801 LIVE

Phil Manzanera escapes the restrictions of Roxy Music with a real gem and a great line-up of guests. In fact, the album is more a reunion of Manzanera's former band Quiet Sun and other friends. Musically this steers through the overlapping territory between prog/rock/pop, played extremely well (and remember this is live album from the early 70's). Tunes range from the covers (brilliant work outs of the Kinks "Really Got Me" and Lennon's/ Beatles "TNK" - Phil Collins' variant is sad in comparison), tracks from the only Quiet Sun album, early Eno and Manzanera's first, "Diamond Head". One of many surprises is that Eno sings, and with his pleasant even if limited half octave range, adds something to the better known tunes. Eno provide some of the keys, but the main man here is Francis Monkman, between Curved Air and Sky. Bill MacCormack on bass is between Quiet Sun and Matching Mole. And this is the first album on which we were exposed to the talents of Simon Phillips the drummer (who now ranks with Dave Weckl and Dennis Chambers as one of the most in-demand sessionists), there is nothing to fault - and is he 18 years old here? Phillips gives a thundering underpinning to all the tunes here.

The very best of Manzanera. Other of his albums may have individual tunes that surpass in quality, (e.g. Robert Wyatt singing "Fronteria" in Spanish) or have guests like Godley &Creme or the Finn brothers (between Split Endz and Crowded House), but for a complete and satisfactory package provided on every track of one album and from a tight line-up, "801 Live" cannot be beaten.