There's no "all instruments" credit on "Both Sides", at least not on the vinyl record. He himself says on the liner notes that he played guitar, even bass.
I just looked up my original release CD and it says the following. "All instruments played by Phil Collins Apart from the drum machine, everything was played live"
I think Phil was giving himself guitar credits on Dance Into The Light, but the sound was still being produced by a keyboard.
Even as a guitarist, by the nineties it was terribly difficult to discern effected electric guitar from a decent synth or sampler.
He breaks it down track by track and into lead and rhythm guitar credits. These guitar credits also go out to Daryl Stuermer and Ronnie Caryl depending on the song, sometimes on the same songs he's credited on. Are you suggesting that only Phil's credits are fake?
That is exactly what I am suggesting. I think Phil gives himself a slide credit on The Same Moon (I am going from memory), and that’s a keyboard. Just an example. But I am not saying these credits are fake. What I am suggesting is that he plays the ‘rhythm guitar’ part...on a keyboard. He chose not to say ‘keyboard’ because he was experimenting with guitar voicings on a keyboard.
Despite my dislike of the guitar patch, I like the bagpipes. That was quite innovative of him. He couldn't have used bagpipes anyway, they don't play in the right key.
I'm not a fan of this one - does nothing for me. I am not a fan of the sparse whispered and lightly instrumented tracks he has put at track 2 on the last two albums. For me it sucks the momentum out of the play list. If this was the softest song on the album and buried a little deeper I might have a different reaction. Crooner chaos. Nice little keyboard melody that I would expect to hear in an elevator.
I agree. He is in the "Phil by numbers" period here in my view. I played this album about twice when I bought it and then not again for a decade.
Like crediting the sounds, not the instruments? That would fit with the splitting-a-hair-in-halves-Phil type I got back to the liner notes and they are in fact ambiguous (like the "all instruments" in the last page). He's speaking about "guitar lines", recorded both at home than at The farm, but it could as well be "lines sounding like a guitar"...
Everyday Single by Phil Collins from the album Both Sides B-side "Don't Call Me Ashley" Released 3 January 1994 (UK) 10 February 1994 (US) Format 12" CD cassette Recorded 1990–1992 Genre Pop rock easy listening Length 5:43 (album version) 4:53 (radio edit) Label Atlantic (United States) Virgin(United Kingdom) WEA(international) Songwriter(s) Phil Collins Producer(s) Phil Collins "Everyday" is a ballad pop song by Phil Collins released as the second single of his fifth studio album, Both Sides. It was also released as the seventh track on the 2004 compilation album, Love Songs: A Compilation... Old and New. The single achieved success mostly in North America in the spring of 1994. Due to the disappointing US performance of the first single of the album, "Both Sides of the Story", which only peaked at number 25 on Billboard Hot 100, Collins' record label urged the release of the second single. The decision proved right as the single peaked one place higher than the previous single at number 24 on Billboard Hot 100. However, in Collins' native UK, "Everyday" performed worse than the previous single (which made the top 10), peaking at number 15. In Canada, where Collins had been experiencing greater chart success than in both the US and the UK since ...But Seriously, "Everyday" reached number eight on the RPM Top Singles chart and peaked atop the Adult Contemporary chart on 18 April 1994, spending 10 week in the top three on the latter chart.[1] It ended 1994 as Canada's 59th best-selling single and fourth best-selling adult contemporary song. The song was only performed live during Phil's 1994 concerts. UK 3-track CD single[edit] "Everyday" "Don't Call Me Ashley" "Everyday" (early demo version) Europe 4-track CD single[edit] "Everyday" "Don't Call Me Ashley" "Everyday" (early demo version) "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore" (live) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Interestingly this track was number 1 and the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart and number 2 on the US Adult Contemporary chart. This is another laid back back track with a nice easy feel about it, and another gentle melody that seeps into the psyche, if allowed to. I guess for the most part a lot of these songs are going to annoy the folks that want Phil to rock out, and I can understand that, but taken at their own level, I think these are really well written and arranged songs. For me this song works. I am probably not going to put it on at a party, but I spend more time listening to music alone than with people, so that doesn't make much difference to me. I guess to a degree, perhaps one has to have been damaged by a relationship at some point to fully absorb these songs .... but again I guess some folks damaged by a relationship wouldn't want to let these songs in. For me, this works. For me, this track has a personal face and a gentle core that gives it an honesty that I can relate to. Perhaps to some degree, Phil's happy go lucky personality made some folks find it hard to enter his pain zone..... idk, this is all just speculation from my part.... But again, I reckon this is a good track...... oh and I love the piano at the beginning.
