From '72 to being 72



72, a magical number in the world of Roxy Music, the year they stuck their heads above the parapet. In January 1972, anyone cool enough to be tuning into John Peel’s Sounds Of The 70’s were Roxy would be heard for the first time with people tuned into the ‘wireless’ to hear something new, fresh and innovative, with Roxy Music they got exactly that.

Phil Manzanera was 10 day off his 21st birthday when this session was broadcast, their first ever airplay. Phil was not to be a full time member of Roxy until a couple of weeks later and soon established himself as Roxy’s guitarist.

Roxy Music, with Phil are signed up in February 1972 and the following month they record the seminal album Roxy Music. May 1972 sees the return of Roxy to do more sessions for John Peel this time with Phil well and truly established as their guitarist and the album is released in June with major TV slots over the next 2 months on The Old Grey Whistle test and Top Of The Pops. Those radio broadcasts and two TV performances beamed into the living rooms of many a bewildered home witnessed not just something like a space ship landing on earth with some other worldly sound and look but it was like a whole planet coming to settle here sector by sector, ’72 ….what a year.

Today Phil Manzanera is 72 years old and still giving us music, not just from his writing pen but live on stage too. Most men his age will have retired by now but senor Manzanera is still doing live performances and releasing new music showing his desire to continually make music and connect with his audience. Phil’s performance during last year’s 50th anniversary tour was as stunning as any of the last 5 decades.

In the late 70’s I was a 14 year old boy discovering what a stylus and a piece of vinyl could do for you. It entertained me, it educated me, it moved me and it made me dream of another world. I was doing ‘catch up’ with Roxy Music as they had released 6 albums by the time I started buying and listening to music. My wee bedroom became Glasgow Apollo with me being Brian Eno/Eddie Jobson playing A Song For Europe and Editions Of You on my window sill. I used my hairbrush (I had hair then) and became Bryan Ferry crooning Beauty Queen as if Valerie was in the front row of my makeshift 3m x 3m Glasgow Apollo. My tennis racket doubled up as John Gustafson playing Love Is The Drug or Phil Manzanera playing Serenade I was brought up playing brass where I learned to read write and more than anything appreciate a whole world of musical genres.

Phil came from a hybrid of cultures having a Columbian mother and an English father. This exposure to many types of music would show through in his style and create what is the unique style and sound of Phil Manzanera.

Phil’s first composition to be released was Hula Kula, the b-side to Roxy’s Street Life single in November 1973. The new album Stranded was also to include Amazona, the first of many Ferry/Manzanera compositions.

One of my personal highlights of seeing Roxy Music or solo shows was at 2 of the 3 shows in the legendary Ronnie Scott’s where Phil promoted his new album Firebird VII. I sat at the front row so close to Phil that I could almost read the serial number on his guitar, something myself as a 14 year old with a Woolworths tennis racket in my bedroom never thought would happen. Phil singing In Every Dream Home A Heartache spliced with East Of Asteroid 2m from me was the stuff of fantasy, the stuff of dreams became the stuff of reality that night.

Phil’s co-writes on the Roxy albums with Ferry/Manzanera written on the LP labels underneath Amazona, Out Of The Blue, Prairie Rose, Whirlwind, Nightingale, Manifesto, Trash (and Trash 2), Still Falls the Rain, My Little Girl, Over you, No Strange Delight, Running wild, Lover and Take A Chance With Me.

His distinctive style and approach to playing guitar are an essential part to what makes the unique Roxy sound and this can be heard throughout the various stages of Roxy Music. To quote Phil on the sleeve notes on his solo album Primitive Guitars: “I suppose I have tried to make the guitar sound as unlike a guitar as possible”, how cool is that? That’s an attitude and ethos to making music that has always impressed and inspired myself in what I enjoy hearing in the other musicians that I listen to and also in what I try as a musician myself.

Phil just didn’t just keep his writing and playing for Roxy Music. His solo album Diamond Head is a standout in the many solo and off shoot projects that came from the core members of Roxy Music, a personal favourite of mine. While making this album he cheekily recorded Mainstream with his pre Roxy band Quiet Sun during the same time as Diamond Head without the record company knowing.

Phil has recorded many albums as a solo artist but also many albums as a main collaborator with Brian Eno, John Wetton, Andy Macky (The Explorers), Sergio Dias and more recently he record two albums with Tim Finn.

Phil has also been a guest on many records for other people as well as production credits where he has produced, John Cale. Split Enz, Dave Gilmour and Pink Floyd to name a few.

There is no doubt Phil was hired to play guitar or produce other bands and artist’s music not just for the notes he would play but for the distinctive sound and unique approach that he would give to their recording and adding another dimension to them too.

Phil Manzanera the musician and Phil Manzanera the gentleman (as that is exactly what he is) are etched in the fabric of my musical life and no doubt the lives of many Roxy Music fans around the world whether they are musicians themselves or not.

I have met Phil Several times and more recently at the London 02 after-show. Like all the times that I have met him he was an absolute gentleman and has always been helpful in supporting VivaRoxyMusic.com as well as helpful with encouragement and advice with some music I have written and recorded too.

Did this former 14 year old tennis racket owner just say Phil Manzanera game him advice on his own music……stuff of dreams….but it was a reality.

On behalf of myself and all those fans far and wide we wish Phillip Targett Adams Manzanera a happy 72nd birthday and we all look forward to many more years of his music.

I am sure we will never tire of Bryan Ferry on stage lifting his right arm and saying say on stage "Phil Manzanera on guitar - woah"

Feliz cumpleaños señor Manzanera

Gracias por tu música, los grandes recuerdos y la música y los recuerdos por venir.

Una inspiración para muchas cosas en mi vida, gracias