Glenn Phillips
Glenn Phillips is a guitarist and composer with a dozen albums released under his own name. He has also played on many other recordings, including those by his first group, the obscure Hampton Grease Band. Phillips was a founding member, guitarist and songwriter for the Grease Band, which formed in 1967. Their double LP Music to Eat was released on Columbia Records in 1971 and went on to become a much sought after collector's item. It was also cited as an influence by later groups like Widespread Panic, Phish, and Pere Ubu. In 1996, it was rereleased by Sony to a great deal of acclaim (In June 1996, Spin magazine gave it a 9 out 10 "Near Perfect" rating). Over the course of the band's six year career, they played with a wide variety of groups, including the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers Band and Frank Zappa. Zappa was a big fan of the band, and they played with him at the Fillmore East; Phillips jammed with Zappa that evening, as did John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Phillips' solo career began in 1973. He frequently sat in with Little Feat back then, and in an interview, Lowell George called him "the most amazing guitarist I've ever seen." Phillips' first solo LP, Lost at Sea came out in 1975, and he recorded it in his home and put it out himself. The record both predated and influenced the do-it-yourself movement that later overtook rock music. The highly influential British DJ John Peel played the LP regularly on the BBC, and it came in second in a reader's poll held by London's leading music paper, Melody Maker. At that point, Phillips was contacted by the head of Virgin Records, Richard Branson (later known as the head of many other companies, including Virgin Atlantic Airways). Branson signed Phillips, who then toured extensively overseas, including a show at London's famous Rainbow Theater.
Since then, Phillips has toured frequently, and the fact that his music fits into no particular niche has led to a wide spectrum of double-bills over the years with groups as varied as Captain Beefheart, Eric Johnson, Bo Diddley, Patti Smith, Roy Buchanan, Talking Heads, Albert King, Joe Satriani and The Ventures. During that time, his albums have garnered a great deal of critical acclaim, and those reviews focus on the unique, unclassifiable nature of his music; its intensely emotional impact; and his seemingly limitless virtuosity. Guitar World (Nov. 1983) compared him to Hendrix and Jeff Beck, and his double-CD retrospective Echoes received a 4-star review in Rolling Stone (Jan. 21, 1993), as did his Supreme Court album with Jeff Calder (of the Swimming Pool Q's).
Phillips has also collaborated with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and Pete Buck of R.E.M., who said this about him in Musician magazine: "One of the reasons I don't play solos is because I grew up listening to Glenn Phillips. He never ceases to amaze me." He's also recorded several albums with Henry Kaiser (one of which received San Francisco's coveted Bammy award), and Phillips' music has regularly been played on NPR since 1990.
Contents |
[edit] Selected discography
[edit] Solo recordings
- Lost at Sea (1975 Snow Star 1 in U.S. & Caroline 1519/Virgin overseas)
- Swim in the Wind (1977 Virgin 2087)
- Steve Hillage/Glenn Phillips (1977 Virgin VDJ 23, promotional tour single contains "Lies" from album)
- Dark Lights (1980 Snow Star 3)
- Flyback/She Don't Know (1980 Snow Star 3.1, single from album)
- Razor Pocket (1982 Snow Star 4)
- St. Valentine's Day (1984 Snow Star 5)
- Live (1985 Shanachie 82006)
- Elevator (1987 SST 136)
- No Age Compilation (1987 SST 102, contains "Vista Cruiser" from album)
- Scratched by the Rabbit (1990 ESD 80432 in U.S. & Demon Records fiend cd 180 overseas)
- Echoes 1975-1985 (1992 ESD in U.S. & Virgin overseas, double CD compilation)
- Walking through Walls (1996 Shotput/Sony WK3700)
- Angel Sparks (2003 Gaff Music)
[edit] With HAMPTON GREASE BAND
- Music to Eat (1971 Columbia 30581 & 30582, double album)
- Playback (1971 Columbia AS 23, promotional ep contains "Maria" from album)
- Music to Eat Double CD reissue (1996 Shotput/Sony/Legacy C2K 67483)
- Audio Rumbles Vol. 1 (1997 Ptolemaic Terrascope, on "Live Impro 1970")
[edit] With SUPREME COURT
- The Supreme Court Goes Electric (1993 DB Recs, DB156)
With BOB WIER and HENRY KAISER:
- "If 6 Was 9" A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix (1990 Communion 18 in U.S. & Imaginary overseas, on title track)
- Guitar Party (2003 Gaff Music)
[edit] With HENRY KAISER
- Marrying for Money (1986 Minor Music 1010 in Germany, on "Murder One")
- Remarrying for Money (1988 SST 222, same track as previous)
- Those Who Know History Are Doomed to Repeat It (1988 SST 198, on "Dark Star/The Other One")
- Passed Normal Vol. 6 & 7 (1993 FOT Records, FOT PN67, on "Cobra")
[edit] With HELEN WHEELS
- Helen Wheels and the Skeleton Crew (2001 Jargon Records JRCD 1101).
