What is your favorite ANTHONY PHILLIPS album?

  • Ant has made a lot of albums, that's for sure. Which one is your favorite? And what are your favorite tracks on it?


    Based on what I recall seeing on the old message board, THE GEESE AND THE GHOST seems to be his most popular album; but I personally don't consider it his best.


    I've heard the majority of Ant's output*, and my favorite of his albums is NEW ENGLAND.


    My favorite tracks on it are "Sunrise & Sea Monsters" and "Unheard Cry" (possibly the most heartbreaking song ever to come out of Genesis-world, and one of Ant's better vocals outside of INVISIBLE MEN).


    * I have heard 32 of Ant's 35 albums (as listed in the discography at his website), and I currently own 26.

    Little known fact: Before the crowbar was invented...


    ...crows simply drank at home.

  • The Geese and The Ghost will always remain one of my favourites among Ant's albums, imho it is unique in his discography, I always loved it right from the start and it still keeps growing on me. However, I do not like how Ant often gets reduced on this one album or how people claim on all the rest of his discography be forgettable against Geese.


    Wise After The Event I love too, funny enough I can't warm up to Sides in the same way.


    Field Day has a special place for me as well. This might even be the one Ant album I listened most to.


    There's a bunch of other albums I enjoy too but I guess these three might make my top favourites. I have to mention Pathways & Promenades too, that one I really like and I've been playing it quite often.



    For favourite tracks, I first have to say that all of these albums work really well as whole albums for me; but let's see: On Geese I guess my favourites tracks would be Which Way The Wind Blows, Collections and the title track; on Wise I'd say it is the title track again and Regrets, on Field Day it is Forgotten Pathway and Largo d'Amour as well as Prayer for Natalie, also Nocturne; on Pathways & Promenades I vote for that one 12-string track (Sky Dawn?) and Night Train.


    I forgot to mention the two Archives compilations, I really like those and played them often.

    • Official Post

    That's tough to say. The easiest answer would be The Geese And The Ghost. Apart from that, I do have an affection for Sides and Slow Dance

  • Christian

    Changed the title of the thread from “What is your favorite Ant album?” to “What is your favorite ANTHONY PHILLIPS album?”.
  • WATE has traditionally been my default answer though it is difficult for me to definitively narrow it down to a single album only because I like different ones for completely different reasons.


    PP&P2, The Sky Road and Pathways & Promenades are among my favourite instrumental albums, and I love playing them in the car when I'm travelling, The music virtually plays out like a soundtrack to the visuals of open highway and rural scenes.


    But then how do I compare that pleasant experience to TG&TG and WATE which are probably my two favourite song-based albums? Between those two, I honestly couldn't tell you which I like better.


    As for a favourite track...

    I've always been strangely enchanted by Tibetan Yak Music (from PP&P1). It's a delicate piece played on 12-string and if you love the sound of that instrument, you're in heaven. For me it seems to encapsulate what makes Ant such a unique and endearing artist..

  • It's hard to mention just one album. I use to name New England as one of my favourites, but I'd rather pick Twelve here, because it's just so breathtaking how musically adventurous he could be with just one single 12 string guitar and how he managed to capture the air of the twelve months.

    But if I had to choose my favourite tracks from all over his albums, they would not be from Twelve but rather e. g. TGATG (2-pt title track), Tarka m. III, Sisters Of Remindum, La Dolorosa, Concerto De Alvarez, Tears On A Rainy Day and others (to name but a few).

  • Lately it's been Seventh Heaven, but it changes all the time. Geese, 1984, Slow Dance and PPP 2 have all been my favourite at one time or another. I'm also hugely fond of PPP 11 (City Of Dreams), but I may be in the minority there.

    • Official Post

    Would a poll allow enough options to cover all of Ant's albums, or even the non-collaboration ones?

    I think 100 options are allowed.

    I agree that the suggestion of a poll is probably not wise, given the scale of his catalogue. Although I might just be being "selfish" as several of my favourites of his are library albums.

    well, if 20 people participate results will obviously a bit strnage, but who knows where this forum will be in 30 years ;)