Anthony Phillips – Archive Collection Volume 2 – 2CD review

In a year that sees new releases and concerts from all (former) members of Genesis who are still active in the music business, Anthony Phillips does not make an exception. There are no live performances (last year, however, he released his third “live in the studio” CD) and it seems we will have have some patience until Private Parts & Pieces XI: Field Day is released. But the double CD that was released on May 17, 2002 does not only sweeten the waiting time for Anthony Phillips fans, but it is of great historical and musical interest for all fans of the early Genesis years. Volume II of the Archive Collection continues the third CD series in Ant’s discography (volume I was released in 1998; the other series are Private Parts & Pieces and Missing Links). Ant stated that this new CD would be more homogenous than volume I regarding sound quality and the attribution of songs to different periods. Ant recommends listening to the CDs in two sessions rather than in one go. 36 songs on two discs (with two suites of three and eight pieces) add up to a colourful image that deserves a closer look:

Work periods

Some of the compositions on these CDs date back to the early days of
Genesis. The oldest recording, however, is from 1971. A special focus
is on eight recordings from 1973, three pieces from the Sides period,
four songs from a 1979 Library project, five pieces from the Invisible
Men sessions and as a sensational add-on, the first official releases
from the context of the Alice musical. There is no material from 1975,
1985 to 1987 and the time after 1988’s Tarka project. Nine pieces were
mixed especially for this release.

Musical forms

The CD contains few Library pieces, among them Romeo & Juliet, a
number from Ant’s first Library project in 1976. Seven pieces that
could be labelled “soundtracks” have very different quality. They
include music for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a surrealist student film
called Fantomas, a documentary about the Middle East and for Alice.

Some of the instrumentals could be called “songs without words” because
they are, except for The Anthem From Tarka, instrumental remixes of
previously released songs. Three further pieces have to make do not
only without words but also without a melody – they were never really
finished. The collection features only two real songs; Ant sings on
them as well as on a piece labelled “experimental”. The rest consists
of various instrumental pieces.

Instrumentation / Musicians involved

Seventeen people worked on 28 pieces, be it as musicians of assistant
sound engineer. The best-known are Michael Giles of King Crimson and
John G. Perry (Caravan, Quantum Jump) on Sisters of Remindum, producer
Rupert Hine, long-time collaborator Joji Hirota, Andy McCulloch (of
King Crimson), Richard Scott on the material from the Invisible Men and
Alice projects and two members of Genesis: Mike Rutherford is credited
for bass, 12-string guitar and co-writing on five pieces, and,
surprisingly, John Silver.

Rarities?

The degree of rarity differs between the individual elements of the
Archive Collection II. Nine pieces are remixes of previously released
material with something important, e.g. vocals, left off. The Child
Song is known from a bootleg (the In The Beginning pentalogy), but it
is much more complete and in better quality on this album. Four songs
are alternate recordings. Seventeen (or 16 and a half) songs are
completely new.

Highlights

Deep In The Night was written by Ant and Mike and developed in 1969 in
the same session that produced Beside The Water’s Edge (on Archive
Collection Volume One). Ant later recorded it for Wise After The Event,
but did not use it. Though it is not finished, this song (and its
contemporaries) enchants with its peculiar beauty.

The Old Wives Tale is not only a solo version of what was to become a
duet with Enrique “Quique” Berro Garcia on Private Parts & Pieces
III: Antiques, but also the instrumental version of the early Genesis
song Little Leaf (1968). 

The Scottish Suite IIcontains almost all the material from 1976’s
Macbeth project that Ant had not used for the Scottish suite (I; on
Private Parts & Pieces II: Back To The Pavilion). The suite is
almost as enjoyable as its sister. Walpurgis Night in particular offers
very spooky effects.

Windmill is the oldest recording on this double CD. It is from 1971 and
it received special praise by Peter Gabriel who, at the time, stated
that the piece “moves well”.

Tregenna Afternoons features additional instruments like a wah-wah
guitar and a special ending. It is a real alternate version of the
classic number. In the introduction to this release, Genesis founding
drummer John Silver mentions that he has not managed to get this song
right on the guitar whenever he tried to in the last thirty years.

Picardy Pictures has a very impressionistic sound. Why has this number been gathering dust in the last 32 years?

The instrumental mix of Falling For Love, performed by the Anthony
Phillips Band, is a fine ending for the first CD. Note the additional
lead guitar parts by Ant. 

Siesta is one of three piece for solo guitar from 1981. Interesting chord progressions there.

West Side Alice never became part of the musical, but it is an excellent piano piece.

Vic’s Tango is a stylistic curiosity in Ant’s repertoire. The drum box
does not play any tango rhythms but a straight four-four with a double
beat on the four. 

Quadrille (an old French formal dance) is the first release from the Alice musical and leaves us wanting more. 

Desert Suite: The Pipelines work exceptionally well.

Don’t miss the opening theme from Fantomas. First of all, it is not
typical Ant, but you’d also miss John Silver playing the brushes on the
drum kit – his specialty, as can be heard on The Magic Of Time
(Genesis: Archive 1967-75).

Volume II follows volume I in the peculiar circumstance that, again,
the shortest number has the longest title: An experimental Will The
Last Man Off The Ice Rink (Please Turn Out The Lights) (1973)
surprisingly resembles …Maybe I’ll Lend You Mine After All, a number
Phil Collins would record four years later with Brand X.

The outer appearance is well-balanced and makes the Archive Collection
Volume II a more attractive release than volume I. There are no
marketing gags such as limited editions or bonus CDs. The cover art of
the vanilla-yellow booklet is by Peter Cross. It probably was not made
especially for this CD, but it is a trademark work of the artist who
was featured in a “Peter Cross special” in an early edition of the
fanclub magazine: If he does not produce commissioned works, he paints
compact shelves on which one finds a number of peculiar and interesting
items…  Elements from the “cover shelves” can be found dispersed
throughout the booklet and as a silk-screen print on both discs. The
obligatory photo of Ant is from the Invisible Menperiod.

The informative booklet contains comprehensive notes for all pieces
including many anecdotes, introductions by orange farmer Chris Stewart
and Alan Hewitt (of the official Anthony Phillips fanclub) and
extensive thank-yous from Ant.

We would also like to mention Jonathan Dann who played an important
role in sighting Ant’s reels and in creating this archive. We feel
confident that there is enough material for Volume III – maybe
something from the 90s…?

by Andreas Lauer, September 2004
photo by Helmut Janisch

translated by Martin Klinkhardt