Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Phillips, Anthony
Label: Virgin Records
Release: 1977
Length: 54:56
Rating: 5/5
“The Geese and the Ghost” is the debut solo album from original Genesis guitarist Anthony Phillips, who left the band after “Trespass” (1970) when his fear of live performance put him off continuing with them as they wrote the golden age of progressive rock.
For a long time there was no word from him, and then, after almost seven years, “Ant” finally came back to the scene with an excellent album. At the time of its release (1977) it was a very pleasant surprise, because it sounds like it came straight out of the early 70s, the golden era of symphonic prog rock, rather than from a time when that kind of music was already on its way out. In its motifs, “The Geese and the Ghost” draws quite a few parallels with “Trespass”, even though in other ways it’s a thoroughly distinctive record. What ties it to early Genesis is above all the outstanding Celtic pastoral motifs built on plenty of keyboards, especially mellotron, woodwinds and of course Phillips’ unmistakable acoustic guitar. Then there’s the fact that two Genesis members play on the album too – bassist and guitarist Mike Rutherford, who worked with Phillips back when he was still in Genesis, and drummer and singer Phil Collins, who joined the band after Phillips left and sings on two tracks here. Besides those two, “Ant” brings in a whole crowd of top-notch musicians who did a superb job on their instruments (the Send Barns Orchestra and John Hackett on flute, the younger brother of Steve Hackett, who was Phillips’ replacement in Genesis).
In atmosphere, “The Geese and the Ghost” is authentic Celtic, melancholic, pastoral music, sitting somewhere on the border between symphonic prog rock in the vein of classic early Genesis and prog folk along the lines of Gryphon, with a wealth of folksy medieval motifs that make it easy to picture idyllic scenes of the British countryside, lifted from legendary Celtic sagas or medieval British legends, which the excellent album cover captures perfectly. The superb guitarist Phillips is actually a multi-instrumentalist too, playing a full 19 instruments on the album (!), including bass guitar, synthesizer, mellotron, piano, organ and drums, while on “Collections” and the bonus track, a demo version of “Master Of Time”, he also tries his hand as a singer. “Ant” leans heavily on the 12-string acoustic guitar, where he’s without a doubt one of the greatest masters of the genre I’ve ever heard. There’s acoustic guitar all over the album, played with exceptional, refined feeling and soul. And when he combines that skill with Rutherford, another master of the instrument, we get some of those recognizable, breathtaking motifs of early Genesis.
“Wind-Tales” is a short acoustic guitar intro, followed by the album’s best-known track, the gorgeous “Which Way The Wind Blows”. Why the best known? Because none other than Phil Collins sings on it, back when he was still Genesis’ singer and drummer, before he became a pop rock superstar. The end of the song features Phillips’ magical acoustic guitar motif, beautifully woven into the mellotron. Next comes a real epic saga of tracks (3 through 8) that are linked together into a proper medieval epic about King Henry, “Henry: Portraits From Tudor Times”, split into six sections. If Phillips had stitched these pieces together, he’d have ended up with a true 10-minute epic comparable to the best of early Genesis, in an acoustic version of course. “Fanfare” is an intro on woodwinds, followed by “Lutes’ Chorus”, yet another short Celtic melody on acoustic guitar. That flows into “Misty Battlements”, which is also built on a lovely, melancholic acoustic guitar motif. The hugely dramatic “Henry Goes To War” has all the drama of early Genesis. “Death Of a Knight” is a quiet, sorrowful lament on acoustic guitar. And “Triumphant Return” is exactly what the title of this final section says. Woodwinds, mellotron and Celtic choral vocals announce the king’s victorious return, and with that the medieval saga is over. Then comes the ballad “God If I Saw Her Now”, where Phil Collins and Viv McCauliffe trade lead vocals. The dialogue, or interplay, between the