Phil Brown

Phil Brown - Cruel Inventions The Remix - 2006 - Apaches From Paris

"Phil Brown, former Little Feat vocalist/guitarist aims to please you with his Bowie meets Johnson ambient, blues rock sound". © http://artistsfirstmusic.com/

This is the amazing story of a brilliant songwriter who was a king one day, and the next day, a beggar. Known as one of the best guitarists/ singer-songwriters based in the ‘City of Angels’, Phil Brown has written for and/or played with Pat Benatar, Cher, Tower of Power, Bonnie Tyler, Kim Carnes, Kix, Lou Graham (Foreigner) and Steve Perry (Journey). With his magic touch, some of the songs we wrote for a number of well known artists went gold and platinum many times over. But L.A. which made him famous for a while, also took all the glory back, relentlessly. After twenty years of writing songs for other artists and bands and recording and touring with them, Phil now releases, with “CRUEL INVENTIONS”, his first shot under his own name – after a lifetime as a musician. He gives a new and very special taste to Mingus or Hendrix songs, and the way he makes his guitar sing reminds us of the late Jimi. Full of emotion, he plays like it is going to be his last day on earth, every time around. © http://www.metisse-music.com/en/artists/phil%20brown [Based on 2003 release]

Phil Brown, a name that speaks as examiners liner notes. Session musician of the 80s, the man was hired by Warner as songwriter house (like the writers for cinema), for artists "mainstream" of the catalog ( Cher , Bonnie Tyler, Pat Benatar or Tower of Power) . On the occasion studio guitarist even credited ( Little Feat ), Phil Brown has two groups of experiments: second guitarist Neil Schon behind in 1979 (with John McVie on bass and Andy Newmark on drums) for the singer's album Robert Fleischman, second guitarist in 1980 still obscure group of the Black Rose (Cher was the singer Steve Porcaro on keyboards and lead guitarist Led Dudek). Try to be familiar with it! "Cruel Intentions" is the first album under his own name, in fifty years, and it is quite a nice success. For if a man know how old veteran, he never uses it as a shield, and knows the contrary install atmospheres, as of his own compositions on the daring times he allows himself ( Jimi Hendrix , Charlie Mingus ...). Phil Brown takes care of everything, guitar, drums, bass and sings a breathy voice as it should, with reminiscences of Steve Miller's "Sailor" or "Children of the future" or Tony Joe White . The guitar can remember Jeff Beck and Robin Trower (big power drops, well saturated effects, dissonance). "Charmed Life" opening demonstrates that Brown did not play commercial piece is sealed, heavy sustain and distortion guitar and creeping plant, just touched by the voice and metronomic drum ... not really "marketing". "I Grind" installs the overall tempo, median, traveled chills funky song that invites slower "Hour to kill". Before the end of the album most agreed more casting, less exciting, smelling his Knopfler ("Heaven") or sometimes the variety ("La-lah-land", "Diva"), the heart is in the fourth line, with strung three times in a row: "Rolling and Tumbling" by Muddy Waters (tortured voice) "If 6 was 9" Hendrix (version baroque stuffed breaks and effects but without overloading, kind of hallucinatory experience without acid voice and very close to the spirit Hendrix) and "Goodbye pork pie hat" Mingus (almost hovering, we think Weather Report for Santana guitar especially for low altitude flying ...). by & © Francois Branchon on 30/10/2004 Rating: 8.0 © 1997-2012 Sefronia - administration [Translated from French]

Phil Brown joined the great Little Feat in the early 80's on guitar and vocals as the late Lowell George's successor. Phil's style is a blend of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Steve Lukather, and nothing wrong with that. This guy can really play. Phil is a master musician and is often overlooked. He has written songs for artists including Cher, Pat Benatar, Kim Carnes, Kix, Bonnie Tyler, Steve Perry and also recorded with most of these artists. His solo career began in 2003 when the DixieFrog label in France asked him to record this album. The original CD, "Cruel Inventions" contained the extra track, "If 6 Was 9". Guitar fans may like the Austin resident's amazing tone, and the exuberance and energy he shows in his often eccentric and unconventional but tuneful solos. This remixed album is different, has some great grooves, some superb heavy electric blues rock, great vocals and exceptional original tunes. Check out "Hour To Kill". "Rolling And Tumbling" is a spectacular cover, and his Beck tribute, "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" is another great cover. "Cruel Inventions" received very little media coverage but is a great album and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Phil's 2008 album, "The Jimi Project", and support real music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 107 Mb]

