Who is Phil Collins

Hits

1. Another Day In Paradise
2. True Colors
3. Easy Lover
4. You Can't Hurry Love
5. Two Hearts
6. I Wish It Would Rain Down
7. Against All Odds
8. Something Happened On The Way To Heaven
9. Separate Lives
10. Both Sides Of The Story
11. One More Night
12. Sussudio
13. Dance Into The Light
14. A Groovy Kind Of Love
15. In The Air Tonight
16. Take Me Home

Phil Collins is no doubt one of the most flogged personalities in popular music. But being a child of the 1980s (with an unusually wide memory), music like Phil's helps bring back many nostalgic memories for yours truly. A complete collection of hits (or better yet a retrospective with some key album tracks) would require a double-disc, so naturally this HITS collection will omit some people's favorites. However, with what is contained here anyway, those arguments may be rather small.

After Genesis released 1980's DUKE, Phil wasted no time in starting work on his first solo album FACE VALUE (1981), which managed to sell more than any Genesis album up to that time. It spawned 2 hits with "In The Air Tonight" & "I Missed Again". Also, with the then-cutting edge MTV debuting, the videos were rotated heavily & remain classics of the decade. The former's inclusion is definitely warranted, but the latter is mysteriously absent & if album tracks had been included, "If Leaving Me Is Easy", "You Know What I Mean" & even Phil's surprisingly successful cover of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" might fit in nicely.

1982's HELLO I MUST BE GOING followed right on the heels of 1981's ABACAB, so Phil was definitely busy already. HELLO was a step down & this was slightly reflected in its chart performance. Phil's cover of "You Can't Hurry Love" was his first solo top 10 & while faithfully done, the lesser hit "I Don't Care Anymore" might have been a more appropriate entry. Minor hits like "I Cannot Believe It's True" & non-singles "Like China" & "Thru These Walls" could also work here.

Even as early as 1984, Phil was in demand as a producer, soundtrack contributor & duet partner. Sure enough, Phil's first #1 hit was "Against All Odds [Take A Look At Me Now]" from the film AGAINST ALL ODDS. #1 for 3 weeks & nominated for an Oscar, the song is a longing ballad that does its job in just 3 1/2 minutes. Later in 1984, Phil helped out Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey on his solo album CHINESE WALL. Their song "Easy Lover" was taken from there & peaked at an impressive #2. You can tell that both Phils are enjoying themselves on this song.

1985's NO JACKET REQUIRED no doubt elevated Phil to iconic status, topping the charts for 8 weeks & spawning 4 top 10 hits. The heartfelt ballad "One More Night" & the insanely catchy "Sussudio" were the chart toppers, with "Take Me Home" peaking in the top 5. The other hit "Don't Lose My Number" doesn't make it on here, but getting NO JACKET REQUIRED itself is no problem, for it is quite a solid album & perhaps his best overall.

That same year, Phil contributed "Separate Lives" from the WHITE NIGHTS movie. This #1 duet with Marilyn Martin is another ballad equal to the drama & heartbreak of "Against All Odds". Acting has been mostly a hobby for Phil, but he won his first starring role in 1988's BUSTER. He contributed two new songs, both of which went to #1. His cover of "Groovy Kind Of Love" was questioned, but I think he turns an originally upbeat ballad into one more somber & that's commendable. The Motown flavor of "Two Hearts" is no small assumption for it was co-written with Motown legend Lamont Dozier & could easily have been successful coming from the Supremes or The Four Tops.

1989's BUT SERIOUSLY had Phil flipping the script of NO JACKET REQUIRED by creating less bouncy material in favor of more introspective fare. While the critical carps only got louder, it is still superior to its predecessor & even better in its success rate (6 singles!). The Grammy-winning ballad about the homeless "Another Day In Paradise" was #1 for 4 weeks, with the horn-driven rave-up "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven" following it into the top 5, along with the gospel-inflected "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (containing an incendiary solo from Eric Clapton & one of Phil's finest vocals). A prime album track would definitely have been "Colours", the 9-minute epic indictment of apartheid that editing down would have diminished its power.

1993's BOTH SIDES was an even darker affair, continuing the serious state of BUT SERIOUSLY & even more so by having Phil play all the instruments. "Both Sides Of The Story" was an impassioned critique on issues from street violence to spousal abuse & a bold choice for the first single. That may have killed the album commercially, but "Everyday" was a more traditional ballad that became Phil's last top 40 hit for 5 years & unfortunately is missing from here.

1996's DANCE INTO THE LIGHT was Phil's first album not to spawn a top 40 hit, indicating that his days as a chart regular were pretty much done. The horn-drenched title track & the major-key ballad "It's In Your Eyes" were minor hits that didn't crack the top 40, but only the former is included on HITS, even if its enthusiasm does sound a bit forced.

