Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Phillips, Anthony
Label: Virgin Records
Release: 1978
Rating: 3.5/5
Anthony Phillips is without a doubt one of the most respected former members of Genesis. Even though the sound Ant had cultivated since his earliest days with Genesis was in commercial decline at the time thanks to punk, he didn’t much care about that depressing fact. So on “Wise After the Event” he kept a genuine connection to the original sonic legacy of the legendary band, a legacy he himself left an indelible mark on with his guitar technique. His ability to combine subtle, infectious acoustic melodies with an exceptional feel for melody was a part of the original Genesis heritage, and he held on to it as a solo musician long after leaving the band. He first made a name for himself with the superb “The Geese And The Ghost” (1977), which ranks among the best work by any former Genesis member. The album was marked by a wonderful mix of romance, nostalgia, Celtic and Anglo-Saxon mysticism, and pastoral charm.
“Wise After the Event” is no exception here, as it successfully follows the sonic legacy of its predecessor. The album is full of enchantingly beautiful melodies that only Ant’s acoustic guitar can conjure, an instrument he has mastered to an exceptional degree over the years. Besides his usual acoustic melodies on guitar and keyboards, the album also features a string of excellent and unique guitar solos. Unlike its predecessor, the album as a whole isn’t all that progressive in the true sense of the word, since apart from a few exceptions the song structures are mostly simple. Still, it wins you over sonically with exceptionally beautiful, romantic melodies that quickly carry the listener far away from the stiff routine of everyday life. Unlike the previous album, where vocals were barely there, this time Ant’s recognizable voice is present on every track. His voice has come a long way since the last record and fits perfectly with the mostly gentle, dreamy acoustic melodies and arrangements and the Celtic melos. The medieval and baroque arrangements that dominated the previous album are absent this time. Still, orchestral arrangements are present in places alongside the extensive use of keyboards and acoustic guitar, which is the central instrument of the whole album. The album is bursting with an incredibly positive, magical energy, which is also nicely reflected in the superb, witty cover art, one of the best I’ve ever seen.
In place of the Genesis members (Collins and Rutherford), Ant again has a whole bunch of talented musicians as guests. Besides John G. Perry on bass (ex-Caravan), two former King Crimson members stand out most: saxophonist/flutist Mel Collins (also a member of Camel at the time) and drummer Michael Giles. Hearing the latter again, one of the finest (and most overlooked) drummers of all time, is a real treat, since he hadn’t been heard much after leaving King Crimson, even though his contribution here is limited to the basics and he mostly sticks to a mid-tempo groove. Interestingly, Phillips credited the guitar and keyboards on the album to a made-up character called “The Vicar” to somewhat disguise his all-round musical talent (Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) once pulled a similar stunt with the fictional child lyricist Gerald Bostock on “Thick As a Brick” (1972)). The guitar playing on the album is, without a shadow of a doubt, all his. This slightly controversial move in no way diminishes the quality of an album that doesn’t have a single bad track.
