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Shawn Phillips is an American singer-songwriter.
Shawn Phillips' 1972 album Faces followed in the footsteps of the three which came before it - elaborately arranged fusions of rock, folk, classical and beyond. However a study of the liner notes reveals that three of the eight songs date back to 1969, perhaps from the same sessions that produced Contribution and Second Contribution. The songs include the breath-taking "Chorale" (a seven-minute composition consisting of just acoustic guitar, sitar and wordless vocals), and a new version of his classic "'L' Ballade" (originally from Contribution), with an orchestral arrangement from Paul Buckmaster. Elsewhere there are appearances from Steve Winwood (on organ) and pedal steel guitarist Pete Kleinow. Despite the songs coming from both 1969 and 1972 recording sessions, the album flows together brilliantly, earning its place as the fourth in the series of remarkable albums Phillips began with Contribution.
Featured as a bonus track is the song he recorded for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Lost Horizon (composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David).
Collaboration (1971) <|> Bright White (1973)
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Shawn Phillips is an American singer-songwriter.
Following the release of what is arguably his masterpiece, Second Contribution, Shawn Phillips released Collaboration in 1971, the title referring to the collaborations with the other great musicians who took part in recording it. Indeed there is some really fantastic instrumentation throughout, with particularly tasty bass, keyboards, drums and orchestral arrangements. Collaboration took his fusion of rock and classical music into even more experimental and extraordinary territories - the orchestra was used not just for overdubbed embelishments, but as an integral part of many of the songs. The songs, the band arrangements, the orchestra and his godly voice combined to make something really special once again, and his most daring and explorative album yet.
Second Contribution (1970) <|> Faces (1972)
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Shawn Phillips is an American singer-songwriter.
In 1970 Shawn Phillips had released his first electric rock album, Contribution, and with it revealed a kaleidoscopic range of sounds, fusing his stunning voice with studio technology. However the best was still to come, as later that same year he released Second Contribution. Whilst the first album had been a diverse collection of songs, Second Contribution was a piece of art from start to finish - an album to be approached as one organic whole rather than just a compilation of songs. Apparently the material from both albums was originally going to be released as a trilogy, but his record company forced him to reconfigure the songs on to two LPs. Phillips has expressed bitterness about this decision in interviews, but nevertheless what became Second Contribution has got to be his best record and greatest artistic achievement.
Stylistically it fused rock, folk, jazz and classical music, but the fusion did away with all notions of genre and created something entirely new, roughly organised into three movements interspersed with stand-alone songs. What is amazing is that apparently all the songs were recorded in less than three takes, with master vocals done at the same moment. You can even hear him counting the band into different sections. The superb songs and Phillips' stunning vocals were taken to the next level by orchestral arrangements from Paul Buckmaster - if ever there was a great example of fusing rock music with an orchestra, it is this. The sounds range from whisper-quiet unaccompanied vocals to jaw-dropping orchestral crescendos, and keep the listener hooked from beginning to end.
To be honest, the music of Second Contribution cannot be accurately described. It is something that has got to be heard. If this was the only album Shawn Phillips had ever released, he would have rightfully earned his title of 'The Best-Kept Secret In The Music Business'. This is the most criminally-overlooked album of all time. Listen to it.
Contribution (1970) <|> Collaboration (1971)
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Shawn Phillips is an American singer-songwriter.
Throughout the 60s Shawn Phillips had been an almost unknown character, though he had been hard at work - he released two obscure folk albums and a few even more obscure singles. He also played at the Isle Of Wight festival and worked with Donovan, playing sitar on his Sunshine Superman album, and appearing with him on Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest TV show (which is well worth looking up on youtube). Rumour also has it that it was he who taught George Harrison to play the sitar. Though greatly respected by those who had heard him, he was by definition an underground musician.
In 1970 he recorded his first 'electric' album, five years after his last record, and by this time living in Italy. His best feature has always been his stunning voice, and fusing this with elaborate band arrangements and studio technology meant he was able to forge something truly special with Contribution, making the most of the opportunities offered by overdubbing. His voice reached dizzying highs on "Man Hole Covered Wagon" and thrilling lows on the quiet, hypnotic "L Ballade". It wasn't just about his voice and the fantastic arrangements though, as he proved himself a talented composer of original songs (his first two albums featured mostly cover material). Musicians backing him included Paul Buckmaster on keyboards, and the three core members of Traffic (i.e. Steve Winwood on keyboards, Jim Capaldi on drums and Chris Wood on sax).
Contribution started a new period in Phillips' career, which brought him to a much wider audience (though he was still far from being well-known).
Shawn (1965) <|> Second Contribution (1970)
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Shawn Phillips is an American singer-songwriter.
Phillips' second album was in the same style as his first, released a year earlier - solo acoustic covers of songs by contemporary singer-songwriters, made his own in exciting new arrangements driven by his stunning voice. Like its predecessor, it was recorded whilst he was living in England. This was the same year that he began working with British singer-songwriter Donovan, playing 12-string guitar on the Fairytale album (and also contributing the song "Little Tin Soldier").
What marked Shawn out from I'm A Loner was the fact that it featured a few more original compositions, and indeed some of them were highlights of the album. The covers included numbers by Billy Ed Wheeler, Peter Seeger and Ledbelly. The album suffered from the same lack of exposure as his first, so that he still remained a cult figure, and wouldn't release another album for five years. Even today these two first acoustic albums are among his lesser-known works, making them true obscurites.
I'm A Loner (1964) <|> Contribution (1970)
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Shawn Phillips is an American singer-songwriter.
Shawn Phillips was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He developed his unique sound throughout the early 60s, playing in the folk clubs of L.A., Greenwich Village and London. Whilst in the UK he met and befriended Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan, and it was here that he recorded his debut album. It came out towards the end of the folk revival era, and as of such it was perhaps a bit too late to get any coverage (it remains mostly forgotten to this day). It was indeed a folk album, all songs being performed just by Phillips on his 12 string acoustic, but it transcended the genre. His repertoire in these early days wasn’t that of a typical 60s folk singer - rather than an abundance of Dylan covers and traditional material, the songs he performed were mostly interpretations of numbers by other obscure contemporaries (including Travis Edmonson, Hamilton Camp and Shel Silverstein) alongside some rather surprising choices such as “It Was A Very Good Year” and “My Favourite Things”. He managed to make all the songs his own and completely redefine them, and it was his remarkable voice which gave them such a brilliant sense of mystery and magic. This brilliant yet obscure debut album has got to be a true lost classic.
|> Shawn (1965)
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Shawn Phillips' 1972 album Faces followed in the footsteps of the three which came before it - elaborately arranged fusions of rock, folk, classical and beyond. However a study of the liner notes reveals that three of the eight songs date back to 1969, perhaps from the same sessions that produced Contribution and Second Contribution. The songs include the breath-taking "Chorale" (a seven-minute composition consisting of just acoustic guitar, sitar and wordless vocals), and a new version of his classic "'L' Ballade" (originally from Contribution), with an orchestral arrangement from Paul Buckmaster. Elsewhere there are appearances from Steve Winwood (on organ) and pedal steel guitarist Pete Kleinow. Despite the songs coming from both 1969 and 1972 recording sessions, the album flows together brilliantly, earning its place as the fourth in the series of remarkable albums Phillips began with Contribution.
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