FEATURED CD - Shawn Phillips : Second Contribution

[Duncan Glenday]

A long-standing favorite. Prog?

No

So what. It's a classic, and if nothing else, you gotta appreciate the absolute purity of this guy's voice.

Per Allmusic:

On this startling, ever-shifting, album-length musical landscape, Shawn Phillips carries listeners across folk ("The Ballad of Casey Deiss") and rock styles, with a heavy R&B feel at times ("Song for Mr. C"), accompanied by a band and Paul Buckmaster's most restrained orchestrations. The first four songs spin out seamlessly, like a cross-genre Sgt. Pepper's, and the album never lets up, driven by Phillips' guitars and his guileless singing. Some of the titles, like "Song for Sagittarians," seem dated, but even that number has some great hooks and a catchy chorus. Curiously, the promise of the album cover, depicting Phillips solo with an acoustic Gibson 12-string, is fulfilled on the final track, "Steel Eyes," on which he sounds like a more soulful successor to his one-time collaborator Donovan.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/second...n-mw0000651824

[spacefreak]

His best!

[bob_32_116]

This is interesting. I never knew he put out albums in his own right.

[Yves]

This album was BIG here in Québec in the day. So big in fact, that TMB used to always have a tribute to Shawn Phillips guy be the opening act of their shows, back in the 90s when they played primarily in and around Montreal. He would play songs many from this album, so I'm kinda burned on it.

[Guitarplyrjvb]

My thoughts on this album: he has nice hair. He could have been in a Breck commercial!

[battema]

Best of all, does this mean Progressive Ears now supports AutoRip? Woo hoo!

[Phlakaton]

Every time I hear this I have Jack Black pushed into my brain - singin' and dancin' in a cheap suit with a psychedelic chroma key backdrop

[Guitarplyrjvb]

Come to think of it, the dude is wearin' a cape, so that gets him some prog cred!

[R_burke]

Although this is my favorite of his releases - probably because it was my introduction to him, Collaboration is another great Shawn Phillips release here's one of the songs from that release

[Duncan Glenday]

Incidentally - he's married to my friend's cousin.

[syncopatico]

This album was BIG here in Québec in the day. So big in fact, that TMB used to always have a tribute to Shawn Phillips guy be the opening act of their shows, back in the 90s when they played primarily in and around Montreal. He would play songs many from this album, so I'm kinda burned on it.

Shouldn't TMB have had a Peter Hammill tribute guy(?) as their opener considering Hammill (solo) opened for Genesis on a few dates on the SEBtP tour in 1974, ESPECIALLY including the *famous* radio broadcast from Montreal on April 21, 1974

[MoodsWings]

I have this album. Or at least I think I still have it...

[Fox]

What's Happenin Jim? is an all time fav. Not on this recording, of course, but I highly recommend Collaboration.

[hippypants]

Yeah, I never would have thought of Shawn Phillips as prog, he's more folk to me, but I guess if Fairport Convention, Trees, and some others can be prog, so can this one. But like you said, either way, regardless of the genre, it's a great album, and one of his best.

[happytheman]

Brilliant... Faces is another release of his that's equally brilliant..

[Wounded Land]

I like the cover (and probably would like it better if there were no writing on it at all).

[rapidfirerob]

Always loved this guy and have a live recording of him from Dime. I read a long time ago he was on a boat and got his long hair caught on the propeller, which was the end of his long locks. Such an original talent.

[claycorn]

that long haired dude could scat 2.jpg

[soundsweird]

Big fan, have over a dozen albums, saw him live several times, talked to him a few times when he lived here in Austin. This album, Collaboration, Faces and Furthermore are favorites. There's a recent At The BBC release that's good, too.

[Progbear]

Is this the one with Quatermass as the backing band? Bright White is another good one. I guess A&M thought they had found their homegrown answer to Cat Stevens, but for whatever reason (too esoteric?), Shawn never caught on. Well, the theme song to the dreadful musical version of Lost Horizon* came close to being a hit, but that was it for Shawn.

*seriously, the songs were written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. How could they all be so bad?

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

looked at the cover and thought the dude was a lady

[soundsweird]

I'd have to say that Shawn Phillips is one of the most criminally underrated and neglected 70's-era singer-songwriters, along with John Martyn, Ian Matthews and Tim Buckley. He is still putting out albums, though I would not recommend his recent releases since his voice is not what it once was. I think it was weakened by the quadruple bypass he had several years ago...

[YESHEAD777]

I was turned on to him by my wife. We've got 6 of his lp's(all from the 70-75 period), one of which is this one-and if I remember right is my wife's fav. He definetely has the folky troubadour sound-with both his guitar work and voice.I haven't fully gotten into him yet, but I know that I will the more I listen to it. I listened to Do you wonder for the first time the other day, and liked the Memphis Horn arrangements alot, which gave the music a much different feel than his earlier stuff. I know I really liked Faces too, the one time I listened to it.

[gimmetrons]

Big fan here. Favorites are Contribution, Second Contribution, Collaboration, and Furthermore - the latter of which had much of Quartermass. Peter Robinson on piano in a few of his releases. A relatively recent one, "No Category", was released in South Africa (his adopted home, where he pursued a second career as an EMT or some such thing) and is quite good. Saw him in the 70's and then again about three years ago. Amazing vocal range and imho a great if a bit eccentric songwriter.

[spacefreak]

Also, check out his contribution to the COSMIC DEBRIS duo, on their debut album "3.7 K". Ozric Tentacles before the Ozrics???