With HITS having been released in 1998, most recent hits like his top 40 comeback with the Oscar-winning "You'll Be In My Heart" from TARZAN, or from his 2002 album TESTIFY (being hailed as his best since BUT SERIOUSLY) are obviously not present. But hopefully a HITS, VOLUME 2 will include those when it does appear. Still we have the solitary new song in Phil's cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors". It certainly won't make people forget Cyndi's classic, but Phil still does an admirable job, Babyface's pseudo-New Jack Swing backdrop fitting Phil rather well.

Again, HITS might not be a comprehensive collection, but for what was included, it's still a joy to listen to in order to recapture old memories for those who grew up in the '80s. Call it disposable, call it vapid, but no one can fault Phil Collins for being a world-class creator of infectious pop music & that's a legacy I'm sure any artist would love to have. -- 27-year old wallflower "Eric N Andrews" (West Lafayette, IN)

Release Date: 10/06/1998

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Tarzan

1. Two Worlds
2. You'll Be In My Heart
3. Son Of Man
4. Trashin' The Camp
5. Strangers Like Me
6. Two Worlds Reprise
7. Trashin' The Camp - Phil Collins/'N Sync
8. You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins
9. Two Worlds - Phil Collins
10. A Wondrous Place
11. Moves Like An Ape, Looks Like A Man
12. The Gorillas
13. One Family
14. Two Worlds Finale

1999's "Tarzan" movie soundrack isn't really a "proper" Phil Collins album, per se, but Phil does contribute some wonderful tunes to the soundtrack, as well as some killer tribal rhythms & beats that perfectly fit this animated Disney hit about the legendary ape man. Of course there's the gorgeous "You'll Be In My Heart," for which Phil won his well-deserved Oscar for Best Song, but also the equally-powerful "Two Worlds," the fun "Trashin' The Camp," and the skillful pop of "Son Of Man" and "Strangers Like Me." There's also incredible orchestral music that makes up the album's second-half, written by Mark Mancina, which Phil contributes drums to.Okay, so I could've done without NSync's guest duet with Phil on the second version of "Trashin' The Camp," but otherwise, this is a marvelous soundtrack album, with some classic Phil Collins music. The "Tarzan" movie soundtrack is a very swingin' disc in my book. - Alan Caylow (USA)

Release Date: 05/18/1999

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Love Songs: A Compilation...Old and New

Disc: 1
1. Tearing And Breaking
2. Do You Remember?
3. One More Night
4. Against All Odds
5. Can't Turn Back The Years
6. Groovy Kind Of Love
7. Everyday
8. Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away
9. Please Come Out Tonight
10. This Must Be Love
11. It's In Your Eyes
12. Can't Stop Loving You

Disc: 2
1. Testify
2. True Colours
3. You'll Be In My Heart
4. If Leaving Me Is Easy
5. I've Been Trying
6. I've Forgotten Everything
7. Somewhere
8. Least You Can Do
9. Two Hearts
10. Separate Lives (Live)
11. My Girl (Live)
12. Always (Live)
13. The Way You Look Tonight (Live)

If music really can soothe a savage beast, this CD would have been all Van Helsing needed to get through Dracula - plus all his offspring, and all Dean Koontz heroes (from his man-fiddling-with-nature stories) would only need a CD player to end the story swiftly on a quiet note.

This is a gigantic collection of ballads, with every slow Phil Collins song you ever (and never) heard of. Even fans of Phil's would consider themselves full with two CD's of slow songs - a somnambulist's dream.

You know most of the songs by heart, and maybe the perfect time to listen to this would be on a romantic evening with the rain falling softly outside.

Warning: Do NOT listen to this album while operating heavy machinery, while driving on a highway, or while driving heavy machinery down a highway. -- Amanda Richards "Modest to the extreme" (Georgetown, Guyana)

This album shines beautifully with great songs...both discs are great but the second disc is a masterpiece...every track and i mean everyone is superb....excellent mastering provides audiophile sound quality...price range from $11.00 for good quality "Like NEW" cd..grab it now. -- Hudson G TANNIS "DR.GROOVE" (LAURELTON, NEW YORK United States)

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No Jacket Required

1. Sussudio
2. Only You Know And I Know
3. Long Long Way To Go
4. I Don't Wanna Know
5. One More Night
6. Don't Lose My Number
7. Who Said I Would
8. Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore
9. Inside Out
10. Take Me Home
11. We Said Hello Goodbye

"No Jacket Required" is one of those must have albums.
In 1985-86, Phil Collins career was at it's mountain-top. Quite fittingly, his best album is also from that span, No Jacket Required. It spent nearly 2 months atop the charts. And it spun off a handful of mammoth singles: "Sussudio", "One more night", "Don't lose my number" and "Take me home". "Who said I would" also garnered a decent amount of time on the airwaves.

