Phil Manzanera - Primitive Guitars (EG, 1982)

Tasty collection of instrumental tracks from this prolific guitarist with quite a solid track record (founding member of Roxy Music, collaborator with Brian Eno, Robert Wyatt, Yuki Takahashi...). I really like how he describes his approach to the guitar ("guitars that don't sound like guitars" being a key element of my own taste). Some of these tracks haven't aged so well, and I could do without the muffled studio interludes, but tracks like "Rimto de LA," "Europe 70-1" and "Bogota" knock it out of the park. Great approach to effects, perhaps some guitar synth in there? I'm sold. Recommended if you love those out-there double tracked solos on early Eno albums (Warm Jets, Tiger Mountain).

(back cover detail, check it out) 

Enjoy

Robert Wyatt - "Ruth is Stranger than Richard" (Virgin, 1975)

There's something very comforting to me about all the solo albums of Robert Wyatt that I've heard - "Rock Bottom", "Shleep", and this one. While moments of "Team Spirit" recall the tones and quick shifts of Soft Machine Vol. 2 - their high point for me - it seems that (generalizing to the extreme) Wyatt lets his solo songs breathe a little more - or last for a few breaths at a time (see the "Muddy Mouse" variations). We are lulled into the changes, listening and realizing that the progression isn't quite where it was before...

As I write this, I'm listening to the woozy horn section and scattershot drumming of "Song for Che". This mood pops up throughout, I love the sound of it.

Intelligent, tasteful - two adjectives that come to mind while listening.

Here you go...