Defend Phil Collins

That's great. He's such a musical drummer, I can see why he pairs well with someone else. I could watch him and Steve Jordan play all day.

Totally forgot "Against All Odds" was nominated for an Oscar. But it's no "Tarzan."

I think Against All Odds might be the best of his spate of self-pitying and self-righteous and bitter ballads.

love the bit where phil plays 'going to a gogo' with the letterman band in that video above - have always adored that opening drum lick.

I actually like "Against All Odds", it's better when you get the movie and video out of your head, you can think of your own situation, someone who left you, and really feel it, man.

welcome to the gay experience

really feel it, man.

Phil sure does.

I think Phil the wounded soul belter gets a bad rap. HIs vox on this and "I Don't Care Anymore" are great. Not in the real soul man sense, but better than, I don't know, Michael Bolton. Like, you might not like his voice, but I don't think anyone would say he's not singing the hell out of these.

that legendary oscars performance of against all odds, which phil moans about in the letterman clip above
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWNvlT44nlw

are the poles really Michael Bolton vs soul?. Collins is a fine pop singer except when he bellows.

But I like the bellowing. He only does it when he is really feeling it.

ahah. I have always liked "Against All Odds". Ever since I was a kid !
I'm all for cheesy 80s ballads.
and more generally, I find PhilCo OK.
For all the terrible and uncool aspects about him many of his songs have a nostalgic impact on me.
the sound of more simple, superficial days...

Against All Odds is like the king of 'you treated me like crap so i killed myself i bet you feel bad now' balladry

precisely why I like it !
(no, actually, it's only for the music since I have never cared for the lyrics).

i'm with weller on this: the bitterest phil is hard to swallow

Pretty great episode of This American Life where they randomly call up Phil Collins to school them on how to write a break-up song. Seems like a good dude:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/339/break-up

love the bit where phil plays 'going to a gogo' with the letterman band in that video above - have always adored that opening drum lick.

― #Research (stevie), Thursday, February 5, 2015 10:45 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, that's a great bit. I wonder if Phil saw the Letterman appearance as an opportunity to remind those who might've forgotten that he was also (and still) a drummer.

This thread has a terrible side-effect : It makes me want to listen to PhilCo for the first time since... the early 90s !
Beware spotify !

by the way, for those interested in PhilCo AND football : the classic pep music for the entrance of the players of PSG at Parc des Princes is "who said I would" !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRRh-AOh-Nk

As a kid, I was a sucker for that '80s archetype of the loveable shlub embodied by Phil, Huey Lewis, Bill Murray, etc.

I also linked him in my brain with Robin Williams, maybe because they were both irrepressible hams who were absolutely everywhere that decade. An association made worrying by RW's suicide and PC's late struggles with what sounds like depression.

Steve Jordan with the tambourine swag on that Letterman clip. man, Phil was (and probably is) a great drummer.

i thought he had back issues that made it hard for him to play now :(

this is so ill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA3rJXV4R4E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpul9Xmjlv4

Best Phil story ever:

"There’s a great little anecdote from Phil Collins in the latest issue of either Uncut or Mojo (I forget which). Apparently Phil played congas on “Art of Dying” on a session for All Things Must Pass, but there were no congas in the final mix and he wasn’t credited on the album. Years later, when he heard that George was remastering ATMP, he mentioned this to a mutual friend. A few days later, a tape showed up in the mail with a note from George saying “is this you”? Phil played the tape and heard a version of “Art of Dying” with absolutely horrible congas, at the end of which he could hear George saying to Phil Spector “let’s try it again without the conga player.” Phil was mortified. A few days later, George called and asked if he got the tape. Phil started to say George didn’t have to embarrass him like that, but George laughingly interrupted and said that it wasn’t really Phil’s congas, that he had Ray Cooper play really bad congas on purpose and sent it to Phil as a joke, and that Phil’s congas were fine. Phil was finally credited on the ATMP reissue."

George is awesome.

i imagine that there's a cryptic reference to linda mccartney's legendary backing vocals in that practical joke

that is a fantastic fantastic story

yeah, reading that was a cracking start to the day.

i keep hearing this thread title as the name of an action movie

starring Jason Statham.

i keep hearing this thread title as the name of an action movie

ahahah. after "saving private ryan".

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Phil-Collins-made-an-honorary-Texan-by-the-6127933.php

"You'll Be In My Heart" is the most touching Academy Award winning song from a Disney movie released in 1999, hands down.

