John Phillips - Jack Of Diamonds

Jack Of Diamonds has hidden gems in spades

John Phillips was one of the most notable pop/soft-rock songwriters and vocal arrangers (see The Mamas & The Papas) to emerge from the psychedelic 60s, but he had a fairly rough go of it after the band imploded in 1968. A highly anticipated solo release followed in 1970, but most critics, while praising Phillips’ lyric craft, felt it would have made a far better M&P album. Among a myriad of other projects Phillips began shortly thereafter was a fairly extended stab at a follow-up, with members of the Crusaders, Traffic and The Mothers Of Invention lending a decidedly urban, jazz-rock ambience to most of the tracks. Even Phillips’ oft-covered title song (better known as Me & My Uncle) sounds nothing like the well-known Grateful Dead cover in either of the two versions offered here. Other eye-openers include an imagistic Devil’s On The Loose, the tell-tale saga of Mister Blue and an exotic Chinatown, along with the strings-enhanced titles such as Yesterday I Left The Earth and Cup Of Tea. The most intriguing bonus tracks are a couple left off the final M&P studio album: a sunny Fantastic Four and a work-tape version of No Dough. More Phillips collections are promised in this ongoing series.

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

Varese Sarabande | 3020668192

Reviewed by Gary von Tersch
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