Flame (remix)
by Sam Phillips
from Zero Zero Zero (1999)
MP3 no longer available for download; 2:39 running time) lyrics
by Sam Phillips
from Martinis and Bikinis (1994)
MP3 no longer available for download; 4:11 running time) lyrics
by Sam Phillips
from Fan Dance (2001)
MP3 no longer available for download; 3:07 running time) lyrics
I don’t really know what to say about Sam Phillips (although I’ve tried previously). I suppose it’s because, beyond the fact she is a class act to beat all class acts, I feel such a sense of connection with the themes she writes about. Although she’s a Christian—and even though she supposedly left the Christian music scene in the mid-’80s out of disgust for its hypocrisy, there’s little doubt she still regards herself as a Christian—I guess I feel like we’re both struggling with the same questions, even though she comes up with different answers.
Like a number of my other favorite artists, a new Sam Phillips album doesn’t come easily. I usually listen three or four times at least, giving it at least a day between listens, and think yeah, it’s good, but there are lots of artists I think are good or even great who just don’t do anything for me. Is this album gonna be like that? And then, suddenly, on the fifth or sixth listen I get it, I understand, in fact this album makes me look at my whole life differently. Wow, it’s changed everything! Or so it seems.
So, I don’t know if it works this way for everyone. Sam Phillips is not terribly well known (as she said drily in a recent Salon.com interview, “Sometimes I hear rumors that people have heard my records”). I don’t know if it’s because most people just don’t get her and never will (not to say that everyone needs to), or if they’ve just never heard her because what passes for market research in the music business consists of consumers listening to a song clip a few seconds long in a highly artificial setting—an approach that works against artists with any depth at all.
Sam Phillips is extremely deep, in my opinion. She writes songs almost Zen-like in their simplicity; her husband T Bone Burnett produces her albums, and I tend to think it’s the best production work he does, always surprising and unusual while extending and deepening the meaning of the songs. The musicianship is impeccable, from some of the best players in the business—most spectacularly from Marc Ribot for guitar sounds and loops not of this planet, and Van Dyke Parks for his often outré string arrangements.
Here are a few songs from Sam Phillips. Maybe you’ll like them. I know I sure do.
These are very nice, Pat. I especially like "Same Rain." There's something very Beatles-esque about it. Thanks for making them available.
You're welcome, John. A number of critics commented on the "Beatle-ness" of Martinis and Bikinis, and in fact the album ends with a version of John Lennon's "Gimme Some Truth."
It's probably Sam Phillip's most accessible album, and it's a good place to start if you're interested in checking her out. If you do, I think you'll find she's very addictive.
One day, while I was out walking, "Baby I Can't Please You" popped into my head, out of nowhere- I hadn't heard it in years. At the time I couldn't identify the song, but I could not get the tune out of my mind and had to know.
It took a lot of humming and poking around on the piano, several meditation sessions (to dredge up the long-forgotten chorus), and finally, some internet searching to identify the song and the artist.
I finally found her.
After a LOT of trouble, I managed to acquire two versions of "Baby I Can't Please You", one of which is an acoustic performance (KSCA - Live From the Music Hall, Vol. 1.)
When I (finally) heard the song, it was like a drug flashback, I experienced exactly when and where I was the one and only time I ever heard it. It was so powerful for me, I didn't listen to the lyrics at the time, but I should have.
I spent some time searching for MP3s, reading lyrics and bios, and I am blown away. I want all of it, everything!
Of the dozen songs I've managed to acquire, my favorites are "I need LOve", "Fan Dance", "Where the Colors Don't Go", "End of the World" and "Same Rain."
Gnutella is seriously lacking in shared Sam Phillips music, but I am fixing that. I have ordered the 4 CDs that I know of, and am beginning to scrounge for any rarities that might be out there.
She is a fine performer, an excellent writer, and should have been one of my favorite artists for years. I want to meet her soon so I can give her a hug and thank her for giving me some truth.
Light
brandog
I saw her in concert back in 1985. She was going by Leslie and opening for Petra. In a word: awesome!
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