Phil Collins Album by Album thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, Jun 9, 2019.

  1. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia

    Location:
    United States
    Have never heard this album at all, except Can't Stop Loving You
    Approaching with some hopes, since I dig Tarzan.

    Wake Up Call
    Umm, so I agree with some of the comments on the production. It is rather muddled and gauzy, trying and failing for a sort of inoffensive semi-relevance. While not particularly catchy, the melody has some good bones and the lyrics are pretty good too. But, it sorely lacking bite and power to back this up. Pretty dull overall for a wake up call. I am kind of itching to give it a through remix!
     
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  2. MikeVielhaber

    MikeVielhaber Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    Here's a live performance of "Wake Up Call". I didn't realize he had done this live before the Not Dead Yet tour. But now that I think about it I do vaguely remember seeing some kind of promotional concert playing on TV around the time the album was new. It might've only been new songs. We'll see as we go if other songs come up from this same show.

     
  3. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

  4. MikeVielhaber

    MikeVielhaber Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    I like this one. It's a lullaby he wrote for his son, Nic. Kind of sounds like "Brahm's Lullaby".

    Here's a live version from the First Final Farewell Tour dvd.

     
  5. The_Windmill

    The_Windmill Forum Resident

    Location:
    Italy
    [From... you know where from.]

    In late summer 2000, we discover that Orianne is pregnant. Nicholas Grev Austin Collins is born on April 21, 2001, “Grev” in tribute to my dad, and Austin for my brother Clive (it’s his middle name) and our paternal grandfather. This glorious time inspires a new batch of writing. “Come with Me” is about Nic as a baby, but really it’s about any baby. It’s a rush of pure paternal love and care: don’t worry about anything, come with me, close your eyes, it’s going to be all right.
    The lyrics are for any of my kids, or any kids anywhere. It’s one of my favorite songs, the melody suggestive of a lullaby I used to sing to Lily in the back of limos in America. We make a music box for baby Nic, something to help him sleep, that plays that melody. I will then have to write one for his brother Matt and get him his own music box. Much to his frustration, at the time of writing, his melody has yet to transform into a song.
     
  6. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia

    Location:
    United States
    Come With Me
    This is by no means top shelf Phil, but it is a nice, pleasant track. The lyrics feel heartfelt, even if they and the melody are not groundbreaking or anything.
     
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  7. Dodoz

    Dodoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    It's a lullaby...and it starts with 3 notes from a tune that's often in those baby toys to put them to sleep, must be a traditional.
    Very slick track - nothing groundbreaking.
     
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  8. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident

    Location:
    Swindon
    Come With Me

    A nice lullaby, I like Phil's sympathetic singing & lyrics on this track. I just feel the production is sorely lacking a shine to make it sound better.
     
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  9. MikeVielhaber

    MikeVielhaber Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    I think you'll find that to be consistent throughout the album.
     
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  10. The_Windmill

    The_Windmill Forum Resident

    Location:
    Italy
    Well, despite not being a fan of this "father to son" songs, I like this one.
    The lullaby feel is nice and serves well the purpose of propelling the album a little further.
    The rhythm track Is soft and lightweight but It works just fine.
    Overall it gives me a nice soothing feel.
    Production is fine to me, there is the usual DIY aftertaste but in this case it helps making the song more intimate, more domestic so to speak, so I'll take It.
    The only thing that bothers me is a sort of light distortion that I can't pinpoint but distracts me a bit.
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2019
  11. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Testify
    This comes in with a gentle bounce to it. We have some nice percussion and a keyboard playing a constant chord while some synths create a bed of sound around that. Phil comes in with a gentle vocal, and then we get a nice smooth distorted guitar come in with some power chords to fatten it up a bit.
    I like the sound of this track. I like the change that comes in, sounding somewhat like a gentle gospel number, and the song manages to hold the attention quite well.
    As I said earlier, I do like the stuff on this album, it just tends to lean towards being a little MOR, and a little predictable.
    This song works quite well though.

     
  12. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia

    Location:
    United States
    Testify
    A good track overall. I'm not a fan of all the synths here, especially the voice patches that comes in sometimes. The production on this album is rather flat so far.
     
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  13. Dodoz

    Dodoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    I like the track and its vibe, there's some uplifting quality to it. Those chords and the feel are so "Phil". The track isn't extreme and the production makes it even more MOR. It's still quite good, maybe just a tad too long for what it is. Maybe 6 minutes + wasn't necessary.
     
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  14. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    That seems to be a trap several artists got caught in around the late nineties early two thousands. It was like a five or six minute song was deemed more serious, or artistic or something. I don't care if a song is 3 minutes, or 55 minutes, there is as much art in a concise 3 minute song, as there is in a 55 minute epic .... obviously in my opinion.
     
