RICHARD MACPHAIL is releasing his star-studded AUDIOBOOK — includes rare proto-Genesis recording
Features Peter Gabriel intro plus Steve Hackett interview plus rare acetate track Pennsylvania Flickhouse
Richard Macphail has recorded a star-studded Audiobook version of his vivid autobiography.
Included is the ultra-rare 1966 recording Pennsylvania Flickhouse by Anon aka The Anon.
This track is also to be released as a digital single.
Richard Macphail himself reads the main text of the Audiobook.
The My Book Of Genesis Audiobook extras comprise:
- The Foreword written by and read by Peter Gabriel;
- a revealing Steve Hackett interview recorded by Richard Macphail;
- and the ultra-rare proto-Genesis acetate recording Pennsylvania Flickhouse from 1966, owned by Richard Macphail, lead singer of The Anon.
Anon or The Anon, as they were known to fans, was a precursor band to Genesis. Also part of The Anon were future Genesis members Anthony Phillips and Mike Rutherford, plus Rob Tyrell on drums and the fascinating, yet ultimately tragic Rivers Job (pronounced Jobe) on bass. Members of The Anon subsequently merged with members of The Garden Wall to form Genesis.
“Rivers Job, bless him, was the most extraordinary visionary, who in time would introduce me to many amazing things,” says Richard Macphail in his book. “No question — Rivers Job changed my life.”
Rivers Job would go on to play bass in The Savoy Brown Blues Band. Sadly, Rivers “took too many drugs.” Rivers would die aged only 29.
The Anon would record just one track, but thankfully it does exist for posterity. Richard Macphail recalls the recording of Pennsylvania Flickhouse in his book:
“There was studio on Dryburgh Road in Putney called Tony Pike Sound. We pooled our cash and booked an hour there…that recording was made in 1966 when I was 15. Of course the group was now far and away the most important thing for me…”
The line-up on Pennsylvania Flickhouse is:
Richard Macphail: Lead vocals
Anthony Phillips: Lead guitar
Mike Rutherford: Rhythm guitar
Rivers Job: Bass guitar
Rob Tyrell: Drums
These and many more fascinating stories appear in the My Book Of Genesis Audiobook.
- The book: to order My Book Of Genesis (the book) please click here or order from online bookstores
- The Audiobook My Book Of Genesis (listening length: 8 hours and 3 minutes) is a new release available initially via for example... Apple Books/iTunes Audible.co.uk Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com
- For Richard's new radio programme Rich Pickings click here
- Pennsylvania Flickhouse is due for release as a Digital Single...release date tbc
Richard's physical book publishing imprint is named aptly Argyll & Bute. Prompted by a foray to Scotland, Richard recently told us about his Scottish background:
"My father’s family came from the island of Mull. The Macphails were part of the Gordon clan. Off the North coast of Mull there’s a rocky outcrop famous for shipwrecks called Macphail’s Anvil. Many of my father’s relatives immigrated to Eastern Canada at the time of the Highland clearances when crofters were forcibly moved off the land to make way for sheep rearing.
My father joined the Argyle and Sutherland Highland regiment during the Second World War. He was with the Eighth Army fighting Rommel in North Africa and then crossed into Italy. He was a Platoon Commander at Monte Casino where he lost many of his men. One of his worst memories was having to write letters to their loved ones back home.
A few years ago I was in the town of Elgin near Inverness and I came across a whiskey shop called Gordon & Macphail. They had an enormous stock of whiskeys, I had no idea that there were so many. Naturally, I bought a bottle of Gordon & Macphail’s single malt, and it was delicious.
While I was with Genesis in the early 70’s we played all the major Scottish venues. One that sticks in my memory was Green’s Playhouse, Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow. From the earliest days, the band was hugely popular there. We would always look forward to a tumultuous Scottish welcome."