Phil Manzanera -

Phil Manzanera is an English musician, songwriter, and producer who emerged as the guitarist of Roxy Music. Between 1972 and 1982, he recorded eight studio albums with the band. Pre-fame, he played in Quiet Sun, which reformed for the 1975 album Mainstream.

In 1976, he brought Kiki art-rockers Split Enz to the UK and produced their Chrysalis release Second Thoughts.

Manzanera debuted as a solo artist with the 1975 Island release Diamond Head, followed by the 1977–78 albums Listen Now and K-Scope, both recorded with Enz frontman Tim Finn and 10cc alumni Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.

Early Life

He was born Philip Geoffrey Targett-Adams on January 31, 1951, in London to a Colombian mother and an English father employed by British Overseas Airways Corporation. Phil spent his youth in Colombia, Cuba, Hawaii, and Venezuela, where he first engaged with electric guitar at age eight.

In his teens, he absorbed both Anglo-American rock and Latin dance idioms, including merengue, cumbia, and Mexican boleros. After returning to England, he attended Dulwich College in south London, where he formed early bands with bassist Bill MacCormick, drummer Charles Hayward, and Ian MacCormick (later known as music journalist Ian MacDonald). These student groups evolved into a psychedelic unit called Pooh & the Ostrich Feather, which became Quiet Sun upon the arrival of keyboardist Dave Jarrett.

Quiet Sun wrote a set of original instrumental and song-based material but disbanded when MacCormick joined Matching Mole. Manzanera revived the group in 1975 to record a full album of their unrecorded repertoire during the Diamond Head sessions.

Roxy Music (1972–1975)

Phil Manzanera joined Roxy Music in early 1972, initially hired as a roadie before stepping into the guitarist role following David O’List’s departure. He entered the band during its transition from an experimental art-rock unit to a fully realized recording and touring act alongside Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno, Andy Mackay, Paul Thompson, and Graham Simpson.

Across the group’s first five albums, Ferry retained primary authorship, but Manzanera emerged as a regular co-writer during the mid-1970s period. He received co-writing credits with Ferry on “Amazona” (Stranded, 1973); “Out of the Blue” and “Prairie Rose” (Country Life, 1974); and “Whirlwind” and “Nightingale” (Siren, 1975). He also earned sole composer credit for “Hula Kula,” issued as the B-side to the 1973 single “Street Life.”

During this period, Manzanera developed a distinct guitar vocabulary within Roxy Music’s framework, combining sustained electric textures, rhythmic displacement, and non-blues harmonic movement. Parallel to his band work, he began external collaborations, including guitar and production contributions to Brian Eno’s early solo recordings and production work for Split Enz.

Diamond Head

Phil Manzanera released his debut solo album, Diamond Head, in April 1975 on Island (UK) and Atco (US).

The album alternates electric instrumentals with vocal tracks co-written by Robert Wyatt, Brian Eno, John Wetton, and Bill MacCormick. Manzanera frames each piece with layered guitar tones — electric, twelve-string, tiplé, fuzz-treated, and synthesized — supported by an ensemble that includes members of Roxy Music (Andy Mackay, Eddie Jobson, Paul Thompson) and Quiet Sun (MacCormick, Charles Hayward, Dave Jarrett).

Eno sings and contributes treatments on two tracks, and Wetton plays bass throughout and duets with Doreen Chanter on “Same Time Next Week.” Quiet Sun reconvened during these sessions to cut their own album Mainstream.

Manzanera composed all nine tracks. Wyatt co-authored and sang “Frontera,” also written by MacCormick. Eno co-wrote “Big Day” and “Miss Shapiro,” both of which he sings. Wetton co-wrote “Same Time Next Week,” which he sings with Chanter. MacCormick co-wrote and sang the closing “Alma.”

