The posthumous release of this album was a very poignant event. During the 40 years we spent together Phil was always at work on his music, always in his studio with his guitar and his computer. He had a lot of things on the go at the same time, some of them stretching over long periods of time. The work he and Fred Baker put in working on the music for this CD started soon after the release of the first Double Up CD. He and Fred were very close and Fred was a frequent visitor. Although he lived in Derbyshire he was a frequent visitor to London. As a member of In Cahoots there were plenty of rehearsals for upcoming gigs and tours and Fred always stayed with us in Dalston. The duo recorded the material for this CD on these occasions over the years. As you can read on Fred’s notes in the CD booklet Phil arranged some of this material for the band and they became part of their repertoire but these pieces can be heard in their original duet format on the new CD along with brand new, never before heard pieces. When Phil died in 2017 Fred and I agreed we would find these recordings and complete the work that Phil had left unfinished so that it could be included in his body of work. Benj Lefevre, Phil’s long standing faithful friend and brilliant sound engineer worked hard to rescue these old tapes and mix the material. To Preserve Phil’s legacy has been my driving force since his death and this website has been the vehicle but putting together and releasing this CD has been a deeply emotional experience. When somebody you love dies there is usually nothing more you can ever do for them. Listening to this CD for the first time made us feel we had done something for Phil that his death had prevented him from doing himself.
Several people have been in touch with me from Europe about having difficulties getting hold of Double Up 2 by Phil Miller and Fred Baker Crescent Discs CD12CD so yesterday I put copies up for sale on Discogs.com under Phil Miller (artist), seller: Herm Miller. Back in the days when Phil ran the Crescent Discs label, he always sold his CDs for a modest price which included free delivery. As this CD was brought out under the old Crescent Discs label, I have remained faithful to his example and priced the CD at £12 with free delivery to Europe (& UK). I sold a copy straight away so I know the system works. If you want to buy a copy directly from me you can now get it from Discogs.
HERM
23.04.22