The liner notes are terrific. The all red back cover was a nice touch. There's no lyrics, but it gives thank-you's, credits, who-played what on each song and also gives info on where everything was recorded.

There's something for everyone here. "No Jacket Required" had a diverse set of songs, among them Up-Beat pop tracks, eloquent ballads, and prog-rock throwbacks. Daryl Sturmer played all the guitar tracks and his superb tone adds depth.

Here's my track-by-track analysis:

"Sussudio"-A number one hit, the keyboard line sounding Similar to "1999" by Prince, some have said TOO similar but personally that doesn't diminsh the song's quality one bit. The bass and horn section only boosts it's catchiness.

"Only you know and I know"-A semi-pop track with a great synth hook. The lyrical matter is more or less summed up in it's title.

"Long Long way to go"- A moody, atmospheric track. The decision to have Sting sing the background vocals was genius. It enhances the effect ten-fold.

"I don't wanna know"- Phil sings about a relationship ending, and having no interest in hearing that she regrets it. He was warned not to give his heart to her, cuz she wouldn't give it back. The prominent guitar here is a far-cry from the adult contemporary sound he'd soon delve into.

"One More Night"-Another Chart topper. Terrific ballad, truly heartfelt. It's about acknowledging one's human-ness "If I stumble, if I fall, just help me back/so I can make you see/Please give me one more night". The verse after the second chorus really drives the song home "Like a river to the see/I will always be with you/And if you sail away/I will follow you."

"Don't lose my number"-A TOP 5 SMASH, yet it was inexplicably left off his Greatest Hits album. That's barely forgivable. This song is one of all-time favorites. It kicks off with a nice drum beat. The hook for this song is sharp as a fisherman's. The lyrics are a message to a person, named Billy. I'm still not sure who Billy is. Lyrics: "He never meant to do anything wrong, it's gonna get worse if he waits too long/Billy, Billy don't you my number/ Cuz you're not anywhere that I can find you". This song was obviously written before Cell Phones. The video for this song was good, experts kept walking into Phil's office to suggest idea's, One being set in the old west, the other's being parodies of "Every breath you take" by the Police,

"Who said I would"-Starts off with a nice intro, it keeps a steady beat throughout. It has a full platter of Synths, Horns, and vocal effects.

"Doesn't anybody stay together anymore"-The instrumentation sounds like Peter Gabriel-era Genesis. The drums during the chorus are loud, with a driving bass line, quickly sedgewaying into quieter verses. The lyrics tell about things we all do, and tackles confusion in romance, which in actuality are really nothing new.

"Inside out"-Has fine drumming (Hey it's Phil Collins, you're guaranteed that). The slow-down sections are especially pleasant, with a saxophone playing.

Take me home" was recently sampled in a rap song by bone-thugs-n-harmony, it falls under the ballad category, though at the same time it's more cheerful and contains an incessant chorus. Phil's old Genesis buddy Peter Gabriel sings the background vocals.

"We said hello goodbye" is a slower, tear-jerking ballad, I used to dislike this song because it's a far cry from the many up-beat numbers here, but upon realization, it's the perfect closer.

"No Jacket Required" rightly won the Grammy award for 1985 album of the year. This is Phil Collins best solo offering - Bar None. -- Stretch (Boston, MA)

Release Date: 10/25/1990

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Face Value

1. In The Air Tonight
2. This Must Be Love
3. Behind The Lines
4. The Roof Is Leaking
5. Droned
6. Hand In Hand
7. I Missed Again
8. You Know What I Mean
9. Thunder And Lightning
10. I'm Not Moving
11. If Leaving Me Is Easy
12. Tomorrow Never Knows

With the release of Genesis's Duke album, which featured "Misunderstanding," it was clear that the group was approaching the mainstream more and more. The next step would be Abacab, but before that, lead singer and drummer Phil Collins would release his first solo album, Face Value, an album of longing that also details the emotional wasteland of a sundered relationship. As if to test the waters, he did a more pop updating of "Behind The Lines," originally on Duke, with speeded up vocals and a snazzy brass section (as opposed to the soundscape of Tony Banks' keyboards, such as the instrumental opening) that would become a calling card on his subsequent solo albums.

Two singles from that album both reached #19 on the charts. The first one was the upbeat "I Missed Again," highlighted by a strong brass section. The other, "In The Air Tonight," a UK #2, is one of Collins' signature tunes, with its moody and atmospheric keyboards highlighted by Collins' haunting vocals, and the snarl of Daryl Steurmer's guitar. The chorus itself has an eerie echoing effect that matches the minimalist sound, as does the electronic gimmickery of the vocals. The song and sound then burst to a crescendo when Collins lets loose with the drums through the rest of the song.

There are other surprises present, such as the instrumental "Droned," which begins with a slow piano and violins, an airy soundscape, before going full throttle with an uptempo conga and piano section, the violin turning more folky, and Collins' vocalizing proving that Peter Gabriel doesn't have the monopoly on droning vocals. That yields to "Hand In Hand," beginning as a sci-fi Giorgio Moroder-type instrumental (think Metropolis soundtrack) that features the Children from the Church of LA as a choir, before launching into an uptempo brass and piano soul number. "I'm Not Moving" is the closest thing to disco Collins would do until "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven" nearly a decade later,

One of the other highlights is the piano and strings of the post-breakup tune "You Know What I Mean," the emotional devastation which can be felt: "leave me alone with my heart/I'm putting the pieces back together again/just leave me alone with my dreams/I can do without you..." "If Leaving Me Is Easy," with its sad sax, is another melancholy song along the same vein, but this time through the presence of old letters and the false front one put with friends. Collins' pain is felt through the strained vocals, as he sagely sings the refrain in an eerie falsetto, "if leaving me is easy, going back is harder."

"The Roof Is Leaking" details the hardships of a rural family living in poverty, but with the hope of the coming spring. Daryl Steurmer is on banjo here instead of his usual guitar. Other songs are more optimistic, such as the slower and leisurely melodic "This Must Be Love." My opinion on his cover of the Beatles' LSD-influenced "Tomorrow Never Knows" is mixed, as nothing compares to the original, but I do credit him with the swirling noise and sound bursts that duplicate another kind of trip. And if one listens carefully at the fade-out, he sings a snatch of "Over The Rainbow."

At this point, Phil Collins had enough to create a different sound from the one he was doing with Genesis, and it shows in his wondrous solo debut. -- Daniel J. Hamlow (Chikusei City, Japan)

Release Date: 10/25/1990

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Hello, I Must Be Going!

1. I Don't Care Anymore
2. I Cannot Believe It's True
3. Like China
4. Do You Know, Do You Care?
5. You Can't Hurry Love
6. It Don't Matter To Me
7. Thru These Walls
8. Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away
9. The West Side
10. Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning

Another Genesis album, Abacab, was followed a year later by another Phil Collins solo album. Hello, I Must Be Going was a clear indication of the Earth, Wind, & Fire type soul-pop that would yield the Grammy-winning No Jacket Required. For the most part, gone were the "weird" songs like "In The Air Tonight" or the cover of "Tomorrow Never Knows." His note-for-note cover of the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love," which went to #10, is ample evidence of the pop/soul direction that would hit pay dirt later on. It's still infectious and has its place in the 80's, a decade and a half before the original hit #1.

The closest thing to "In The Air Tonight," with the airy synths, is "Thru These Walls," of how loneliness feeds upon the need to listen with a glass to the wall or stare out at the window at goings on, where a genuine need to touch someone isn't an option in the cold world. Next up is the disgust and apathy of being ridiculed and having one's name dragged in the dirt of "I Don't Care Anymore," which made it to #39. However, there was none of the haunting eeriness which made "Air" a hit. The slow "Do You Know Do You Care" has a droning synth and guitars, with Collins' vocals overlaid on that airy soundscape. It sounds more like later day Genesis, come to think of it.

The third single, the upbeat "I Cannot Believe It's True," only made it to #79 despite the snazzy horns. This is puzzling given how similar-sounding singles by him shot to the Top Ten in later years. The Phenix Horns, his brass band, gives this song, and others like "It Don't Matter To Me" quite the kick.

Two piano ballads are "Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away," which gains a bit of momentum with his steady drumming, the strings matching the pounded piano chords, and the sad but tender "Why Can't It Wait Till Morning," which is Phil on piano, the strings, and nothing else. Another singleworthy song and one of my favourites here.

Collins was also at the producer's helm this time, with assistance from Hugh Padgham, the brains behind Face Value and the Police's Synchronicity, and would continue with him in his Grammy-winning triumph. And Daryl Steurmer, whose snarling guitar would be most noticeable in "Don't Lose My Number," has guitar chores here.

Whereas Face Value showed many sides of Collins, this is basically a prelude to the hit that No Jacket Required would become. Maybe call this No Vest Required? Yet one can't help but think that Collins' solo success also fed upon the success of his group. Following this, Genesis would gain their first Top Ten hit with "That's All," and during that time, Collins would pave the way to superstardom with a few non-album hits and some big events. So, goodbye, I must be going. -- Daniel J. Hamlow (Chikusei City, Japan)

Release Date: 10/25/1990

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