Philip David Charles Collins
The Solo Success
ow
running two parallel careers at once, it seemed Collins was everywhere.
He won a Grammy for the song "Against all Odds", scored another
hit with "Sussudio" and in Feb 85 he had a chart-topping album
on both sides of the Atlantic with 'No Jacket Required'.
For the Live Aid concerts of 1985, he played a set at Wembley Stadium, jumped on The Concorde and flew to America, where he played in the much anticipated but, as it turned out, very disappointing Led Zeppelin reunion. Even Phil couldn't work miracles. He did however stamp his mark all over the Band Aid single "Do They Know its Christmas".
Always wanting to perform with other artists, Collins dueted with Earth Wind and Fire's Phil Bailey for the "Easy Lover" single, which was another UK No.1 in Mar 85. He also had a US No.1 with "Separate Lives", a duet with Marilyn Martin in Sep 85.
In 1986 Genesis scored another multi-million seller with 'Invisible Touch'. A massive world tour, and a string of hit singles followed. Collins was one of the biggest stars around, either with Genesis or on his own.
He
starred in the 1988 movie "Buster" and notched up another US.
No. 1 single with "Two Hearts". His next solo effort was released
the following year, "…But Seriously"
was again No.1 everywhere and spawned several more hits, with "Another
Day in Paradise" being the biggest.
The Phil Collins live show was all the things he couldn't do with Genesis. Lots of jazzy work outs, plenty of ballads, and no songs about lawnmowers - and he even had his own brass section. The musicianship was of the highest standard, and of course there was plenty of effortless drumming. The ubiquitous live album soon followed, "Serious hits...Live" showed Phil having fun with his band and doing it rather well.
"Both
Sides" from Nov 1993 was very much a solo album with Phil playing
all the instruments and wearing the producer's hat, it topped the UK charts
but peaked at 13 in the US. Genesis then had their biggest ever album.
'We Can't Dance' sold over 15 million copies and they had so many hit
singles that some older fans were hanging up their flares in horror. The
resulting tour filled the worlds biggest stadiums, and maintained the
position as the world's top live act.
In 1996 Collins stunned many fans by announcing his departure from Genesis after 26 years. He decided that a solo career was all he needed, plus the odd soundtrack, world tour etc., and he released another album. "Dance into the Light" had more of a band feel to it, with the odd Gospel tune thrown in for good measure.
His greatest hits, and there was a lot of them, were released as a 'Best Of' in 1998. Put out a few years earlier the sales would have been frightening, but it still put another shiny disc on the studio wall
His
love of big band jazz resulted in an album of his own songs rearranged
for big band, called, "A Hot Night in Paris"
. It swung, got you snapping your fingers, but didn't really trouble the
pop charts, though it charted high in the US Billboard Jazz Charts.
Walt
Disney asked him in to compose the songs to their latest animated feature
"Tarzan", the resulting single, "You'll
be in my Heart", was a major US hit and earned him a prestigious
Oscar award. They even threw in another Grammy and a Golden Globe. He
is currently working on three new Disney projects.
With a new album in the pipeline, and a continued interest in all aspects of his past, Phil Collins has proved that there is no substitute for talent. Not bad for an Artful Dodger from Chiswick.
PAUL RUSSELL
May 2002