[edit] References
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2009) |
Rolling Stone - by Parke Puterbaugh, Aug. 20, 1981
Rolling Stone- by Errol Somay, March 17, 1983
Rolling Stone- by David Fricke, Nov. 15, 1990
Rolling Stone- by Parke Puterbaugh, Jan. 21, 1993
Rolling Stone- by Parke Puterbaugh, Feb 10, 1994
Rolling Stone- by David Fricke, March 21, 1996
Rolling Stone- by David Fricke, June 12, 2003
Unknown Legends of Rock 'n' Roll by Ritchie Unterberger, 1998, Miller Freeman Books ISBN-0-87930-534-7
Men's Journal - by Anthony DeCurtis, Dec. 1996
Guitar Player - by Jim Schwartz, Aug. 1981
Guitar Player- by Mike Varney, Aug. 1982
Guitar Player- by Tom Mulhern, Sept. 1983
Guitar Player- by Tom Mulhern, Aug. 1984
Guitar Player- by Bruce Malamut, Jan. 1986
Guitar Player- Glenn Phillips: Have Guitar, Will Flail by Mark Dery, March 1988
Guitar Player- by Jim Ferguson, May 1991
Guitar Player- Glenn Phillips' Voice In the Night, May 1992
Guitar Player- June 1996
Guitar Player- Sept. 2003
Spin Magazine - by Byron Cooley, June 1996
Stereo Review - Dec. 1996
Stereo Review- November 1990
Musician Magazine - Glenn Phillips' Psycho-Guitar: The Triumphs & Trials of Being Yourself by David Fricke, Feb. 1983
Musician Magazine- by David Fricke, Aug. 1984
Musician Magazine- by Jon Young, Jan., 1986
Musician Magazine- April 1991
Relix - by Mick Skidmore, May 1992
Relix - by Mick Skidmore, Nov. 1993
Relix - by Mick Skidmore, June 1996
Relix - Glenn Phillips: Independently Minded, by Mick Skidmore, June 1997
Relix - by Mick Skidmore, April/May 2003
Guitar World - by Bruce Malamut, Nov. 1983
Guitar World - by Bruce Malamut, Nov. 1984
Guitar World - by Tom Mulhern, Jan. 1986
Guitar World - July 1988
Mix Magazine - Glenn Phillips: Tales Of The Unknown Guitar Hero by Bill Milkowski, June 1988 Guitar - June 1996
Vintage Guitar Magazine - Glenn Phillips: On His Own Terms by Willie G. Moseley, March 1998
Vintage Guitar Magazine - by Ken Johnson, July 2003
Goldmine Magazine - Interview with Glenn Phillips by Russell Hall, 1996
The Hartford Advocate -- by Alan Bisport, July 2003
Metroland (New York) - by David Greenberger, Sept. 2003
New Musical Express (UK) - by John Lober, July 10, 1976
Sounds (UK) - by Tony Mitchell, Nov. 5, 1977
Melody Maker (UK) - July, 1976