Diamond Head shifts between layered instrumentals, idiosyncratic vocal cameos, and tempo-variant hybrids that reflect Phil Manzanera’s split affinities for rhythmic pulse and tonal suspension. “Frontera” opens in clipped percussion and tremulous guitar lines that warp into asymmetric phrasing beneath Robert Wyatt’s phrased Spanish vocal. “Diamond Head” sustains a slower pace, built on reverberant guitar motifs and string overlays that fall in suspended cadence, blurring foreground and backdrop. “Big Day” and “Miss Shapiro,” both with Brian Eno, alternate jittery backbeats with strummed chords and distorted tonal turns—one fragmented, the other bluntly percussive—with Eno’s phrasing stretched between deadpan staccato and theatrical detour.

“The Flex” interlocks congas, clavinet stabs, and mid-register sax bursts into a staggered framework offset by Andy Mackay’s abrasions. “Same Time Next Week”—a Wetton–Chanter vocal duet—trades lines over rhythmic jolts and alternating keyboard shapes, breaking into a semi-chaotic bridge of overlapping textures. “East of Echo,” built on the Quiet Sun nucleus, balances thickened guitar density against sudden tempo shifts and alternating bass roles, with a brief bagpipe overlay that underlines the rhythmic pressure. “Lagrima” compresses guitar harmonics and oboe phrasing into a compressed acoustic miniature, while “Alma” builds slowly from ambient overlay into upward guitar phrasing that crests over synth shimmer and wordless vocal accents.

A1. “Frontera” (4:02) — Wyatt
A2. “Diamond Head” (4:30) — instrumental
A3. “Big Day” (3:44) — Eno
A4. “The Flex” (3:32) — instrumental
A5. “Same Time Next Week” (4:45) — Wetton, Chanter

B1. “Miss Shapiro” (6:40) — Eno
B2. “East of Echo” (5:45) — instrumental
B3. “Lagrima” (2:27) — instrumental
B4. “Alma” (6:48) — MacCormick

The CD bonus cut “Carhumba” completes the arc in clipped Western figures spun through syncopated horn phrasing and angular guitar bursts. Manzanera’s guitar maintains a subtle centrality, not through lead prominence but as an axis around which each tonal shape turns or collapses.

Manzanera tracked the album at Island Studios (London) between December 1974 and January 1975, self-producing with engineering by Rhett Davies and assistant Robert Ash.

The cover features a diesel locomotive (EMD E9), photographed by Jon Prew. The US pressing on Atco was widely regarded as inferior to the Island UK edition, which became a sought-after import in American specialty shops. Metal band Diamond Head took their name from the album.

801 Live

801 released their debut album, 801 Live, in November 1976 on Island (UK) and in March 1978 on Polydor (North America).

The album captures their September 3 performance at Queen Elizabeth Hall, the final and most developed of three concerts performed by the one-off ensemble 801. Guitarist Phil Manzanera formed the group during a Roxy Music hiatus with Brian Eno (vocals, synth, treatments), bassist Bill MacCormick, keyboardist Francis Monkman, slide guitarist Lloyd Watson, and 19-year-old drummer Simon Phillips.

The setlist merges material from Manzanera (Diamond Head), Eno (Here Come the Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain), and Quiet Sun (Mainstream), alongside reworks of The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” and The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” The band applied direct injection (DI) recording techniques to capture the concert with higher fidelity than traditional mic-based live albums.

Manzanera and MacCormick co-authored “East of Asteroid.” Charles Hayward wrote “Rongwrong” (originally performed with Quiet Sun). Eno contributed five songs: “Sombre Reptiles,” “Golden Hours,” “Fat Lady of Limbourg,” “Baby’s on Fire,” and “Third Uncle.”

A1. “Lagrima” (2:34) — instrumental
A2. “TNK (Tomorrow Never Knows)” (6:14) — Eno
A3. “East of Asteroid” (4:58) — instrumental
A4. “Rongwrong” (5:10) — MacCormick
A5. “Sombre Reptiles” (3:14) — instrumental

B1. “Baby’s on Fire” (5:02) — Eno
B2. “Diamond Head” (6:21) — instrumental
B3. “Miss Shapiro” (4:20) — Eno
B4. “You Really Got Me” (3:23) — Watson
B5. “Third Uncle” (5:14) — Eno

Sessions were recorded live by engineer Rhett Davies with sound engineering by Chris Michie. Manzanera produced the album with Eno and the group. Richard Wallis handled photography.

