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Published on July 25th, 2024 | by Phil

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Phil Manzanera – 50 Years of Music

Due to be released on 1st November this year, the new 11-CD extensive and essential celebration of the Roxy Music guitarist, record producer and musical collaborator; Phil Manzanera, and his fascinating 50 year solo career.

50 Years of Music is beautifully presented in a 10”x10” hard-slip featuring eleven of his original albums, remastered by Alchemy Mastering’s Barry Grint at London’s renowned Air Studios and overseen by Phil. A 100-page book accompanies this extraordinary musical journey, with photos, handwritten notes, tape boxes, scribbles, clippings, alternate artwork, lyrics, compositions, thoughts as well as the original album booklets.

The box set features ‘K-Scope’, as sampled by Jay-Z and Kayne West, plus the bonus disc, ‘Rare Two’, a personally curated collection of 9 unreleased tracks , demos, live tracks, and two rarities from Phil’s archive including the Roxy Music’s live version ‘of Impossible Guitars’ and Pink Floyd’s early version of ‘One Slip’, called ‘Demo PM 1’.

A perfect companion to Manzanera’s critically acclaimed 2024 memoir 

From Revolución To Roxy 

phil manzanera_50 years of music

Phil Manzanera’s 50 Years of Music, the first ever career-spanning collection of the solo work of one of the UK’s best-known musicians and an award-winning international record producer, who shot to prominence in the early ‘70’s as the lead guitarist with the seminal band, Roxy Music.Manzanera was awarded the OBE for Services to Music in the recent King’s Birthday Honours List.

Since joining Roxy Music in 1972, Manzanera has been an art-household name, however, he has also had a stellar solo career that has run parallel with the group’s activities. This extensive and celebratory collection pulls together all of Manzanera’s 10 solo albums in one place, featuring collaborators such as Brian Eno, David Gilmour, Neil and Tim Finn, Andy Mackay, Robert Wyatt, Eddie Jobson,  and John Wetton , making 50 Years of Music play like his own  personal musical  version of modern popular music.

While others later were to make much of ‘world music’, Manzanera was quietly making sounds inspired by a childhood that saw him travel with his Colombian mother and English father to Cuba, Venezuela, and Hawaii – these influences, combined with the British beat of his teens, permeates his 10 solo albums, gathered here with unreleased and rare bonus material.  


After Roxy’s first wave, in 1975 Manzanera released his debut solo album, Diamond Head. Featuring some of the finest musicians in London, including Robert Wyatt, Brian Eno and Paul Thompson, the album is a fine period portrait of 70’s eccentric eclecticism .1977’s follow up Listen Now was inspired by George Orwell’s 1984 and deals in subtle sonic alchemy ,once again Eno guested alongside the likes of Kevin Godley and Lol Crème. 

1978’s K-Scope was released during Roxy Music’s late ‘70s hiatus, and the spirit of the age isreflected in sharper, hipper recordings andworking with Tim and Neil Finn (Split Enz/Crowded House) it pushes the music slightly toward new wave. High points include the Split Enz brothers-led ‘Hot Spot and ‘Slow Motion TV

1982’s Primitive Guitars is An instrumental album that reflects Phil’s  Latin and psychedelic roots, as well as having one foot firmly on the dance floor. In Southern Cross (1990) hebegan to explore his Cuban childhood and reunited with Tim Finn on vocals. While 1999’s Vozero continued  this theme  it became the first of ‘the white album trilogy’ with Phil singing as well as song-writing, making a more personal statement.  2004’s 6PM marries grooves, ambience, and pop in a pleasing post millennial mixture and features long-time friend and collaborator Robert Wyatt, as well as Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. The Times praised the song ‘Wish You Well’, a tribute to author and music critic Ian MacDonald, who died the year before, “as honest and heartfelt as a gift from a great musician to a great writer could be.” 

While the Roxy Music reunion of the early ‘00s reintroduced Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson into Manzanera’s work, old friends Robert Wyatt and Brian Eno joined too completing his trilogy  with  2005’s 50 Minutes Later. 

Firebird VII contains a quartet of technically gifted international musicians from a wide spectrum of genres, featuring acclaimed Polish jazz pianist Leszek Mozdzer, Philharmonic bassist Yaron Stavi from Israel and British experimental percussion maestro Charles Hayward , he of This Heat fame (with whom Phil played in pre-Roxy years with Quiet Sun). The osmosis is audibly stunning as each virtuoso remains well within the Manzanera style while contributing immensely with their own mercurial talents. 

