Customer Reviews

Scratched By the Rabbit

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This 8th album from Atlanta guitarist Glenn Phillips is his best effort to date. Strong song writing and arrangments make this a truely fine example of instrumental music. Playing guitars, autoharp and keyboards, Glenn is backed by his band of that time: Bill Rea on bass and John Boissiere on drums. Known to music fans primarily in Atlanta and the southeast where he tours small clubs, Glenn's guitar playing is know to guitartists worldwide. This nine song album features seven songs by Glenn and two by Bill Rea was released in 1990. Starting with a haunting bagpipe like sound on "Scotland" through to the relaxing finish of "Lover's Leap" this album covers a wide range of musical moods and emotions. Glenn's music is usually filed under rock at the music stores, but his music is not the usual pop/rock stuff. Working with no vocalist has keep his music from being widely played. Playing 6 & 12 string electric and acoustic guitars, Glenn creates music that can only be describes as his own. Be it the reflective mood of "Scotland", the jangly/moaning sounds on "Theme From (Dawn of the Prehistoric Newton)", Glenn creates a wide variety of sounds from his guitars throughout the short 36 minute album. But shortness of the album is not a problem. A wide variety of sounds and moods, with the songs are perfectly sequenced, make the 36 minutes perfect, any more would be useless filler. My favorite tune on this album is "22nd of May" written by Bill Rea. Starting with guitar and bass followed by keyboards, the song paints a sad mood. About halfway, the song starts building a more upbeat mood lead by the bass. The guitar builds on this and finally the drums come crashing in as the song reaches its climax. It still brings me chills after listening to it for 10 years. At about the time this album was released, Bill Rea was to have an operation on his hands that had the possibility of ending his ability to play again. I don't know if that is what he wrote this tune about, but it sure fells like it to me. He did recover from the surgery and played on Glenn's next album after this one ("Walks through Walls",1996). Anyone that enjoys the sound of an electric guitar taken to its limits, this is your tickets to Nirvana, put on, kick back and let it take you away.

The strangest thing about PHILLIPS cd's is the pleasure they provide. While being completely unorthodox and unpredictable, it still remains very accessable. There are challenging moments, interspersed with moments of sheer beauty. The guitar work is brilliant and defies description. Searing runs, shimmering sound scapes, haunting interplay with the fretless bass, georgous melodies and above all a seemingly inexhaustable pool of ideas. If you like to be challenged and like to get into something unique, you should invest in this mans musik, I did and I love it.

This is one of Glenn's strongest albums. Each instrumental projects a different mood...from melancholy to happy to tranquil to exciting to romantic and so on. Glenn should really consider movie scores. On this CD from 1990 he plays both 6 and 12 string electric and acoustic guitars, electric autoharp and keyboards. He also has Bill Rea who is the best bass player that no one's ever heard of. Rea gets some amazing sounds out of that fretless and I would just love to hear him play with Adrian Belew someday. The only weak link in the band is the drummer who sounds like he's from a high school garage band. But overall this is a very strong release.

There seems to be a misconception that Glenn's music is only suited for guitarists, much like the fact that a significant portion of Eric Johnson's fanbase seem to be. While sure, the guitarist will find a lot of value in his recordings, the music Glenn creates on this album, and his others, is one of the rare finds that melds melodically into the minds of even casual listeners. This album, in particular, is one of those that captures you immediately with the first sounds of the birds chirping to kick off the opening track, "Scotland" to the slow emotive notes that wrap up "Lover's Leap". In between, you will find the virtuosity of a musician who understands and handles technically complex leads, yet also knows when to let the silence grip you. His solos sometimes are longing and full of emotion, sometimes just complete scorchers that will leave the astute listener shaking his head.

Technically, Glenn shines as a master of his instrument, pulling in appropriate effects as needed. He plays the music he hears in his head. Some of the melodies will not leave your head. Backed by his stable of fantastic musicians, many who have played with him for years, the music is enlightening, majestic, intelligent and just plain good. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed.