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. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Tracks
Track Title
Composers
Performers
Time
She Was Waitin' for Her Mother at the Station in Torino and You Know I
Shawn Phillips (Sitar), Ann Odell (?), Ann Odell (Keyboards), Ian Green (Arranger), Bruce Rowland (Drums), Peter Robinson (Keyboards), Brian Odgers (?), Barry Dean (Bass), Robin Geoffrey Cable (Engineer), Barry Dean (Guitar), Jonathan Weston (Producer), Jerry Salisbury (Horn), Bruce Rowland (?), Brian Odgers (Bass), Shawn Phillips (Guitar), Mike Doud (Art Direction), Anello Capuano (?), Peter Robinson (?), John Michael Palmer (?), Shawn Phillips (Vocals), Paul Buckmaster (Orchestral Arrangements), Jerry Salisbury (?), Jim Creeggan (?), Shawn Phillips (Composer), Paul Buckmaster (Keyboards), Harvey Burns (Guitar), Paul Buckmaster (?), Jim Cregan (Guitar), Harvey Burns (?), John Weston (Producer), Peter Robinson (Percussion)
