Private Parts And Pieces I-IV
It’s been a strange success story with Anthony Phillips‘ series “Private Parts And Pieces”: started as a collection of instrumental sketches in 1978, it gradually took a life of its own, with compositions written specially for many of the subsequent volumes – and there are 11 of these now. Much adored by Ant fans, and revered by GENESIS supporters, yet deserving a wide recognition, for the albums show all the multifacetedness of Phillips’ talent and approach, it’s part of his reissue programme on Esoteric Recordings. More so, the first four instalments of the series are to be bound together in a box set; titled “Private Parts And Pieces I-IV” and scheduled for August 28th, it will include a lot of bonus tracks – added to each of the discs (as it was on the recent re-releases) and taking an additional one.
DME asked the artist about it, and that’s what Anthony has to say:
“In the reissue meisterplan, Esoteric have decided that after the box set [“Harvest Of The Heart – An Anthology”] and “The Geese And The Ghost,” next should be the first four of the “Private Parts And Pieces” series. Obviously they will re-release all – or most – of the albums anyway, and that brings up the age-old dilemma of ‘Do you just re-release the album in its exact previous form – and therefore fans with the existing CD won’t feel the need to re-purchase it – OR do you reason – as most record companies do! – that many of the fans are ‘completists’ and will feel the compulsion to buy anyway?’
So, especially given the fact that it’s a four-CD set, we decided to look for a way to make it something slightly different and hopefully special! In the main, this is provided by the inclusion of an extra CD of music from the time – a few remixes but mainly hitherto unheard material – entitled “Private Parts and Extra Pieces.” Jonathan Dann has excellently updated the written material as well, and the artwork has been faithfully and lovingly re-assembled by the brilliant Phil Smee. Not everyone will feel the need to purchase this re-issue but we hope that those that do won’t be disappointed!”
As for the box’s content, it goes like this (read the review):
Disc One:
Private Parts & Pieces
1. Beauty And The Beast
2. Field Of Eternity
3. Tibetan Yak Music
4. Lullaby – Old Father Time
5. Harmonium In The Dust (Or Harmonious Stratosphere)
6. Tregenna Afternoons
7. Stranger
8. Reaper
9. Autumnal
10. Flamingo
11. Seven Long Years
bonus tracks:
12. Silver Song (demo)
13. Movement IV From Guitar Quintet
Disc Two:
Private Parts & Pieces II: Back To The Pavilion
Scottish Suite:
1. Salmon Leap
2. Parting Thistle
3. Electric Reaper
4. Amorphous, Cadaverous And Nebulous
5. Salmon’s Last Sleepwalk
6. Lindsay
7. K2
8. Postlude: End Of The Season
9. Heavens
10. Spring Meeting
11. Romany’s Aria
12. Chinaman
13. Nocturne
14. Magic Garden
15. Von Runkel’s Yorker Music
bonus tracks:
16. Will O’ The Wisp
17. Tremulous
18. I Saw You Today
19. Back To The Pavilion
20. Lucy: An Illusion
Disc Three:
Private Parts & Pieces Part III: Antiques
1. Motherforest
Hurlingham Suite:
2. (I) Ivied Castles
3. (II) Frosted Windows
4. (III) Bandido (2:46)
5. (IV) Church Bells At Sunset
6. Suite In D Minor:
I. Whirlpools
Ii. Cobblestones
Iii. Catacombs
7. Danse Nude
8. Esperansa
9. Elegy
10. Otto’s Face
11. Sand Dunes
12. Old Wives Tale
bonus tracks:
13. Frosted Windows (variation I)
14. Esperansa (alt. mix)
15. Bandido (early take)
16. Old Wives Tale (take 6)
17. Suite In D Minor (alt. version)
18. Frosted Windows (variation II)
19. El Cid
Disc Four:
Private Parts & Pieces IV: A Catch At The Tables
Arboretum Suite:
1. (I) Set Piece
2. (II) Over The Gate
3. (III) Flapjack
4. (IV) Lights On The Hill
5. Earth Man
6. Dawn Over The Lake
7. Bouncer
8. Eduardo
9. Heart Of Darkness
10. The Sea And The Armadillo
11. Sistine
bonus tracks:
12. Erotic Strings
13. A Catch At The Tables
14. Flapjack (solo version)
15. Theme From Operation Whale
Disc Five:
Private Parts & Extra Pieces
1. Sea Piece Intro
2. Prelude 3
3. The Princess Waltz
4. The Marionette Vignette
5. Duchess Of Kew
6. Birdsong Link
7. Over The Gate (alt. mix)
8. Sea Sketches
9. Lines In The Sand
10. Study In D Major
11. Moonshooter Piano
12. Long Ago
13. Lullaby – Old Father Time Variation
14. Theme From Sea Piece
15. Sistine (alt. piano version)
16. Armadillo Air
17. K2 Link
18. Still-Born Love
