Philwit & Pegasus
Band members Related acts
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line up x () - Maria Feltham (aka Pegasus) -- - Mark Philipp Wirtz (aka Marc Wirtz) (RIP 2020) (aka Philwit) --
supporting musicians: (1970) - Rex Bennett -- drums, percussion - Chris Bidding (aka Chris Spedding) --- guitar - John Carter -- vocals - Clem Cattini -- drums, percussion - Terry Cox (RIP 2026) -- drums, percussion - Adrian Cross -- keyboards - Guy Fletcher -- vocals - Roger Greenaway -- vocals - Clive Hicks -- guitar - Les Hurdie -- bass - Randy Jones -- drums, percussion - Martin Kershaw -- guitar - Roger McKew --- guitar - Chas Mills -- vocals - Joe Moretti -- guitar - Peter Lee Sterling -- vocals
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- Astronaut Alan & The Planets - The Nick Hopkins Caravan - Judd - The Matchmakers - Mood Mosaic - Mark Rogers and The Marksmen - Sweetshop - Keith West and Mark Wirtz - Mark Wirtz Ear Theatre - Mark Wirtz Orchestra
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Genre: sunshine pop Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Philwit & Pegasus Company: Chapter One Catalog: CPS
39003 Country/State: Alsace, France and Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: small punch hole bottom right corner Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $45.00
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Outside of a small
group of hardcore music fans, the late Mark Wirtz has been largely
overlooked in rock and roll history. If you recognize the name, it's
probably for his work as a songwriter and producer; particularly his
One
of the first efforts was the short-lived studio entity Philwit &
Pegasus. Working with English poet (and then girlfriend Maria
Feltham), 1970's "Philwit & Pegasus" was
intended as a concept piece, though the plotline was hazy at best.
Wirtz was quoted as saying the theme has something to do with "struggle,
fear, and fantasized happiness." Surprise to my
ears. The album could ha
"Philwit
& Pegasus" track listing: 1.) Happiness (Maria Feltham) - 1:24 rating: *** stars Hum, perhaps "Happiness" could best be described as falling somewhere between English sunshine pop and American bubblegum pop... With lyrics like "Happiness the days of Spring ... Happiness when church bells rings ..." the song was mindlessly pleasant (the melody still pops into my head from time to time), but it was catchy in the same way a chewing gum jingle was catchy. 2.) Pauper's Son (Mark Philipp Wirtz - Maria Feltham) - 3:35 rating: *** stars John Carter had the kind of commercial voice that could make anything sound good. That was certainly the case on for the otherwise vapid "Pauper's Son". The song could have used a couple more lyrics rather than the seemingly endless "aaa has". The track was also tapped as the "B" side on the "And I Try" single. 3.) Yoyo Thoughts (Mark Philipp Wirtz - Maria Feltham) - 2:59 rating: **** stars Showcasing Guy Fletcher and Roger Greenaway on lead vocals, "Yoyo Thoughts" was a pretty, jazz-tinged ballad. It was actually one of the standout performances and would have made a nice 45. 4.) And I Try (Mark Philipp Wirtz - Maria Feltham) - 4:26 rating: ** stars Opening up with some Adrian Cross keyboards and spotlighting Peter Lee Sterling's gravelly vocals, "And I Try" was a drab, hyper-sensitive slice of singer/songwriter navel gazing. There wasn't a slice of originality across the song and the "deep and thoughtful" lyrics were merely irritating. Ironically the instrumental closing section was really good; the best thirty seconds on the album. Why the record label thought it would make a good single is a mystery.
- 1970's "And I Try" b/w "Pauper's Son" (Chapter One catalog number CH.R 131)
5.) Winter Face (Mark Philipp Wirtz - Maria Feltham) - 3:50 rating: ** stars The meandering Wes Montgomery-styled jazz guitar opening wasn't promising, though it served as an accurate precursor for the equally bland jazz ballad "Winter Face" provided. Sterling again featured on lead vocals. Good song to listen to if you're having difficulty getting to sleep. 6.) My What A Lovely Day Its Been (Mark Philipp Wirtz - Maria Feltham) - 3:00 rating: *** stars "My What A Lovely Day Its Been" offered up a weird mixture of Flower Power, blue-eyed soul and psych influences. Lyrically there wasn't much to the song other than Carter and Sterling energetically singing the title over and over and over ... Nice timepiece. It certainly wasn't going to win Feltham a Pulitzer Prize for poetry. 7.) Jim Come Here (Mark Philipp Wirtz - Maria Feltham) - 0:56 rating: * star Just when I thought the album couldn't get much stranger along popped the faux country hoedown "Jim Come Here". The lyrics (essentially "Jim come here, buy your friend a beer" managed to make the prior song sound like an epic novel. At least it was short ...
