News

This page includes news items previously published on the home page.

The updates page contains a log of recent amendments and additions to the site.

Details of older site updates and news items can now be found in the Site Archives section.

Brook Guitars interview (News date: 15-11-17)

Ant is the proud owner of some instruments made by the Devon-based Brook Guitars, which he has played on various tracks including some of the pieces on Field Day. He has given an interview for a feature in the most recent issue of their occasional newsletter Babbling Brook. The newsletter can be read in pdf format here - the feature on Ant begins on page 14.

Invisible Men remastered & expanded edition (News date: 25-8-17, updated 13-10-17)

Esoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of a newly re-mastered and expanded edition of Invisible Men.

Invisible Men was a song based album which saw Anthony collaborate with Richard Scott. Released in 1983 in the USA and the following year in the UK, Invisible Men features the lighter side of Anthony Phillips' musical character and some fine, well-crafted songs. Material such as 'The Women Were Watching' and 'Exocet' reflected the times in which they were created.

This new 2CD digipak deluxe edition of the album features a newly re-mastered original stereo mix of the album and an additional CD of 16 previously unreleased demos and material recorded during the Invisible Men period. It includes an illustrated booklet that fully restores the original album artwork and features a new essay by Jon Dann. The complete track listing can seen here.

The expanded edition of Invisible Men is out now and is available to order from Cherry Red and Amazon.

New interview online (News date:18-9-17)

A new interview with Ant about the deluxe edition of Slow Dance has been published on the For Guitar Players Only site and can be read here.

Slow Dance deluxe edition reviews & press (News date: 13-7-17, updated 25-8-17)

Some press reviews of the deluxe edition of Slow Dance have been posted online and can now be read on the following sites: Sea of Tranquility, Vintage Rock, All About The Rock, Goldmine (the review of the album is towards the bottom of the page), Music from the Other Side of the Room, DPRP and DMME. A review which focuses on the 5.1 Surround mix of the album can be read on the Mediaversal site.

The current edition of Record Collector which is out now includes a four star review of the deluxe edition.

In addition, Ant has given an interview which has been published on the US site of the Huffington Post which can be read here - his interview is towards the bottom of the page. A further interview with Ant can also be read on the Sea of Tranquility site.

Lastly, the new edition of Prog magazine is out now and includes a feature with Ant in which he reveals how to make a dessert with the curious name of Fried Llamas.

Live performance of Slow Dance (News date: 25-8-17)

To tie in with the release of the deluxe edition of Slow Dance, here's a live performance of the introduction of Part One from the German Genesis Fan Club "Anthony Phillips Event", which took place at Welkers in 2014. Ant was present when the performance took place and can be seen giving his appreciation to the musicians at the end of the video. Tom Morgenstern, who was one of the musicians taking part in the performance, tells us that regardless of Ant's kind words "we were aware that our live performance was far from perfect - we were under-rehearsed, suffered from stage-fright and struggled with the musical complexity of the piece" but we think it's still a good performance which to date remains the only time any part of Slow Dance has been played live.

Our thanks to Tom for letting us know about this video.

Tabletop Genesis podcast (News date: 17-8-17)

The latest podcast in the Tabletop Genesis series features a recently recorded exclusive interview with Ant in which he talks about his solo career, 5.1 reissues, Spinal Tap, his current projects and more. The interview can heard by clicking on the play button below.

Slow Dance 3 disc deluxe edition (News date: 22-4-17, updated 16-6-17)

Esoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of a newly re-mastered and expanded edition of the classic 1990 instrumental album Slow Dance. Regarded by aficionados of Anthony's music as one of his finest releases, Slow Dance is a two part orchestral rock suite which showcases Anthony's music at its most expansive and imaginative.

This new 3 disc digipak deluxe edition of the album features a newly re-mastered original stereo mix and a 5.1 Surround sound mix by Simon Heyworth (on an NSTC / Region Free DVD), along with a CD of previously unreleased Slow Dance Vignettes. It includes a lavishly illustrated booklet that fully restores the original album artwork and features a new essay by Jon Dann.

The full track listing for the set can be seen here.

The deluxe edition of the album is available to order now from Cherry Red and Amazon.

Harmony for Elephants book & CD (News date: 19-12-16)

Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the Harmony for Elephants fine art book about elephants and elephant conservation with its accompanying CD album of music specially written for this project, recorded and donated by several world-renowned musicians including Anthony Phillips and Steve Hackett has now been published and is available to buy here.

A breathtaking combination of eye-catching photography, knowledgeable insight and evocative music, brought together as a unique book with an accompanying album of specially written music, all about elephants and how they can live in harmony with humans.

This is a joint project between professional wildlife photographer and biologist Lesley Wood and Kate Evans, biologist, elephant researcher and founder and director of the charity 'Elephants for Africa'. 50% of proceeds from the sale of these books go directly to help 'Elephants for Africa' to continue their valuable work in Botswana with local communities to help to achieve harmony between the elephants and humans which live alongside each other.

The accompanying CD features Anthony Phillips, Steve Hackett, Nick Magnus, Nad Sylvan, Tony Patterson, Rob Townsend, Amanda Lehmann, Andy Neve, Andy Tillson, Brendan Eyre, Dale Newman, Brian Coombes & Anna Madsen.

Ant has contributed two new solo pieces to the CD and in addition has teamed up with Steve Hackett and Roger King to produce a new collaborative track.