The Sound of Blue from 2015, is a warm, emotional album, guitars both proggy and jerkily post-punk,sexy,exotic and melodic” Sonia Bernardo’s vocal contributions to 1960 Caracas  and No Church in the Wild a particular highlight.

All 10 albums appear across 10 CDs with rare and previously unreleased tracks. There is also a bonus disc, Rare Two, which should be of huge interest as a follow-up to 2000’s Rare One, a collection of never-before-released demos, radio sessions, and rare European singles. Rare Twois a personally curated collection of 10 unreleased songs, demos, live tracks, and two rarities from Phil’s archive. Of enormous interest will be the Demo PM 1, the early version of Pink Floyd’s One Slip that Phil wrote with his long-term friend and collaborator David Gilmour. A live version of Impossible Guitars from Roxy Music’s Frejus gig in 1982 can be enjoyed here as well.

Phil Manzanera’s career is in rude health. He continues to influence and inspire not only his peers, but current and future generations. Out of the blue in 2011, the title track of K-Scope was sampled by Kanye West and Jay Z for their global success, ‘No Church In The Wild’.  The song was also used in the Baz Luhrmann adaptation of The Great Gatsby and in multiple TV commercials. With this one sample, Manzanera earned more money than in 50 years with Roxy Music. As a token of his thanks, Phil’s own version of ‘No Church In The Wild’ graces The Sound Of Blue.

50 Years of Music is beautifully presented in a 10”x10” hard-slip case with a tasteful matt finish and spot varnish, with three wallets holding the eleven CDs featuring original artwork throughout. Overseen by Phil, the albums have been remastered by Alchemy Mastering’s Barry Grint at London’s renowned Air Studios. A 100-page book accompanies this extraordinary musical journey. With photos, handwritten notes, tape boxes, scribbles, clippings, alternate artwork, lyrics, compositions, thoughts as well as the original album booklets, the hardback book is intended to enlighten and amuse. 

50 Years of Music is an extra-special release from an extra-special artist: a unique artefact of a glorious, ongoing career. 

Phil Manzanera said:

“This box set gives the listener an idea of what I’ve been up to in my parallel solo musical world away from Roxy for the last 50 years. It always has been about working together with friends to achieve the common goal of music ‘Sin Fronteras.’”

Pre-Order ’50 Years of Music’ Here

Tracklisting: 

Disc One: Diamond Head (1975)

  1. Frontera
  2. Diamond Head
  3. Big Day
  4. The Flex
  5. Same Time Next Week
  6. Miss Shapiro
  7. East Of Echo
  8. Lagrima
  9. Alma

Bonus Tracks

  1. Carhumba (previously released on 2011 re-issue)
  2. Corazon Y Alma (previously released on 2011 re-issue)

Disc Two: Listen Now (801) (1977)

  1. Listen Now
  2. Flight 19
  3. Island
  4. Law and Order
  5. Rude Awakening
  6. Que?
  7. City Of Light
  8. Initial Speed
  9. Postcard Love
  10. That Falling Feeling

Bonus Tracks

  1. Blue Gray Uniform (Demo @ PSL Studios) (previously only available on 2015 Japanese re-issue)
  2. Remote Control (Demo @ PSL Studios Psychedelic Version) (previously only available on 2015 Japanese re-issue)
  3. Island (Secret Fingers Remix) (previously only available on 2015 Japanese re-issue)
  4. Listen Now (Velvet Season and The Hearts of Gold Remix) (previously only available on 2015 Japanese re-issue)

Disc Three: K-Scope (1978)

  1. Remote Control
  2. Cuban Crisis
  3. Hot Spot
  4. Numbers
  5. Slow Motion TV
  6. Gone Fishing
  7. N-Shift
  8. Walking Through Heavens Door
  9. You Are Here

Bonus Tracks

  1. Remote Control (Live 801 Tour 1977) (previously available on 2000 reissue)
  2. It Don’t Matter To Me (Demo @ PSL Studios Manzanera) (previously available on 2000 reissue)
  3. Out Of The Blue (Live 801 Tour 1977) (previously available on 2000 reissue)
  4. Walking Through Heaven’s Door (ZSOU Remix) (previously only available on 2015 Japanese re-issue)