(side
2) Opening up with some pretty acoustic and electric guitar sections, the instrumental "Philwit's Fantasies" sported one of the album's sweetest melodies and was the best attempt at melding middle of the road, easy listening history with his rock and roll aspirations.. 2.) Lonely Flower (Mark Philipp Wirtz - Maria Feltham) - 1:38 rating: ** stars The song title gave you a clear indication of what was coming - namely a fey, hyper-sensitive, heavily orchestrated ballad. This one could have served as a mouthwash jingle. 3.) Spinning Carousel (Mark Philipp Wirtz - Maria Feltham) - 4:37 rating: **** stars A Colin Blunstone/Zombies flavored pop tune, "Spinning Carousel" was the second track featuring Roger Greenaway on lead vocals. Boasting a fragile melody with a touch of "Gypsy" influence (reminded me of a Melanie Safka song), it was also one of the album's most conventional and commercial offerings. 4.).To Pegasus with Love (instrumental) (Mark Philipp Wirtz) - 1:30 rating: ** stars The melody and wordless vocals were pretty, but forgettable. I kept waiting for the song to develop into something and it never happened. 5.) And She Came (Mark Philipp Wirtz - Maria Feltham) - 1:37 rating: *** stars Sterling's grittiest performance, "And She Came" displayed some much needed energy. The lead guitar solos reminded me of George Harrison Unfortunately Wirtz's patented dreamy wordless harmonies sucked the energy out of the track. No idea why the song was tapped as a single.
- 1970's "Excerpt from "Philwit & Pegasus" And She Came - Final Thought" b/w "Paupers Son" (Chapter One catalog number CH.R 130)
6.) Final Thought (Mark Philipp Wirtz - Maria Feltham) - 5:33 rating: ** stars Opening up with some French lyrics, "Final Thought" quickly morphed into what sounded like a continuation of the previous song. After an unexpected and needless drum solo the album ended with some of Wirtz's patented llush instrumentation and Church chorus-styled harmonies.
For hardcore fans there was also a final, non-LP single. Featuring John Carter with heavily treat vocals, "The Elephant Song" sounded nothing like the previous album. With a tribal rhythm and distinctive lysergic flavor, the track reminded me of something Hotlegs might have recorded. The "B" side "Pseudo Phoney Mixed Up Croney" was equally goofy, but dropped some of the psych for a heavier rock sound. To be honest, I liked the single better than anything on the album.
- 1971's "The Elephant Song" b/w "Pseudo Phoney Mixed Up Croney" (Chapter One catalog number CH.R 137)
© Scott R. Blackerby April 2026
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collaboration with Keith West and the band Tomorrow and on the infamous rock
opera “A Teenage Opera” (which was not complete and
released until 1996, some 27 years after it was initiated as "A
Teenage Opera: The Original Soundtrack
Recording" (RPM Records catalog number RPM 165)). In
spite of his interest in rock and roll, up through the late-'60s Wirtz was
best known for recording and producing a string of rock-tinged easy
listening albums with The Mark Wirtz Orchestra (1966's "Latin A
Go-Go" (Ember catalog number EMB 3366), 1968's "Fantastic
Teenage Fair" (Decca catalog number SLK 16 591-P), 1969's
"Come Back & Shake Me" (Decca SLK 16 613-P),
etc.). The sales successes of such releases saw him signed by Les
Reed's Decca affiliated Chapter One label which provided Wirtz with an
opportunity to expand his recording interests beyond easy listening
material. 
ve
just as easily been focused on selling a better brand of mouthwash. In
addition to heavy orchestration (one assumes it was The Mark
Wirtz Orchestra), musically the album
featured an all star collection of
English pop and rock musicians including vocalists John
Carter, Guy Fletcher, Roger Greenaway, Chas Mills and Peter Lee
Sterling. Featuring all original material, the thirteen tracks served
as a good example of Writ's interests in melding easy listening and pop-rock
influences. Tracks like "Happiness" and "Spinning
Carousel" provided a target rich
environment for playing spot the influences which included Beach Boys-styled
harmonies, Zombies sensitivity, blue-eyes soul, sunshine pop and even dash
of Toytown-flavored psych. With such a talented
line-up, the album was bound to have its moments. Unfortunately
neither Wirtz nor Feltham were particularly talented writers and far too
often the album fell on the easy listening side of the fence.
Performances like "My
What A Lovely Day Its Been" and
"Pauper's Son"
were pretty and harmless; hip "elevator" music that was likely to
appeal to one's parents, or even grandparents. Elsewhere Wirtz and Feltham
seemed intent on demonstrating their diversity with forgettable detours into
country ("Jim Come
Here") and jazz ("Winter
Face"). So what to make of the
collection? It wasn't bad, but given how talented the line-up was, you
couldn't help but feel it should have been stronger.
