Guitars, Drums, Tones, and Saxophones

Phil Collins - No Jacket Required

You know damn well who Phil Collins is. Drummer and singer for Genesis during their “pop” period, and solo artist who embodies everything you associate with cheesy ’80s pop music. Oh yeah, and that kickin’ drum part of that “In the Air Tonight” song. Depending on your age, and/or love of animated film, you might be familiar with his contributions to the soundtrack for Disney’s Tarzan. At any rate, you know Phil.

What you may or may not know is how solid his early solo output was, and is.

Comparing Phil’s early albums to his output with Genesis at the time reveals why he went the solo route with these songs; they’re more personal, and they’re more synth-heavy than the three-piece rock group would probably have felt comfortable putting out.

So this is a straight-up, ’80s pop album. It features a ridiculous amount of synthesizers, very little actual drumming from Phil himself, and some rather somber, introspective songs- think the first 3/4ths of “In the Air Tonight”-  between the more upbeat, driving songs. It kicks off with the great single “Sussudio.” If you’re looking for meaning about what on earth the title means, don’t bother. He said it was just nonsense he sang before writing the lyrics, but couldn’t come up with anything that fit better. Whatever, man! It works, though. Just try not to sing along.

Every time I listen to “Only You Know and I Know,” the first 30 seconds remind me of what I would hear the local news playing as they intro’d the 7 o’clock nightly news. After that, “Long, Long Way to Go” slows things down, and features Sting on backing vocals. It’s a great, quiet song, and Sting’s vocals add a lot to it. These two songs kind of set up the archetypes of the album; the songs either greatly resemble “Only You Know…” or “Long Long Way to Go.” “I Don’t Wanna Know” and “Don’t Lose My Number” are both driving pop tunes, while “One More Night” is like a better version of “Long Long Way to Go,” albeit without Sting.

There are exceptions, of course; closer “Take Me Home” starts softly, and builds up to a rousing finish. “Inside Out” is more of a soaring rock song than just about anything else on the album. If there’s one thing that unifies the songs, it’s the quality; Phil and his occasional co-writers has a hell of a sense of pop hooks, and the songs all manage to work their way into your mind, returning unbeckoned for days after listening to the album. While nothing here matches the emotional intensity of “In the Air Tonight,” this is certainly a strong outing from Phil Collins, and if you can get past the dated synths, there’s a lot of good stuff to be found here.

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