Phil Collins has been in the news recently due to his revelation that he nearly died in 2024 as a result of alcohol addiction. But amid the drama, it’s easy to overlook the fact that he’s one of the most successful musicians the UK has produced, from his days in prog-era Genesis, through that band’s transformation into one of the biggest bands of the 80s and his own ubiquity as a solo star during that decade and beyond – even if it made him one of the most reviled stars of the era.
“I look back and realise I was never out of everyone’s eyeline, y’know?” he tells Prog, reflecting on the fact that elements of the public and the press disliked him during his heyday. “I was just omnipresent! Whether on the radio, or on tour. But I can honestly say, on my children’s lives, it was simply enthusiasm. It wasn’t ambition; just one thing led to another. Same thing with Genesis – we thought playing the Marquee meant we’d made it.”
Even if Collins had stuck with Genesis, his legacy would have been assured. As the band’s drummer and, later, frontman, he’s been involved in some undeniable classics, from 1972’s monumental Supper’s Ready, via crossover singles such as Follow You, Follow Me, Turn It On Again and Mama, to such massive hits as Invisible Touch and Land Of Confusion.
But he became the rare rock star who embarked on a parallel solo career that actually overshadowed that of his own band – and, as he tells Prog, it was sparked by a moment of improvisation. That’s precisely what happened with his debut solo single, In The Air Tonight.
“Sometimes when the moon’s in the right place and all that stuff you come up with something,” he says. “In The Air Tonight was mainly improvisation. That’s what I sang when I opened my mouth that particular day. It’s like verbal jazz. When a saxophone player gets up and plays, he’s just playing what he plays. Often that was the case with my voice and words.”
However it came together, it worked. In The Air Tonight was released in January 1980, a month ahead of Collins’ debut solo album, Face Value. The single reached No.2 in the UK and made the US Top 10, making it more successful than any previous Genesis single.
Collins also reflects on making Face Value as his marriage was crumbling, adding that his personal strife actually aided his creativity.
“I don’t want to go cosmic on you, and say, ‘Oh I was just channelling something’, but it just came so easily,” he tells Prog. “Because of my mental state probably. The house was empty. That time wasn’t a barrel of laughs, but the more music I did, there was no stopping it.”
Read the full interview with Phil Collins about his life and career with both Genesis and a solo artist in the brand new issue of Prog. Order it here and have it delivered straight to your door.
