Anthony Phillips

Anthony "Ant" Phillips (born December 23, 1951 in London) is an English 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 favourite of fans, but few recognise 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 Andrew Latimer of Camel in 1981, and was a featured performer on that band's album, The Single Factor (released in 1982).

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 specialised 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.

Discography

with Genesis

• From Genesis to Revelation (1969)
• Trespass (1970)
• Genesis Archive 1967-75 (1998)

Solo Albums

• The Geese and the Ghost (1977)
• Wise After the Event (1978)
• Sides (1979)
• Private Parts and Pieces (1979)
• Private Parts and Pieces II: Back to the Pavilion (1980)
• 1984 (April 1981)
• Private Parts and Pieces III: Antiques (1982, with Enrique Berro Garcia)
• Invisible Men (1983)
• Private Parts and Pieces IV: A Catch at the Tables (1984)
• Harvest of the Heart (compilation, 1985)
• Private Parts and Pieces V: Twelve (1985)
• Private Parts and Pieces VI: Ivory Moon (1986)
• Private Parts and Pieces VII: Slow Waves, Soft Stars (1987)
• Tarka (1988, with Harry Williamson)
• Missing Links One: Finger Painting (1989)
• Slow Dance (February 1991)
• Private Parts and Pieces VIII: New England (May 1993)
• Sail the World (1994)
• Missing Links Two: The Sky Road (1994)
• The Living Room Concert (1995)
• Anthology (compilation, November 1995)
• Private Parts and Pieces IX: Dragonfly Dreams (1996)
• Meadows of Englewood (November 1997, with Guillermo Cazenave)
• Archives Collection Volume One (May 1998)
• Gypsy Suite (June 1998, with Harry Williamson)
• Live Radio Sessions (July 1998, with Guillermo Cazenave)
• Legend (compilation, November 1999)
• Missing Links Three: Time and Tide (December 1999, with Joji Hirota)
• Private Parts and Pieces X: Soirée (March 2000)
• The Sky Road (May 2001)
• Tarka (2001)
• Soft Vivace (compilation, 2002)
• All Our Lives (compilation, 2002)
• Soundscapes (compilation, April 2003)
• Battle of the Birds (October 2003)
• Radio Clyde (November 2003)
• Archives Collection Volume Two (April 2004)
• Field Day (October 2005)

Guest On Other Albums

Camel: The Single Factor (1982)

External links

• Anthony Phillips Official Site