Search - Anthony Phillips :: Archive Collection 1

The ultimate Genesis companion

velvet_green | 07/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ever heard of a band named Genesis? ok, sure you have, but do you know the man responsible for the original Genesis sound? Well, no, it's not Tony Banks, his influence was much less evident in the first albums. It's also not Peter Gabriel. Anthony Phillips - simply put, was the most influential member of the Genesis super group, at least in its first few years of formation. Now he's armed (and nothing can be further from the truth when it comes to Ant) with the all mighty proof. Straight from his attic, comes these dusted down demos, from his Genesis years, including original demo of one of the most famous song Genesis ever recorded back in the Gabriel years. Remember "The Musical Box"? - now try "F Sharp demo". Yes, this masterpiece was originally written by Rutherford & Phillips. Now go on, see if any of your prog rock nuts was ever aware of this trivia bit. That goes to show you just how modest Ant really is, not ever mentioning he's the real composer of this song.Ant is truly one of the greatest musicians who ever played the prog rock scene. Not only did he receive first rate musical tuition (at London's Royal Academy), he is also a brilliant performer of rock, classical and folk music on his trusted guitars. He's also a very able piano player, as evident in many of the compositions on this magnificent CD.Genesis masterpieces aside, the CD holds various songs, in various forms, from your basic acoustic guitar track to a full fledged single, the only line connecting all tracks is that this is their debut appearance, due to a multitude of reasons, explained in the lengthy booklet which comes with this CD.This CD compilation is one of the best CDs you'll ever likely to purchase. Just buy it - I promise to buy it from you if you'll have any second thoughts...If this is not enough, you also have a fair chance of securing the extremely limited bonus CD, which contains another 5 amazing tunes by this gifted musician."

A True Unsung Hero

La Rossa | USA | 01/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've played most of this CD often and cried nearly everytime. I just love to buy and hear certain albums by artists and be blown away unexpectedly. In this case, what immediately stuck me were the Genesis-like sounds and chords coming out of the tracks. But that was just the beginning before I listened more and more.Ant is not only a fine guitarist (he can play some really tricky stuff and he sure knows his chord voicings) but a fine piano player (listen to the sad and gentle 'Take this Heart' demo) and, of course, a first-rate composer. The melodies and chords are lush and sweet and, most importantly, the music stays within the realms of simplicity and good taste. He really pours on those wonderful 7th Chords...chords that've rarely been used throughout the entire 90's.Here is a sensitive guy and someone who simply feels the need to play us something really special. The great thing about this CD is that there are a lot of tracks to listen to and some of the better ones were co-written by his Charterhouse chum, Mike Rutherford. Listen to 'Queen Bettine', my favorite. It's 12-string chorused guitar sound totally hypnotised me...and I'm hard to hypnotise.This CD also has some tasty treats of his unused TV music for the BBC and other British networks.I feel really lucky since this is my first Ant Phillips album. Can't wait to get Geese and the Ghost as well as his PP&P's. Ant, you rock...wonderfully!"