Phil Collins

Phil Collins in concert with Genesis in October 1981
Background information
Born ,
Origin , ,
,
, ,
Years 1969—present

Associated
acts , &
Website
Philip David Charles Collins (born , in , ) is a and . He is best known as the lead and of group and as a and -winning solo artist.
In total, Collins sang the lead vocals on eight chart-toppers between and ; seven as a solo artist and one with Genesis. His singles, often dealing with lost love, ranged from the drum-heavy "", to the dance pop of "", to the political statements of his most successful song, "". His international popularity transformed Genesis from a progressive rock group to a regular on the and an early mainstay.
Collins' professional career began as a drummer, first with obscure rock group and then more famously with Genesis. In Genesis, Collins originally supplied only backing vocals for front man ; it would not be until Gabriel's departure in 1975 that he became the group's lead singer. As the decade closed, Genesis' first international hit, "", demonstrated a drastic change from the band's early years. His concurrent solo career, heavily influenced by his personal life, brought both him and Genesis commercial success. According to , Collins' total worldwide sales as a solo artist, as of 2002, were over 100 million.
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Early life and career
Collins received a toy drum kit for Christmas when he was five. Later, his uncle made him a makeshift one that he used regularly, and he became better. As Collins grew they were followed by more complete sets bought by his parents. He practiced by playing alongside the television and radio, and never learned to read and write conventional ; instead, he uses a system he devised himself.
Collins looked for every opportunity to perform. His professional training began at fourteen when he entered Barbara Speake Stage School. He began a career as a child and , and won his first major role as in a London production of . He appeared as an extra on ' , as part of a crowd scene. He also auditioned for the role of Romeo in (1968).
Despite the beginnings of an acting career, Collins continued to gravitate toward music. While attending "Chiswick Community School" he formed a band called The Real Thing and later joined The Freehold. With the latter group, he wrote his first song titled "Lying Crying Dying".
Collins' first record deal came as drummer for , who released a single album, (1969). A inspired by the recent media attention surrounding the moon landing, Ark 2 failed to make much commercial success despite positive critical reviews. featured the album as "Pop Album of the Month", describing it as "adult music beautifully played with nice tight harmonies". The album's main single, "From Now On", failed on the radio. After a year of touring, band tensions and the lack of commercial success dissolved the group.
Genesis era
Main article:
In 1970, Collins answered a Melody Maker for "...a drummer sensitive to , and acoustic ". Genesis placed the ad after having already lost three drummers over two albums. The audition occurred at the home of Peter Gabriel's parents. Prospective candidates performed tracks from the group's second album, (1970). Collins arrived early, listened to the other auditions and memorised the pieces before his turn.
The music video for 1986's "Land of Confusion" featured the members of Genesis in puppet form. MTV nominated the clip for Video of the Year. From left to right, band members , Phil Collins, and .
Collins won the audition, and a year later, (1971) was released. Although his role would remain drummer and occasional backing vocalist for the next five years, he twice sang lead vocals on "For Absent Friends" (from Nursery Cryme) and "More Fool Me" (from ) (1973).
In 1974, while recording the album , who did the Enossification on Peter's voice was in need of a drummer for his album and Phil was sent to play drums as payment for his doings with the band.
In 1975, following the final tour supporting the concept album , Gabriel left the group to pursue solo projects. Collins became lead vocalist after an unfruitful search for Gabriel's replacement. The group recruited former and drummer and later to play drums during live shows, although Collins continued to play during longer instrumental sections. The first album with Collins as lead vocalist, 1976's , reached the American Top 40, and climbed as high as #3 on the UK charts. Said , "Genesis has managed to turn the possible catastrophe of Gabriel's departure into their first broad-based American success."
Collins simultaneously performed in a jazz fusion group called . The band recorded their first album, , with Collins as drummer. Since he put greater priority in Genesis, there were several Brand X tours and albums released without Collins. He credits Brand X as his first use of a drum machine as well as his first use of a home 8-track tape machine.
As the decade closed, Genesis began a shift from their roots and toward pop music. Although their 1978 album contained progressive rock influences, it also featured their first UK Top 10 and US Top 40 single, "Follow You, Follow Me".
Audio samples:
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The first track from Genesis’ A Trick of the Tail, this was Collins' first appearance as the group's lead singer. A progressive rock track, it contrasts with the style of his later work.
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In the 1980s, the group scored a string of successful albums, including (1980), (1981), (1983) and (1986). The latter album's title track reached number one on the American Billboard charts, the only Genesis song to do so. The group received an "Video of the Year" nomination in 1987 for "", another popular single from the album, although ironically they lost to Gabriel's solo hit, "Sledgehammer". Reviews were generally positive, with Rolling Stone's J.D. Considine stating, "every tune is carefully pruned so that each flourish delivers not an instrumental epiphany but a solid hook."
Collins left Genesis in 1996 to focus on his solo career. The last studio album with him as the lead singer was 1991's . He and Gabriel reunited with other Genesis members in 1999 to re-record "The Carpet Crawlers" for Genesis' . Recently, he discussed being open to reuniting with Genesis. Collins stated he preferred returning if Gabriel took the vocals and he performed as drummer. There are no official plans announced of a reunion.
Solo career
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 (1980), "Please Don't Ask" and "Misunderstanding", dealt with failed relationships. With the recording of his first solo album, (1981), Collins attributed his divorce as his main influence.
Collins’ marital frustrations formed the bulk of his first solo album as well as his sophomore effort, (1982). With songs such as "Like China" and "", 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." 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 commercial success, and saw Collins' profile increase further. However, despite a UK #1 cover of ' "", "", Face Value's follow-up, was seen as overall disappointment by many critics, the album failing to capitalise on previous successes, and spawning no other signifiant hits. It did nevertheless reach #2 on the UK album chart, spending well over a year there.
A notable episode in Collins' career took place in 1982, when he produced , a solo album by (Frida), of fame. Frida, who had just parted with bandmate and husband , had been heavily impressed by Collins' solo efforts and the personal, emotional load they conveyed and consequently, she approached Collins with her own solo project. The resulting album, featuring Collins himself on drums, brought the 1982 smash hit "I Know There's Something Going On" () and Collins' duet with Frida titled "Here We'll Stay." An edit featuring Frida on all vocals was released as a single.
A turning point in Collins' musical style came when he was asked to compose the title track for the film , a song which he re-worked to become "" from an original Face Value session out-take entitled 'How Can You Sit There?'. The emotionally charged ballad was an instant classic and shot to #1 in the US but #2 in the UK, unable to get past 's "". It is seen by many critics as the beginning of Collins' move away from his earlier darker and more dramatic material and towards a more pop-friendly, middle of the road, electronic-driven style.
In 1984, Collins garnered attention when he produced 's Chinese Wall album. He performed a duet on one of the album's tracks, "Easy Lover" which went to #2 on the and spent 4 weeks at #1 in the UK. Collins worked with the section of Bailey's band, (later known as the Phenix Horns) throughout the 1980s, both on solo and Genesis tracks. By the end of 1984, Collins participated in 's charity project, as well as, playing drums on the single "Feed The World (Do They Know Its Christmas)".
In 1985, Collins was invited to perform at , 's charity concert, at both in , and in in the U.S. He accomplished this by performing earlier in the day at Wembley as both a solo artist and alongside , then boarding a to perform his solo material, and drum for and in Philadelphia. Also around this time, Phil worked with on a single. Howard Jones re-recorded his song "",off his album, and it featured Phil Collins as drummer, backing vocalist, and producer. He has also played drums on singles for , and on their respective albums. He also produced & played drums on the album . His solo success, as well as his concurrent career with Genesis, led to a 1985 cover story in .
Collins released his most successful album, , earlier that same year. It contained the hits "", "" and "". The album featured and ex-bandmate as backing vocalists. He also recorded the successful song "Separate Lives", a duet with , and an American number one, for the movie . Collins had three American number-one songs in 1985, the most by any artist that year. No Jacket Required went on to win the 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." "Sussudio" also drew criticism for sounding too similar to ’s "1999", a charge that Collins did not deny. . Nevertheless, the album went straight to #1 in the US (selling faster than "") and UK.
In 1989, Collins produced another successful album, , featuring the anti-homelessness anthem "", with on backing vocals. The song 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 hit of the 1980s. Other songs included "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven", "Do You Remember?" (US release only), and "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (the latter featuring long-time friend Clapton on guitar). Songs about and homelessness demonstrated Collins' turn to politically-driven material. This theme recurred on his later albums. A live album, (1990), followed.
Phil Collins's highest selling album, 1985's No Jacket Required, went on to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.
A particularly negative - and often misunderstood - episode in Collins' relationship with the press and British public came when he was quoted as telling newspaper in April 1992 on the day of the that he would "leave the country" if a government was elected. However, Collins has repeatedly pointed out that this was not in any way an endorsement of the (at the time) ruling party, more a comment on what he saw as potentially punitive tax levels. He has pointed to his involvement in a number of issues that would not be associated with a particular political philosophy, but it nevertheless still gave him the tag of "Tory supporter Phil Collins" in some parts of the British press, still used to this day.
Collins' record sales dropped with the release of , 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". Featuring a less studio-polished sound and fewer uptempo 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, "Both Sides of the Story" and the more radio-friendly "Everyday", were relatively minor successes compared to the previous commercial success he had enjoyed.
