The Mansa Musas

The Mansa Musas performing in 1975. From left: Thunder, Wallis, Baker, Kessler, Powell.

## Background Information

### Genres

Punk, proto-punk, new wave, glam rock, glam punk

### Members

Cleo Wallis • Sylvia Thunder • Mina Powell • Ivan Kessler • Valentina Kessler • Angus Baker

### Associated Acts

Flyford Favell

The Mansa Musas were an American-British rock band formed in London in 1971, founded by Cleo Wallis and Sylvia Thunder. They were an early member of the punk rock scene. Although the band never saw great success during their initial run, they gradually acquired a cult status over the 1980s and re-united between 1990 and 1999 before disbanding for a final time.

## History

### Formation

On a trip to the UK during the production of Flyford Favell's final album, *Sordid Realities*, Wallis expressed a wish to play with Thunder. Wallis always enjoyed live performance, and on the vacation - taken to escape the rising tensions in Flyford and for business dealings in SK Records' London office - she visited King's Road shop, Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die with Thunder. The shop was named Let It Rock at the time, and would later become a focal point for the punk scene in the UK. It was here that she and Thunder met Ivan and Valentina Kessler, who were regulars. They lamented how their band had recently broken up - the couple played keyboards and guitar and did not feel confident enough to play on their own - and Wallis broached playing with them in the short-term. The Kesslers contacted a friend of theirs, Mina Powell, to play bass. The band played a couple of gigs together in small clubs before Wallis returned to the US to complete *Sordid Realities.*

The band - at the time named Decimal Day - continued to play without Wallis. They recruited Angus Baker, a friend and multi-instrumentalist, to fill-in on drums. Baker would remain in the band even after Wallis' return, on co-lead vocals and keyboards following the departure of Ivan Kessler. Wallis returned to the UK in July 1972, after the breakup of Flyford Favell, and pitched taking the band on full-time. The group agreed. Baker and Wallis would become fast friends, despite Thunder's initial concerns of conflict between the two of them given Baker's relegation from drums. The band renamed themselves, hastily put together an EP and signed with SK Records shortly after.

### Club band and *The House of Neptune*

The Mansa Musas quickly became well known as a club band in and around London. Wallis would share in her autobiography that playing live was her favourite part of her music, and enjoyed small venues. She would later state - after the company went defunct - that signing with SK Records again was a "necessary evil" and "felt like selling [her] soul" and that she would have preferred to keep the band more casual than Flyford Favell ended up being. The perspective was not completely shared among the group, so Wallis conceded the point. Regardless, the Mansa Musas would play small gigs regularly throughout the 1970s and build up a notoriety in the club scene.

The band began work on their first album in September 1972, *The House of Neptune*. It was released on 12 January 1973 in the UK and 22 January 1973 in the US. It enjoyed measured commercial success in the UK, making it into the lower ends of the album charts. It was relatively well-received critically, although did not receive much focus. It was a solid proto-punk album, beginning to head in the direction of where punk would eventually end up in the UK in 1975. Retrospective reviews are often laudatory. Ivan Kessler left the group following the release of the album when he and Valentina Kessler separated. Baker took over keyboards.

### *Romp and Circumstance*, live albums and *Oubliette*: 1973-1980

Over the next several years, the group would become more overtly punk as the genre grew in prominence in the UK. They recorded their first live album at the Roundhouse, a favourite location of Wallis' since playing them with Flyford, although they generally preferred to play at smaller venues. Only two more albums were released during the first iteration of the group and neither of which sold especially well. However, the Mansa Musas continued to fill up live venues for the entire career. To appease SK Records, they recorded a total of five live albums in '74, '76, '77, '78 and '79, consequently releasing an album a year.

*Romp and Circumstance* was released on 4 January 1974 and did not chart. The band did not see this as a disappointment, although SK Records did. The album has grown a cult status over the years. Only around a thousand copies were sold in the initial run of the album, making it generally considered a collector's item. *Oubliette*, released on 20 July 1980, received similar treatment.

### Baker's death and first breakup

On 19 July 1980, SK Records hosted a release party for *Oubliette*. All members of the group attended, although Wallis left early to return home, feeling unwell. Powell stated that Baker left the party at around one in the morning on the 20th. He drove himself, although she said that he hadn't been drinking. He was found dead in his car in a river on the way back to his home just outside of London. Baker's cause of death was listed as an accidental drowning. The band agreed to disband three days later.

### Reunion

In 1990, following taking some time away from music, Wallis approached the remaining members of the band about working together again. They agreed, and quietly worked on album with a different record company, Venus (SK Records was defunct by the end of 1980). The band consisted of Wallis, Thunder, Powell and Kessler. They did not replace Baker. It is not known who played keyboards on the album, but multiple rumours suggest it may have been Charlie Sara. *Time Thief*, dedicated to Baker, was released 10 October 1990. It received some chart success and positive reviews.

The group worked together loosely over the following nine years, performing a few live gigs and eventually releasing another album, *Coping*, in November 1998. It did less well commercially, although one of its singles - "Lambeth Bridge" - did chart. The group disbanded for a second time in summer 1999.

## Members

* Cleo Wallis - drums, percussion, lead vocals (1971 - 1980, 1990 - 1999)
* Sylvia Thunder - lead guitar, vocals (1971 - 1980, 1990 - 1999)
* Mina Powell - bass guitar, vocals (1971 - 1980, 1990 - 1999)
* Ivan Kessler - keyboards, vocals (1971-1973) (died 2001)
* Valentina Kessler - rhythm guitar, vocals (1971 - 1980, 1990 - 1999) (died 2019)
* Angus Baker - co-lead vocals, drums (1971), keyboards from 1973 (1971 - 1980) (died 1980)

## Discography

**Studio albums**

* *The House of Neptune* (1973)
* *Romp and Circumstance* (1975)
* *Oubliette* (1980)
* *Time Thief* (1990)
* *Coping (*1998)

**Live albums**

* *Roundhouse '74* (1974)
* *Live at the Hope and Anchor* (1976)
* *The Mansa Musas in Sheffield* (1977)
* *Behind Closed Doors* (1978)
* *Huis Clos* (1979)