{"id":8346,"date":"2017-02-04T00:17:11","date_gmt":"2017-02-04T00:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hippy.com\/hip\/?p=8346"},"modified":"2017-02-04T00:17:11","modified_gmt":"2017-02-04T00:17:11","slug":"shawn-phillips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/reviews\/shawn-phillips\/","title":{"rendered":"Shawn Phillips"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shawn Phillips is one of those legends that had been swept up in mystery, disappeared under the cloak of the sixties, or stripped of acknowledgement due to dirty management and contracts. Such is the case with the twelve-string acoustic genius, Shawn Phillips, one time flat partner with Tim Hardin, who played the Indian sitar for Donovan on \u201cSunshine Superman\u201d and exquisite \u201cThree Kingfishers\u201d. At the age of twenty Shawn moved to London and became known as a prolific writer, musician, and vocalist. Not only did he tutor Joni Mitchell at a very young age, but also this Texas born folk musician was a regular at the Bleecker \/ McDougal folk clubs of the early sixties. Shawn\u2019s vox had reached cathedral level and Andrew Lloyd Webber handpicked the minstrel to lend his god-gifted voice to the controversial Jesus Christ Superstar, but Shawn opted for an Italian sabbatical and was displaced by Ian Gillian of Deep Purple.<\/p>\n

The poetry of this troubadour is much to be admired and his many years of solace in Italy brought forth some of the most inspiring love ballads to appropriate the early seventies. It\u2019s a hidden secret fact that he actually featured on the Sgt. Pepper\u2019s album (\u201cLovely Rita\u201d) as a backup vocalist for the Beatles. Shawn\u2019s first song he wrote \u201cDeath Train\u201d reflected the legends of past folklore, a scenario that would enhance his dimensional future. The early albums I\u2019m A Loner and Impressions were set in the woody confines of his Greenwich roots with deliberate versions of Hamilton Camp\u2019s \u201cPride Of Man\u201d and Coltrane\u2019s \u201cMy Favourite Things\u201d first heard from the We Five. Shawn also wrote the Hans Christian Anderson child rhyming \u201cLittle Tin Soldier\u201d which came to light with the noble Donovan plus co -penning the jazzy \u201cSeason of the Witch\u201d. Shawn\u2019s sitar is mystically seasoned on \u201cSunny South Kensington\u201d and the full version of \u201cSunshine Superman\u201d.<\/p>\n

George Harrison received his first sitar lessons from Shawn. Shawn appeared as a folk singer in the 1965 film Run With the Wind and worked extensively with Steve Winwood, Mick Weaver and Chris Woods during his A&M contract. The 1972 German film The Pied Piper and Franco Zeffirelli\u2019s Brother Sun, Sister Moon also featured Shawns\u2019 twelve- string behind Donovan\u2019s tender vox. Well, at least one aspiring musician recognised his ability, that being Zoot Money (Big Roll Band). In fact, Zoot covered one of Shawn\u2019s classics \u201cLook at You Now\u201d which came to surface on a live album, while further afield Shawn played and sang on Wynder K Frog\u2019s third album Into The Fire. Mr Phillips nobly applied most of the crystal twelve strings behind Donovan\u2019s eclectic \u201cSummer Day Reflection Song\u201d.<\/p>\n

To describe the music of Shawn Phillips one would have to be somewhat cautious and the best description to portray his eclectic style would be progressive folk. Quite honestly his vocal and guitar ability would have made him easy prey for the likes of Genesis, the ultimate replacement for twelve-string guitarist, Anthony Phillips( Kindred spirit, surname with twelve-string virtuosi). Quartermass pianist, Peter Robinson, immaculately manipulated most of the keyboard work on Shawn\u2019s compositions. With eighteen prestigious albums under his belt Shawn can look back to his early days with a sense of satisfaction. A worthy introspection of Contribution with the stellar \u201cL Ballade\u201d and understated support from Mick Weaver and Eric Clapton showed promise of greater things to come. Collaboration, (1973) Faces, (1974) and the 1971 Second Contribution brings eternal joy. Shawn\u2019s genteel approach was magnificently enhanced by the string arrangements of Paul Buckmaster.<\/p>\n

