Sam Phillips - Zero Zero Zero (1998)

A wrap-up of Sam Phillips's decade-long stint with Virgin Records that began in 1988 with the sublime Indescribable Wow, Zero Zero Zero offers 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 producer T-Bone Burnett (Phillips's husband) teamed on all the Virgin releases, lovingly sculpting magical variations on Magical Mystery Tour-style psychedelia. Phillips's helium-high vocals and intriguingly cryptic lyrics, however, are the essential elements in these dizzying pop concoctions. Zero distills 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