The 1999 Collectors Edition added “Golden Hours” and “Fat Lady of Limbourg,” expanding the setlist to match the full Queen Elizabeth Hall program. A 2009 two-disc deluxe edition appended a 23 August 1976 Shepperton Studios rehearsal with alternate versions and a reprise of “Lagrima.”

801 Live peaked at No. 28 in Australia on the Kent Music Report.

Listen Now

Phil Manzanera released his second solo studio album, Listen Now, on September 23, 1977, on Polydor.

The album was billed to “Phil Manzanera/801” and marked the only studio release by the expanded 801 collective. Reuniting core players from 801 Live — Manzanera, bassist Bill MacCormick, drummer Simon Phillips, and keyboardist Francis Monkman — the project added vocals by Simon Ainley and MacCormick, with guest contributions from Brian Eno, Kevin Godley, Lol Creme, and members of Split Enz (Tim Finn, Eddie Rayner).

The tracks span sessions between December 1975 and July 1977 and reflect a post-glam, art-rock sensibility built from layered keyboards, textured guitar treatments, and ensemble vocal arrangements. Manzanera composed the music for all nine LP tracks, co-writing five songs with Bill MacCormick and two with lyricist Ian MacCormick. The brief “¿Que?” and the instrumental “Initial Speed” are solo Manzanera compositions.

Listen Now opens with suspended motion and layered density, where atmosphere overrides propulsion. The title track unfolds in waves of sustained keys and textural guitar fragments anchored by a deep, deliberate bass figure. “Flight 19” shifts toward sharper pacing, with clipped guitar and syncopated keyboard patterns beneath vocals that pivot between polished detachment and unresolved tension. “Islands” slows to near-stillness, with a drawn-out lead line that curls across a sparse field of chords and cymbal hush. “Law and Order” reintroduces force, structured around a taut rhythmic frame and sharp instrumental interjections. “Que?” and “Initial Speed” extend the instrumental arc: the former delivers compressed angularity in under a minute, the latter stretches out through layered brass voicings and staggered rhythm shifts that swell, collapse, and regroup in measured sequence.

“City of Light” occupies a midpoint, blending shadowed pacing with chorused vocals and downward harmonic turns. “Postcard Love” builds slowly, shaping disillusion into faintly staggered phrasing over subdued instrumental drift. “That Falling Feeling” closes with layered harmonies over a descending chordal frame, outlining decline through repetition and tonal weight. Across the album, tempo remains subdued and texture varies—thick in one moment, transparent in the next—while voices shift in and out of focus, sometimes spoken, sometimes chorused, often set against a backdrop of unsettled instrumental flow. Manzanera’s guitar rarely commands; instead, it traces lines within arrangements that favor mood over climax and displacement over arrival.

A1. “Listen Now” (7:56) — Ainley
A2. “Flight 19” (5:33) — MacCormick
A3. “Island” (5:20) — instrumental
A4. “Law and Order” (4:06) — MacCormick

B1. “¿Que?” (1:18) — instrumental
B2. “City of Light” (7:09) — MacCormick
B3. “Initial Speed” (4:44) — instrumental
B4. “Postcard Love” (4:34) — MacCormick
B5. “That Falling Feeling” (5:15) — MacCormick

Sessions took place at Basing Street Studios (London) and The Manor (Shipton-on-Cherwell) with Manzanera producing. Engineering was handled by Rhett Davies and Martin Lawrence.

Instrumentation includes contributions from Eddie Jobson, Eddie Rayner, Billy Livsey, and Francis Monkman on assorted electric pianos and synthesizers. Mel Collins adds soprano saxophone, John White plays tuba, and Simon Phillips and Dave Mattacks share drum duties. Eno contributes chorus piano and synth treatments; Godley and Creme appear on backing vocals and percussion. Album design was directed by Philip Castle.

