Private Parts & Pieces

Private Parts and Pieces is officially the fourth (though technically the third) solo album from guitarist Anthony Phillips. Unlike his previous releases, this one was assembled as a collection of instrumental music, rather than as an explicit attempt at a commercial album. It was first released in the U.S. in November 1978. The April 1979, UK release was a limited edition sold with the first 5,000 copies of Sides. Although the album itself came at an awkward time for Phillips, whose contract with Arista had run its course, the non-commercial Private Parts and Pieces format proved successful or useful enough to him to become a series of albums in its own right.

While Phillips had previously credited a good deal of his non-guitar work under pseudonyms, on this album the credits were straightforward. Peter Cross did the artwork for the album.

The 1990 CD reissue of Private Parts and Pieces included two new, solo recordings of material that date from Phillips' time in Genesis. These songs were a new recording of “Stranger” and a demo version of “Silver Song”.

In 2010, as part of Voiceprint’s re-issue campaign of Ant’s back catalogue, the album was re-issued as a double CD where the second CD was the second in the PP&P series: Private Parts and Pieces II: Back to the Pavilion. This release is newly re-mastered by Simon Heyworth, retains the two bonus tracks from the previous CD release, and adds a new bonus track, “Movement IV from Guitar Quintet”, which was recorded in 1976 and had never been released.

Track listing

All songs written by Anthony Phillips except where indicated

"Beauty and the Beast" – 4:08
"Field of Eternity" (Anthony Phillips/Mike Rutherford) – 5:10
"Tibetan Yak-Music" – 6:09
"Lullaby — Old Father Time" – 1:15
"Harmonium in the Dust (or Harmonius Stradosphore)" – 2:29
"Tregrenna Afternoons" – 7:49
"Stranger" (Anthony Phillips/Mike Rutherford) – 6:08 (CD reissue bonus track)
"Reaper" – 7:38
"Autumnal" – 5:57
"Flamingo" – 11:06
"Seven Long Years" – 2:58
"Silver Song" (demo) (Anthony Phillips/Mike Rutherford) – 3:19 (CD reissue bonus track)
"Movement IV from Guitar Quintet" – 7:08 (2010 CD reissue bonus track)

Personnel

Anthony Phillips: 12 String Guitar, Classical Guitar, Piano, Electric Guitar, Pin Piano, Harmonium, Vocals
Harry Williamson: "Graphics" on "Tibetan Yak Music"

Produced by Anthony Phillips
Except "Tibetan Yak Music" - produced by Harry Williamson

Miscellanea

Though Private Parts and Pieces is officially considered Anthony Phillips' fourth album, it was actually released in North America a few months before Sides was released anywhere. In addition, the cover of Sides makes references to the covers of previous works, with Private Parts and Pieces clearly being the third (after The Geese And The Ghost and Wise After The Event).