Anthony Phillips
The Geese And The Ghost

With this first DeReview, it seems that I have the pleasure and the honor of bringing justice to a great musical work that, for some absurd reason, has not yet been described on this site. I'm talking about "The Geese And The Ghost," the first solo work of ex-Genesis Anthony Phillips, which saw the light at the sunset of the progressive era; indeed, it's 1977.

It has been a solid seven years since the release of "Trespass" and Anthony's subsequent decision to step away from the public scene, probably to avoid the anxiety and stress caused by frequent performances, although the hypothesis that there were misunderstandings with the group leader Peter Gabriel does not seem to be totally discarded. During this time, the guitarist immersed himself in the study of classical music, graduating and finding employment as a teacher at the Royal College of Music in London. Although this clarifies that his departure from the scenes did not at all mean a detachment from music, it was only in 1977 that Anthony returned to the recording studio (or rather recording barge since he and the other musicians involved in the album's creation found themselves having to record on a floating barge to overcome the lack of a studio, due to the total disinterest of record companies) to execute what was initially supposed to be a collaborative project between him and his friend from Charterhouse days, Mike Rutherford. As we know, the work that will emerge will be released on a single LP under Anthony's name, becoming the first step in his "musical walk" of chords that still continues today.

This album shares many elements with another excellent debut, "The Voyage of the Acolyte" by Steve Hackett, conceived two years earlier. Besides the purely baroque atmospheres painted by the strings of these two great artists' guitars, other common points are present between the two works, for example, the musicians. The tireless Rutherford (among other things the author of some pieces) and Collins once again find themselves helping a friend in a difficult and delicate step like the production of a solo debut, and even John Hackett seems unwilling to miss the event, donating his wind instrument skills to the work.

The album opens with "Wind-Tales," a one-minute instrumental intro that gently leads the listener to an ancient time, drawing around them the magical and fairy-tale landscape from which they will witness the events that will be narrated, note after note, during the performance of the compositions. It is indeed with an inexpressible sweetness that "Which Way The Wind Blows" opens and develops, featuring Phil Collins in one of his most poignant and delicate vocal interpretations, accompanied by Mike's and Ant’s guitars, which utilize the moments of silence between the verses to chase each other in their harmonic interplays. After these six minutes of pure poetry, which often drag beyond the threshold of emotion, the heralds sound the fanfare at the court of Henry VIII and thus open the suite "Henry: Portrait From Tudor Times," divided into six movements and characterized by the use of oboe, as well as various other wind instruments, violins, and cellos. At the end of the jubilant "Fanfare," Ant's guitar pays us another visit, supporting and accompanying the light notes of the flute played by Wil Sleath in "Lute's Chorus," but it's only another minute and then the theme changes again and Ant and Mike escort us with their guitars to the castle turrets, wrapped in a thick morning fog beyond which enemies seem to be approaching. At the extinguishing of "Misty Battlements," there opens, with a rather decisive manner for the standards observed on the album so far, "Henry Goes to War," alternately calming and significantly more aggressive moments, highlighting the preparation for the imminent confrontation. With "Death of a Knight," the guitars return to embracing each other with the calmness and melancholy that mark the end of a warrior. The melody gently fades slowly only to be rekindled immediately with the final fanfare, which marks the knights' return home and Henry’s victory. The concluding theme "Triumphant Return" indeed reprises the notes from the first but develops it in a deeper way with choirs and keyboards. After this portrait of Tudor times, Phil Collins returns to delight us with another enchanting ballad titled "God if I Saw Her Now," this time however with the help of the angelic voice of Viv McAuliffe who, together with the flute's flights first and the guitars later, makes this song a true gem.

"Chinese Mushroom Cloud" seems to be another intro, quite dark, which serves to bring us into the presence of the album’s second suite, from which it also takes the name. Trying to describe both parts of "The Geese and the Ghost" would not do justice to this instrumental masterpiece; suffice it to say that it is a continually evolving theme involving all musicians (with a noteworthy John Hackett in the foreground) creating a perfect blend that makes us dream of geese, minstrels, and ghosts (all present on the enchanting cover by Peter Cross). A special mention should nevertheless be made for the main theme of the second part of the suite, which sees the use, albeit minimal, of the drums, which are practically absent throughout the album, given its light and ethereal nature. This magnificent work concludes with two pieces intertwined: "Collections" and "Sleepfall-The Geese Fly West," which differ from the previous compositions for the use of piano at the expense of the guitar. The first is a ballad sung by Anthony over a piano base with the accompaniment of flute and strings, distantly reminiscent of some sounds of "From Genesis to Revelation" (although orchestral elements were used much more massively on that album), while the second reprises the same theme as the previous composition but explores it from an instrumental point of view with the piano slowly giving way to John's winds, which have the task of closing this unique work.

A work as beautiful as it is unfortunately unknown to many, telling us of maidens and knights, battles, and loves in the purest romantic chivalric style, woven in sonic textures that caress medieval folk and transport us far away, to a world where the spontaneity of music could still open people's hearts... as they looked up at the geese flying westward.