Manfred Mann - The Evolution Of Manfred Mann (2003)

A double-disc Manfred Mann hits set that adds a third disc for some DVD material, The Evolution of Manfred Mann surveys the entire career of one of British rock & roll's tightest and most energetic units. The first disc is '60s and early-'70s material, nearly all with classic Paul Jones vocals, while the second picks up the story with Manfred Mann's Earth Band and their series of, well, earthier recordings during the mid-to-late '70s (although the compilation extends well into the '90s). The emphasis, overwhelmingly, is on the hits, which finds "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" comfortably slotted near the beginning of disc one, and "Blinded by the Light" in the same position on the second, but apparently no room for some of the band's best recordings that didn't make the charts -- "My Little Red Book," "Cock-a-Hoop," and "Tired of Trying, Bored With Lying, Scared of Dying," prime among them. The DVD portion has interviews with Mann, plus performances of all the main hits: "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. James," "Fox on the Run," and "Blinded by the Light," among others.