Scott Phillips worked with an extreme passion at making his dream record as Bitchin' Wheels. In the 1980s, Bitchin' Wheels had been touring nonstop when they decided to take a break and record a self-titled album. The break took an extreme length of 15 years. For the self-titled debut album, Scott Phillips felt it was possible to get a better drum sound in Europe. Scott Phillips truly believed that they really understood that dynamic. So he felt no expense should be spared. During the years working on the album, producers and investors came and went. The project was hindered by human failings and multiple technical difficulties. The final recordings were made on three continents over a period of 14 years. They came about at a phenomenal cost of a few million dollars and countless lives. They took place in hurricane force winds and driving rain, by engineers who stood in galoshes knee deep in running water. The latest technology could be blamed for countless screwups, but certainly the relentless weather was the main foe. When they felt that the sound was close enough, they would simply quit. Everything on the album was a first take, since it was so terribly cold. Many extremely talented and hardworking people passed on the project, because of the legendary delays and false starts, therefore Scott Phillips and others involved in the project relied on just about anyone standing around. The songs, Scott Phillips felt, were strong enough in composition so that they didn't need experienced musicians.
After surviving these dire conflicts, a record emerged which was promptly rejected by every major label and disowned by its financial backers as a tax write off. When Scott Phillips was asked how he felt about the project after it had finally been released, Scott Phillips unleashed an expected bitter diatribe. At that point, he felt really disillusioned. He felt that the public has let him down and that his friends had disloyally abandoned him. He also felt that the critics were unfairly mean-spirited. He felt that Bitchin' Wheels was a good record, but it was bound to be overlooked and lost in the shuffle. He also thought that everyone involved would be baffled about what went wrong. Would they wonder if they missed capitalizing on the momentum of their 1986 American Spirit tour? Scott Phillips does not clearly remember that tour, except for some unfortunate accident. Scott Phillips has only kind words for frigidisk.com, the label that finally made a deal to bail him out and release the Bitchin' Wheels debut CD.
If one were to ask Scott Phillips what Bitchin' Wheels is all about, he would no doubt be characteristically blunt. He feels that it is really about lifestyle, how anyone is going to get through life, by cab, on foot, in a Honda, or something bitchin'. What Bitchin' Wheels boils down to is the passion and brainchild of Scott Phillips, with the aid of musicians and technologists that have passed through the turnstiles over 15-plus years. What the future for Bitchin' Wheels looks like only time will tell, but Scott Phillips hopes that the next release will be released in less than 15 years. Fans of Bitchin' Wheels will wait that long, because they claim that Bitchin' Wheels' music is like fine wine, it gets better with age. To quote a line from a popular performer, "How sweet it is!" ~ Larry Belanger, All Music Guide
© 2008