The Many "Sides" Of Anthony Phillips: Esoteric Expands Genesis Guitarist's Albums in Stereo, Surround

Item: The Many "Sides" Of Anthony Phillips: Esoteric Expands Genesis Guitarist's Albums in Stereo, Surround
Author: Joe Marchese

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Esoteric Recordings has continued its series of definitive reissues from Genesis members Anthony Phillips, Tony Banks and Steve Hackett with two new mini-box sets dedicated to Phillips' solo albums Wise After the Event (1978) and Sides (1979). These 3-CD/1-DVD-A releases follow Esoteric's 2015 box set expansion of his pastoral solo debut The Geese and the Ghost as well as the label's compendium of his Private Parts and Pieces volumes.

Wise After the Event remains Phillips' only album on which he is sole lead vocalist; on The Geese and the Ghost, vocals were provided by his former bandmate Phil Collins and Viv McAuliffe. In fact, none of Phillips' Genesis pals dropped by for these sessions. Multi-instrumentalist Phillips is supported by musicians including King Crimson's Michael Giles (drums), John G. Perry (bass), Jeremy Gilbert (keyboards), Mel Collins (saxophone), and Robin Phillips (oboe). Wise otherwise is very much a follow-up to Geese, in the same multi-layered progressive-folk vein but with a more electric sound. Produced by Rupert Hine, the album is often mellow, with Philips' shimmering guitars and soft vocals lending a beautifully relaxed, even delicate air to the proceedings. Though there are flashes of pop (the lightly Beatle-esque "Greenhouse") and rock (the title track, the spacey "Pulling Faces"), Phillips' impressionistic lyrics are most usually married to lovely, languidly extended melodies.

Phillips' own solo piano part anchors the pretty, melancholy "Regrets" (with his vocals even recalling a touch of Jeff Lynne and ELO) which boasts a majestic orchestral arrangement; the closing track "Now What (Are They Doing to My Little Friends)" has a similar, widescreen approach with intensity and emotionalism. One bonus track, the non-LP B-side "Squirrel," has been appended to the album; of course, the titular animal can be seen in Peter Cross' engaging cover artwork and on the individual album sleeves within the box.

Esoteric's reissue boasts a variety of ways to enjoy Wise After the Event. The first disc has a crisp new 2016 stereo mix, while the second disc offers the original mix for purists. The third CD is a treasure trove of alternate versions, demos and mixes including remixes of "Regrets" and "Squirrel" to highlight Phillips' piano, and "Now What (Are They Doing to My Little Friends" to emphasize the keyboard parts, some of which weren't used in the final version. Finally, a DVD-Audio disc has the entire album and "Squirrel" in high resolution 5.1 surround. Andy Miles and Simon Heyworth's surround mix (produced by Simon and Beau Heyworth) is worth the price of admission. It brings out the various colors of Phillips' recording; it's impressive and immersive whether showcasing the crisp instrumentation of "We're All as We Lie" or the splendid grandeur of "Regrets."

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Sides followed in 1979, continuing Phillips' relationship with producer Hine, musicians Giles, Perry, and Mel Collins, and cover artist Cross. It differed in numerous respects from its predecessor, however. Most noticeably, the decision was made that Phillips wouldn't sing on every track. Lead vocalists Dan Owen and Dale Newman were enlisted, and Phillips (credited as The Vicar) took three leads himself. The record company (Passport in the U.S., Arista in the U.K.) also desired a more commercially song-based album, so Phillips met the suits halfway. The first side of the album was dedicated to shorter, more pop-oriented compositions, the second to the longer, more progressive ones. Adding to the illustrious cast, Morris Pert and Ray Cooper joined Phillips for the project.

Phillips' frustration with the music biz is evident on the scathing opening track, "Um & Aargh." He sings over a jagged rhythm, "A man appeared, he had a beard, he had a dog right at his feet/I said, 'My song?,' he said, 'it's long, it's got no balls,' I said, 'that's neat, but it took me thirty years to write'/He said, 'your image is incomplete!'" Then there's "Holy Deadlock," a Martin Hall lyric set by Phillips to a light reggae melody. Yet the lilting arrangement doesn't hide the dark look at a breakup: "Where we are is holy deadlock/God had a nerve when he named it wedlock!"

But the "pop" side of Sides isn't all anger. Phillips also sang "Lucy Will," a bittersweet reflection on an old girlfriend who's climbed the ladder of success ("I always knew you'd reach the dizzy heights/And leave me stranded far below...Lucy, will you remember? Lucy, oh, Lucy will..."). Here, the singer-songwriter indulges his tendency for Beatle-esque craft. There's a hint of disco on the upbeat "Side Door," sung by Dan Owen and featuring Mel Collins' tenor saxophone. Owen has the lead, too, on the attractive, romantic ballad "I Want Your Love." (Another ballad, "Souvenir," was originally a non-LP single and has been sequenced here as a bridge between Side One and Side Two.)

Sides takes a turn for the grandiose with Side Two and "Sisters of Remindum" featuring Phillips on piano for a progressive instrumental in a Genesis vein. "Bleak House," featuring a Dale Newman lead, similarly emphasizes piano in its dramatic arrangement. The composition was inspired by a stage production of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name which Phillips saw in 1978. (A piano-and-voice only mix can be found among the bonus material.) The melodically-shifting paean to "Magdalen" ("of the misty eyes") has strong interplay from Phillips, Giles and Perry which is highlighted in an instrumental mix in the bonus section, before Sides closes on its second instrumental, the epic "Nightmare." These latter two tracks are the longest on the album, each clocking in over seven minutes in length.

The format here is identical to Wise After the Event, with a new 2016 mix on one CD, the original mix on a second, bonus material on a third, and the new 5.1 surround mix on the DVD-A. The surround mix isn't flashy, but it is enveloping and, for those equipped to play it, clearly the recommended way to hear Sides. Both reissues are packaged in identically-sized clamshell boxes, with 20-page booklets boasting liner notes, credits and memorabilia images. Both boxes contain a foldout poster of a period advertisement for the LP. The Wise poster has lyrics on the back, and on Sides, the lyrics are reprinted in the booklet proper. Remastering from the original multitrack tapes has been handled for Wise by Simon Heyworth, and for Sides by Heyworth and Andy Miles. Jonathan Dann, co-compiler of these reissues with Phillips, has newly mixed the bonus tracks.

Both of Esoteric's splendid reissues from the Anthony Phillips catalogue are available now at the links below!

Anthony Phillips, Wise After the Event (Esoteric ECLEC 42527, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1 (New Stereo Mix)/CD 3 (Original Stereo Mix, Remastered)/DVD-A (New 5.1 Mix)