Zero Zero Zero: Best of
A wrap-up of Sam Phillips's decade-long stint with Virgin Records that began in 1988 with the sublimeIndescribable Wow,Zero Zero Zerooffers marvels aplenty for anyone unfamiliar with the California singer/songwriter's sterling work. Moreover, there are enough nifty extras tossed in to make it a worthwhile purchase for widely scattered Phillips fanatics. Phillips and producerT-Bone Burnett(Phillips's husband) teamed on all the Virgin releases, lovingly sculpting magical variations onMagical Mystery Tour-style psychedelia. Phillips's helium-high vocals and intriguingly cryptic lyrics, however, are the essential elements in these dizzying pop concoctions.Zerodistills new songs, remixes, alternate takes, and album favorites into an intoxicating label sign-off. In the end, one can't help pondering,What next?--Steven Stolder