Private Parts & Pieces V - VIII (News date: 25-7-16, updated 26-9-16)

Esoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of a 5 CD Definitive Edition clamshell boxed set of the second four seminal Private Parts & Pieces albums. Private Parts & Pieces V - VIII gathers together Twelve, Ivory Moon, Slow Waves Soft Stars and New England along with Private Parts & Extra Pieces II, an additional 19-track CD of previously unreleased material.

The set includes a lavish booklet with an essay by Jonathan Dann and fully restores the artwork of the original releases.

Private Parts & Pieces V - VIII is the latest in Esoteric Recordings award-winning series of official Anthony Phillips reissues. The complete track listing for the set can be seen here.

The set is out now and is available to order from Cherry Red and Amazon.

The Gift: Why The Sea Is Salt (News date: 26-9-16)

London-based prog band The Gift released their third album Why The Sea Is Salt on 28th October. Ant has recorded some 12-string parts for the track The Tallest Tree, which also features Steve Hackett on lead guitar.

The album, which features artwork by Mark Buckingham, is available to order now.

Online shop re-stocked (News date: 25-7-16, updated 12-11-16)

We've now re-stocked our online shop and are pleased to be able to offer a further selection of the titles from Ant's back catalogue that are currently out-of-print. All CDs are new and unplayed and in most cases we only have a limited number of copies available.

Esoteric Recordings reissue series wins Grand Design Award (News date: 2-9-16, updated 18-9-16)

We're delighted to announce that the Esoteric Recordings re-issue series of Ant's back catalogue won the Storm Thorgerson Grand Design Award at this years Progressive Music Awards. Ant attended the ceremony which was held in London on 1st September to collect the Award in person.

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to vote - your support is very much appreciated.

Updates: Ant's acceptance speech for the Design Award can now be read here.

An interview with Ant conducted at the Awards ceremony by Eamon O'Neill has been published and can be read here. Our thanks to Eamon for passing on the details of the interview.

In addition, a couple of articles about Ant winning the award have been published online in Italy which can be seen here and here. Both articles are in Italian.

Lettie Maclean: Sunshine On Your Shoulder (News date: 8-8-16, updated 15-8-16)

Following the release of Halcyon Days (Days to Remember), another of the songs that Ant and singer-songwriter Lettie Maclean originally co-wrote and recorded for library music projects commissioned by UPPM has been re-imagined by Ant and co-producer James Collins for release as a single.

Sunshine on Your Shoulder is released as a digital single on 12th August and is available to order now from iTunes and Amazon. Samples of the track are available to hear on both sites.

Esoteric reissues nominated in Progressive Music Awards (News date: 15-6-16, updated 25-7-16)

We're pleased to announce that the Esoteric re-issues of Ant's back catalogue have been nominated in this years Progressive Music Awards for the Storm Thorgerson Grand Design Award, which honours the best in lavish box sets. Other nominees in the same category include King Crimson, Rick Wakeman, Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks and Steve Hackett.

The winner of the Storm Thorgerson Grand Design Award is determined by a public vote. Voting requires registration.

Update: Voting for the awards has now closed.

1984 3 disc deluxe edition (News date: 21-4-16, updated 27-6-16)

Esoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of a newly re-mixed and expanded edition of 1984, the classic instrumental album by Anthony Phillips. Released in 1981, the album was born at the same time as Anthony was composing and recording the soundtrack to the British TV documentary series Rule Britannia.

1984 was a radical departure from the more pastoral feel of Anthony's previous solo work, and saw him experiment with synthesisers to an extent he'd previously never done before, resulting in a keyboard dominated album.

At the time of release, the album divided opinions among some fans but the passage of time has seen the album re-evaluated and it is now held in high esteem by fans, critics and musicians (including Steven Wilson), all of whom concur that 1984 now stands as a ground-breaking and influential work.

This new 3 disc digipack deluxe edition of the album features a new stereo mix and a 5.1 Surround sound mix (on an NSTC / Region Free DVD) along with a CD of alternate mixes and out-takes. It includes a lavishly illustrated booklet that fully restores the original album artwork and features a new essay by Jon Dann (with a brief foreword text by Steven Wilson) and also includes a poster.

The deluxe edition of the album was released on 24th June 2016. The track listing and a view of the contents of the deluxe edition can be seen here and it is available to order now from Cherry Red and Amazon.

Lettie Maclean: Halycon Days (Days To Remember) official video clip (News date: 27-5-16)

The digital single release of Halycon Days (Days To Remember) is out now and is available to order from iTunes and Amazon. To tie in with the release of the single, here's the official video for the song which has been made by Norwegian film-maker Rune Ness.

Lettie Maclean: Halycon Days (Days To Remember) (News date: 19-5-16, updated 27-5-16)

Over the last few years, Ant has collaborated with singer-songwriter Lettie Maclean on a number of co-written songs for library music projects commissioned by UPPM. The resulting tracks have been used in their library format on television programmes around the world, but to date have yet to be commercially released.

Now one of the songs that Ant and Lettie co-wrote and recorded for the UPPM projects has been re-imagined by Ant and co-producer James Collins for release as a single. Halcyon Days (Days to Remember) is released as a digital single on 27th May and is available to order now from iTunes and Amazon. Samples of the track are available on both sites.

Anna Madsen: Effloresence (News date: 19-5-16, updated 23-5-16)

US singer/song-writer Anna Madsen currently calls New Hampshire home. Taking inspiration from classic romanticism, fairy tales, and her personal experiences, Anna uses story telling through music as a way to create worlds that listeners can enter and completely absorb.

