"Listening to the Soundscapes" - Anthony Phillips' latest compilation album. Review by Alan Hewitt.

A strange one this… a double CD of Anthony's music which Anthony had nothing to do with! Yes folks, it is true… this compilation was put together by yours truly at the behest of Snapper Music who have previously been responsible for Steve's Genesis Revisited album, and so if your favourite track is not here you can blame me!

The rationale behind this one was simple; to put together a compilation of some of the more accessible tracks from Anthony's catalogue as well as trying to represent some of the longer form pieces which he has composed too.

Put like that it sounds simple, doesn't it? Well… it WASN'T easy… far from it! For a start, sadly I could not include any tracks from three of Anthony's finest albums: The Geese & The Ghost, Wise after the Event and 1984 the rights to all of which are still tied up by Virgin Records. Certain tracks automatically suggested themselves to a compilation such as this and others took a bit more thinking about. Fortunately, there is an abundance of material to draw from and I hope that the resulting compilation gives fans a nice overview of Anthony's career and a useful starting point for new fans too.

Anthony Phillips Soundscapes An Anthology Snapper Music SMD CD 458 (2 Discs)