TRAINER - BASF, 1972DESCRIPTION: Phil Trainer is an American singer-songwriter, now known as “Steele“, whose first solo album was recorded in London with backing by members of UK folk-rock group, Trees. The LP was originally released in 1972 and is rated as a world classic of the genre by many. A New Yorker who had travelled the world playing in groups and had tasted chart success in Japan, Phil arrived in England and ended up joining forces with the revised lineup of the folk-rock band Trees, hailed as one of CBS‘s Sounds of the 70s. All music and lyrics were by Phil himself who was no beginner, having written the score for the film ROAD TO SALINA that included tracks recently used for the Grammy-nominated soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino’s blockbuster, KILL BILL. Aside from Phil’s compelling vocal performance, the album includes some world-class electric guitar by Barry Clarke, tasteful piano by Bias Boshell, who would later back Kiki Dee and The Moody Blues, and sexy sax by Pink Floyd’s Dick Parry of "Dark Side of the Moon" fame. This was the final bow on disc for the much-lamented Trees, whose British folk complements Phil’s West Coast progressive rock perfectly on this, his solo debut.SIDEBAR: “Beautiful Jim“ (track A2) was written by Phil as a tribute to Jim Morrison, whom he had met at a Left Bank café in Paris one night after a gig in April 1971. He and two members of his band Clinic, upon recognizing the bearded Lizard King, took their guitars out of their cases and jammed on blues songs for hours. Between coughing fits brought on by chain-smoking his Marlboros, Jim served up a raspy “Crawling King Snake“, the old John Lee Hooker tune fresh off the Doors‘ yet-to-be-released "L.A. Woman" album. By daybreak, Phil and a wobbly Morrison ended up in the flat of a female photographer friend of Jim’s girl Pamela, where Jim proceeded to attack the alcohol stock. This chance encounter, and Jim’s sudden death soon afterwards on July 3, became the inspiration for this poignant elegy. Hearing the song on the radio, Rolling Stone London editor Jerry Hopkins interviewed Phil for his Morrison biography, "No One Here Gets Out Alive", a Warner Books best-seller. Phil has since written his own book focusing on Jim’s last days titled "City of Light", the subject of a 2006 Studio Canal documentary, "An American Poet in Paris", now featured on DVD releases of Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic, THE DOORS. Righteously, Studio Canal chose “Beautiful Jim“ as the title track.