Musically, Anna has been described as "Lana Del Rey meets Kate Bush meets Enya," but ultimately her music is completely her own and expands beyond one genre. Her influences include contemporary classical composers, church hymns from her childhood, world music, and modern Alternative Rock and Folk / Americana.

Anna has recently completed work on her debut album Efflorescence, which is out now. Ant has recorded the guitar parts for three tracks on the album (Irena's Lullabye, Black Dress and Pioneer Hymn), which also features contributions from GTR member Jonathan Mover.

Efflorescence is available now on iTunes (US) and on Amazon in the UK, with samples of the album available to hear on both sites. The tracks on the album that Ant appears on are also available to purchase individually.

Thanks to Brian Coombes (who produced the album) for additional information.

Harmony for Elephants Kickstarter Project sucessfully funded (News date: 20-4-16)

The Harmony for Elephants Kickstarter book and music project, which was jointly created by photographer Lesley Wood and biologist Dr Kate Evans to publish a fine art book about elephants with an accompanying CD has now ended. The good news is that the project has been succesfully funded with a total of £23,816 being pledged by 164 backers so production of the book and the CD will now go ahead.

The CD which will accompany the book will include music composed and recorded specially for the project. As well as Ant, other musicians contributing to the project include Steve Hackett, Nick Magnus, John Hackett and Nad Sylvan. In addition, Ant will be collaborating with Steve on a joint track for the CD.

Newstalk radio interview (News date: 13-4-16)

Ant was interviewed for a Prog Rock Special edition of the Tom Dunne Show on Ireland's NewsTalk Radio, which was broadcast on 12th April. His interview is now available to listen to as a podcast on the NewsTalk site - the podcast can be found on the programme page here.

Sides deluxe 4 disc set (News date: 3-2-16, updated 11-4-16)

Following on from the deluxe re-release of Wise After The Event, the next title in the re-release of Ant's back catalogue by Esoteric Recordings is a 4 disc clamshell boxed set edition of the classic 1979 album Sides.

Produced by Rupert Hine, Sides saw Ant supported once more by an able cast of musicians that included Michael Giles & Mel Collins (King Crimson), John G. Perry (Caravan, Quantum Jump) and featured the vocals of Dan Owen and Dale Newman. Featuring such wonderful compositions as "Um and Aargh", "I Want Your Love", "Bleak House" and "Nightmare", Sides is a genuine classic of the Progressive era.

This deluxe edition features a new stereo mix of the album, a newly re-mastered version of the original album stereo mix and a CD of demos, out-takes and extras. The set also includes a DVD (NTSC - Region Free) with a new 5.1 Surround Sound Mix and a 96 khz / 24-bit stereo mix of the album. It also comes with a poster and a lavishly illustrated booklet with a new essay by Jon Dann featuring interviews with Anthony Phillips, Dale Newman and the album's producer Rupert Hine.

Sides is released on 15th April 2016 and is the latest in Esoteric Recordings on-going series of official Anthony Phillips reissues. The track listing for the set can be seen here and it is available to order now from Cherry Red and Amazon.

Wise After The Event deluxe edition reviews & press (News date: 9-3-16, updated 11-4-16)

Wise After The Event

Reviews of the recently released Deluxe Edition of Wise After The Event have recently been published online and can be read on the following sites: Figure8Magazine, Goldmine (the album is the second item reviewed on the page), Sea of Tranquility, 69 Faces of Rock and Let it Rock.

Prog magazine have also published a review of the Deluxe Edition online which can be seen here. Registration is required to read the full review and will give you access to other articles on their site. The review is also published in the current edition of the magazine.

The set has also received a four star review in the current issue (April 2016) of Mojo magazine, which is out now.

A short interview with Ant in Italian about the re-issue of the album plus plans for future releases with 5.1 surround sound mixes can be read here. A further recent Italian interview with Ant can also be read here and an interview in English on the Blackmoon site from Norway can be read here.

Online shop now open (News date: 28-3-16, updated 1-4-16)

We've recently located a limited number of brand new copies of a couple of the hard-to-find titles from Ant's back catalogue, and are pleased to be able to offer these for sale in our online shop.

Update: We have now sold out of the CDs but if we are able to locate further copies then we hope to be able to offer them for sale again.

Harmony for Elephants Kickstarter Project (News date: 4-3-16, updated 8-3-16)

Ant is one of a number of musicians who are contributing a specially written and recorded track to Harmony for Elephants, a book and music project which aims to publish a fine art book about elephants and elephant conservation with an accompanying CD.

Harmony for Elephants is a joint project between photographer Lesley Wood and Dr Kate Evans, biologist, elephant researcher and founder and director of the charity Elephants for Africa. The book will be available both as an A4 sized standard edition and also as a A3 sized boxed limited edition (250 copies only) which will come with a specially produced signed and numbered limited edition fine art companion print. The limited edition books will be signed by Lesley and Kate and some of them will be signed by the musicians involved (including Ant), making them extremely sought after by collectors.

Both editions of the book will have an accompanying CD album of music composed specially for the project. As well as Ant, other musicians contributing to the project include Steve Hackett, Nick Magnus, John Hackett and Nad Sylvan.

More details about the project including the various rewards for pledgers can be found on the Harmony for Elephants Kickstarter page. In addition, a Sound Byte summary video clip for the project has now been released, which can be viewed below.