Disc Four: Primitive Guitars (1982)

  1. Criollo
  2. Caracus
  3. La Nueva Ola
  4. Botaga
  5. Ritmo de Los Angeles
  6. Europe 701
  7. Impossible Guitar
  8. Big Dome
  9. Europe 80-1

Bonus Tracks

  1. Impossible Guitars (Theo Parrish Feat. Duminie Deporres Remix) (previously only available on 2015 Japanese re-issue)
  2. Caracas (Daniele Baldelli and Marco Dionigi Mental Remix) (previously only available on 2015 Japanese re-issue)
  3. Criollo (Kenji Takimi and Tomoki Kanda ‘Being Borings’ Remix) (previously only available on 2019 Japanese re-issue)
  4. Big Dome (Cos_Mes Remix) (previously only available on 2015 Japanese re-issue)

Disc Five: Southern Cross (1990)

  1. Million Reason Why
  2. Tambor
  3. The Great Leveller
  4. Astrud
  5. Southern Cross (Instrumental)
  6. Blood Brothers
  7. Guantanamera
  8. The Rich and The Poor
  9. Dance Break This Trance
  10. Verde
  11. Dr. Fridel
  12. Vanceremos

Bonus Tracks

  1. Southern Cross (Live in Havana Moncada Manzanera Live at the Karl Marx)
    (Previously Unreleased)
  2. Astrud (Live In Havana Moncada Manzanera Live at the Karl Marx) (Previously Unreleased)

Disc Six: Vozero (1999)

  1. Vozero 
  2. Mystic Moon
  3. Verdadero
  4. Tuesday
  5. Rayo De Bala
  6. The Art Of Conversation
  7. Vida
  8. Golden Sun
  9. Mundo Con Paz
  10. Hymn
  11. La Vida Moderna
  12. Tropical

Disc Seven:6PM (2004)

  1. Broken Dreams
  2. Green Spikey Cactus
  3. Love Devotion
  4. Wish You Well
  5. 6PM
  6. Waiting For The Sun To Shine
  7. Manzra
  8. Cissbury Ring
  9. Porlock
  10. Shoreline
  11. Always You
  12. Sacred Days

Bonus Track

  1. For You (previously only available on 2016 Japanese reissue)

Disc Eight: 50 Minutes Later (2005)

  1. Revolution
  2. Technicolor UFO
  3. That’s All I know
  4. 50 Minutos Mas Trade
  5. Desaparecido 
  6. Dusza
  7. One Step
  8. Swimming
  9. Bible Black
  10. Til The End Of The Line
  11. Enotonik Bible Black (Mainstream Version)

Disc Nine: Firebird V11 (2008)

  1. Fortunately I Had One With Me
  2. Cartagena
  3. Firebird
  4. Mexican Hat
  5. Firebird V11
  6. A Few Minutes
  7. After Magritte

Bonus Track

  1. Cartagena (Live at Ronnie Scott’s) (Previously Unreleased)

Disc Ten: The Sound Of Blue (2015)

  1. Magdelena
  2. 1960 Caracas feat Sónia Bernado
  3. The Sound Of Blue
  4. Rose Mullion Head
  5. Halmstad
  6. Tramuntana
  7. High Atlas
  8. Mi Casa
  9. In Conversation with Andy Mackay
  10. No Church In The Wild feat Sónia Bernado

Bonus Track

  1. High Atlas (Live in Tokyo with Hotei) 

Disc Eleven: The Manzanera Archives RARE TWO 

  1. Que Fera Fera demo with Nfaly Kouyarte  (Previously Unreleased)
  2. Spanish (Previously Unreleased)
  3. The Unknown Zone (previously only available as a download 2009)
  4. Demo PM 1 (One Slip) Pink Floyd (Previously Unreleased)
  5. Tre Amore (Previously Unreleased)
  6. Chan Chan (previously only available on Japan Live CD)
  7. Otra Vuelta (Previously Unreleased)
  8. All the While (Live at Hospital Club, London) (Previously Unreleased)
  9. Impossible Guitars (Live at Frejus with Roxy Music) 
  10. Bala de Plata (Live at The CCK Buenos Aires)  (Previously Unreleased)
  11. East of Asteroid (Live at Ronnie Scott’s) (Previously Unreleased)
  12. 12. El Vlaje Demo (Previously Unreleased)
Pre-Order ’50 Years of Music’ Here



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