Phillips, Anthony: Wise After The Event – deluxe edition

Continuing their excellent work in remastering the solo output of early Genesis man Anthony Phillips, the latest tidbit for our delectation comes in the shape of a deluxe edition of Anthony's second solo release, Wise After The Event. The guitarist's first outing post Genesis, The Geese And The Ghost, had been as much a Phillips/Mike Rutherford collaboration as it had an out and out solo piece, but for Wise… Anthony was on his own. Or that was, alone until he teamed up with produced Robert Hine (Saga/The Fixx) who not only nurtured Anthony's songwriting and wonderful, distinctive six and twelve string guitar playing, but also his voice. Not someone confident and comfortable hearing their own singing, Anthony had been somewhat ruffled when his label had suggested a move away from the pastoral style of The Geese… in favour of a more song based approach. However with Hines cajoling Anthony through the process, a voice that could hardly be classed as one of the best suddenly blossoms into that of a storyteller letting you in on their inner most secrets. In truth what should be a weakness of the album evolves into one of its greatest strengths.

Musically two themes seem in play, as a continuation of the sound found on Phillips last album with Genesis, Trespass, infuses what would have been side one of the album through ''We're All As We Lie", "Moonshooter" and the title track. As the album progresses onto side two, so the orchestral "Regrets" changes the focus, "Greenhouse" and "Paperchase" more meandering and less detailed in their arrangement (in terms of complexity rather than quality I may add). However even here everything remains engaging and containing of enough depth to keep you thoroughly hooked. Add in that the cast list contains Mel Collins on sax and Michael Giles on drums (both ex-King Crimson) alongside John G. Perry (ex-Caravan) on bass and you know Phillip's compositions are in extremely safe hands indeed.

Coming in a clamshell box, this deluxe edition offers a new stereo mix of the album, a more rounded end result than the original proving quite a revelation, while a more straight forward remaster of the original stereo mix proves an interesting comparison. The opportunity to contrast and compare coupled with the chance to genuinely hear different aspects of the music a revealing experience. Add in an excellent and worthy 5.1 surround sound mix, where some of the guitar work takes on new proportions and there's not much more that you could ask for. Other than of course for all three versions to contain the non-album single "Squirrel". And of course a disc of demos, outtakes and extras where some unheard mixes, a selection of instrumental demos and ideas that initially were meant to link the songs on the album together, are released on CD for the very first time. And that's still not taking into account the 7" single mix of "We're All As We Lie", which is also included. There's also a poster of the wonderful album art by Peter Cross (which is celebrated in stunning style across the discs and box in this set) with album lyrics, and a separate booklet where interviews with Anthony and Rupert Hine bring into great detail how the album was brought to life. Hence once more it's hats off to Esoteric Recordings for taking an excellent, under appreciated album and reinvigorating it in such definitive aural and visual fashion.

Track Listing
DISC ONE: CD
NEW STEREO MIX

1. WE'RE ALL AS WE LIE
2. BIRDSONG AND REPRISE
3. MOONSHOOTER
4. WISE AFTER THE EVENT
5. PULLING FACES
6. REGRETS
7. GREENHOUSE
8. PAPERCHASE
9. NOW WHAT (ARE THEY DOING TO MY LITTLE FRIENDS)
10. SQUIRREL

DISC TWO: CD
DEMOS, OUT-TAKES AND EXTRAS

1. WE'RE ALL AS WE LIE LINK
2. SLEEPING ON AN INTERSTELLAR PLANE (Greenhouse demo)
3. PAPERCHASE (instrumental demo)
4. BIRDSONG (instrumental demo)
5. MOONSHOOTER (Cottage Tapes demo)
6. WE'RE ALL AS WE LIE (Cottage Tapes demo)
7. PULLING FACES (Cottage Tapes demo)
8. SQUIRREL (instrumental mix)
9. WISE AFTER THE EVENT (instrumental mix)
10. MAGIC GARDEN (solo piano mix)
11. WE'RE ALL AS WE LIE (7-inch single mix)
12. REGRETS (piano mix)
13. CHINAMAN (basic guitar mix)
14. NOW WHAT (ARE THEY DOING TO MY LITTLE FRIENDS) (instrumental mix)

DISC THREE: CD
THE ORIGINAL STEREO MIX RE-MASTERED

1. WE'RE ALL AS WE LIE
2. BIRDSONG AND REPRISE
3. MOONSHOOTER
4. WISE AFTER THE EVENT
5. PULLING FACES
6. REGRETS
7. GREENHOUSE
8. PAPERCHASE
9. NOW WHAT (ARE THEY DOING TO MY LITTLE FRIENDS)
10. SQUIRREL

DISC FOUR:
THE 2016 5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX

1. WE'RE ALL AS WE LIE
2. BIRDSONG AND REPRISE
3. MOONSHOOTER
4. WISE AFTER THE EVENT
5. PULLING FACES
6. REGRETS
7. GREENHOUSE
8. PAPERCHASE
9. NOW WHAT (ARE THEY DOING TO MY LITTLE FRIENDS)
10. SQUIRREL

Added: February 21st 2016
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Wise After The Event at Cherry Red
Hits: 3164
Language: english

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