K-Scope
	Produced by Phil Manzanera
	Released on 1978
	US CHART POSITION #176
	Find it at GEMM
PD-1-6178 cover [high resolution scan]

K ronomyth 4.0: PRISMISM. The second “solo” album (i.e., not credited to 801) from Phil Manzanera enlists the help of familiar faces including half of Split Enz (Tim, Eddie and some guy named Neal), both Godley AND Creme (who were surgically joined at the hip at this point), 801ers Bill MacCormick and Simon Phillips, and former Roxy musicians John Wetton and Paul Thompson. Of course, the question on most people’s minds is How much does this sound like Roxy Music and the answer is Not nearly as much as it sounds like pre-Frenzy Enz and G&C with better manners. K-Scope mixes in a few instrumentals with mostly songs featuring slightly prickly and sometimes silly subject matter, rarely trying the same thing twice but not as eclectic as Robert Fripp’s Exposure, for example. Eno’s early albums were more extreme, the Enz more openly tuneful; a cross between G&C’s L and Wetton’s Caught In The Crossfire seems like a reasonable place to plot this. The Roxy references are felt mostly in the guitar work (Ferry’s old license plate, “CPL 5938,” is even namechecked in “Numbers”) and the presence of saxophones in the mix (courtesy of Mel Collins). Tim Finn takes lead vocals on four tracks, though I’ve never found him to be a suitable mouthpiece for other people’s ideas. Bill MacCormick and brother Ian (a music journalist) provide songwriting support, and Bill’s two turns at the microphone (“Gone Flying,” “Walking Through Heaven’s Door”) might be the two best tracks on here. John Wetton’s vocal cameo on “Numbers” is a low-key performance that neither excites nor disappoints. K-Scope was apparently mixed quickly to make way for Roxy’s triumph my fanny-T return, and marks the end to Manzanera’s mid-Siren/Manifesto dream. The 801-era albums are all probably worth owning at some point, assuming you’ve already acquired all of the proper Roxy releases and Ferry/Eno albums aforehand. The closing “You Are Here” is especially interesting, and points the way toward the instrumental solo album, Primitive Guitars.

PD-1-6178 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. K-SCOPE    (Phil Manzanera)    4:32
2. REMOTE CONTROL    (Ian MacCormick)    2:36
3. CUBAN CRISIS    (Phil Manzanera/William MacCormick)    6:02
4. HOT SPOT    (Phil Manzanera/Ian & William MacCormick)    5:01
5. NUMBERS    (Phil Manzanera/John Wetton)    3:28
6. SLOW MOTION TV    (Phil Manzanera/William MacCormick/Simon Ainley)    5:31
7. GONE FLYING    (Phil Manzanera/William MacCormick)    4:27
8. N-SHIFT    (Phil Manzanera)    3:12
9. WALKING THROUGH HEAVEN'S DOOR    (Phil Manzanera/William MacCormick)    6:52
10. YOU ARE HERE    (Phil Manzanera)    3:16
    
    CD reissue bonus tracks
    
11. REMOTE CONTROL (LIVE)
12. IT DON'T MATTER TO ME (DEMO)
13. OUT OF THE BLUE (LIVE)

CREDITS

PHIL MANZANERA -- guitars, Farsifas, lead guitars, keyboards, echo guitar, electric piano, Yamaha CS80, synthesizer
BILL MacCORMICK -- bass, backing vocals, vocals, drums
SIMON PHILLIPS -- drums, electric percussion
EDDIE RAYNER -- Yamaha electric piano, upright piano, Moog bass, Bosendorf piano
Simon Ainley -- rhythm guitar
Mel Collins -- saxes, baritone sax, soprano sax
Lol Creme -- Gizmo, backing vocals
Neal Finn -- backing vocals
Tim Finn -- lead vocals
Kevin Godley -- backing vocals, hi-hat (4)
Francis Monkman -- piano (8)
Dave Skinner -- Yamaha electric piano, Yamaha CS80
Paul Thompson -- drums (2,6)
John Wetton -- voices (5)
Greg Jackman -- engineer
Chris Hopper -- cover concept
Cream -- design

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