Episode 122: The Wonderful Mike D'Abo

In August 1966 Mike joined Manfred Mann, an established chart-topping group, as replacement for Paul Jones, who was leaving to start a solo career. Comparisons between d'Abo and Jones became a media preoccupation at the time of the switch, butd'Abo wasted little time dwelling upon it. "I enjoy being with the group," he told Pete Goodman. "We really do have anenormously wide range of musical tastes among us."D'Abo's first big hit with Manfred Mann was "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James". It was nearly recorded with "Mr Jones" in the title before it occurred to the group that it might beinterpreted as being an implied reference to Paul Jones. D'Abo first recorded the As Is album (with the attaching single "JustLike a Woman"). He composed and produced Chris Farlowe's "Handbags and Gladrags", a hit single which was also notably recorded by Rod Stewart and Stereophonics and subsequently became the theme music to the BBC television show The Office.