CoronaVinyl Day 374 (P): Collaboration by Shawn Phillips

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I meant to post this Friday, but things got away from me, so I've been listening to this album for two days now.  Today's CoronaVinyl category is "P," and I went with the fifth studio album from singer-songwriter Shawn Phillips, 1971's collaboration.

Phillips is one of those guys who touched a lot of more famous musicians (figuratively) and was highly regarded in the music world, but never had mainstream success.  He got his start in the '60s folk scene in New York.  He taught guitar to a young Joni Mitchell.  He collaborated with Donovan on a few of his biggest albums and wrote the melody to "Season of the Witch.  he sang backing vocals on The Beatles' "Lovely Rita."  He recorded an album with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood of Traffic.  He played at the Isle of Wight festival in 1970.  He was supposed to be the lead in the original Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar.  He collaborated with Herbie Hancock on an album in the late '70s.

Collaboration is a mix of folk, prog, classical, and pop.  Sometimes, his music reminds me of Jim Croce, sometimes Jethro Tull, sometimes Richie Havens, sometimes Neil Diamond, sometimes America.  Collaborating with Phillips on the album were cellist and arranger Paul Buckmaster, who was the orchestral arranger for David Bowie's "Space Oddity," several of Elton John's early albums, both "Moonlight Mile" and "Sway" from my favorite Rolling Stones album, Sticky Fingers, Harry Nilsson's "Without You," Carly Simon's "Your So Vain," and many others.  Peter Robinson played pianos and organs on the album.  He played with Phillips on nine albums and was a successful session musician and arranger in his own right in the '70s and '80s before becoming a successful film and TV score composer from the '80s to the present. 

Phillips continued to make music into the mid '90s, when he decided to give it up to become an EMT.  He has released another album in 2002 and then another four between 2012 and 2017.

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "Moonshine"
This is an uptempo folk song that reminds me of America.  Phillips's voice sounds like it was recorded in a small bathroom or something, but it has an ethereal echo-ey quality to it.  Also, it's about moonshine, so that's cool.

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "8500 Years"
This one's a little more rocking, with a Hunky Dory era Bowie and early Jethro Tull vibe.