Anthony Phillips: Missing Links I-IV Remastered 5-CD Coming, November 27, 2020

**Koreabruce** · 09-12-2020

From Ant's official website:

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of Missing Links I - IV, a newly re-mastered 5 CD clamshell box set comprising the four original Missing Links albums.

The Missing Links series was begun as a way to fill in some of the gaps in Ant's commercially released musical output and allow fans the opportunity to hear some of his Library and Television music. The series began in 1989 with the release of the first volume Finger Painting (initially made available as a limited edition cassette release) which featured selections from various projects that Ant had written and recorded over the previous ten years. A second volume - The Sky Road - followed in 1994, featuring a further selection of Library and Television pieces alongside previously unreleased album pieces and archive tracks.

The third volume - Time & Tide - was released in 1997 and brought together for the first time on a commercial release the best of Ant's collaborative work with Joji Hirota, much of which has been featured on award-winning programmes in the long-running Survival series. 2009 saw the release of the fourth volume - Pathways and Promenades - which brought together many of the individual tracks by Ant that had previously only been released on various artist compilations alongside some unreleased tracks from his library output.

Anthony has worked with his archivist Jon Dann to prepare this new boxed set edition of this wonderful music, compiling a new additional 27 track CD 'Extra Missing Links' of previously unreleased and rare archive material exclusive to this set.

Missing Links I - IV is due for release on 27th November 2020 and is available to pre-order now from Cherry Red. https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/...tered-box-set/

**Koreabruce** · 09-12-2020

I always thought Fingerpainting and Pathways and Promenades were superb representatives of Ant's library music catalogue that also function as "albums" in their own way. I'm not sure I can afford this 5-CD set, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in having the extra CD with 27 additional tracks.

**bill g** · 09-12-2020

Agreed. The first one, ‘Fingerpaintings’ has some gorgeous tracks, namely ‘Tropical Moon Over Dorking’ suite, and ‘Paradise Found’. I’d be really interested in the 27 extra tracks, as long as they’re not all less than 2 minutes long.

**Koreabruce** · 09-12-2020

Originally Posted by bill g

Agreed. The first one, ‘Fingerpaintings’ has some gorgeous tracks, namely ‘Tropical Moon Over Dorking’ suite, and ‘Paradise Found’. I’d be really interested in the 27 extra tracks, as long as they’re not all less than 2 minutes long.

Even if the CD is filled to the maximum capacity, there are more than likely going to be quite a few short tunes. It's what much of this library music tends to be by its very nature. Hope springs eternal, though!

**Dave (in MA)** · 09-13-2020

On the subject of his library music, these two releases are worth having, and a little hard to find if you're just looking up his name:

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Colli.../dp/B079J5WH4Y

https://www.amazon.com/Science-Techn.../dp/B077PV51YC

**Progatron** · 09-13-2020

There are over 100 library releases featuring Ant's compositions. Even the most rabid die-hard collectors don't have them all. The tracks can often be 30 second snippets and the like, so they aren't exactly 'must haves' IMO. Fortunately we get a lot of the better pieces on compilations such as these. Really looking forward to the bonus disc! Waiting on a review copy as we speak... I will post when the time comes!

**Fracktured** · 09-13-2020

I’ve never heard these albums. I like most of his instrumental music but I’m not keen on his vocals. Is this all instrumental?

**Koreabruce** · 09-13-2020

It is indeed 100% instrumental. The Missing Links library music CDs are a little more on the atmospheric side than his Private Parts & Pieces albums, but that's not to take away from them. They're definitely worth having.

**Fracktured** · 09-13-2020

Originally Posted by Koreabruce

It is indeed 100% instrumental. The Missing Links library music CDs are a little more on the atmospheric side than his Private Parts & Pieces albums, but that's not to take away from them. They're definitely worth having.

Thanks for the input. Appreciated.

**Dave (in MA)** · 09-19-2020

This would make a great album:
https://www.universalproductionmusic...film-and-drama

**bill g** · 09-24-2020

Has anyone heard any of the extra tracks of the esoteric private parts boxes? I haven’t pulled the trigger since I already have the original CDs

**Dave (in MA)** · 09-24-2020

Originally Posted by bill g

Has anyone heard any of the extra tracks of the esoteric private parts boxes? I haven’t pulled the trigger since I already have the original CDs

Yes, all of them. I think they stand up as well as the standalone PP&P releases and could have been released separately, but then we suckers would have bought those and not the boxes.

**Dave (in MA)** · 09-24-2020

Originally Posted by Dave (in MA)

This would make a great album:
https://www.universalproductionmusic...film-and-drama

I posted a question on that site asking if there was a way to purchase the material there, or if there were any plans to make consumer releases (CD or download) out of them, and I got a reply from one of their senior music licensing people,
"If you want to listen to our music our website is the best location. You might also be able to find some on Spotify. Our music isn’t available as downloads for personal listening."

**Progatron** · 09-24-2020

Originally Posted by bill g

Has anyone heard any of the extra tracks of the esoteric private parts boxes? I haven’t pulled the trigger since I already have the original CDs

Originally Posted by Dave (in MA)

Yes, all of them. I think they stand up as well as the standalone PP&P releases and could have been released separately, but then we suckers would have bought those and not the boxes.

Yep, agreed. Lots of nice pieces worth hearing across all three discs.

**bill g** · 09-24-2020

I was afraid of that. And the savings account continues to deplete, on its way to insignificance...

**Gizmotron** · 09-28-2020

Great news!!

Thank you!!

**Progatron** · 10-14-2020

Originally Posted by bill g

I’d be really interested in the 27 extra tracks, as long as they’re not all less than 2 minutes long.

Originally Posted by Koreabruce

Even if the CD is filled to the maximum capacity, there are more than likely going to be quite a few short tunes. It's what much of this library music tends to be by its very nature. Hope springs eternal, though!

The fifth CD is 63 minutes long, and 10 of the 27 tracks are under two minutes in length (some just barely). The rest are in the 2 to 4 and a half minute range, but there's some lovely material as expected.

My promo copy of the complete set arrived this week and I have been immersed in it for the past few days as I jot down notes for my review. One thing I will be pointing out is that vol. 4, Pathways And Promenades, remains my favourite of the series, and the simple fact that it is being made available again is a huge selling point of this set (it was only pressed on CD once, released only in the U.K., and long out of print).

It's 115 tracks and five and a half hours long, with a 62 page booklet. Quite a reasonable price for all that IMO!

Bill, you mentioned Tropical Moon Over Dorking suite, which has been newly mixed as a solo piano piece here. Something you might look forward to!

**bill g** · 10-15-2020

Originally Posted by Progatron

The fifth CD is 63 minutes long, and 10 of the 27 tracks are under two minutes in length (some just barely). The rest are in the 2 to 4 and a half minute range, but there's some lovely material as expected.

My promo copy of the complete set arrived this week and I have been immersed in it for the past few days as I jot down notes for my review. One thing I will be pointing out is that vol. 4, Pathways And Promenades, remains my favourite of the series, and the simple fact that it is being made available again is a huge selling point of this set (it was only pressed on CD once, released only in the U.K., and long out of print).

It's 115 tracks and five and a half hours long, with a 62 page booklet. Quite a reasonable price for all that IMO!

Still not out for six weeks, so I can't post a review just yet, but I'll put it here when the time comes. I will say that the 'sore thumb' track on the bonus disc is Freeway Dude, a 1990 composition intended to be pitched as a potential TV sitcom theme. It's amusingly outdated, with upbeat sax, synth and drums, and you can just picture a suburban family with huge hair and bad jeans pulling faces for the camera while the opening credits play!