Short biography:
At first sight it may seem odd to have a page about Anthony Phillips
incorporated in a gallery of keyboard players. After all, wasn't he the
original guitarist of Genesis? But during his solo career he has increased
the use of keyboards, and his playing is so fascinating that it is an omission
to leave him out. The signs of what he is capable of are already there
on his first solo albums. Take for instance Wise after the event
and Private Parts & Pieces II, which contain instrumental passages
and bridges that are breathtaking. Esp. his use of piano and polymoog is
superb.
Ant's profile as a keyboard player increased with the release of Smallcreeps
Day, the first "solo" album by Mike Rutherford. As was proven by Rutherford's
uninteresting releases later on, that album got its strength mostly from
the contributions of Ant Phillips. Ant's first keyboard oriented album,
1984, is unfortunately spoiled by the dominance of a drum computer.
Much more interesting is Private Parts & Pieces VI, which consists
entirely of songs played on the piano. Although the songs sound quite romantic
when you hear them for the first time, Ant's piano playing earns much respect.
The influence of composers like Claude Debussy is evident. But it's my
opinion that Ant's playing is done justice most on his "band songs",
when he is playing along with others, and also on Private Parts &
Pieces VIII, probably his best album to date. His switching from guitar
to piano and back again on that album leaves adequate room for his
talent for composition and harmony to be shown. And that is how Ant prefers
to portray himself: a composer instead of a musician.
Ant Phillips was born in Putney, South-London, on 23 December 1951.
In May 1965, when he was at Charterhouse School, he founded The Anon, together
with Mike Rutherford. The year after he also played in The Spoken
Word, the band of David Thomas, Ronnie Gunn and Peter Gabriel (on drums).
In December 1966 Rutherford and Phillips joined forces with Garden Wall,
the Charterhouse School band of Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel. Together
they formed the core of the most succesful symphonic rock band ever. After
a few singles and a slightly overproduced first record, Genesis recorded
Trespass, a very progressive record. 25 years later, Genesis coverbands
like ReGenesis state that the guitar parts of that album, played by Ant,
can hardly be reproduced.
Because of his stage fright, Ant decided to leave Genesis before Trespass
had been released. He went off to study music academically, and in 1975
he graduated with a teaching degree. The following year his first solo
album, The geese & the ghost, was released. It contains songs
that were recorded in the previous years. Other songs from those days were
to be released on various other solo albums. Interesting in that respect
is the release of The giants dance by David Thomas and Ronnie Gunn
in 1996, which contains songs from the early seventies, written in the
early romantic Genesis vein.
Phillips kept on releasing old and new songs on his many solo albums
to follow, and it is astonishing to see how he manages to maintain such
a high musical level for decades now. Even his most commercial, even controversial
albums, Invisible men, and Sail the world, show his craft
to those who take the trouble to listen to the songs closely. Or am I too
enthousiastic here? After all, Ant is one of my favourite musicians (eh...
composers), and love is blind, isn't it?
Discography:
| Genesis: | Other: | |
|
From Genesis to Revelation
Trespass Archive 1967-75
Solo:
|
Beyond an empty dream (1975)
InterGalactic Touring Band (1977) Mike Rutherford: Smallcreep's day (1980) Landscape (Atmosphere Library LP, 1981) Camel: The single factor (1982) Iva Twydell: Duel (1982) Bucks Fizz: I hear talk (1984) Alice (musical) (1984) Double exposure (1987) Denis Quinn: Open Secret (1987) Denis Quinn: Mystic Heart (1989) Terra-X (1990) Asha (Denis Quinn): Amadora (1991) David Thomas & Ronnie Gunn: The Giant's dance (1996) Touch Sampler (1996) Survival, The Music of Nature (1997) The Sky Goes All The Way Home (1999) Fjord (1999) The National Trust Music Collection (2001) Tranquil Moods, The National Trust Music Collection (2002) Escape, The National Trust (2003) The battle of the birds (2003)
Library music: Atmosphere library CD's
Atmosphere library LP's
Rouge music LP's
Bruton
|
In 1980 a songbook by Ant Phillips was published, Six Pieces for Guitar. It actually contains 7 compositions, which, with some improvisation, can also be played on the piano quite well. The songbook contains:
Favorite tracks:
The geese & the ghost (The geese & the ghost)
Birdsong (Wise after the event)
Wise after the event (Wise after the event)
Beauty and the beast (PP&P I)
Sisters of Remindum (Sides)
Scottish suite (PP&P II)
K2 (PP&P II)
Sea-dogs motoring (PP&P VI)
Tarka (Tarka)
Sunrise and Sea monsters (PP&P VIII)
Now they've all gone (PP&P VIII)
The bitter suite (The Sky Road)
Lostwithiel (PP&P XI)
More about Anthony Phillips:
The official Anthony Phillips website