Don't Call Me Ashley This has a nice swinging feel. It sounds somewhat demo quality, but I like the feel of it. I am not a big fan of the keyboard sound here, but I like the general idea behind the tune. To some degree, this seems like a synthetic variation on some of the big band type stylings we see later. If this had been arranged for a real band, rather than the substandard sort of keyboard sounds here, I think it would be much more engrossing. As it is it comes across as a really good musical idea that needs to be moved into the studio and arranged and recorded properly.
Interesting thoughts - historically I'd seen this and Rad Dudeski as cut from the same cloth but you're right - this one feels more unfinished and suffers much more from the lack of 'real instruments'. It has some nice ideas but doesn't really go anywhere. He obviously preferred Rad Dudeski as well because he did dig it out for the second of his big band tours - something we can talk about a bit more when we get there.
I like this song. To note, it was his last US top 40 hit (peaking at #24) for 5 years until Tarzan when he had his very last top 40 hit.
Another ballad. My mother always said if you can’t say anything nice then say nothing at all. Ronan Keating said something very similar. Only he said it more catchily than Phil on this album...
That's all fine and good, but this thread would be boring if it were just everybody praising every song or saying nothing.
Which is why I felt the need to write something. I played this album through twice 2 days ago and found it frankly sedative. The Ronan Keating track I referenced is in a similar style to these Phil ballads but it has a really engaging melody. I am not a synth love ballad fan but there can be really good songs in that style- they are just not on this album.
Everyday is also pretty standard Phil by this point but the melody is so good that it doesn’t matter. This is what he’s so good at and delivers this time. Got tons of airplay in Canada. Apparently the record company wanted this as the first single?
Can't Turn Back The Years a smooth PC ballad. It's not bad, a bit catchy. I'm a bit iffy about the synth lead, it's just meh. Everyday The obligatory PC radio ballad. It's ok, but I'm already bored with the song and there's that synth lead again. It sounds like a placeholder from a demo.
I've Forgotten Everything This is a great song, but the thing is we have that snare that is mixed too high and spoils the effect of the song. Again he has gone with the really tight snare skin, and that's fine, but for me the tight skin giving the snare that penetrating tone, really needed to be pealed back in volume, because it would still cut through the mix anyhow. As it is, it just dominates the song too much, and with it being a very straight beat with no variance, it really just distirbs my enjoyment of the song. As I say, I really like the song. We have another piece of palpable melancholy, with a beautiful melody, that is very relaxed.... almost a melody in surrender. I think Phil's vocal is great, he really managed to get across the feeling perfectly, and if not for that damn snare, this would be pretty much magnificent ... The lead synth is a little meh
In the late 80s Collins often mentioned how much he loved The Blue Nile album Hats and I think this is a song which would have fitted in that album and is clearly influenced by it. I think I agree Mark this is a wonderful song with one or two issues in terms of production. Such a heartfelt performance and despite the issues with overall sound it benefits hugely from the intimacy of the home demo sound.
This is a song that is exclusively drum machine. He said he did that because he felt, as a drummer, he would be tempted to add things to it or change it up and he wanted it to stay the same throughout the song. So the snare you're referring to is not an actual snare. Also, the lyrics to this were made up on the spot. This is one I didn't get at first, when I was like 18 or so, but I think it's really great now. Not an anytime type of song though.
