I guess Phil is mostly known for being the original guitar player in Roxy Music, but he has done a few solo things as well as a ton of collaborations. He is also a very successful producer having worked with Dave Gilmour among many.
This is his second solo album released in ’78 and is a mixture of instrumentals and vocal tracks. Tim Finn from Crowded House supplies the vocals. It’s very of its time as there is a punk-new wave vibe to a lot of the tracks, but also mixed with a heavy dose of Prog. I remember buying this at the time as I loved his 801 project and I was looking forward to seeing this live, but if I remember rightly Roxy Music reformed not long after and Phil went back to them.
Musically the whole album is all over the map reflecting Phil’s many influences like the wild King Crimson style tracks like the intro to Hot Spot, and the pure reggae of Cuban Crisis, to the very indie sounds of Remote Control. You even get a bit of Roxy Music with Slow Motion TV. My favourite track is N Shift as I love all the layered guitars with echo used to great effect.
Another artist that is off most people’s radar, but if you like weird and wonderful records then this could be for you.
8.5/10 from The Grooveman.