The opener “We’re As We Lie”, which also came out as a single, has a characteristic pastoral interplay of acoustic guitar that creates an exceptionally gentle melody set against a simple rhythm, always followed by a super melodic, dreamy chorus. Ant’s subtle vocals fit beautifully into the composition and add extra color to it. In the middle section we also get a clever Collins sax solo. Despite its apparent simplicity, this is a track that could easily be counted among the evergreens of 70s symphonic prog rock. “Birdsong” opens with a gentle acoustic intro that at first sounds like a lullaby, but within this track, especially in the transitions, Ant with his trademark melodic solos shows more clearly for the first time the musical voice he cultivated in Genesis. Some of the keyboard parts (which he mostly played himself on the album) also lean strongly toward those of Genesis, or rather Tony Banks, especially in the transitions and choruses, where keyboards and acoustic guitar blend tastefully. At the close, Ant returns once more with an acoustic guitar melody that recalls a lullaby. “Moonshooter”, which has some exceptionally beautiful piano parts, also boasts dreamy, subtle choruses that charm the listener from the very first listen. The title track “Wise After the Event”, which has a fairly monotonous rhythm, once again successfully conjures the authentic epic spirit of classic Genesis. Ant’s singing is much more energetic this time and slightly recalls Roger Waters (Pink Floyd). It also contains some of his best (most beautiful and also fastest) solos on the album. His solo in the central part of the composition is incredibly magical, and it’s especially thrilling when it flows back into the song’s basic rhythm. At more than ten minutes, it’s also the longest composition on the album and one of its highlights. In the second half of the album, where ballads mostly dominate, the orchestral arrangements come to the fore for the first time. “Pulling Faces” is likewise a track that could easily have landed on an early Genesis album, with keyboards entirely in the style of Tony Banks. It’s definitely the most energetic composition on the album, and the first place where Michael Giles’s drumming talent really shines. On the ballad “Regrets”, besides Ant’s classic guitar and keyboard moves, excellent orchestral arrangements dominate, ones that can hold their own against the best arrangements in contemporary classical music. All of that comes with subtle, dramatic vocals. “Greenhouse” is a track with some Beatles-style magic too, mainly through the acoustic guitar and keyboard choruses, the wonderfully romantic vocals, and a rhythm line that keeps changing speed. “Paper Chase” is another excellent rhythmic composition, full of interwoven acoustic and electric guitar and above all indescribable romanticism, with an extraordinary power to stir up and lift the listener’s emotions. The closing epic “Now What” has an incredibly infectious, subtle, melodic weave of guitar, piano, floating keyboards, and intense vocals that the listener just can’t get enough of. The epic choruses contribute most to the intensity, reaching their peak right before the track’s exit. The song also has exceptionally sarcastic lyrics, in which Ant casts himself as God and wonders why all his creations always die. “Squirrel” is a bonus track that originally came out as the B-side of the “We’re As We Lie” single. You can tell, since it’s nothing special and is structurally definitely the weakest track on the album. It’s a simple acoustic piano ballad that, thanks to the piano solos and dreamy, romantic vocals, still shares the same beauty as the rest of the album.
“Wise After the Event” is an album that will charm above all those who put their own feelings ahead of technical polish, the spiritual ahead of the rational, and who listen to music mostly with the heart and not just with the ears. And that’s exactly where this wonderful guitarist was always unmatched, since all the compositions on this album are played with enormous heart while still packing plenty of rich arrangements and solos that will satisfy any fan of traditional symphonic prog rock in the British school. Few guitarists are able to combine beauty and sophistication in their work so perfectly and create this kind of magic. Plenty of fans of technically minded (especially modern) progressive rock will surely turn their noses up at this album, while every true Genesis fan has had it in their collection for ages. “Wise After the Event” successfully proves that complexity of composition and technical polish aren’t necessarily essential elements of quality progressive rock; in this genre, too, what matters more is the subtlety and depth of the compositions themselves. In that sense, this album is a true masterpiece of expression of the purest feelings you can find within rock music.
Lineup
Anthony Phillips – vocals, harmonica
Perkin Alanbeck – keyboards (2)
Mel Collins – saxophone (1), flute (2)
Jeremy Gilbert – keyboards (7), harp (9)
Michael Giles – drums
Rupert Hine – percussion, backing vocals
John G.Perry – bass guitar
Robin Phillips – oboe
Rodent Rabble – sounds
Humbert Ruse – drums (7)
Vic Stench – bass guitar (7)
The Vicar – guitars, keyboards
Orchestra conducted by Gilbert Biberian, arrangements written by Anthony Phillips (6)
Production
Rupert Hine
Track list
1. We’re all as we lie (4:34)
2. Birdsong (7:30)
3. Moonshooter (5:52)
4. Wise after the event (8:45)
5. Pulling faces (4:32)
6. Regrets (5:15)
7. Greenhouse (3:00)
8. Paperchase (5:28)
9. Now what (are they doing to my little friends)? (8:30)
Bonus track on the CD edition:
10. Squirrel (4:28)
Trajanje albuma: 56:54