Been looking forward to this interview...I'm only halfway through but Phil sounds like a battered and humble(d?) dude these days.
http://www.thetrapset.net/127-phil-collins-genesis-brand-x-phil-collins/

It's easy to think, due to the number of years that he'd been around and the amount of things he'd been involved with, that Phil Collins was older at his No Jacket Required commercial peak than he actually was, but in fact he was only 34.

Anyway, while I've a soft spot for Collins fronted Genesis (in particular A Trick of the Tail, Duke and Invisible Touch), I never really warmed to his solo stuff for many years. However, recently I've begun to appreciate some - although not all - of the tracks from the first four solo albums. There's some genuinely nice stuff on Face Value and Hello, I Must Be Going, and I've grown fond of some of the "darker" moments on No Jacket Required ... 'Long Long Way to Go' and 'Take Me Home' in particular, although 'One More Night' has been hitting the spot for me recently. Of course, I'm still not 100% taken with his excessive use of horns, but on some tracks they work well (as on 'Something Happened On the Way to Heaven', for example)

...But Seriously is a better record than most give it credit for, actually.

But yeah, as the years go by I'm beginning to find the level of scorn that Collins attracts to be ridiculously over the top pretty much most of the time. There are, and have been, far far far bigger jerks in music, and a lot of the bile thrown Collins' way seems petty.

Compared to Billy Joel he's practically a saint.

He's good and defensible up and through No Jacket, and with Genesis even the last record. I don't think I've heard his last four solo records, and don't recognize a single song title save "Wear My Hat," which I only know from when I saw him live last tour and it was a goofy novelty number. He's playing here Monday but I don't think I'll be able to catch it. US tour at least is relatively modest, heard it might have been due to concerns about his health.

Like, on one hand you have disgruntled Genesis fans who blame Collins for the way the band developed in the '80s, which isn't really fair given that all members of Genesis were equally responsible - not to mention they were making music appropriate to, inspired by and a reaction to the time. If they'd put an album like Nursery Cryme out in 1981, they would have been criticised for it. On another hand, it just seems like sour grapes and jealousy that Collins was everywhere and super successful on a huge scale.

(x-post)

But he worked for it! He worked his butt off for it. And he was nothing but a drummer her still would have been one of the best drummers of all time.

He's playing here Monday but I don't think I'll be able to catch it. US tour at least is relatively modest, heard it might have been due to concerns about his health.

― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, October 18, 2018 6:48 PM (eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, I've heard he's actually sitting down for the gigs and struggles to walk without a cane. I haven't seen any footage of his recent tour though, so I don't know what shape his voice is in right now.

I've begun to realise recently that for a guy that made his name as one of the greatest drummers in progressive rock, that I really love his voice and find his singing - when it's at its finest - unbeatable.

Like, fucking hell his vocal on 'Mama' is some real hairs-standing-up-on-the-back-of-the-neck shit.

as per my previously mentioned charity boxset find, I have enjoyed the albums far more than I ever expected to.
basically, yeah, he definitely got a lot more shit than he deserved.

But he worked for it! He worked his butt off for it. And he was nothing but a drummer her still would have been one of the best drummers of all time.

― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, October 18, 2018 6:58 PM (seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Absolutely, you can't really fault his work ethic. Not just Genesis and solo, but Brand X and all those guest appearances. Speaking of which, is there a list anywhere of all the stuff Collins played on over the years?

It's funny - there's been more than a few artists over the years that have been all about clinging to their supposed "arty" credentials, and just as many that want to be million-selling pop stars. During his career, Collins has been both a huge pop star and a cult art-rock hero.

“Misunderstanding”is pretty great but “Easy Lover” is f’in all-time

Absolutely, you can't really fault his work ethic. Not just Genesis and solo, but Brand X and all those guest appearances. Speaking of which, is there a list anywhere of all the stuff Collins played on over the years?

http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/phil-collins-plays-well-with-others/

“Misunderstanding”is pretty great but “Easy Lover” is f’in all-time

― calstars, Thursday, October 18, 2018 7:20 PM (twenty-six minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I love both, fwiw!

Yeah turrican you are def otm

collins drumming on gabriel 3 all time

Just found out Phil sang this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyagd2EvwDU

http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/phil-collins-plays-well-with-others/

― mark e, Thursday, October 18, 2018 7:23 PM (thirty-two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Even that doesn't seem to be close to exhaustive - the people in the comments section are pointing out so much that's missing that it's making my head spin.

Talking about Gabriel, nobody ever thought he was the fucking antichrist when he did his version of a pop album with So.

"Just found out Phil sang this"

it says "vocals: phil" on the back of the album sleeve after the song title!