PHIL COLLINS
Four-disc round-up finds earlier collaborations hitting the spot, naturally.
The energy generated from the amount of support directed by audiences towards Phil Collins when he took over from Peter Gabriel in Genesis could have powered a city. Always accessible and eager to help folks out, even by the time he was fronting the band, Collins had already become a contender for progressive music’s Zelig. Popping up in all sorts of unexpected places, it was a trend that snowballed as his stock went global.
Moving quickly from guest spots with singer-songwriters, jazz rock fusioneers, ambient auteurs and folk legends, his ascent reached giddy heights of Live
Aid Atlantic-hopping, producing pop divas, grooving with R&B artistes and indulging in matey hobnobbing with rock royalty, including Clapton, Plant and a Beatle or two.
It all meant that wherever you looked or listened, Phil Collins was there. Factor in a solo career selling gazillions of units and it’s little wonder that his near-ubiquitousness eroded much of the goodwill accrued during his irresistible rise to the top. Regardless, the breadth of his ubiquity, only some of which is represented on this four-disc set, remains remarkable.
Sadly, the formulaic sleekness of his later songwriting and production, when applied to the work of others, brings a glossy commerciality but dulls any interest. The grander the gig the blander the fare is the rule here. The nearer you get to pop propaganda events such as The Party At The Palace, highlighted on disc four, the more things fall into empty gestures and bigwig big-band backslapping.
If it’s a choice between the rough and the smooth then the former triumphs over the latter, and the first two discs overflow with his infectious energy and push. Brand X’s aptly named Nuclear Burn showcases his fluid, graceful style. An unshowy technique that’s always in service of the music, his work is stellar. If you ever wanted a textbook demonstration of why Collins is one of the very best drummers to have graced stage and studio, look no further.