Wise After The Event deluxe 4 disc set (News date: 18-12-15, updated 6-2-16)

The re-release of Ant's back catalogue by Esoteric Recordings continues with a deluxe 4 disc clamshell boxed set edition of the classic 1978 album Wise After the Event.

Produced by Rupert Hine, Wise After The Event was Anthony's second solo album and is a superb blend of instrumental music and songs. The record saw Anthony supported by an able cast of musicians that included Michael Giles & Mel Collins (King Crimson) and John G. Perry (Caravan, Quantum Jump). Featuring such wonderful compositions as "We're All As We Lie", "Now What (Are They Doing to My Little Friends)", "Moonshooter", "Paperchase" and the album's title track, Wise After the Event is a genuine classic of the Progressive era.

This deluxe edition features a new stereo mix of the album, a newly re-mastered version of the original album stereo mix and a CD of demos, out-takes and extras. The set also includes a DVD (NTSC - Region Free) with a new 5.1 Surround Sound Mix and a 96 khz / 24-bit stereo mix of the album as well as a lavishly illustrated booklet with a new essay by Jon Dann featuring interviews with Anthony Phillips, John G. Perry and the album's producer Rupert Hine.

Wise After the Event is out now and is another release in the Esoteric Recordings on-going series of official Anthony Phillips reissues. The track listing for the set can be seen here and the set is available to order now from Cherry Red and Amazon.

Private Parts & Pieces I - IV reviews & press (News date: 9-11-15, updated 19-11-15)

A new review of the recently released box set Private Parts & Pieces I - IV by author and editor of The Waiting Room Alan Hewitt has now been added to the site and can be read here.

Two short interviews with Ant in Italian about the box set can be read here and here.

Reviews of the set have recently been published online and can be read on the following sites: Music News, Sea of Tranquility, Goldmine (the set is the second title reviewed on the page), The Second Disc and Let It Rock

Prog magazine have published two reviews of the set online - the first is by Rachel Mann and the second by Hugh Fielder. Registration is required to read the full reviews and will give you access to other articles on their site. The first review was also published in the October 2015 edition of the magazine.

The set has also received a four star review in the current issue (December 2015) of Record Collector magazine, which is out now. The review can read online here.

Ellesmere: Les Chateaux De La Loire (News date: 8-10-15)

Out now is Les Chateaux De La Loire, an album release by Ellesmere which is the brainchild of Roberto Vitelli, bass and guitar player from the Italian prog group Taproban. The focus is on an acoustic yet symphonic approach and the album presents a 40 minute suite, which as the title suggests has each section dedicated to one of the ancient French castles that reside along the Loire river.

Ant makes a guest appearance on the album in a spoken word role as The Narrator on the album, which also features contributions from John Hackett. Les Chateaux De La Loire is available on CD (which comes in a mini vinyl gatefold sleeve) and as a vinyl LP, both of which feature original artwork by Luciano Regoli.

More information about the album can be found on the Ellesmere site, where copies of the album can also be ordered.

Private Parts & Pieces I - IV five disc deluxe set (News date: 23-6-15, updated 18-9-15)

The re-release of Ant's back catalogue by Esoteric Recordings continues with Private Parts & Pieces I - IV, a five CD deluxe clamshell box set containing the first four albums in the Private Parts & Pieces series (Private Parts & Pieces, Back To The Pavilion, Antiques and A Catch At The Tables) together with Private Parts & Extra Pieces, an additional 18-track CD of previously unreleased material recorded between 1975 and 1983.

Beginning in 1978, the first four volumes featured an extensive range of music recorded by Ant for various projects (going back as far as 1972) and have come to be regarded by fans as essential collections of his wide and diverse compositional work. The set includes a lavish booklet with an essay and fully restores the artwork of the original vinyl releases. The complete track listing for the set can be seen here.

Private Parts & Pieces I - IV is out now and is available to order from Cherry Red and Amazon.

John Hackett: Another Life (News date: 3-8-15, updated 1-10-15)

25th September saw the release of John Hackett's new album Another Life, which is released on the Esoteric Antenna label. The follow-up to John's 2005 album Checking Out of London, Another Life has been produced and mixed by Nick Magnus (who also plays on the album) and it features John's brother Steve on lead guitar and harmonica. Ant makes a guest appearance on the track Satellite on the album where he plays guitars and harpsichord.

As well as his regular collaborations with his brother Steve, John was one of the featured players on The Geese & The Ghost and also played on the song Souvenir, which was recorded during the sessions for Sides.

Another Life is available to order now from Cherry Red.

Andrew Skeet: Finding Time (News date: 21-8-15)

Composer and arranger Andrew Skeet who has collaborated on several projects with Ant (including Seventh Heaven) has recently released his first solo album Finding Time on the Sony Classical label.

Andrew is one of London's busiest orchestrators, arrangers and conductors. Having studied at the Royal College of Music, he has subsequently written more than 60 scores for television and worked with many pop artists including Suede, Imogen Heap and George Michael. He joined Neil Hannon's The Divine Comedy in 2004 and has recorded and toured three albums with them.

Andrew has also orchestrated and conducted many high profile features films and dramas and is currently working on Guy Ritchie's new film The Man From Uncle.

Finding Time is out now.

Harvest of the Heart nominated in Progressive Music Awards (News date: 25-6-15, updated 14-8-15)

We're pleased to announce that Harvest of the Heart has been nominated in the 2015 Progressive Music Awards in the category for the Storm Thorgerson Grand Design Award, which honours the best in lavish box sets. Other nominees in the same category include Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Hawkwind, King Crimson and Yes.

