Diamond Head (1975) Phil Manzanera
I bought this copy when it came out and it's long been a favorite. I was already a big fan of Roxy Music and all the friends and associates involved in making this album. Bryan Ferry is the only member missing, and Phil doesn't sing, but guests Brian Eno, John Wetton, and Robert Wyatt shine on some great songs.His guitar is a joy throughout, and the titular instrumental "Diamond Head" has been on many playlists over the years.
A major influence on me and my music.
-BBJ
7 comments:
Love this album! Came to it late (early nineties).
This story still amazes me: https://guitar.com/news/music-news/phil-manzanera-jay-z-kanye-west-watch-the-throne/
Thanks for sharing BBJ!
Bought this when it was released and still pull it out several times throughout the year. Great way to start my day. Thanks for the share.
I love this album and have played it many times over the years. The next four he released (801 Live, Listen Now, K-Scope, and Primitive Guitars) are a fantastic run of wonderful, inventive music. After that, his work is patchy.
- Paul in DK
One of my all times faves. I remember buying it at Titus Oaks Records in Flatbush and thinking it was the coolest record in my collection. It still is! And thanks for the coverage BBJ. I am literally up to my ears in records with this new collection I purchased.
A DJ at a college radio station gave me an import copy of Roxy Music's debut when I worked at the Wildcat. On first listen I thought, what the fuck is this. But I felt compelled to play it repeatedly. This band had a lot going on! The record made me like it. If you know what I mean. It made me a believer. What a band! Roxy Music and Ziggy got heavy rotation in my bedroom Summer 1972. The only one of my friends who "got" the band was Sandy.
When the album came out in America, I bought it again. It had "Virginia Plain." And a photo of a different bass player in the gatefold. Sandy and I knew a photographer who shot us several times to work on his nudes. He loved rock 'n' roll. We got along great. I gave him my import copy of Roxy Music for him to check out. He dug it too.
A couple months later he called me up and asked me if I'd like to meet the band. Fuck yeah I did. He got the gig through a local rock magazine that had used him before and loved his work. This would be late 1972. I was a Senior in high school and just finished exams. Sandy came along after I asked the photographer if it was OK. We met the band at the Hyatt on the strip. They were nice and really loved being photographed. It was a goofy session. They seemed thrilled to be in Hollywood.
Sandy and I already had tickets to see them at the Hollywood Palladium. They were third on a bill headlined by Ten Years After. Second on the bill was Wild Turkey, who I'd seen open for Black Sabbath and Yes in Berdoo earlier that year. Good band. Roxy's bass player told Sandy that they were probably gonna do a gig at the Whisky a week later. Sandy and Rik got along famously. Very famously. After the US tour was over, he got sacked.
People at the Ten Years After concert didn't take to Roxy Music. But the band were terrific despite derogatory remarks from the peanut gallery. The Whisky show was everything we could have wanted. And more. The small Tuesday night crowd were true fans. Manzanera was superb. It was a showcase of sorts. I recognized some music press people in attendance. If you see a couple, assume there are more. Like rats.
I simply adore the first three Roxy Music albums, which is not to say the others are less. They're just a different strain. I liked Eno's first couple of album's better than "Country Life" and "Siren." Manzanera was on them. And I damn sure prefer Diamond Head way over Roxy's 4th and 5th. It's great from start to finish. His best solo with star studded support. Roxy's rhythm section's on every song but one. Manzanera could do no wrong by me for the rest of the 1970's. In particular I like Quiet Sun's "Mainstream." Just drop the needle on "Sol Caliente" and let it lead you into an incredible listening experience. Get reborn.
Mummy was an asteroid
VR
We'd have a lot to talk about. Thanks for taking the time to share this.
The gatefold of "For Your Pleasure" is why I have 40 guitars, including a '67 Teisco, exactly like Eno's.
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