Doc Pomus)
4. "With God On Our Side" (Bob Dylan)

References