Man

The legendary Welsh band Man embraced the underground spirit of the 1960s, but unlike their European contemporaries, avoided the classical pretensions of the progressive rock movement. Instead, they were a hard rocking band that was clearly influenced by the sounds emanating out of San Francisco.

By the mid-1970s, Man had developed into a full-blown jam band, loved for their heavy psychedelic excursions and adventurous spirit. Deke Leonard and Micky Jones, the two lead guitar players, were both fans of Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist, John Cipollina, whose quirky unorthodox approach to guitar they often emulated. By blending elements of psychedelia, blues, vocal harmony, and jam-driven rock 'n' roll, Man rarely played a song the same way twice, putting them in line with other West Coast counter-culture favorites like Quicksilver and the Grateful Dead.

However, Man was equally aware of the pummeling ferocity of fellow-European bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, and although those influences were not overt, Man had a distinctly harder edge than the San Francisco bands they admired and a sound that was more indicative of the 1970s.