Update: Voting for the Awards has now closed.

Bargain Hunt repeat (News date: 20-5-15, updated 23-6-15)

The long-running BBC Television daytime show Bargain Hunt gives two teams of amateur collectors the challenge of finding the best bargains at an antiques fair with just an hour to buy three items with a budget of 300 pounds. Their purchases are sold at auction with the team that generate the largest profit (or smallest loss) winning the challenge.

As well as the competitive part of the show, the programmes regularly include an insert item which is often based around a place of historical interest or a landmark in the local area where the particular episode has been recorded. In the summer of 2013, Ant was approached to take part in one of these items on the subject of music at Charterhouse and he was interviewed in the Hall at the school by the show's regular host Tim Wonnacott.

The edition of Bargain Hunt with Ant's interview was first broadcast on BBC1 in December 2013 and was repeated on 20th May.

Limited edition vinyl pressing of The Geese & The Ghost (News date: 11-5-15)

Copies of the limited edition vinyl pressing of The Geese & The Ghost which was released for Record Store Day are now available directly from Cherry Red.

The LP is a 180 gram pressing in an edition of 500 copies and comes with an insert signed by Ant.

New interview with Ant on TeamRock (News date: 16-4-15, updated 26-4-15)

Ant has recently recorded a new interview to tie-in with the recent release of the Definitive Edition of The Geese & The Ghost with Philip Wilding for TeamRock's Prog Magazine Show. The interview was broadcast in the edition of the show aired on Sunday 19th April between 20:00 and 22:00 BST.

The edition of the show with Ant's interview is now available to listen to on demand via the TeamRock site.

Harvest of the Heart review (News date: 9-4-15)

The German Genesis fan club have recently published an interesting detailed review of the Harvest of the Heart release, which can be seen on their site in either English or German.

Facebook Q & A session (News date: 30-3-15, updated 9-4-15)

Ant took part in a live Q&A session in real time on our official Facebook page on Wednesday 1st April and has also subsequently answered some further questions submitted during the original session, which due to time restraints he could not answer on the day. The complete thread of questions and answers can be seen here. Thanks to everyone who took the time to ask a question.

New interview online (News date: 23-3-15)

Another recent interview with Ant conducted by journalist Dimitry M. Epstein is available to read here.

Our thanks to Dimitry for passing on the details of the interview.

Limited edition vinyl release of The Geese & The Ghost (News date: 11-3-15)

Esoteric Recordings have announced that a strictly limited edition vinyl pressing of The Geese & The Ghost is being released for Record Store Day UK, which this year takes place on Saturday 18th April.

The LP is being released as a 180 gram pressing in an edition of 500 copies and will come with an insert signed by Ant.

More information about Record Store Day UK, including details of participating stores, can be found on the official site.

Definitive Edition of The Geese & The Ghost (News date: 21-12-14, updated 10-3-15)

The Definitive Edition re-release of Ant's debut solo album The Geese & The Ghost is out now.

The album itself has been newly re-mastered from the original master tapes by recording engineer and co-producer of the original album Simon Heyworth and the release also includes a stunning new 5.1 Surround Sound mix of the album by Simon in collaboration with Andy Miles. In addition, a second CD features demos and early versions of the tracks on the album alongside the planned single version of Silver Song from 1973 and the previously unreleased Only Your Love. Both tracks feature Phil Collins as vocalist.

Released as a three disc (2 CD & 1 DVD) clamshell set, the Definitive Edition also includes a poster and an illustrated booklet with a essay chronicling the recording of the album.

The set is available to order now from Cherry Red and Amazon.

Get Ready For Rock Interview (News date: 10-3-15)

Ant has recently given an exclusive new interview which will be included in an hour-long special programme to be broadcast online on Get Ready For Rock Radio on Sunday 29 March at 16:00 GMT. The programme will be available to hear via the GRTR site.

Ahead of the broadcast, Get Ready For Rock have published a review of the newly released Definitive Edition of The Geese & The Ghost, which can be read here. There is also an exclusive audio clip of Ant talking about the re-issue of his albums on the same page.

Harvest of the Heart in Prog readers poll (News date: 15-2-15)

The current issue of Prog magazine which is out now reveals that Harvest of the Heart has been voted into the top ten in the category of Re-issue of the Year in their annual readers poll. Other releases in the category include re-issues by the likes of Yes, Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Pink Floyd and Genesis.

The same issue also includes a review of the box set.

Record Collector review and interview (News date: 1-2-15)

A short interview with Ant to accompany a review of Harvest of the Heart was included in the February 2015 edition of Record Collector.

Goldmine Interview (News date: 14-1-15)

A new interview with Ant about Harvest of the Heart for the music collector's magazine magazine Goldmine has just been published online and can be read here. The article begins with a review of the DVD of the Genesis documentary Sum of the Parts; the interview with Ant starts further down the page.

Review of Harvest of the Heart (News date: 9-12-14)

A new review of the Harvest of the Heart box set by author and editor of The Waiting Room Alan Hewitt is now available to read here.

Interview with Ant on TeamRock (News date: 5-12-14, updated 9-12-14)

Ant recently recorded an interview with Philip Wilding for TeamRock's Prog Magazine Show, which was broadcast in the edition of the show aired on Sunday 7th December between 20:00 and 22:00 GMT.

