Phil Manzanera, The Music 1972-2008

A photograph included here reveals that when Phil Manzanera joined Roxy Music, it was in response to an ad seeking a "perfect guitarist for avant-rock group - original, creative, adaptable, melodic, fast, slow, elegant, witty, scary, stable, tricky". More than 35 years later, that could almost be a description of Manzanera's subsequent career. This excellent double CD/DVD compilation brings it all together, from Roxy's early avant-garde explorations (Amazona), through beautiful solo expressiveness (Diamond Head) and the short-lived but superb 801 supergroup, to his experiments with Cuban and Latin music. Manzanera's recent vocal excursions betray an obsession with the passage of time and a fear of being reined in. Perhaps this explains his relentless quest to push at the boundaries of music, whether by bringing a sharp edge to Roxy's sweeter pop moments (Over You, Take a Chance On Me) or, on Manifesto, making a sound like malfunctioning domestic plumbing.