Phil Manzanera: The Music 1972 - 2008 (DVD & 2CD Set)

Why put up any pretence of objectivity for this review? I may as well lay my cards straight on the table and 'fess up to being one of the world's greatest Roxy Music fans. Despite my un-waning love for their first six albums, I found their slow descent into almost ambient easy listening, with guitarist Phil Manzanera almost disappearing in the mix, forgivable to a degree as they still managed to turn out the occasional moment of indescribable musical beauty.

As an ardent fan I naturally followed Bryan Ferry's solo career with devotion too and became a huge fan of Brian Eno's solo works too, never missing a single album release from either. Strangely though I haven't followed Phil Manzanera's (or Andy Mackay's) solo careers with anywhere near the same level of devotion. '801 Live' was the last album I bought (1976?) and that was mainly because it featured some great live versions of some of Eno's solo stuff.




So this collection came as a pleasant surprise and a perfect opportunity to reassess a man and his work who has been a presence in so much of the music that I grew up with and continue to enjoy today. It's a really appealing package too with a very nice digi-pack fold out case containing 2 CD's and one DVD - illustrated with pink 'Rothko' style cover that adds to the aesthetics of the thing. It comes with a nicely produced booklet too with a full track-listing, a brief history and plenty of illustrations.

The first CD is unutterably fantastic. It has an eclectic mix of early Roxy stuff, (Amazonia, Out of the Blue, Prairie Rose, Manifesto), a soupcon of the slightly later stuff (Over You, Running Wild, Take a Chance on Me) as well as early Eno solo material (Needles in the Camel's Eye, and the 801 Live version of Miss Shapiro) mixed in with some other 801 cuts and early Manzanera solo material (Diamond Head, Criollo, Frontera). The result is an amazingly cohesive set of highly creative music with some very inventive guitar work.



The second CD was, for me, less enjoyable. Here we sample material from Manzanera's last three albums where he adds his own vocals to the mix. There is a generous helping of the 6PM and Fifty Minute Later projects (featured on the DVD) where he collaborates with Robert Wyatt, David Gilmour and Brian Eno (who produces a completely mad mix of the final track). As ever, he uses a really rich mix of instrumentation with almost a full orchestral score in some pieces. It's an incredibly diverse mix of material which is, for the most part, let down by Manzanera's less than convincing vocals which tend to rely too heavily on studio effects.

The DVD is a generously populated affair which opens with a 25 minute trawl through Manzanera's life and career. Narrated by Manzanera himself, talking as he drives his car and looking the very doppelganger of Alan Sugar, it's a fascinating story of an extraordinary life. In fact, given the colourful nature of the whole of his life, Manzanera remains remarkably 'normal' - almost painfully so. In truth, he comes across as a likable, if slightly dreary, business executive. As he talks there are cutaways to archival footage and photos, and plenty of old family 8mm film footage - which, for me, always reveals a family background where they weren't short of a few bob.

The DVD also contains a mix of live material from throughout his career including some footage showing him back in South America turning in some great Latin licks. There are also cameos by David Gilmour, Brian Eno, Andy Mackay, Robert Wyatt and Bryan Ferry. Fascinating stuff.




As a player, Manzanera never seems to take the obvious path, mixing some wild effects (with much use of his pre-digital space echo tape loop) with some very dry acoustic stuff, betraying his South-American roots. Maybe part of Manzanera's trouble is that he's an ensemble player - one of those generous musicians who doesn't demand centre stage, despite being a very capable lead guitar player. This collection serves to show the sheer diversity and brilliant creativity of a slightly over-looked career. I suspect David Gilmour's presence on the 6pm material (and this DVD) may help Manzanera find a new audience. After all, Gilmour is ranked highly as a guitarist and clearly is a fan of Manzanera's.

The bottom line with this package is that anyone with an interest in any part of Manzanera's career will find much to enjoy. Treated like a biographical book or museum archive it really stands up. But like most compilations, the music contained is so wildly varying that it makes for a cerebral listening experience rather than the sort of disc that will find itself in the player frequently. I think the same will be true of the DVD though there are one or two quite stirring performances that certainly warrant a second or third outing.
Nicely produced, nicely packaged and great value for money.