TRACKS

1 The Heaven 4:34
2 The Charmed Life 4:07
3 The Diva (Acidized) 5:10
4 Goodbye Pork Pie Hat 5:49
5 The La-Lah-Land 4:28
6 Rolling And Tumbling 2:34
7 The Cruel Inventions 4:32
8 The Hour To Kill 2:56
9 The Ahh... Baby It's You 3:26
10 The All Over Now 3:29
11 The Grind Me 3:44

All tracks composed by Phil Brown except Track 4 by Charles Mingus, and Track 6 by McKinley Morganfield

MUSICIANS

Phil Brown - Guitar, Vocals
Francis Gabriel, Joel Bennett - Bass
K,JJ+, Michael Drebert - Keyboards
Duke Champagne, Eric Eldinius - Drums, Percussion, Loops
Tim Anderson - Tenor Saxophone
Phil Brown & The Apaches From Paris - Choir, Background Vocals

SHORT BIO

Born in San Francisco, in the fifties, Phil Brown begins to travel very young. Growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico he discovers his first instrument: a violin given to him by his grandma. Then he buys a guitar for 50 cents from a neighbour and plays “live in concert” at school, for the first time. Marty Robbins, George Jones and soon after, the “British Invasion” are his most important influences at that time. Rythm and blues and the Beatles will be the beginning of a new musical approach. Comes 1965 and here are The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Byrds, Canned Heat, Little Stevie Wonder, Elvis and Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, Buddy Miles, Mike Bloomfield and then, the discovery of a whole bunch of classical musicians : Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven, Bach and last but not least the Jazzmen : Louis Prima, Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole. A hurricane is on the way. The Cream and Hendrix are on the radio. Phil Brown cuts a first CD of covers : Hendrix, Kinks and Cream songs. He returns to New Mexico when The Jeff Beck Album “Truth” is just released and the awesome “Electric Ladyland” album changes his world for ever! Chicago, Saint Louis, Cleveland, Kansas City, New Orleans, San Diego, L.A., Denver. Phil plays in small clubs for no money. The blues becomes a way of life. Heading out to L.A. Phil gets a new job as a driver for Studio Instrument Rentals during the day and as a roadie at night (working as part of the stage crew) at the infamous “Whiskey a Go-Go” on the Sunset Strip. He meets the big names of the day such as Humble Pie, Joe Cocker, Three Dog Night, Alice Cooper, Steppenwolf and more. L.A, the Magic City and the chance to play with Bob Mosely of Moby Grape at the Record Plant, with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in the next room recording their next album. In 1981, a tour with Little Feat right after the death of Lowell George, playing 1/2 his own tunes and 1/2 Feat songs. Lots of dope and booze, (Phil has been sober for over 17 years now). Then, coming back to Los Angeles, “The City of Angels”, a writing/composing job with Warner Bros. Music for 3 years and then with A&M Records’ Publishing structure for 2 more years. Lots of famous female singers cut his songs, from Cher to Pat Benatar; there is Bonnie Tyler’s “Matter of the Heart”, a duet with Kim Carnes, Lisa Hartman … then Ace Frehley from Kiss, Tower of Power, Kix, Steve Perry (Journey), Lou Graham (Foreigner), a song on the soundtrack for the movie “The Wild Life” featuring Sean Penn in his first film role and tons of other amazing projects and then, the big gap… NOTHING! Well, almost nothing …in the loneliness of a home studio, a first, almost wholly written and composed CD cut under his own name, with the guts, the experience and the knowledge of a lifetime as a traveller, with its ups and downs. The story of life as a musician in L.A. © http://www.metisse-music.com/en/artists/phil%20brown