When it comes to playing an intense acoustic guitar in the 70s, very few could hold a candle to singer-songwriter Shawn Phillips. After the release of the sprawling Live In The Seventies 3CD set, the new archival release Outrageous finds him playing up a storm at the Armadillo Headquarters in Austin,, TX in January 1976.
The original 1" multitrack tapes were known to exist, but took years of digging around to find them after which they had to be transferred very carefully. Philips was playing with pianist J. Peter Robinson, sharing a deep musical connection with plenty of room to improvise. With the addition of his pioneering skills as a user of loops, the duo could sound intimate or as full band if they felt the urge to let rip.
His vocal range allowed him to holler and whisper, alternating between rock and jazz phrasing. They should teach songs like Looking At The Angel, Withered Roses and the Ballad Of Casey Deiss at music education centres to show the students the capabilities of the human voice and guitar in popular music. It will frustrate quite a few pupils for sure, but those who are able to grasp the ideas of Philips will cherish them and put them to good use for many years to come.
Outrageous is released via Think Like A Key Music (2CD, 2CD + vinyl, digital). The 2CD + vinyl combo contains 4 alternate takes not found on the CD.
Disc 1- We
- Manhole Covered Wagon
- Looking At The Angel
- All Our Love
- Coming Down Soft And Easy
- Withered Roses
- L’Ballade
- Today
- Intro Solo
- As All Is Played
- Rumplestiltskin’s Resolve
- Improvisation
- Believe In Life
- Improvisation
- Ballad Of Casey Deiss
- Moonshine
- Woman
- Keep On
HCTF review of Live In The Seventies.
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