And though the English group have split and reunited several times over the decades, last year they celebrated 50 years since their self-titled debut album appeared by embarking on their 50th-anniversary tour. Now, two of the group’s mainstay members, guitarist Phil Manzanera and saxophonist Andy Mackay, have teamed up for a new instrumental album, AM PM, which is out this Friday, October 13.
“It’s a guitar- and sax-heavy ambient album”, Manzanera told this column about what fans could expect.
“The wonderful thing about these musical conversations is that they haven’t really changed since we started 50 years ago.
“Andy and I both have a certain musical vocabulary, which is not so much based on technique but on empathy and feeling.
“It’s a kind of call and response, which often makes us smile.”
Having been in the business for over 50 years, what keeps Manzanera inspired to keep making fresh music?
“It’s very intuitive, really,” he said.
“It’s what we do as musicians.
“The desire to keep exploring and seeing what’s inside and what comes out.
“We just wanted to start with random improvisations and then craft it into something listenable.
“Instrumental music creativity comes from a different part of the brain to songs that serve the meaning expressed in the words.”
Unlike other genres, such as rock, pop and country, instrumental music is a genre that is usually underrated. Does Manzanera find this is so?
“In rock and pop maybe, but not really in other genres such as classical, jazz or ambient music,” he said.
With Roxy Music having completed their 50th-anniversary tour, are there any plans for the band to make a welcome return to Australia in the near future?
“As they say in Spanish, ‘Soñar no cuesta nada’ (To dream costs nothing),” he said.
For more info, go to: www.manzanera.com
Music charts
This week, Ed Sheeran debuts at No.1 on the Australian ARIA album chart with his new album, Autumn Variations. The release is also on top of the UK Top 100 album chart.
In the United States, American rapper Rod Wave is at No.1 on the Billboard 200 album chart with Nostalgia.
Music news
Swedish indie folk singer-songwriter José González celebrates 20 years since his 2003 classic debut album, Veneer, was released and has announced an Australian tour for March 2024.
Canadian rapper Drake says he is taking a break from music to focus on resolving his recurring stomach issues. The announcement was made just hours after the release of his new album, For All The Dogs.
Legendary British group The Kinks are celebrating 60 years as a band and are releasing part two of a career-defining anthology, titled The Journey – Part 2, on November 17. Part one of the anthology, titled The Journey – Part 1, was issued in March.
Heavy metal icons Judas Priest have announced a new studio album, titled Invincible Shield, which is scheduled for release in March 2024.
American country music superstar Zach Bryan is set to visit Australia for the first time in December for a one-off show in Melbourne.
The view from here
In the aftermath of the recent AFL grand final and outstanding pre-match live music performance by American supergroup KISS, there were numerous comments made on social media about their performance being lip-synced.
Nothing could be further from the truth. While it’s common practice these days to use backing tracks that utilise elements such as strings and backing vocals to enrich a live performance and to make it sound closer to the recorded version, in KISS’s case, one close listen to Paul Stanley’s vocals and a few key points are noticeable in proving they were not lip-syncing, particularly on the song I Was Made for Loving You.
One main point of note is the key change and the lowered guitar tunings from the recorded version, which was done to accommodate Stanley’s current vocal range more comfortably. You’d notice several subtle cracks in his voice when moving from one phrase to another.
Vocal range decreases with age, so what Stanley could sing 40 years ago, he can’t sing today. As one ages, the larynx loses some of its tone and elasticity. A shining example of this is Jon Bon Jovi, who today sings Livin’ on a Prayer a tone down from the original key, allowing him more room to reach the upper notes.
Of course, the quality and tone change, but the illusion it gives to the listener of Bon Jovi is that he is still hitting those high notes. Many who have seen Jon in concert will attest to this.
And with anthems such as Livin’ On A Prayer and, in KISS’s case, Shout It Out Loud, audiences will usually help sing along with the chorus, helping to mask the now unreachable notes. With many of our classic artists now in their late 60s or into their 70s, let’s cut them some slack. They’ve certainly earned that right.
Fun fact
Did you know that the first band to ever advertise on a billboard sign was The Doors? Their record label paid $1000 in 1967 to advertise the group’s self-titled debut album using the slogan, ‘Break on through with an electrifying album’.
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