Collins attempted a return to poppier music with , which reviewed by saying that "(e)ven Phil Collins must know that we all grew weary of Phil Collins." It included minor hits such as the title track and the -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 collection (1998). Despite this, its subsequent tour, , regularly sold out arenas.
In 1996, he formed . 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 . In 1999, the group released the CD including big band versions of "Invisible Touch", "Sussudio", and the more obscure "The Los Endos Suite" from the progressive era of Genesis.
A Hits album released in 1998 was successful. The album’s sole new track, a cover of the Cyndi Lauper hit "" obtained considerable play on the Adult Contemporary charts before peaking at #2. Some of Collins' earlier work (e.g. "I Missed Again", "If Leaving Me Is Easy", etc.) and other successes were left off the compilation but featured on the accompanying single.
Collins went further with his next single, "", from the 1999 movie . The soundtrack reached the Top 10, the single was Collins' first to enter the Top 40 in five years, and Collins obtained an , though critics pointed to strong entries in that category by , , and the film (whose creators then lampooned Collins in the "" episode). It was his third nomination in the songwriters category, having been previously nominated in 1984 and 1988.
"Sussudio" and "In Too Deep" were both featured on the 2000 soundtrack, and as in the , serial killer gives an extended monologue on how much he enjoys Collins' work.
His most recent studio album, 2002's , failed to make much impact on the mainstream charts. Testify featured the cover "Can't Stop Loving You" and "Come With Me (Lullaby)". Both songs performed well on the Adult Contemporary charts, but the album was ignored by mainstream radio. Testify sold only 140,000 copies in the United States by year's end, although a successful worldwide tour followed despite poor album sales.
Collins recently reported in one ear, and in 2003 announced his last solo tour. He called it the "", a tongue-in-cheek reference to the multiple farewell tours of other popular artists. Collins wanted to complete one last large-scale tour internationally before spending more time with his family. He expects to continue touring through 2006 while working with Disney on a Broadway production of Tarzan. Outside of the tour, he has only performed occasionally. He accepted an invitation to drum for the "house band" celebrating 's . He has played drums for , and . Recently, the hip-hop group 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.
Films,Theatre and Television
The majority of Collins' film work has been through music. Four of his seven American number one songs come from film soundtracks, and his work on Disney's Tarzan earned him an Oscar.
Collins' acting career has been brief. As a child, he appeared in three films, although two of the films were for brief moments as an extra. Besides the aforementioned A Hard Day's Night (1964), Collins' first lead role was in (1967).
He wrote and performed the title song to in 1984. The song became the first of his seven American number one songs and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. Collins was famously not invited to perform the song at that year’s presentation, although he was in the audience and had arranged his tour around the telecast. It was believed that the Academy, despite nominating him, did not know who he was. A note to Collins' label from telecast co-producer explaining the lack of invitation stated, "Thank you for your note regarding Phil Cooper (emphasis added). I'm afraid the spots have already been filled". Collins instead watched perform his song. For a long time afterward, he would inform audiences at concerts, "Miss Ann Reinking's not here tonight, so I guess I'll have to sing my own song," before performing "Against All Odds".
Collins performed (although did not write) "Separate Lives" for the film (1985). A duet with , the single became an additional Number One for Collins as well as another nominee for an Academy Award (it being a songwriters award, Collins was not nominated). The song had parallels to his first two albums. Writer noted that he was inspired by a failed relationship and called "Separate Lives" "a song about anger".
Collins' first film role since becoming a musician came in 1988 with . His rendition of "", originally a single by , reached Number One. The film also spawned the hit single "Two Hearts", which he wrote in collaboration with legendary songwriter . Movie critic said the role of Buster was "played with surprising effectiveness" by Collins, although the film's soundtrack proved more successful than the movie.
Collins provided the voices to both Muk and Luk in the 1995 animated feature .
Collins' future acting work was considerably smaller than Buster, with only a starring role in 1993's Frauds. He had cameo appearances in 's (1991) and (1993). He also supplied voices to two animated features, (1995) and (2003). A long discussed but never completed pet project was a movie titled . Originally meant to star him alongside and , he often mentioned the film but an appropriate script never materialized.
Collins performed the soundtrack to the animated film (1999) for . He won an Oscar for "", which he performed at that year’s telecast as well as during a Disney-themed halftime show. The song, which he also recorded in among other languages, became his only appearance on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks . Disney hired him in 2003 for the to another animated feature film, , and had some airplay with the song "Look Through My Eyes".
On television, he twice hosted the Billboard Music Awards. He also appeared in an episode of the series , entitled "Phil the Shill", in which he plays a cheating con-man. He also guest starred in several sketches with . Most recently, he had a cameo appearance on the television series .
