Roxy Music is not only a band, but also a foundation where some lived, and eventually explored the outer-world through various solo albums. To be a Roxy fan was an expensive ride, because of not only the Roxy Music albums, but also purchasing the various Eno albums, the solo Bryan Ferry recordings, and then, of course, the Andy Mackay album, and then Phil Manzanera's solo album. And even that, there are the Fripp & Eno albums, which means one should purchase a Robert Fripp album, and on and on it goes. One thing I miss from the 1970s are the solo albums that came out of one band. The only band I can think of in contemporary times is Radiohead because Thom York has various side projects as well as the other musicians in that group. On the other hand, that is not a financial problem for me, because I don't really like Radiohead. Roxy Music, on the other hand, is great, and therefore one needs to jump into the various solo recording of the current members of Roxy, as well as those who left the fold (Eno). Which comes to "Diamond Head" by Manzanera.
The role of Phil Manzanera in Roxy Music cannot be underestimated. His guitar work is intelligent, masterful, and a perfect ingredient that's in the Roxy Music soup. The same for Andy Mackay as well. Here, Phil steps out of the Bryan Ferry world and makes his own statement with everyone from the Roxy world, except their lead singer. It's a heady mixture of great talent: Robert Wyatt, Eno, Andy Mackay, Paul Thompson, John Wetton, Eddie Jobson, Charles Hayward and Manzanera as the ring leader in this temporary circus.
The beauty of "Diamond Head" is although there are many voices on this album, it is very much orchestrated by Manzanera, and he doesn't lose himself in the mix. There are classic pieces here, like the title cut, his work with Eno, "Miss Shapiro," "Big Day," and the great opening song with Robert Wyatt "Frontera." These are voices that are very distinct, and Wyatt/Eno don't hold back, but Manzanera can place himself in these guys without himself losing his identity. The Manzanera guitar sound is a combination of classic Jimi Hendrix touches, mixed with his South American roots and one foot in prog. It's a heady sonic experience. It's hard to believe that this album is 42 years old. As a solo artist, this is Manzanera's best album, as a guitarist who worked on many albums, he is still a fantastic talent. When one sees his name in the credits, you're getting yourself into a classy world.
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