Phil Manzanera

11-25-08 Phil Manzanera

I never had the same trouble with Phil Manzanera that I did with Eno albums – for one, Robert Wyatt was on “Diamond Head”, the debut Manzanera solo album!

CD DIAMOND HEAD kami ARCANGELO JPN ARC-7288

LP DIAMOND HEAD ISLAND UK ILPS 9315

LP 801 LIVE (Various artists) ISLAND UK ILPS 9444

On CD as a part of a Kevin Ayers collection

CD LISTEN NOW kami ARCANGELO JPN ARC-7290

LP LISTEN NOW POLYDOR UK 2302 074

CD K-SCOPE kami ARCANGELO JPN ARC-7291

LP K-SCOPE POLYDOR US PD-1-6178

LP PRIMITIVE GUITARS EG US EGED 14

LP GUITARISSIMO EG US EGLP 69

CD MANZANERA ARCHIVES - RARE ONE EXPRESSION UK EXPCD 21

Which has material pertaining to their first four P.M. solo albums

And to this list, I supposed you could add Quiet Sun “Mainstream” (which I have on both LP and CD) – genuine ‘progressive rock’.

If I bought “Diamond Head” because of Robert Wyatt, I got the next two albums because of Split Enz members. Mr. Manzanera, of course, produced the UK Split Enz debut “Mental Notes” (not to be confused with the Australasian album of the same name, where the UK Enz LP is called “Second Thoughts”). And if we tack on another 20 years, I would’ve bought ‘em because of the involvement of Godley & Crème!

After “K-Scope”, I sort of gave up on P.M. – I recall that “Primitive Guitars” was an album of instrumentals and “Guitarissimo” was a collection. However, I have been getting his newer solo works (the ones on Hannibal / Rykodisc) and enjoying them.

I can reconcile buying Phil Manzanera solo albums while ignoring Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry solo albums. I never heard anybody go ‘over the top’ when talking about the Manzanera LP’s; the fandom thereof seemed dignified. I listened with open ears, and liked what I heard.

It was also via the Phil Manzanera albums that I heard Random Hold, an amazing British progressive rock band. Their debut record was produced by Peter Hammill, and featured members of Phil Manzanera’s band.

I do not think I will write about the 5 x Bryan Ferry solo albums that I have, I have not heard them enough to really know of any nuances worth writing about (it’s the first 5, FYI).

Coming next week, next month...."Rock Album Best 100" from the Japanese "Record Collector Magazine 25th Anniversary" special issue.

Brian Eno

11-24-08 Brian Eno

I believe Mr. Eno was one of the people responsible for helping me determine how I viewed music fandom in the 1970’s. Coming from a background of psychedelic music and King Crimson, I was onto Roxy Music pretty quickly. I had read about this new group being touted by the management of King Crimson, with a debut album produced by Pete Sinfield, the lyricist of King Crimson. With the first two Roxy’s under my belt, I quickly snapped up the debut RM solo LP, “Here Come The Warm Jets” by Brian Eno. Who were the “Warm Jets”, an imaginary rock band, a take-off on the “Spiders From Mars”?

Well, after the pop-prog rock of the first two RM albums, “Here Come The Warm Jets” seemed ‘light’ to me, a snob at 16 already! Did I need fluffy pop music if my favorite record of the moment was “Larks’ Tongues In Aspic” by the mighty King Crimson?

In my limited access to the retail music world, I began to see what I found to be ‘knee-jerk’ reactions to Eno’s debut solo album, I could over-hear people saying that it was the greatest record ever made etc. I saw Eno T-shirts. How could Iight and fluffy pop music create such extreme fandom? Even before Eno’s 2^nd album came along (which wasn’t long), I was already ‘finished’ with it, considering it to be an item of derision – my band even made fun of “Baby’s On Fire”, creating “Eno’s On Fire” (as in “Eno’s on fire, better throw up in the water…” etc.) – it seemed to me that the artist (and fans) were taking things way too seriously.

So, at the time Eno solo albums #2 & #3 were released – I ignored them. After “Warm Jets”, the only other one I heard when it was new was “Before and After Science” (album #4) – I got some new open ears, once I started working in record stores. It remains my favorite solo Eno album (I was 19 when it was released).

Truth be told, I got both Fripp & Eno albums when they were released, but…by the time both “(no pussyfooting)” and “Evening Star” walked down the pike – I was even kind of ‘done’ with Robert Fripp.

But it’s 2008, I’m 50 years old – and I should probably listen to all 4 x Eno ‘rock & roll’ albums again, now that I have re-mastered CD’s of them. I’ve spent the better part of 3 decades hearing about how wonderful they all are. I confess that I have enjoyed what I have heard from them, thus far. “Warm Jets” has a touch of ‘glam rock insincerity’ feeling to it! Of course, I am much more “OK” with British 70’s glam rock now than I was at that time. “Warm Jets” is neither ‘prog rock’ nor (really) ‘glam rock’. At times, it sounds like Eno is imitating Bryan Ferry when he’s singing!

Is it important to enjoy Robert Fripp when listening to “Warm Jets”? Lots of the guitar sure sounds like Phil Manzanera! Oh, it is. I never had a problem with his solo albums. But I also never heard anybody ‘rave’ about them. And I’ve only recently come around to the first 5 or so Bryan Ferry solo albums! Of course I have both Andy Mackay solo albums. Roxy Music solo album time now!