Shawn Phillips\u2019 epic 1972 Second Contribution released some of the finest acoustic and high vocal soprano of the time. The album is a spiritual manifestation of harmonics fused with Gregorian tones and layers of twelve-string guitar. The angelic \u201cBallad of Casey Deiss\u201d will long be remembered for the harmonic soprano and heightened level to which Shawn could reach. Shawn was a brilliant songwriter who fused electric and acoustic, creating a spectrum of colours. Not only could he perform live with no overdubs, but also the mastery of his twelve-string came forth as intricately as the finesse of Da Vince. Shawn\u2019s \u201cShe was waiting for her mother at the station in Torino, and you know I love you baby but it\u2019s getting too heavy to Laugh\u201d, evokes a Christ like atonement, as it shivers through one\u2019s being, poignant splendour, and his ultimate magna opus.<\/p>\n

The 1973 Faces, an apt description of the varied styles that travelled through the album, is very much an about turn for Shawn Phillips. The session recruitment was an all-star employment comprising of America\u2019s shadow bass man Leland Sklar, Sneaky Pete on the steel guitar and Joe Sample on the piano. Flute was normally blown by Johnny Almond, John Mayall\u2019s Turning Point star. Shawn picks up the sitar on the isolated \u201cChorale\u201d, which paints stellar moments, reflective of his nature and spiritual state. The ultimate octave is delivered on his exquisite 13min introspection \u201cParisian Plight 11\u201d. \u201cThe Plight\u201d was enhanced by Juicy Lucy steel guitarist Glen Campbell, Traffic roadster Steve Winwood, and Keef Hartley\u2019s primal wind force Henry Lowther & Chris Mercer. In hindsight the album has many faces each with its own expression.<\/p>\n

Shawn\u2019s 1974 Furthermore release has ex Big Three \/ Quartermass bassist John Gustafson ploughing into the progressive intro \u201cJanuary First\u201d. It is here that you realize that Shawn was far from folk, but more in the jazzy confines of intricate Progressive Rock. As if to pacify the mayhem Shawn paints his brushes through the tranquil \u201cStarbright\u201d with Peter Robinson etching the canvass with his rippling keyboards while ex Blue Mink Anne Odell bends the mellotron on this choral stargazer. Shawn once told me on a 10min radio interview that Furthermore was his absolute assault and creation. The album also boasts the ethereal cello of Paul Buckmaster, a master arranger of note. This album has dimension beyond the shifting sands of Camel or Caravan such as the spacey \u201cCape\u2019 Barras\u201d airlifting Shawn\u2019s yodel vox.<\/p>\n

Shawn recruited phase axe innovator Caleb Quaye for the guitar inquisitions that sprouted out of \u201cNinety Two Years\u201d and \u201cTalking In The Garden\u201d.Perhaps the most moistening deliverance saddles the infectious \u201cBreakthrough\u201d, a master in it\u2019s own reflection. Each of Shawn\u2019s albums has a dazzling gem that often blinds the listener, namely Collaborations that gave us the stirring \u201cMoonshine\u201d and \u201cSpring Wind\u201d while Furthermore, shimmered through \u201cTalking in the Garden\u201d, and then there was Bright White and the underrated Rumpelstiltskin Resolve. Get them all before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n

Added:<\/b> April 19th 2008
\nReviewer:<\/b> shiloh noone<\/a> | See all reviews<\/a> by shiloh noone
\nCategory:<\/b> Music<\/a>
\nLocation:<\/b> South Africa<\/a>
\nScore:<\/b> \"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"
\nRelated Link:<\/b> Seekers Guide To The Rhythm Of Yesteryear<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shawn Phillips is one of those legends that had been swept up in mystery, disappeared under the cloak of the sixties, or stripped of acknowledgement due to dirty management and contracts. Such is the case with the twelve-string acoustic genius, Shawn Phillips, one time flat partner with Tim Hardin, who played the Indian sitar for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8346\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}