The edition of the show with Ant's interview is now available to listen to on demand on the TeamRock site. The interview starts at approximately 66 minutes into the programme.

Harvest of the Heart out now (News date: 24-8-14, updated 17-11-14)

The deluxe 5 CD anthology box set Harvest of the Heart which is released by Esoteric Records is out now.

Harvest of the Heart celebrates Ant's rich and diverse musical heritage by featuring a comprehensive selection of recordings made between 1969 and the present day, drawn from his many albums. In addition the set will include ten previously unreleased tracks, the 1973 recording of Silver Song (featuring Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford) and the rare track Compression by Mike Rutherford, which features Ant on keyboards. It also features a lavishly illustrated book with a new essay that chronicles Ant's solo career.

With a total playing time of over six hours, Harvest of the Heart provides a definitive overview of Ant's career to date as a recording artist. The track listing for the set can be seen here.

Harvest of the Heart is available to order from Cherry Red (copies of the set that are ordered from them will include an excusive postcard insert signed by Ant, whilst supplies last) and from Amazon.

New interviews published (News date: 16-10-14)

New interviews with Ant to tie-in with the forthcoming release of Harvest of the Heart are included in the current editions of the UK magazines Prog and Record Collector, both of which are out now.

The interview with Record Collector reveals amongst other things that Ant's unfulfilled ambition is to play be-bop jazz whilst the feature in Prog includes some new photos of Ant, shot especially for the magazine.

The edition of Record Collector also includes a feature on sought-after first albums, with the rare mono edition of From Genesis To Revelation making an appearance in the listing of desirable debut releases.

New interview with Ant (News date: 29-9-14)

A new interview with Ant for the Hit Channel site in Greece has now been published and can be seen (in English) here. The interview covers a number of topics including the new Anthology release Harvest of the Heart and the 5.1 remix of The Geese & The Ghost.

Genesis: Together and Apart documentary (News date: 29-9-14, updated 7-10-14)

The feature length documentary Genesis: Together and Apart was broadcast on BBC2 on Saturday 4th October at 21:15. Ant was interviewed for the documentary, which has been made with the full co-operation of the band. Amongst the archive material included in the programme were clips from the footage shot at the Atomic Sunrise gig Genesis played at the Roundhouse in London in March 1970, which is the only footage of the band with Ant that is known to exist.

Further information about the programme and a clip from it can be found on the BBC site. In addition, the documentary is due to be released on DVD and BluRay under the title Sum of the Parts on 17th November with 30 minutes of additional footage not included in the broadcast version of the programme.

Cherry Red TV interview with Ant (News date: 30-7-14)

An extended face-to-face interview with Ant by Mark Powell of Esoteric Records for Cherry Red TV is now available to watch on online.

The interview is in two parts: part one covers Ant's time with Genesis, whilst part two covers Ant's solo career.

Ant signs with Esoteric Records (News date: 1-7-14)

Esoteric Records (a label of the Cherry Red Records Group) have today announced that they have signed Ant to the label and have also announced the first planned releases from his back catalogue.

The first release will be 5 CD deluxe boxed set in October 2014 entitled Harvest of the Heart, which celebrates Ant's rich musical heritage and extensive back catalogue by featuring recordings made between 1969 and the present day, drawn from his many albums. In addition the set will include ten previously unreleased tracks and the rare track Compression by Mike Rutherford (previously unreleased on CD) which features Ant on keyboards and was the B-side to Mike's 1980 single Working in Line.

Ant says: ''I'm delighted to be working with Mark Powell at Esoteric Recordings and being reunited with the esteemed Cherry Red Records after my one-off compilation with them in the mid 80s. Their enthusiasm has been both warm and infectious, encouraging me to take the plunge with a new song-based album soon, and I consider myself fortunate to have found such a happy home for my sizeable catalogue!''

Ant's catalogue releases will continue in January 2015 with the release of a deluxe edition of his legendary debut album The Geese and the Ghost (featuring Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins and John Hackett) and which will include a new 5.1 Surround Sound mix of the album by Simon Heyworth. Further announcements on this will be made closer to release.

Sunday Telegraph interview (News date: 22-6-14)

Further to the announcement around the forthcoming Genesis documentary (and the suggestion from the publicity for it that it will reunite all the 'original' members of the band), Ant has been interviewed by the Sunday Telegraph about his time in the group and his own career. The interview is included in the print edition of the newspaper and can also be read online.

BBC Genesis documentary (News date: 22-6-14)

The BBC has announced a new feature-length documentary on Genesis (with the working title 'Together and Apart') which is due to be screened later in the year on BBC 2. Ant has been interviewed for the documentary, which has been made with the full co-operation of the band.

As part of the initial publicity for the documentary, it has been revealed that the five members of the 'classic' line-up of the band (Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and Phil Collins) have reunited for a joint interview as part of the film.

Chris Stewart: Last Days of the Bus Club (News date: 27-4-14, updated 5-6-14)

Original Genesis drummer, sheep farmer and best-selling author Chris Stewart has his new book Last Days of the Bus Club published on 4th June.

Billed as 'Part Four of the million-selling Driving Over Lemons Trilogy', this latest instalment chronicles Chris's further adventures including cooking a TV lunch for visiting British chef Rick Stein, discovering the pitfalls of Spanish public speaking and visiting famine-stricken Niger for Oxfam.

The previous titles in the 'Lemons' Trilogy - Driving Over Lemons, A Parrot in the Pepper Tree and The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society - have all become best-sellers.