male and female voices is very good and creates an exceptional romanticism, which this album has no shortage of anyway. Hackett’s flute and Phillips’ acoustic guitar build this true Celtic ballad of extraordinary melancholy and beauty. “Chinese Mushroom Cloud” is a short overture followed by two epics that make up the title composition “The Geese And the Ghost”. The first part, “The Geese And The Ghost Part 1”, is built on gorgeous Celtic motifs of acoustic guitar, mellotron and oboe, and has a brilliant orchestral ending. The second part, “The Geese And The Ghost Part 2”, is a proper fairy tale for all fans of classic Genesis, because the track has the authentic magic of Genesis’ golden days. Phillips’ guitar parts here are very reminiscent of the ones he used on some tracks from “Trespass” (1970). On the Lennon-esque “Collections” we also get to hear Phillips as a singer. Compared to someone like Steve Howe (the Yes guitarist), Phillips is a fairly decent vocalist, though far from the kind who should have tried more of this. Still, his slightly Lennon-esque voice fits the melody of this beautiful song well. The excellent orchestral arrangements sit wonderfully in the background and create an extremely romantic mood. “Collections” also contains a few parts that were written back when Phillips was still in Genesis. “Sleepfall: The Geese Fly West” is the closing, epic peak of the album, built from tasteful orchestral arrangements on keyboards and woodwinds plus Phillips’ acoustic guitar. It’s both a fantastic ending to the album and without a doubt one of his finest pieces. The demo version of “Master Of Time” is an epic bonus track featuring Phillips’ vocals, which swing from decent to weak here. The composition itself is excellent though, packed with all the virtues of symphonic prog rock and prog folk rock. The closing instrumental section is especially dazzling, truly heavenly.
No doubt about it, “Ant” is a great guitarist, a master of the 12-string guitar and of keyboards too, who sadly remains unfairly overlooked to this day, living in the shadow of other prog rock guitarists, like his successor in Genesis, Steve Hackett, or Steve Howe (Yes). A real injustice, because this debut album of his is excellent and one of the best solo debuts by any rock guitarist, one that can, say, go toe to toe with the far better-known Hackett debut “Voyage Of the Acolyte” (1975). Anyone who loves classic Genesis shouldn’t be without this album, since among other things it contains the best elements of the band’s early period and shows just how much “Ant” meant to the group and why they had such a hard time coming to terms with his leaving. For everyone else, it’s the ideal album to get acquainted with one of the best guitarists of the golden age of symphonic progressive rock.
Lineup
Anthony Phillips – acoustic, classical & electric guitar, bass guitar, dulcimer guitar, bouzouki, piano, organ, synthesizer, mellotron, harmonium, celeste, pin piano, drums, glockenspiel, bells & chimes, timbales, gong, vocals (7)
Guest musicians:
Michael Rutheford – acoustic, classical & electric guitar, bass guitar, organ, drums, timbales, bells, glockenspiel, cymbals
Phil Collins – vocals (2-4)
Ronnie Gunn – harmonium (9)
John Hackett – flute
Nick Hayley & friend – violins
Jack Lancaster – flute, lyre
Charlie Martin – cello
Viv McAuliffe – vocals (4)
Lazo Momulovich – oboe, English horn
Tom Newman – hecklephone, bulk eraser
Rob Phillips – oboe
Wil Sleath – flute, recorders, piccolo
David Thomsa – classical guitar (9)
Kirk Trevor – cello
Martin Westlake – timpani
Send Barns Orchestra conducted by Jeremy Gilbert
Ralph Bernascone – soloist
Production
Anthony Phillips, Michael Rutherford and Simon Heyworth
Track listing
1. Wind-tales (1:02)
2. Which way the wind blows (5:51)
3. Henry; portraits from Tudor times: (12:11)
i) Fanfare 0:56
ii) Lute’s chorus 2:00
iii) Misty battlements 1:15
iv) Henry goes to war 3:36
v) Death of a knight 2:33
vi) Triumphant return 1:46
4. God if I saw her now (4:09)
5. Chinese mushroom cloud (0:46)
6. The geese and the ghost: (15:40)
Part one 8:01 – Part two 7:39
7. Collections (3:07)
8. Sleepfall: the geese fly West (4:33)
Bonus track on the Virgin Records release:
9. Master of time (demo) (7:37)
