Phil Manzanera - The Music 1972

Phil Manzanera isn't a name familiar to many younger folks, but the impact Manzanera had on popular music is significant. As the lead guitarist for Roxy Music, a band that leeched creativity for decades after it was prominent, he built a sound for his instrument that was very distinctive. It's hard to appreciate at times how it felt in the '70s to hear the music, because we're 30 years down the road. What's certain is that modern pop wouldn't exist in its present state without the influence of bands like Roxy and players like Manzanera. Listening to the opening track, "Amazona," we're reminded of the post-punk sounds of artists like David Bowie, and the upcoming synth revolution that would bring keyboards into the front line previously dominated by guitar. Manzanera's solo on the tune is transcendent, a sonic portrait of the entire range of the guitar's upper range and the possibilities of creative distortion. Experimentation played a large role in the music Phil Manzanera produced over these decades, something he readily admits in the liner notes for this collection. "Soaring like an angel one minute, stumbling like a sleepwalker the next," is how he humbly puts it, since we know in hindsight there were more angelic moments than anything else for Mr. Manzanera.

A huge helping of music and video, this one! Two CDs plus a DVD and a small book relating the stories behind the music. The DVD alone is worth the price of admission, containing several documentary films and some videos showcasing Manzanera in action. Combined with almost 30 tracks across two CDs, you've got a huge span of music drawn from time with groups like Roxy, plus eclectic offerings from 801 Live, Vozero, 6PM, and 50 Minutes Later. These bands are in many ways a reflection of the time when they were active, but always with the connecting threads of Manzanera's musicianship and creativity. What does this sound like? It's the blend of experimental sound and lyric playing that defines Manzanera, compared to more note-y and virtuosic styles. His playing on tunes like "Prairie Rose" perfectly correspond to musical streams that David Bowie and Pink Floyd were exploring, with long guitar lines that floated over the rhythm section like a vocalist. 801 Live and 6PM rocked harder and approached a Prog Rock label in some instances, but never lost that focus on melody.

One gets a good amount of background on Manzanera's heritage, and his connection to his South American family roots. Hints of this can be found in earlier works, but Vozero is the band that seems to channel the majority of an ethnic sound. The music still rocks, but in a way that reflects rhythms and sonorities outside what was being done in most American pop music, similar to the way Los Lobos was rocking it Chicano-style in the same period. Listening to Manzanera combine all he learned through collaboration with Brian Eno in Roxy Music with the sound of Cuban folk music is a neat experience, and the accompanying videos allow Manzanera to explain in his own words how he grew musically, and to show how he reconciled the various pieces of himself with music as an outlet. Because of how widely imitated these bands were over the years, Phil Manzanera - The Music 1972 - 2008 tends to sound very dated and antique, at least to ears attuned to modern pop and radio hits. What's obvious to a more discerning ear is the depth of ability Manzanera displays on his instrument and in his compositions, plus the impressive staying power he showed as an artist. Because of this last fact, we can bet there are fans of each of these groups that will be attracted to this monster survey of Manzanera's career. At least for nostalgia's sake, Phil Manzanera - The Music 1972 - 2008 is a worthy investment.