To promote the release of the book, Chris recently appeared at the Hay Festival on 31st May.

Last Days of the Bus Club is published by Sort Of Books and can be ordered now from Amazon.

'Ant Day' prize-winners (News date: 27-3-14)

Between 1990 and 2001 an annual competition was run (initially under the auspices of the long-running Genesis fanzine The Waiting Room and subsequently via Ant's official publication The Pavilion), the prize for which was the chance to meet Ant. We are currently in the process of re-establishing contact with all the people who were fortunate enough to win a place at one of the 'Ant Days' as they became known - if you were one of the winners then please get in touch.

Archive Collection Volume One (News date: 12-3-14, updated 17-3-14)

Ant's retrospective release Archive Collection Volume One has been out of print for some time but we are pleased to announce that a new pressing of the album is being made available.

First released in March 1998, the CD features previously unreleased recordings including demos that Ant recorded with Mike Rutherford in September 1969, just prior to Genesis playing their first live shows.

A limited number of the original release of the album included a bonus CD featuring five further archival tracks but we understand that this new pressing will consist of just the one main CD.

This is a new pressing of the album to be make it available again - it is not a re-mastered re-issue and no extra tracks have been added to the running order.

The new pressing of Archive Collection Volume One is available to order now from Amazon.

Something Else Reviews Genesis feature (News date: 16-2-14)

The Something Else Reviews site has just published an interesting feature written by Nick DeRiso which outlines thoughts by Ant, Steve Hackett and Ray Wilson on some key Genesis tracks.

Thanks to Nick for passing on the details of the feature.

Mike Rutherford: The Living Years (News date: 1-1-14, updated 6-1-14)

Mike Rutherford: The Living Years

Published on January 23rd 2014, 'The Living Years' are Mike's long-awaited memoirs which span the entire history of Genesis. They paint a vivid, candid and often amusing picture of the formation of the group at Charterhouse School through to the band's rise to international success and stardom as well as the founding of the Mechanics.

All is told through the prism of Mike's relationship with his father, former naval officer Captain Rutherford, whose support for Mike's career changed the course of rock history; and whose influence on Mike's life gave us The Living Years, Mike & The Mechanics biggest hit.

Ant has helped Mike during the writing of the book by sharing some memories from the formative period at Charterhouse and the band's early years.

The Living Years is available to order now from Amazon as a hardback and as a Kindle Edition.

Bargain Hunt (News date: 30-9-13, updated 1-1-14)

The long-running BBC Television daytime show Bargain Hunt gives two teams of amateur collectors the challenge of finding the best bargains at an antiques fair with just an hour to buy three items with a budget of 300 pounds. Their purchases are sold at auction with the team that generate the largest profit (or smallest loss) winning the challenge.

As well as the competitive part of the show, the programmes regularly include an insert item which is often based around a place of historical interest or a landmark in the local area where the particular episode has been recorded. Earlier this year, Ant was approached to take part in one of these items on the subject of music at Charterhouse and in July he was interviewed in the Hall at the school by the show's regular host Tim Wonnacott. The edition of Bargain Hunt with Ant's interview was broadcast on BBC1 on 20th December.

New Genesis book (News date: 15-9-13)

Genesis: Gli Ani Prog by Mario Giammetti

A new Italian language book on Genesis - Gli Anni Prog - by writer Mario Giammetti has just been published which covers the Prog years between 1969 and 1975.

The studio albums of that period (from From Genesis To Revelation to The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway) are critically analysed with the fundamental input of all band members, interviewed by Mario himself and British journalist Mike Kaufmann.

Uniquely for this book, Mario listened to of all the albums together with some of the protagonists: Tony Banks (who also wrote the interesting foreword), Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips who all kindly dedicated their time to comment, minute by minute on the music, thus providing some unique insights into the creative process.

Although the book (which features 240 colour pages with a lavish layout) is written in Italian, it is still worthy for Genesis fans worldwide, thanks to loads of rare and previously unseen photos, as well as ticket stubs and other memorabilia. It also features an updated and accurate list of all the gigs of the Genesis tours, compiled with the help of American collector George German .

As well as editing the long-running Genesis magazine Dusk, Mario has previously written a number of other books about Genesis and the individual band members, including The Exile, a biography of Ant which was published in 2008.

Gli Anni Prog is available to order now from Amazon.

German Genesis fan club event (News date: 10-10-13, updated 1-1-14)

The German Genesis fan club have announced that Ant will be the subject of their next event which will be taking place on 22nd and 23rd March 2014 at Eichenzell-Welkers in Germany. Ant has agreed to attend the event on both days and will be answering questions from fans and signing autographs but he will not be performing live. More information about the event can be seen here.

Update: The original event sold out within four hours so given the level of interest it was expanded to an extra day. Tickets for the second day of the event have now also sold out.

The Meadows of Englewood re-issue (News date: 7-4-13)

Ant's collaborative release with Guillermo Cazenave from 1996 The Meadows of Englewood has just been re-issued in a 15th Anniversary edition which combines the original album with a DVD of The Meadows of Englewood video.

The album was recorded in Ant's studio in the summer of 1995 and includes co-written tracks along with solo pieces by both Ant and Guillermo. The Meadows of Englewood video, which was taped in Barcelona in May 1997 and released on VHS the following year, features mimed performances of four tracks from the album.

