Phollop Willing P.A. (Phil Walling) - Greatest Fits, Vol. II

Tracks

		Track Name	Length
	1	Orphan Baby
	2	Sea Cruise Blues
	3	The Papal Drum
	4	Heavy Mental Depression
	5	Ring of Fire
	6	CKDU Radio Cart
	7	Black Rooftop
	8	Blood Brother
	9	Graveyard
	10	Between the Storm
	11	Take Back the Night
	12	The Code
	13	(Doing) The Fish
	14	A Life in a Day
	15	Choking Me (Dark Horse Mix)
	16	Sleepless Beauty

Photos

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Information/Write-up

Phollop Willing P.A. is the primary recording identity of Halifax-based experimental and electronic musician Phil Walling, whose work spans more than four decades and bridges early analog tape experimentation, punk-era electronic disruption, live performance, radio documentation, and long-form digital self-archiving.

Walling’s recorded output first surfaced publicly with the 1981 7-inch single ‘Orphan Baby’ b/w ‘Sea Cruise Blues’, released on Nerve Records (SR 66). Recorded at Acolyte Studios in Halifax and at Modesty Cove Alternative, the single paired fractured song structures, primitive synthesizers, tape manipulation, and deliberately abrasive vocals. At the time, the record divided opinion locally, but it later gained cult status as an early Canadian example of what has since been described as cyber-punk electronica, and today ranks among the most sought-after independent Canadian singles of the period.

Walling’s musical activity pre-dated and extended far beyond that release. He studied experimental electronic music at Dalhousie University, where he worked extensively with reel-to-reel tape machines, analog synthesizers, multitrack recording systems, and later computer-based tools. Contemporary program notes and press material describe his interest in sound not only as music, but as something with potential applications in psychology and medicine. Much of his work was created solo, often as evolving sketches rather than fixed compositions, and recorded across multiple formats as technology changed.

Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, Walling was an active presence in Halifax’s experimental performance and alternative arts scene, appearing in electronic music concerts, gallery settings, improvised performances, and non-traditional venues. Listings and reviews document performances alongside figures such as David Barteaux, Wendy Geller, Lewis Humphreys, Steven Slater, and others working at the margins of rock, classical, and academic music. He was also closely connected to CKDU radio, where he recorded interviews and performances, including conversations with major countercultural and literary figures during the mid-1980s.

Beyond his own recordings, Walling played an important role as a documenter and organizer. He became a central figure in the Halifax Experimental Music Festival, contributing as a performer, recording engineer, interviewer, and archivist. His work preserving live performances and broadcasts captured material that would otherwise have been lost, reinforcing his position not just as a musician, but as a chronicler of Halifax’s experimental underground.

Beginning in the late 1990s and continuing into the 2000s, Walling undertook a process of curating and releasing material from his personal archive. Releases such as ‘1979–1981’ and ‘Greatest Fits, Volume II’ compile recordings spanning decades, while ‘Plantin’ Seeds’ (issued in 2007 but drawing on recordings made between 1985 and 2001) reflects his ongoing interest in revisiting and contextualizing earlier work. These releases function less as conventional albums than as selective archival overviews, documenting a body of work originally scattered across tapes, demos, live recordings, and broadcasts.

In the digital era, Walling continued this archival approach through a series of long-span online collections, grouping recordings by theme, period, or method rather than by traditional release cycles. These include collections such as ‘Master of the Universe City (1985–1995)’, ‘ElectronicUs’ (mastered on MiniDisc), ‘ElectronicUs Live @ the Khyber, October 29, 2000’, ‘Plantin’ Seeds (1985–2001)’, ‘Doggie Soup Kitchen (2008–2012)’, ‘Snow’s Coat (2000–2012)’, ‘A Collection of Covers (1980–2012)’, ‘I Kross Time (2010–2022)’, ‘Kevin D. Xmas Tape ’81’, and later experiments such as ‘Tunes and Songs Made with ORBA 2’. Together, these collections demonstrate a continuous recording practice extending from the late 1970s into the 2020s, adapting to new technologies while maintaining a consistent experimental ethos.

Taken as a whole, Phil Walling’s work as Phollop Willing P.A. represents a sustained, independent approach to electronic and experimental music in Canada — one rooted in early analog practice, shaped by Halifax’s alternative infrastructure, and carried forward through decades of self-documentation and digital archiving. His recordings, performances, interviews, and preservation efforts form a connective thread between academic experimentation, punk-era disruption, and contemporary DIY electronic practice within the Canadian underground.
-Robert Williston

1. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘Orphan Baby’

Musicians
Hilary ‘Octavia’ Boyd: vocals
Karl Faulkenham: acoustic and bass guitar, sound effects
Joey Cunningham: drums
Phollop Willing P.A.: vocals, Arp Explorer synthesizer

Written by
Words and Music by Hilary ‘Octavia’ Boyd and P.A.

Production
Engineered by Andy Shipley
Production assistant: Glen Meisner

Track notes
Originally Side One of the first Nerve 45 record release in 1980.

2. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘Sea Cruise Blues’

Musicians
Lewis Humphreys: saxophones, horn arrangement
Karl Faulkenham: sound effects
Joey Cunningham: drums, thunder sheet
Phollop Willing P.A.: vocals, bass guitar, coins, Arp Explorer synthesizer

Written by
Words and Music by Lewis Humphreys

Production
Engineered by Andy Shipley
Production assistant: Glen Meisner

Track notes
The flip side of ‘Orphan Baby’.

3. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘The Papal Drum’

Musicians
Phollop Willing P.A.: vocals, bass guitar, drum machine, Arp Explorer synthesizer

Written by
Words and Music by P.A.

Track notes
Four track demo, 1979.

4. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘Heavy Mental Depression’

Musicians
John S. Gray: piano
David R. Barteaux: Casio organ, Korg MS-20 synthesizer
Phollop Willing P.A.: vocal

Written by
Words and Music by P.A.

Production
Recorded by Alex Blau

Track notes
Live Dun, March 30th, 1983.

5. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘Ring Of Fire’

Musicians
Rob Carr: vocals, percussion, harmonica
Phollop Willing P.A.: Arp 2600 synthesizer

Written by
Words and Music by Johnny Cash

Track notes
Four track demo, 1984.

6. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘CKDU Radio Cart’

Musicians
Rob Carr: announcer, scriptwriter
Phollop Willing P.A.: vocal

Written by
Words and Music by P.A.
composed CHMA 1975, updated 1984

Track notes
Original sources: Edgar Winter and Deep Purple.

7. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘Black Rooftop’

Musicians
Lewis Humphreys: vocals, saxophone, Arp 2600 synthesizer, guitar
Phollop Willing P.A.: bass guitar, drum machine, Arp 2600 synthesizer

Written by
Words and Music by Lewis Humphreys and P.A.

Track notes
Four track demo, 1985.

8. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘Blood Brother’

Musicians
Annette ‘Planet’ Walling: vocal
Phollop Willing P.A.: vocal, guitar, Arp 2600 synthesizer
Andrew Weldon Gillis: Juno 106 synthesizer

Written by
Words and Music by Andrew Weldon Gillis, Annette Walling, and P.A.

Track notes
Four track demo, 1985.

9. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘Graveyard’

Musicians
Dr. Kenny Synide: vocal
Phollop Willing P.A.: Yamaha DX21 synthesizer, drum machine

Written by
Words and Music by Dr. Kenny Synide and P.A.

Track notes
Four track demo, 1985.

10. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘Between The Storm’

Musicians
Steven Slater: saxophone
Phollop Willing P.A.: Arp 2600 synthesizer, Yamaha DX21 synthesizer, drum machine

Written by
Words and Music by Steven Slater and P.A.

Track notes
Four track demo, 1986.

11. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘Take Back The Night’

Musicians
Annette ‘Planet’ Walling: vocal
Kenneth Newman: guitar
Jay White: bass guitar
Roger Gensale: Yamaha DX21 synthesizer
Phollop Willing P.A.: vocal, Arp 2600 synthesizer, drum machine

Written by
Words and Music by Roger Gensale, Kenneth Newman, Annette Walling, Jay White, and P.A.

Track notes
Four track demo, 1986.

12. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘The Code’

Musicians
Alan Rickman: sampled voice (‘Die Hard’)
Phollop Willing P.A.: Roland D50 synthesizer, Arp 2600 synthesizer, drum machine

Written by
Words and Music by P.A.
based on an idea by Dawn Boyd

Track notes
Four track demo, 1991.

13. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘(Doing) The Fish’

Musicians
Douglas Edwin Barron: Roland W50 sampler, vocals
Phollop Willing P.A.: vocal, Korg Prophecy synthesizer, drum machine

Written by
Words and Music by Marc Belliveau and Lewis Humphreys

Track notes
Live to DAT, 1997.

14. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘A Life In A Day’

Musicians
Phollop Willing P.A.: Roland SP202 sampler

Written by
Words and Music by The Beatles

Track notes
Live to DAT, 1998.

15. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘Choking Me (Dark Horse Mix)’

Musicians
Phollop Willing P.A.: Roland D50, MC505, Korg Prophecy synthesizers, Roland SP202 sampler
Burnt Black: samples

Written by
Words and Music by Burnt Black and P.A.

Track notes
Eight track demo, 1990.
Samples from the CD release A Demonstration of the Hazards of Operating Heavy Equipment.
Other samples courtesy of Future Music magazine.

16. Phollop Willing P.A. – ‘Sleepless Beauty’

Musicians
Clancy Dennehy: Roland Octapad, vocal
Jay White: guitar, harmonica
Phollop Willing P.A.: vocal, Roland MC505, Korg Prophecy synthesizer

Written by
Words and Music by Clancy Dennehy, Jay White, and P.A.

Track notes
Eight track demo, 1999.

Production
Produced by Phil Walling for Nerve Records
Digitally mastered on DAT – Compiled July 1999

Notes
Creative highlights recorded between 1979 and 1999. This collection is a companion set to the previous CD release, Greatest Fits, Volume One.

All selections composed by Phil Walling unless otherwise indicated.
All selections registered with SOCAN unless otherwise indicated.

Recorded in and around Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada between 1979 and 1999.

Special thanks to Jay White and Steven Slater

All tracks SOCAN except * ASCAP, ** SOCAN / BMI, *** SOCAN / BMI / ASCAP

Original sources: Edgar Winter and Deep Purple

Featuring performances by:
Hilary Boyd
Joey Cunningham
Karl Faulkenham
Lewis Humphreys

John S. Gray
Robert Carr
Johnny Cash
Andrew W. Gillis

Annette Walling
Roger Gensale
Dr. Kenny Synide
Jay White

Alan Rickman
The Beatles
Steven Slater
Doug Barron

David R. Barteaux
Ken Newman
Clancy Dennehy
Burnt Black

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