Editing Anthony Phillips (section)

=== 1977–present: Solo career ===
==== Albums ====
Phillips' debut solo album ''[[The Geese & the Ghost]]'' was released in 1977, and written and recorded intermittently between 1969 and 1976. It is an acoustic folk [[progressive rock]] album that was originally a collaboration with [[Mike Rutherford]], but the latter was too involved with Genesis and had limited availability. [[Peter Cross (illustrator)|Peter Cross]] produced the album's cover artwork, and would collaborate with Phillips on his future record sleeves until the 2000s. Although the album failed to make a commercial impact, it has gained retrospective acclaim.

Phillips considered furthering his music education, but ''The Geese & the Ghost'' had earned enough for him to continue making albums.{{sfn|Cherry Red Interview|2014|loc=10:26–10:45}} He signed a three-album deal with [[Arista Records]], but and the label insisted on more direct and commercially-oriented songs. The first album was ''[[Wise After the Event]]'', and featured [[Rupert Hine]], [[Michael Giles]], [[Mel Collins]], and [[John G. Perry]], with Phillips on lead vocals.<ref name=Stump308/> Released in 1978, it also failed commercially. In the same year, a compilation of off-cuts and incomplete pieces was released as ''[[Private Parts & Pieces]]'' on [[Passport Records]] the US. According to Phillips, the series "arose partly out of poverty. I was just getting by, library music was just getting going. I had to issue a collection of twelve-string or solo-piano stuff to boost my income."<ref name=Stump308/> Phillips continued with the series and put out twelve ''Private Parts and Pieces'' albums that range in musical style; the most recent edition, ''The Golden Hour'' was released in 2024.<ref name=prog>{{cite web|url=http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=779 |title=ANTHONY PHILLIPS discography and reviews |website=Progarchives.com |access-date=2020-05-09}}</ref>

''[[Sides (Anthony Phillips album)|Sides]]'' was his final album released on Arista, and features one side of pop-oriented material and another of more adventurous and progressive rock-inspired tracks.<ref name=PROG2024/> His next album was ''[[1984 (Anthony Phillips album)|1984]]'' in 1981, which marked a major stylistic shift to electronic synthesizers and drum machine. In 1982, Phillips moved out of his parents' home in [[Send, Surrey]] to [[Clapham]], south London, where he set up a recording studio. He struggled to pay the mortgage at first, and had several lodgers to help compensate.<ref name=TMVA2024-P1/> Phillips continued with commercial-oriented pop with his next album ''[[Invisible Men]]'', released in 1983. Like with ''Sides'' and ''1984'', it failed commercially.

In 1987, Phillips went to the US to promote ''[[Private Parts & Pieces VII: Slow Waves, Soft Stars]]'' as it has attracted some attention in the ambient and New-age circles. During his visit he was a guest presenter for [[VH1]], and a proposed album for the New-age label [[Windham Hill Records]] was shelved as he "got the brief so completely wrong".<ref name=PROG2024/> His fortunes increased soon after, when he signed a publishing deal with [[Virgin Records]] as a television and film writer, which also granted him an advance, two studio album releases, and a reissue of his back catalogue. This allowed him to purchase new equipment and marked a return to making a full-scale album, the instrumental ''[[Slow Dance (Anthony Phillips album)|Slow Dance]]''.<ref name=PROG2024/>

In 1988 he recorded an album with [[Harry Williamson (musician)|Harry Williamson]] called ''Tarka''. The album's cover featured a picture of a woman and did not credit Phillips or Williamson, which led to it often being filed under "female vocalist" in record shops.<ref name=Stump308/> Phillips returned to the acoustic guitar with ''[[Field Day (Anthony Phillips album)|Field Day]]'' in 2005.

In 2014, [[Esoteric Recordings]] acquired Phillips' back catalogue and began a reissue campaign of most of his albums with bonus content.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldminemag.com/interviews/anthony-phillips-from-genesis-to-strings-of-light|title=Anthony Phillips: From Genesis to "Strings of Light"|first=Lee|last=Zimmerman|date=25 February 2020|work=Goldmine|access-date=25 May 2025}}</ref>

In 2024, Phillips revealed he had a potential new album of solo piano pieces, but ongoing wrist problems has prevented him completing it. He had expressed a wish to produce another full-scale album like ''Slow Dance'', but said he lacked energy to practice, write, and record, and was no longer interested to become familiar with contemporary recording equipment.<ref name=TMVA2024-P1>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LftFKzbDUQM|title=Anthony Phillips - That's My Vinyl Answer - Part 1 (of 2)|date=August 2024|via=YouTube|access-date=18 May 2025}}</ref>

==== Library music ====
Since leaving Genesis, Phillips' main source of income has been from his [[library music]] for television and film.<ref name=PROG2024/> His first commissions were for [[Riverside Studios]] in 1976, and included a piece for a shampoo advert.<ref name=PROG2024/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.twronline.net/issues/twr49/twr49_ap_interview.htm|title="Tell us about your latest projects, Anthony..." – Anthony and Jonathan talk about Radio Clyde, Archive Collection 2 and the forthcoming Private Parts & Pieces album|first=Alan|last=Hewitt|date=6 December 2001|publisher=The Waiting Room Online|access-date=18 May 2025}}</ref> In 1981, he signed with the newly-formed production music label Atmosphere (now a part of Universal Production Music) and has appeared on many of its releases. In 1994, Atmosphere was acquired by [[Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG]] and the uptake in commission work secured him financially: "I made almost nothing for the first 25 years of my life, then was very lucky."<ref name=PROG2024/> Phillips produces music for other companies, such as Extreme Music, 9 Lives, APM, Addictive Tracks, Audio Wallpaper, West One, and Cavendish, sometimes in collaboration with Chris White, Samuel Bohn, or James Collins.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.genesis-news.com/article/anthony-phillips-recording-compendium-special-library-music/|title=Anthony Phillips – Recording Compendium: Special – Library Music|first=Steffen|last=Gerlach|date=16 January 2022|publisher=Genesis News|access-date=18 May 2025}}</ref>

==== Other projects ====
Phillips began writing material with [[Andrew Latimer]] of [[Camel (band)|Camel]] in 1981, and was a featured performer on that band's album, ''[[The Single Factor]]'' (released in 1982).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hit-channel.com/interviewanthony-phillips-sologenesis/69424 |title=Interview: Anthony Phillips (solo, Genesis) |website=Hit-channel.com |date=26 September 2014 |access-date=2020-05-09}}</ref> He co-wrote "Tears on the Ballroom Floor" for ''[[I Hear Talk]]'' by [[Bucks Fizz]].<ref name=GI34>{{cite magazine|url=https://thegenesisarchive.co.uk/genesis-information-issue-34/|magazine=Genesis Information|issue=34|title=News contd. Page I|date=Winter 1984–1985|first=Geoff|last=Parkyn|pages=14, 15|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref>

In 2008, Italian journalist Mario Giammetti published a biography on Phillips entitled ''The Exile''.