Phil Manzanera – Diamond Head (1975)

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Diamond Head is the first studio album by English rock musician Phil Manzanera. It was released in 1975, originally on Island Records in the UK (who was handling all E.G. recordings) and in the US on Atco Records. Unlike other solo albums issued by an instrumental member of an existing band (Manzanera was Roxy Music’s lead guitarist), Diamond Head featured a number of vocal songs performed by guest musicians.

Phil Manzanera’s first post-Roxy foray into solo albums is a terrific all-star affair that still holds up enormously well. Calling on favors from Roxy members present and past, and those from the Cambridge/British art rock scene, Manzanera assembled a supergroup for every song. Robert Wyatt sings Spanish gibberish on the opener “Frontera,” a rewrite of his own “Team Spirit.” Brian Eno teams up for the sunny “Big Day” and the nonsensical “Miss Shapiro,” both of which would not have been out of place on his own early solo albums. John Wetton (of several groups including Family and Asia) sings a duet with Doreen Chanter (of the Chanter Sisters and the Joe Cocker Band), and Bill MacCormick of Matching Mole and Quiet Sun sings his own “Alma,” the album’s closing ballad. Fans of any of the singers above, not to mention Manzanera, whose party this is, won’t be disappointed.

The highlights, for me, are the instrumental title track and the sung duet Same Time Next Week. Alma is goodish too, if a bit generically proggy, and the bonus track Carhumba is lively. If it weren’t for my irrational aversion to Latin rhythms I’d quite like it I expect.

 

Track listing

  1. Frontera (Manzanera, MacCormick, Wyatt) – 4:02
  2. Diamond Head (Instrumental) – 4:30
  3. Big Day (Manzanera, Eno) – 3:44
  4. The Flex (Instrumental) – 3:32
  5. Same Time Next Week (Manzanera, Wetton) – 4:45
  6. Miss Shapiro (Manzanera, Eno) – 6:40
  7. East of Echo (Instrumental) – 5:45
  8. Lagrima (Instrumental) – 2:27
  9. Alma (Manzanera, MacCormick) – 6:48

All songs by Phil Manzanera, except where noted.

 

Personnel

  • Phil Manzanera — electric 6 and 12 string guitars, tiple, acoustic guitar, synthesized guitar, bass, string synthesizer, organ, piano, vocals
  • Robert Wyatt — vocals, timbales, cabasa, background vocals
  • Brian Eno — vocals, treatments, rhythm guitar, piano, percussion
  • Eddie Jobson — strings, fender piano, electric clavinet, synthesizer
  • Dave Jarrett — keyboards
  • Andy Mackay — soprano and alto saxophone, oboe
  • Ian MacDonald — bagpipes
  • John Wetton — bass, vocals, mellotron
  • Bill MacCormick — bass, vocals
  • Brian Turrington — bass
  • Paul Thompson — drums
  • Danny Heibs — percussion
  • Chyke Madu — percussion
  • Sonny Akpan — congas, percussion, bongos, big gong, maracas
  • Charles Hayward — percussion
  • Doreen Chanter — vocals

Technical

  • Rhett Davies — engineer
  • Robert Ash — assistant engineer
  • Jon Prew — photography

Notes
Release Date: 1975
Recording Date: December, 1974 & January, 1975
Recording Location: Island Studios, London, England
Duration: 42:28
Genre: Art Rock, Experimental Rock

Label – Island Records

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