Anthony Phillips

From Free net encyclopedia

(Difference between revisions)

Revision as of 13:40, 18 April 2006
Piniricc65 (Talk | contribs)

Next diff →

Current revision

Anthony "Ant" Phillips (born December 23, 1951 in London, England) is a British musician, best known as a founding member of the band Genesis. He played guitar and sang backup vocals until leaving in 1970, following the release of their second album, Trespass. He is known for his twelve string guitar work, and his influence can be heard throughout Genesis’ early output.

Genesis’ first album after Anthony’s departure, Nursery Cryme, featured two songs which were holdovers from the days when Anthony was in the band: The Musical Box and The Fountain of Salmacis. The Musical Box especially remains a favorite of fans, but few recognize Anthony’s contribution to the composition.

After leaving Genesis, Phillips studied classical music (especially classical guitar) and made recordings in collaboration with Harry Williamson, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins, among others. His first solo album, The Geese and the Ghost, was issued in 1977. Filled with pastoral ballads and extended compositions, it was considered out of place with the rise of punk music and was not a strong seller.

Phillips released his second album in 1978, entitled Wise After the Event. This was followed the next year by Sides. Both of these albums were produced by Rupert Hine and were intended to reach a mainstream audience, though neither album was successful in that regard.

In its initial release in the UK, Sides was accompanied by a more experimental album entitled Private Parts and Pieces; in the U.S. and Canada the two albums were issued separately. Private Parts and Pieces II: Back to the Pavilion followed the next year, and several further sequels were issued in the 1980s and 1990s.

Phillips began writing material with Andy Latimer of Camel in 1980, and was a featured performer on that band's album, The Single Factor (released in 1981).

Phillips released a mainstream pop album entitled Invisible Men in 1983. He later claimed that this project went "horribly wrong" as a result of commercial pressures, and would subsequently eschew mainstream success in favour of more specialized material.

Phillips remains involved in a variety of musical projects, including extensive soundtrack work in England. In the mid-1990s, he released an album entitled The Living Room Concert, which featured solo acoustic versions of his earlier material. He also provided archival material for the first Genesis box set, Genesis Archive 1967-75, released in 1998.

Several of his albums feature artwork by Peter Cross.