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  15. Dodoz

    Dodoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    That said, Phil always liked his tracks to be rather long even before that, and I'm not talking about deep cuts here : I Cannot Believe It's True, Thru These Walls, Another Day in Paradise, I Wish It Would Rain Down are all 5 minutes plus, One More Night is 4:45, and Both Sides of the Story is almost 7 minutes! But maybe "Testify" has a bit less to offer so its length is more noticeable (I don't think there's anything "too much" on the tracks I mentioned - and watch out, I'm a huge fan of Phil's second album, I doubt I'll ever say anything negative about it :D).
    I cannot believe it's true that "I Cannot Believe It's True" is over 5 minutes long! :D It doesn't seem like it at all.
     
  16. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident

    Location:
    Swindon
    Testify

    As you would expect, the title track is one of the better tracks on the album (including on the production front). I really like the change of tempo and music 2 minutes in; and the way the track builds overall, as Phil & the band goes through the gears.
     
  17. MikeVielhaber

    MikeVielhaber Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    "Take Me Home" is another one that's nearly 6 minutes. But I've never noticed.
     
  18. The_Windmill

    The_Windmill Forum Resident

    Location:
    Italy
    I think the studio version is too short...
     
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  19. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    exactly, you should never really notice how long a song is ... otherwise you must be checking your watch :)
     
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  20. godslonelyman

    godslonelyman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Copenhagen
    The title track is pretty much the sole thing I savor from this album. Agree that it could use some trimming (too repetitive, and the vocal patches sticks out), but the final minutes are actually quite intense and rousing.
     
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  21. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Don't Get Me Started
    We get a nice intro that has a little rhythmic alternation between the drum machine and some drums. The change brings a little, much needed punch to the album. I think it's a good move that he decides to write a lyric that isn't relationship related, and it ends up being a song that I like on here.
    For me, one of the better songs on this album.

     
  22. Dodoz

    Dodoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    Okay, music is so important in my life, Phil has been so important as well, but I never actually owned a physical copy of this album, I'm not a Spotify (and all that jazz) guy, so I literally went out of my way today (being already quite tired and all) to check it out at the library and listen to it properly. The things you make me do @mark winstanley :D. I couldn't help it. It's not my CD, but at least I'm getting a feel (Phil). My copy has a huge "COPY PROTECTED" logo in the back, remember those times? I totally understand the sentiment but the way they went about it (in this huge "BUSINESS IS BUSINESS LETTERING" was not good. 2002-2004/5 was probably the peak of that.

    This thread makes me realize I like the album more now than when I listened to it in 2002 (checked out from the library back then too). I'm getting softer with age. :D

    Don't Get Me Started isn't spectacular (nothing on the album is - but is it what's expected from this album? I'm fine if it makes me feel...comfy) but it has a nicer acoustic/organic touch. So far, there's no song I truly dislike.
     
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  23. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    :) I am an evil little man lol
    ---------------------------------------

    I agree with what you say there mate. I don't hate these songs. They are all pretty decent, but nothing grabs me by the hair (or what's left of it) and pulls me right in close for a closer listen.
    I think the mellowing of us all is completely unavoidable ... and I actually am happy to be immeasurably more mellow than I was as a teen ... they would have had me on a dozen meds/pills these days lol

    Another thing that is unavoidable is that Phil is probably the most successful drummer there has ever been, and aside from snide comments from folks that hate the fact that he took over the singing after PG left Genesis, he has an extremely wealthy catalog of solo music, that covers very broad ground, with a lot of excellent writing. He was a really good emotive vocalist etc etc .... by the time we get here... Phil is somewhat physically compromised, in terms of playing drums. He is somewhat vocally compromised purely due to overuse and over-extension of his voice. And there is a certain world weariness, that is more than likely the result of putting his whole mind, body and soul into his music untiringly and being on the receiving end of one of the worst artist backlashes I personally ever witnessed (that had nothing to do with some form of illegal sex acts and such, at least).
    I think Phil was in an awkward position - Wanting to record, because it's what he loves - having to modify himself, physically and vocally to produce what he wanted to - and, assuming here, but also, probably at least at the beginning of his depressive streak due to all the externals. The poor guy was just a human being that loves, and was very good at music, but still just a human being. I know where my head and heart would have been after all that, and money doesn't change deep seated emotional hurt ... and that isn't even taking into account all the personal stuff outside of music.
    So I guess that's my long winded way of saying this is a good record that doesn't manage to match previous records, but there are a lot of reasons for that.
     
  24. Dodoz

    Dodoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    His depression was, I think, greater than we can imagine.

    Not the best comparison but...is "Testify" his "Driving Rain" in a way?
     
  25. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident

    Location:
    Swindon
    Don't Get Me Started

    This is a welcome change of pace, and lyrical content. This is one of the few tracks on the album where this more modern production sound suited Phil's musical palate.
     
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