Listen Now peaked at No. 30 in New Zealand and No. 91 in Australia. A 2000 Virgin CD reissue appended three tracks: “Rude Awakening,” a studio outtake; “Blue Gray Uniform,” written by Peter Wheeler; and a demo of “Remote Control,” re-recorded for his subsequent album.

K-Scope

Phil Manzanera released his third album, K-Scope, in 1978 on E.G. and Polydor.

The album builds on the core of Manzanera’s Listen Now collaborators with a denser mix of processed guitars, vintage synths, and group vocals, tracked across three months at Sun Park Studios in Surrey. Returning musicians include Bill MacCormick, Simon Phillips, Eddie Rayner, Dave Skinner, Francis Monkman, and Simon Ainley, joined by Kevin Godley, Lol Creme, Mel Collins, and John Wetton. Tim Finn sings lead on four tracks with backing by his younger brother, Neil.

Manzanera foregrounds his Yamaha CS80 and Farfisa textures across a layered sequence of instrumentals and songs addressing dislocation, mass media, and political absurdity. He composed three tracks and collaborated with Wetton on “Numbers.” Bill MacCormick co-wrote “Cuban Crisis,” “Gone Flying,” and “Walking Through Heaven’s Door” while Ainley contributed to “Slow Motion TV.” Ian MacCormick added lyrics to “Hot Spot” and “Remote Control.”

K-Scope opens with a restless, layered instrumental built on pulsing Farfisa organ and fractured guitar lines that intersect in rising arcs. “Remote Control” breaks in at faster pace, driven by sharp rhythmic turns, stuttered vocal phrasing, and a clipped structure that leaves abrupt space between each section. “Cuban Crisis” flattens the energy into a slow-striding pattern of bass pulses and shuffled percussion under a dry vocal drawl, offset by scattered piano and brief guitar flare-ups. “Hot Spot” moves with mid-tempo insistence, pushed forward by blunt rhythm and bleating saxophone lines that loop over a choppy beat until the final minutes stretch into frictional soloing.

“Numbers” slows the sequence into darker harmonic space. Wetton’s voice threads through thick bass, surging fills, and brief guitar flashes that mirror the tension in the vocal phrasing. “Slow Motion TV” tightens again with bounce and polish, switching between processed vocal fragments and sharp accents on keys and cymbals. “Gone Flying” stays lighter, layering fluid chords over nimble drumming and textural guitar lines that alternate between delay effects and clipped patterns. “N-Shift” resets to a slower instrumental drift, where swelling chords and soft percussion frame guitar overlays that climb, bend, and dissolve without climax.

The album’s most expansive moment, “Walking Through Heaven’s Door,” unfolds in three parts: first, a quiet swirl of sustained saxophone and ambient textures; then a shift into weighted rhythm and looming bass; finally, a refrain that intensifies with repeated phrasing over a deepening instrumental backdrop. “You Are Here” closes in sparse form, blending phased guitar with subdued keyboard layers across a slow, circular pattern. Throughout, Manzanera rarely leads with guitar in isolation—instead he folds it into complex mixes, balancing sharp rhythm with tonal breadth, always shifting the frame before it settles.

A1. “K-Scope” (4:32) — instrumental
A2. “Remote Control” (2:37) — Finn
A3. “Cuban Crisis” (6:02) — Finn
A4. “Hot Spot” (5:02) — Finn
A5. “Numbers” (3:29) — Wetton

B1. “Slow Motion TV” (3:12) — Finn
B2. “Gone Flying” (4:27) — MacCormick
B3. “N-Shift” (5:33) — instrumental
B4. “Walking Through Heaven’s Door” (6:52) — MacCormick
B5. “You Are Here” (3:20) — instrumental

Sessions ran from March to May 1978 at Sun Park Studios (Surrey), produced by Manzanera with engineering by Gregg Jackman and Melvyn Abrahams. Chris Cooper handled the cover concept.

The album peaked at No. 92 in Australia. Manzanera revisited its title track in 2015 with a cover of “No Church in the Wild,” which had sampled “K-Scope” on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne (2011).

