I’ve noticed an unsettling amount of people profess their love for Phil Collins lately (okay, it’s like 5 people, but that’s still pretty unsettling). I can only assume that there is some sort of subtle joke I’ve missed … or perhaps there overflow of “guilty pleasure” … spilling into an “ironic” appreciation. Whatever it is, I’m all for it.
Especially if it brings us things like that Cadbury ad from last year.
I used to have to hide my collection of Phil Collins music.
It’s extensive.
It’s more than you have.
It’s probably more than your parents have … and they have plenty of generational excuses. Me, on the other hand … I’m not sure what my excuse is. It started when I was young and lonely in middle school … listening to adult contemporary radio stations … making dedications on Connecticut After Dark to people I knew weren’t listening.
At a middle school dance, I requested Phil Collins’ cover of “Groovy Kind of Love” for a girl … who then denied my request for a dance during it. She later gave me a pity dance during GnR’s “Patience.” A musical battle line had been drawn for me, the shadows of which remain to this day.
I’m proud to say that I have a much more sophisticated musical pallette in my advanced years … but I’m pretty sure I can trace it back to Phil Collins. My voracious pre-adolescent appetite for more Phil lead me to Genesis … which got me into prog rock (7 minute keyboard solos, songs about wizards, etc.) and their original lead singer, Peter Gabriel … which broadened my horizons in several directions (world music, soul, electronica, avant garde, etc.). Eventually that exploration lead me to my uncomfortably large music collection (I’m closing in on 2100 hours of music – that’s nearly 3 months).
So thank you, Phil Collins. And here’s hoping you get your recognition soon. Might I suggest a “comeback” album, produced by Rick Rubin?
In the meantime, here’s a little 8 minute snippet of Phil progged out on his first tour as lead singer of Genesis … sharing drum duties with Bill Bruford (of Yes).