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Guitarist Phil Manzanera<\/strong> is one of those characters to which one can rightly apply the phrase “musician’s musician.” Never one to crave — much less hog — the spotlight, Manzanera has nonetheless built an impressive body of work since his professional debut in 1972. Through his work with Roxy Music<\/strong> and 801<\/a><\/strong>, his solo projects, and his collaborations with estimable talents such as Brian Eno<\/strong> and David Gilmour<\/strong> (to name only the most high profile of many), Manzanera has never failed to produce compelling music.<\/p>\n For reasons not entirely clear to this writer, the Manzanera career retrospective compilation The Music 1972-2008<\/em> has just now landed on my desk. (It’s apparently been out since 2008, though perhaps not in North America.) Lucky me, because the set — two CDs plus a DVD — is a thoughtful and well-chosen overview. It’s not without its idiosyncrasies, though.<\/p>\n The music on the two CDs is laid out in chronological order, beginning with Manzanera’s first composition on record, Roxy Music’s “Amazona” from their third LP, 1973’s Stranded<\/em>. From there we find “Needles in the Camel’s Eye” from Eno’s solo debut Here Come the Warm Jets<\/em>, an album that’s essentially a collaborative effort between Eno and the guitarist.<\/p>\n While the first two tracks are excellent and essential, it’s only when “Out of the Blue” (from Roxy Music’s Country Life<\/em>) comes on that the listener begins to develop some small sense of Manzanera’s talents and approach as a player. While he favors a style that’s vaguely reminiscent of Pink Floyd<\/a><\/strong>‘s David Gilmour, Manzanera leans in a more angular and dissonant approach. Like Gilmour, Manzanera places great emphasis on tone and texture, but he goes places sonically that are unexpected.<\/p>\n As the first disc unfolds, it guides the listener through the year 1982. Oddly, the fourteen tracks (half from Roxy Music, one from Eno, two from 801<\/a><\/em> and the remainder from Manzanera’s solo work) completely skip over both his Listen Now<\/em> album (credited to Phil Manzanera’s 801) and the peerless K-Scope<\/em>. Apparently the goal of this set is less to provide a representative selection of Manzanera’s work, and more to include items that make sense within the context of a particular narrative.<\/p>\n That narrative, as it turns out, is to put forth examples of the guitarist’s growth as a player, and his ever-widening musical interests. As the documentary included on the DVD (“Revolution to Roxy”) explicates, Manzanera’s musical journey started in interesting places, moved around, and continued in ever-yet-more fascination directions. The guitarist’s Latin roots are a central theme of the entire set.<\/p>\n While listeners familiar mostly with Manzanera’s Roxy and solo work might find the inclusion of so much Spanish-language music on the set a surprising development, it’s a central theme in Manzanera’s work. The period 1983-2000 is completely skipped over on this set, perhaps leading the listener to search the impressively-designed packaging for some missing disc.<\/p>\n But it’s not there. So Manzanera’s collaborative works with John Wetton<\/strong> and others are not included. As the documentary makes clear, Manzanera remained busy during that period, but the emphasis leaned toward Latin-themed work. As far back as 1975’s Diamond Head<\/em>, Manzanera was already including Spanish lyrics in his songs, and that direction — along with a fascinating development in guitar style that fused Spanish styles with his thickly chorded semi-progressive leanings — would be the central theme of much of his subsequent work.<\/p>\n That second disc is home to some fascinating music, and not all of it is Spanish-language themed. The highlight is a track from Manzanera’s 2005 album 50 Minutes Later<\/em> called “Enotonik Bible Black.” As the title telegraphs, the cut is a vaguely King Crimson<\/a><\/strong>-ish excursion featuring treatments by Brian Eno. It’s compelling throughout.<\/p>\n The net effect of listening to the music on the second CD may well be to lead listeners back for a closer inspection of Manzanera’s work over the last decade, and for that alone The Music 1972-2008<\/em> is a worthy package. Despite its many omissions — Quiet Sun<\/strong>, the Explorers<\/strong>, etc. — The Music 1972-2008<\/em> is a consistently engaging, intriguing and rewarding listening experience.<\/p>\n
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