Roxy Music (1978–1983)

Roxy Music reconvened in late 1978 after a three-year hiatus, re-emerging with a streamlined lineup and a revised writing balance. Manzanera resumed his role as guitarist and expanded his presence as a co-writer during the band’s second phase, contributing to material that emphasized structured song forms and layered studio production.

He co-wrote four tracks with Ferry on Manifesto (1979): “Manifesto,” “Still Falls the Rain,” “Trash,” and “My Little Girl.” On Flesh + Blood (1980), he shared authorship on “Over You,” “No Strange Delight,” and “Running Wild,” and co-wrote “Lover,” issued as the B-side to the “Same Old Scene” single. His final credited co-write with Ferry appeared on Avalon (1982) with “Take a Chance with Me.” Roxy Music concluded its run in 1983 following the Avalon tour cycle.

Primitive Guitars

Phil Manzanera released his fourth solo album, Primitive Guitars, in 1982 on Editions EG.

The album marks Manzanera’s tenth year as a professional musician and functions as a personal retrospective, tracking his stylistic evolution through instrumental pieces that reference his childhood in Latin America, his adolescence in London, and his later output with Roxy Music, 801, and solo work.

Manzanera performs all guitars, bass, keyboards, and drum programming, layering textures over rhythmic patterns with minimal overdubs. John Wetton contributes bass on one track. Between selections, Manzanera intersperses snippets of recorded rehearsal dialogue as incidental transitions. Manzanera composed and performed all nine tracks.

A1. “Criollo” (5:13)
A2. “Caracas” (4:05)
A3. “La Nueva Ola” (4:36)
A4. “Bogotá” (4:06)
A5. “Ritmo De Los Angeles” (3:08)

B6. “Europe 70–1” (3:42)
B7. “Impossible Guitar” (6:11)
B8. “Big Dome” (6:20)
B9. “Europe 80–1” (4:00) — Wetton

Sessions took place in 1982 with Manzanera producing, mixing, writing, performing, and engineering under the credit “Indigenous Engineering.” Ian Little co-mixed and engineered. Rhett Davies engineered “Europe 80–1.” Lacquer was cut at Sterling Sound and pressed by Hub-Servall.

Tony McGee provided photography and cover concept. Typography and artwork were credited to Loaded.

Wetton/Manzanera

John Wetton and Phil Manzanera released their collaborative album Wetton/Manzanera on April 27, 1987, on Geffen.

The project emerged from a writing session at Manzanera’s Gallery Studios in Surrey, where Wetton completed a partially written track (“It’s Just Love”) and proposed recording a full album. The pair had previously worked together on Diamond Head and K-Scope, as well as during Manzanera’s stint with Roxy Music. For this release, they enlisted drummer Alan White (Yes), orchestral keyboardist Vic Emerson (10cc), and backing vocalist Kevin Godley. The resulting material fuses streamlined pop-rock and programmed textures with occasional art rock inflections.

Wetton and Manzanera co-wrote all ten tracks. The album’s 2001 CD reissue adds a bonus eleventh track, “Talk to Me.”

A1. “It’s Just Love” (3:39)
A2. “Keep On Loving Yourself” (5:12)
A3. “You Don’t Have to Leave My Life” (4:24)
A4. “Suzanne” (3:24)
A5. “Round in Circles” (4:32)

B1. “Do It Again” (4:49)
B2. “Every Trick in the Book” (4:06)
B3. “One World” (3:54)
B4. “I Can’t Let You Go” (3:22)
B5. “Have You Seen Her Tonight?” (4:47)

CD bonus
11. “Talk to Me” (4:00)

Sessions ran from March to August 1986 at Gallery Studios (Surrey), with Wetton and Manzanera producing. Keith Bessey engineered and co-produced. Greg Fulginiti mastered the album at Artisan Sound Recorders. Richard Evans directed the artwork, with photography by Tony McGee.

Wetton/Manzanera was issued in the US by Geffen, leveraging Wetton’s ongoing deal following the dissolution of Asia. Despite its label support, the album received minimal critical attention and weak reception.

Discography: