An early theme in Collins’ music, although never specifically mentioned in his albums, involved his then-recent divorce. Two songs he wrote on the Genesis album Duke, "Please Don't Ask" and the Top 20 hit "Misunderstanding", dealt with failed relationships. One year earlier he had produced and played drums on John Martyn's Grace and Danger, an album whose main theme is also marriage breakup. With the recording of his first solo album, Face Value, Collins attributed his divorce as his main influence.[19]
Collins’ marital frustrations formed the bulk of his first solo album as well as his second album, Hello, I Must Be Going!. With songs such as "In The Air Tonight" and "I Don't Care Anymore", Collins’ early albums had a dark presence, usually heavy on the drums. Regarding Face Value, he says, "I had a wife, two children, two dogs, and the next day I didn't have anything. So a lot of these songs were written because I was going through these emotional changes."[20] There were occasional poppier influences – Face Value's "Behind the Lines", for example, was a jazzy remake of a Genesis song he co-wrote. Face Value was a critical and multi-platinum success, and saw Collins’ profile increase further. Hello, I Must Be Going! gave him a UK #1 for his cover of The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love". The album went triple-platinum in the United States like its predecessor and the Supremes cover was his first Top 10 US hit (it also hit the Top 10 of Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart). The album also reached #2 on the UK album chart, spending well over a year there.
In 1982 he produced Something's Going On, a solo album by Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida), of ABBA fame. Frida, who had just parted with bandmate and husband Benny Andersson, had been impressed by Collins's solo efforts. Consequently, she approached Collins with her own solo project. The resulting album, featuring Collins on drums, spawned the 1982–83 international smash hit "I Know There's Something Going On" (Russ Ballard) and Collins’ duet with Frida titled "Here We'll Stay." An edit featuring Frida on all vocals was released as a single. Two years previously, he had contributed drums to Peter Gabriel's third self-titled record, which was the first record to feature Collins’ signature "gated reverb" sound, used on a song called "Intruder". As the story goes, Gabriel "didn't want any metal on the record" and asked him to leave his cymbals at home, to concentrate on the sound of his kit more heavily than usual. Studio engineer Hugh Padgham augmented this drum style by using a special microphone (which was intended for studio communication rather than recording) and feeding it through a signal compressor. The result was the "gated reverb" sound which Collins made famous. This was the same 'big drum sound' used on such songs as "In The Air Tonight", and "Mama" by Genesis.
A turning point in Collins’ musical style came when he was asked to compose the title track for the film Against All Odds, a song which he re-worked to become "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" from an original Face Value session out-take entitled "How Can You Sit There?". The emotionally charged ballad shot to #1 in the US and #2 in the UK.
In 1984, Collins produced Philip Bailey's Chinese Wall album. He performed a duet on one of the album's tracks, "Easy Lover" which went to #2 on the U.S. pop chart and spent four weeks at #1 in the UK. Collins worked with the horn section of Bailey's band, Earth, Wind & Fire (later known as the Phoenix Horns) throughout the 1980s, both on solo and Genesis tracks. By the end of 1984, Collins participated in Bob Geldof's Band Aid charity project, as well as, playing drums on the Band Aid single "Feed The World (Do They Know It's Christmas)", a drum part he laid down in one take (while being filmed).
Collins’ marital frustrations formed the bulk of his first solo album as well as his second album, Hello, I Must Be Going!. With songs such as "In The Air Tonight" and "I Don't Care Anymore", Collins’ early albums had a dark presence, usually heavy on the drums. Regarding Face Value, he says, "I had a wife, two children, two dogs, and the next day I didn't have anything. So a lot of these songs were written because I was going through these emotional changes."[20] There were occasional poppier influences – Face Value's "Behind the Lines", for example, was a jazzy remake of a Genesis song he co-wrote. Face Value was a critical and multi-platinum success, and saw Collins’ profile increase further. Hello, I Must Be Going! gave him a UK #1 for his cover of The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love". The album went triple-platinum in the United States like its predecessor and the Supremes cover was his first Top 10 US hit (it also hit the Top 10 of Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart). The album also reached #2 on the UK album chart, spending well over a year there.
In 1982 he produced Something's Going On, a solo album by Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida), of ABBA fame. Frida, who had just parted with bandmate and husband Benny Andersson, had been impressed by Collins's solo efforts. Consequently, she approached Collins with her own solo project. The resulting album, featuring Collins on drums, spawned the 1982–83 international smash hit "I Know There's Something Going On" (Russ Ballard) and Collins’ duet with Frida titled "Here We'll Stay." An edit featuring Frida on all vocals was released as a single. Two years previously, he had contributed drums to Peter Gabriel's third self-titled record, which was the first record to feature Collins’ signature "gated reverb" sound, used on a song called "Intruder". As the story goes, Gabriel "didn't want any metal on the record" and asked him to leave his cymbals at home, to concentrate on the sound of his kit more heavily than usual. Studio engineer Hugh Padgham augmented this drum style by using a special microphone (which was intended for studio communication rather than recording) and feeding it through a signal compressor. The result was the "gated reverb" sound which Collins made famous. This was the same 'big drum sound' used on such songs as "In The Air Tonight", and "Mama" by Genesis.
A turning point in Collins’ musical style came when he was asked to compose the title track for the film Against All Odds, a song which he re-worked to become "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" from an original Face Value session out-take entitled "How Can You Sit There?". The emotionally charged ballad shot to #1 in the US and #2 in the UK.
In 1984, Collins produced Philip Bailey's Chinese Wall album. He performed a duet on one of the album's tracks, "Easy Lover" which went to #2 on the U.S. pop chart and spent four weeks at #1 in the UK. Collins worked with the horn section of Bailey's band, Earth, Wind & Fire (later known as the Phoenix Horns) throughout the 1980s, both on solo and Genesis tracks. By the end of 1984, Collins participated in Bob Geldof's Band Aid charity project, as well as, playing drums on the Band Aid single "Feed The World (Do They Know It's Christmas)", a drum part he laid down in one take (while being filmed).
Collins was invited to perform at Live Aid in 1985, Bob Geldof's charity concert, at both Wembley Stadium in England, and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia in the U.S. He accomplished this by performing earlier in the day at Wembley as both a solo artist and alongside Sting (on hiatus from The Police), then boarding a Concorde to perform his solo material, and drum for Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton in Philadelphia. Howard Jones re-recorded his song "No One Is To Blame", off his Dream into Action album, featuring Phil Collins as drummer, backing vocalist, and producer. He has also played drums on singles for Robert Plant and Tina Turner on their respective albums. He also produced and played drums on the Eric Clapton album Behind the Sun as well as the follow-up, August, and his next album Journeyman, and in the last one, he appeared in the videos of "Pretending" and Bad Love. His solo success, as well as his concurrent career with Genesis, led to a 1985 cover story in Rolling Stone, with the tag reading "Phil Collins Beats the Odds".
Collins released his most successful album, No Jacket Required, earlier that same year. It contained the hits "Sussudio", "One More Night", "Don't Lose My Number" and "Take Me Home". The album featured Sting, Helen Terry and ex-bandmate Peter Gabriel as backing vocalists. He also recorded the successful song "Separate Lives", a duet with Marilyn Martin, and an American number one, for the movie White Nights. Collins had three American number one songs in 1985, the most by any artist that year.[21] No Jacket Required went on to win several Grammy awards including one for Album of the Year.
No Jacket Required received criticism that the album was too safe despite its upbeat reviews and commercial success. A positive review by David Fricke of Rolling Stone ended, "After years on the art-rock fringe, Collins has established himself firmly in the middle of the road. Perhaps he should consider testing himself and his new fans' expectations next time around."[22] "Sussudio" also drew criticism for sounding too similar to Prince’s "1999", a charge that Collins did not deny.[23] Nevertheless, the album went straight to #1 in the US and UK.
"Don't Lose My Number"'s B-side, the ballad "We Said Hello Goodbye" was rediscovered in 1987 by some Midwestern radio programmers who began playing it, and it soon became a nationwide radio hit. It was later included on the No Jacket Required CD. (A different version of the tune had also appeared on the soundtrack to the 1986 film Playing for Keeps.)
In 1988, Collins starred in the movie Buster about the Great Train Robbery, which took place in England in the 1960s. The movie generated good reviews and Collins did three songs for the movie; "Two Hearts" - which he co-wrote with Motown songwriter, Lamont Dozier - "A Groovy Kind of Love" (originally a 1966 hit for The Mindbenders; lyrics by Toni Wine, and music by Carole Bayer Sager, but with the melody of the Rondo section of Muzio Clementi's "Sonatina in G major," op. 36 no. 5.), and thirdly he did the lyrics and music for the song "Loco In Acapulco", performed by the legendary Four Tops.
In 1989, Collins produced another successful album, ...But Seriously, featuring the anti-homelessness anthem "Another Day in Paradise", with David Crosby on backing vocals. (Collins later went on to co-write, sing and play on the song "Hero" on Crosby's 1993 album Thousand Roads.) Another Day in Paradise went to Number 1 on the Billboard Charts at the end of 1989 and won Collins a Grammy for Record of the Year (1990). In the process, it became the last #1 US pop hit of the 1980s. The album "...But Seriously" became the first #1 US album of the 1990s. Other songs included "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven", "Do You Remember?" (not released in the UK), and "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (the latter featuring Clapton on guitar). Songs about apartheid and homelessness demonstrated Collins’ turn to politically-driven material. This theme recurred on his later albums. A live album, Serious Hits... Live!, followed.
Collins’ record sales began to drop with the 1993 release of Both Sides, a largely experimental album which, according to Collins, included songs that "were becoming so personal, so private, I didn't want anyone else's input".[24] Featuring a less polished sound and fewer up-tempo songs than his previous albums, Both Sides was a significant departure. Collins used no backing musicians, performed all the vocal and instrumental parts at his home studio, and used rough vocal takes for the final product. The album was not well received by radio. Its two biggest hits were "Both Sides of the Story" and "Everyday".
Collins attempted a return to poppier music with Dance into the Light, which Entertainment Weekly reviewed by saying that "(e)ven Phil Collins must know that we all grew weary of Phil Collins."[25] It included minor hits such as the title track and the Beatles-inspired "It’s in Your Eyes". Although the album went Gold in the US, it sold considerably less than his previous albums. Only the title track made a brief appearance on Collins’ then forthcoming Hits collection. Despite this, its subsequent tour regularly sold out arenas.
In 1996, Collins formed The Phil Collins Big Band. With Collins as drummer, the band performed jazz renditions of Collins’ and Genesis's hits. The Phil Collins Big Band did a world tour in 1998 that included a performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In 1999, the group released the CD A Hot Night in Paris including big band versions of "Invisible Touch", "Sussudio", and the more obscure "The Los Endos Suite" from A Trick of the Tail.
A Hits album released in 1998 was very successful, returning Collins to multi-platinum status in America. The album’s sole new track, a cover of the Cyndi Lauper hit "True Colors," received considerable play on the Adult Contemporary charts while peaking at #2.[26] Some of Collins’ earlier hits (e.g. "I Missed Again", "If Leaving Me Is Easy", etc.) and other successes were left off of this compilation.
Collins' next single, "You'll Be in My Heart", from the Disney movie Tarzan, spent 19 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart - the longest time ever up to that point - and Collins obtained an Oscar. It was his third nomination in the songwriters category, having been previously nominated in 1984.
Metacritic's roundup of album reviews found his most recent studio album, 2002's Testify, to be the worst-reviewed album by the time of its release, though it has since been "surpassed" by three more recent releases.[27] The album's "Can't Stop Loving You" (a Leo Sayer cover) was yet another #1 Adult Contemporary smash hit for Collins. Testify sold 140,000 copies in the United States by year's end, although a successful worldwide tour followed.[28]
Collins released his most successful album, No Jacket Required, earlier that same year. It contained the hits "Sussudio", "One More Night", "Don't Lose My Number" and "Take Me Home". The album featured Sting, Helen Terry and ex-bandmate Peter Gabriel as backing vocalists. He also recorded the successful song "Separate Lives", a duet with Marilyn Martin, and an American number one, for the movie White Nights. Collins had three American number one songs in 1985, the most by any artist that year.[21] No Jacket Required went on to win several Grammy awards including one for Album of the Year.
No Jacket Required received criticism that the album was too safe despite its upbeat reviews and commercial success. A positive review by David Fricke of Rolling Stone ended, "After years on the art-rock fringe, Collins has established himself firmly in the middle of the road. Perhaps he should consider testing himself and his new fans' expectations next time around."[22] "Sussudio" also drew criticism for sounding too similar to Prince’s "1999", a charge that Collins did not deny.[23] Nevertheless, the album went straight to #1 in the US and UK.
"Don't Lose My Number"'s B-side, the ballad "We Said Hello Goodbye" was rediscovered in 1987 by some Midwestern radio programmers who began playing it, and it soon became a nationwide radio hit. It was later included on the No Jacket Required CD. (A different version of the tune had also appeared on the soundtrack to the 1986 film Playing for Keeps.)
In 1988, Collins starred in the movie Buster about the Great Train Robbery, which took place in England in the 1960s. The movie generated good reviews and Collins did three songs for the movie; "Two Hearts" - which he co-wrote with Motown songwriter, Lamont Dozier - "A Groovy Kind of Love" (originally a 1966 hit for The Mindbenders; lyrics by Toni Wine, and music by Carole Bayer Sager, but with the melody of the Rondo section of Muzio Clementi's "Sonatina in G major," op. 36 no. 5.), and thirdly he did the lyrics and music for the song "Loco In Acapulco", performed by the legendary Four Tops.
In 1989, Collins produced another successful album, ...But Seriously, featuring the anti-homelessness anthem "Another Day in Paradise", with David Crosby on backing vocals. (Collins later went on to co-write, sing and play on the song "Hero" on Crosby's 1993 album Thousand Roads.) Another Day in Paradise went to Number 1 on the Billboard Charts at the end of 1989 and won Collins a Grammy for Record of the Year (1990). In the process, it became the last #1 US pop hit of the 1980s. The album "...But Seriously" became the first #1 US album of the 1990s. Other songs included "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven", "Do You Remember?" (not released in the UK), and "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (the latter featuring Clapton on guitar). Songs about apartheid and homelessness demonstrated Collins’ turn to politically-driven material. This theme recurred on his later albums. A live album, Serious Hits... Live!, followed.
Collins’ record sales began to drop with the 1993 release of Both Sides, a largely experimental album which, according to Collins, included songs that "were becoming so personal, so private, I didn't want anyone else's input".[24] Featuring a less polished sound and fewer up-tempo songs than his previous albums, Both Sides was a significant departure. Collins used no backing musicians, performed all the vocal and instrumental parts at his home studio, and used rough vocal takes for the final product. The album was not well received by radio. Its two biggest hits were "Both Sides of the Story" and "Everyday".
Collins attempted a return to poppier music with Dance into the Light, which Entertainment Weekly reviewed by saying that "(e)ven Phil Collins must know that we all grew weary of Phil Collins."[25] It included minor hits such as the title track and the Beatles-inspired "It’s in Your Eyes". Although the album went Gold in the US, it sold considerably less than his previous albums. Only the title track made a brief appearance on Collins’ then forthcoming Hits collection. Despite this, its subsequent tour regularly sold out arenas.
In 1996, Collins formed The Phil Collins Big Band. With Collins as drummer, the band performed jazz renditions of Collins’ and Genesis's hits. The Phil Collins Big Band did a world tour in 1998 that included a performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In 1999, the group released the CD A Hot Night in Paris including big band versions of "Invisible Touch", "Sussudio", and the more obscure "The Los Endos Suite" from A Trick of the Tail.
A Hits album released in 1998 was very successful, returning Collins to multi-platinum status in America. The album’s sole new track, a cover of the Cyndi Lauper hit "True Colors," received considerable play on the Adult Contemporary charts while peaking at #2.[26] Some of Collins’ earlier hits (e.g. "I Missed Again", "If Leaving Me Is Easy", etc.) and other successes were left off of this compilation.
Collins' next single, "You'll Be in My Heart", from the Disney movie Tarzan, spent 19 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart - the longest time ever up to that point - and Collins obtained an Oscar. It was his third nomination in the songwriters category, having been previously nominated in 1984.
Metacritic's roundup of album reviews found his most recent studio album, 2002's Testify, to be the worst-reviewed album by the time of its release, though it has since been "surpassed" by three more recent releases.[27] The album's "Can't Stop Loving You" (a Leo Sayer cover) was yet another #1 Adult Contemporary smash hit for Collins. Testify sold 140,000 copies in the United States by year's end, although a successful worldwide tour followed.[28]
The hip-hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony recorded a remake of the song "Take Me Home" titled "Home" on their album Thug World Order. The song features verses by the group, with the chorus sung by Collins. Though the BTNH-Collins collaboration was highly criticized in the United States (for example, VH1 rated it #9 on its "top 20 least hip-hop moments in history), it received so much positive reception in the UK that Bone Thugs decided to name Collins an honorary member under the moniker "Chrome Bone". Collins reported losing his hearing in one ear, and in 2003 announced his last solo tour.[30] He called it the "First Final Farewell Tour", a tongue-in-cheek reference to the multiple farewell tours of other popular artists. He continued touring through 2006 while working with Disney on a Broadway production of Tarzan, a musical which received generally poor reviews. In 2007, Collins reunited with his Genesis bandmates for a tour of Europe and North America. He accepted an invitation to drum for the "house band" celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. He has played drums for Paul McCartney, Ozzy Osbourne, Cliff Richard as well as Eric Clapton.