Official Quique Berro Garcia website launched (News date: 7-4-13)

Guitarist Quique Berro Garcia, who has collaborated with Ant on album releases such as Antiques, Slow Waves Soft Stars and Dragonfly Dreams has just launched his official website, which can be seen here.

Further review of City of Dreams (News date: 26-2-13)

Another review of City of Dreams has been recently published on the Dutch Progressive Rock Page and it can be seen here.

Thanks to Phil Morris for passing on the information about the review.

New interview (News date: 3-1-13)

A new interview with Ant has recently been published on the Something Else! site, which can be seen here. The content of the interview has also been picked up on by Prog magazine.

Thanks to Nick DeRiso for passing on the information about the interview.

Review of City of Dreams (News date: 16-12-12, updated 3-1-13)

A review of the new album has recently been published on the Something Else! site, which can be seen here.

In addition, an Italian language review of the album has now been published on the Il Popolo Del Blues site, which can be seen here.

New album release: City of Dreams (News date: 31-10-12, updated 2-12-12)

Private Parts & Pieces XI: City of Dreams

We are pleased to announce the release of Private Parts & Pieces XI: City of Dreams - a brand new solo album from Ant.

City of Dreams takes the listener through a number of moods ranging from the epic to the reflective via atmospheric soundscapes to create a rich and ultimately rewarding journey for the imagination.

City of Dreams is released on 3rd December. Further information about the album including the track listing can be seen here.

The album is available to order from Amazon now.

Sound clips from City of Dreams

Here are some extracts of selected tracks from City of Dreams, which can also be found on our Soundcloud page.

Official Peter Cross website (News date: 17-9-12)

Artist and illustrator Peter Cross has now launched his official website, which can be seen here. The site includes a selection of Peter's artwork across a number of different projects including books, greetings cards and wine guides as well as the outstanding covers he has created for Ant's album releases. Peter has more material which he plans to add to the site soon.

New album release: Seventh Heaven (News date: 21-3-12, updated 13-5-12)

We are pleased to announce the release of Seventh Heaven - a brand new collaboration between Ant and composer & arranger Andrew Skeet.

Seventh Heaven is a double album of co-written orchestral and acoustic portraits (featuring some outstanding arrangements by Andrew) which have been recorded by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. Additional pieces have also been recorded with a string section and an orchestra of leading session musicians. The orchestral tracks are complimented by some acoustic guitar and piano pieces to create a rich and musically diverse collection. More information on the album can be seen here.

Seventh Heaven is out now and can be ordered from Amazon.

Sound clips from Seventh Heaven

We are pleased to present some extracts of selected tracks from Seventh Heaven, which can also be found on our new Soundcloud page.

Seventh Heaven featured on Classic FM (News date: 30-4-12, updated 13-5-12)

Seventh Heaven was the CD of the week on the Classic FM Drive show with John Brunning for the week commencing 7th May. A track from the album was played on the programme at around 6.15 pm each day and the album will also be played on several other shows on the station in the coming weeks. Classic FM can be heard in the UK between 100 and 102 FM as well as via Sky (Channel 0160) and Virgin TV (Channel 922) and also via their site.

Private Parts & Pieces III & IV re-issue (News date: 23-11-11, updated 15-2-12)

We are pleased to announce that the long-awaited re-issue of the third and fourth albums in the Private Parts & Pieces series (Antiques and A Catch At The Tables) was released on February 7th 2012. Both albums have been newly re-mastered for this re-issue and extra tracks have been added to both albums. Private Parts & Pieces III & IV is available to order now from Amazon.

Further details on the re-issue, including the complete track listing and sound clips are now available here and our promo clip for the re-issue (which includes a new interview with Ant about the albums) is now online.

Tarka & Radio Clyde (News date: 10-6-12, updated 19-7-12)

We are pleased to announce that two titles from Ant's back catalogue which have both been out of print for some time are being made available again. These are new pressings to make the titles available once more and neither release has been re-mastered or had extra tracks added to the running order. Radio Clyde is out now and Tarka has a revised release date of 23rd July. In addition, copies of Archive Collection Volume 2 are also available again.

Radio Clyde

In the summer of 1978 Ant recorded a 'live' studio session for Radio Clyde in Glasgow as part of the promotion for Wise After the Event. In 2003 the session was given an official CD release with artwork by Peter Cross.

Radio Clyde is available to order now from Amazon.

Tarka

Originally released in 1988, Ant and Harry Williamson's collaborative release Tarka was re-issued in 1996 with the new cover design seen here and with some additional music that was not included on the first release. The new pressing will be of the 1996 edition of the album.

Tarka is available to order now from Amazon.

Archive Collection Volume Two

Originally released in 2004, this double CD release features previously unreleased pieces and variations recorded between 1971 and 1988.

Archive Collection Volume 2 is available to order now from Amazon.

(NB: Contrary to the description on Amazon's site, the CD does not contain any extra tracks)

BBC Radio Kent Sunday Supplement Show (News date: 30-4-12, updated 13-5-12)

Ant was interviewed about Seventh Heaven for the Sunday Supplement Show hosted by Paul James and Paul Harris on BBC Radio Kent on Sunday 6th May.

Slow Dance (News date: 23-11-11, updated 29-1-12)

Slow Dance

Ant's 1990 release Slow Dance has been out of print for some time but we are pleased to announce that a new pressing of the album is now available. This is not a re-mastered re-issue and no extra tracks have been added to the album.

Slow Dance is available to order now from Amazon.

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