In 2001 Collins was caught out by the satirist and appeared in the Special' endorsing a spoof charity called 'Nonce Sense'('nonce' is a British which stands for 'Not Of Normal Criminal Element'). A significant moment from this program is where Collins, dressed in a matching baseball cap and t-shirt emblazoned with the name of this fictitious charity, stares into the camera and declares: "...I'm talking Nonce-sense."
In 2006 Disney's was adapted for . Collins contributed 11 new songs and instrumental pieces, and was deeply involved in the production. Unlike the movie, where Collins sang all the material, the characters sang on stage.
Personal life
Collins was married to Andrea Bertorelli of , whom he met at a drama class in , in 1975. They had a son, Simon, and Collins adopted Bertorelli's daughter , now a Canadian actress. They divorced in 1980, and Collins acknowledges the acrimony underlay his hit "".
He and his second wife, Jill Tavelman, were married from 1984 to 1996. They had one daughter, Lily. Collins openly admits that some of their divorce-related correspondence was by (one, about access to their daughter was reproduced in ), but denies that this took her by surprise.
He married his third wife, Orianne, in 1999. The couple had two sons, Nicholas and Matthew. They lived in , overlooking , before announcing their separation on , . Collins has said he will continue to reside in Switzerland to be near the children.
He is a supporter of and . He recently donated autographed drumsticks in support of 's campaign against
[]
Further reading
, Phil Collins: The Definitive Biography, Simon & Schuster. London. 1997.
Dave Thompson, Turn It On Again: Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and Genesis, Back Beat Books, San Francisco. 2004.
Fred Bronson, The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books, New York. 1997. (Eight essays about Collins, including one with Genesis)
Craig Rosen, The Billboard Book of Number One Albums. Billboard Books, New York. 1996. (Two essays about Collins)
[]
Discography
[]
Studio Albums
The following list includes all Phil Collins albums with the exception of compilations, live and remix albums. For a complete album list, see .
1981:
1982:
1985:
1989:
1993:
1996:
2002:
[]
Number One singles
The following singles reached number one in the , and/or . For a full singles discography, see .
Year | Single | Peak positions
UK | U.S. | CAN
"" | 1 | 10—
"" | 2 | 1 | 22
"" | 1 | 2—
"" | 4 | 1—
"" | 12 | 1—
"" | 4 | 1—
"" | 1 | 1—
"" | 6 | 1—
"" | 2 | 1—


A project of Phil Collins and his estranged wife Orianne, supporting young musicians
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Notes
Atlantic Records press release. "Phil Collins Celebrates TESTIFY with Weekend Today Performance and NYC In-Store" 11/15/02.
Coleman, R. Phil Collins: The Definitive Biography, Simon & Schuster. London. 1997. Pgs 29-30.
Face Value: From the Official Genesis Biography. (Accessed January 10, 2006)
Yahoo! Movies The Beatles - The Making of A Hard Day's Night (1995) (Accessed January 9, 2006)
Coleman, Pg 51.
Hewitt, A. Official Biography (Accessed January 9, 2006)
Coleman, Pg 55.
Coleman, Pg 61.
Billboard Magazine, Online. "Genesis" Biography. Accessed January 16, 2006.
Coleman, Pg 63.
Nicholson, Kris. "A Trick of the Tail" Review. Rolling Stone. May 20, 1976. . Accessed February 10, 2006.
Official Brand X biography from the Phil Collins website, , accessed January 14, 2006.
MTV.com. MTV Video Awards, Past Winners. . Accessed January 16, 2006.
Considine, J.D. "Invisible Touch" Review. Rolling Stone. August 14, 1986. Accessed February 8, 2006.
Hewitt, A. Official Biography. (Accessed January 9, 2006)
Heller, C. "Phil Collins Said Open to Genesis Reunion". November 6, 2005. Accessed January 14, 2006.
Bronson, F. The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books, New York. 1997. Pg. 604.
Thompson, D. Turn It On Again: Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and Genesis, Back Beat Books. San Francisco. 2004. Pg 181.
Whitburn, J. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books, New York. 2000. Pgs. 143-144.
Fricke, D. "No Jacket Required" Review. Rolling Stone. May 9, 1985. Accessed February 8, 2006.
Bronson, Pg. 611.
Coleman, Pg 181.
Browne, David. "Dance into the Light" Review. Entertainment Weekly. November 1, 1996. Accessed February 10, 2006.
^ Billboard Magazine, Phil Collins Chart History Accessed January 13, 2006.
Thompson, Pg 260.
Hear-it.org Accessed January 13, 2006.
The Internet Movie Database . Accessed January 13, 2006.
Bronson, Pg. 586.
Bronson,Pg. 624.
Ebert, R. "Buster" Review. November 25, 1988. . Accessed February 10, 2006.
Baker, G. A. Penthouse Interview, 1993. , accessed January 13, 2006.

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