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Album #7 - The Seventh Album from Guy Manning primarily deals with Mankinds fitness to be ambassadors into Outer Space.

Guy poses the question "If we are to venture out into Space and the unknown to meet other races are we ready to make such a voyage? Surely we should put our own house in order before we go abroad!

We must leave all our 'baggage' (anger, bigotry, greed, colonialism, warmongery, willful destruction of ecology & environment etc.) behind and then venture forth".

The long multi layered suite of songs that comprises "One Small Step..(Parts I-VIII)" deals with Mans inherent weaknesses and the long journey out into the far reaches of the Universe.

The artwork is again being provided by Ed Unitsky (Ed has previously provided artwork for The Flower Kings, The Tangent and the last Guy Manning album "A Matter Of Life and Death"). The set of images are wonderful and the conceptual imagination in the accompanying booklet artwork is superb. The music is in fact inspired by these vivid images. Ed has again pulled out all the stops!

Tracks are as follows:
1. In Swingtime
2. Night Voices
3. No Hiding Place
4. The Mexico Line
5. One Small Step... (Parts I-VIII)

Musicians:
Guy Manning - Vocals, Keyboards, Acoustic 6 / 12 String and Classical Guitars, Electric Guitars, Bass, Mandolin, Drums and Percussion
Laura Fowles - Sax, Vocals
Gareth Harwood - Lead Electric Guitar
Ian Fairbairn - Fiddle
Rick Ashton - Additional Bass
Martin Orford - Flute
Artwork - Ed Unitsky

Track Info:
1. In Swingtime
Original version was recorded as part of the "Tall Stories.." sessions with Andy Tillison The new version* is a re-working and is more like the way that the live band has been performing it. A song about getting older and not being able to do the things we used to do...even though we still think we can...these things are now just out of reach.

2. Night Voices
A song which documents a dream in which a man encounters his recently deceased wife and is able to ask her all the questions he needs to know in order to move on. Set on a bridge in the middle of a magical glade at midnight...

3. No Hiding Place
This was partly inspired by the events in which the Beslan children were held hostage in a school gym in Sept. 2004. We watched on our TVs, helpless as these kids went through it, in fear of their lives...it was a horrible spectacle. “I began to wonder whether this was the end of innocence for these children? Had that time/'state of being' now been stolen, never to return or were they able to hang on to it somehow, burying it away inside them until it was over? I also realised that this was the same for all children that have suffered some type of abuse...physical, sexual etc. So this is a song for all the children going through torment...hold on to your innocence (if you can) and hide it deep inside”

4. The Mexico Line
The main character writes a 'Goodbye' letter to his partner from inside a Mexican Hotel room 'across the border'.

5. One Small Step... (Parts I-VIII)
Easily the most ambitious piece Guy has ever done.... It's length is over 30 minutes and it is mainly an extended Acoustic guitar piece; a suite of songs which follows on from the writings of Roy Harper, Al Stewart and Peter Hammill. Its' main theme is about the ambition of Man to go off in to space to explore and visit new worlds... …even to go on holiday into the galaxy (...people are paying out money now to visit the Moon!) We do all this without a thought for who we are and what makes us what we are. Are we fit to go off and encounter other races? Had we not better get our own act together before we set off?

"If we are to go off on holiday into space, then as well as packing our swimming trunks....we'd better leave the rest of our baggage behind!"