Phil Collins: Serious Discussion.

 

For some reason, I feel as though Phil Collins was and is one of the most "passion-less" musicians ever.  I will explain:

 

When he performed Supper's Ready for Seconds Out, I was disturbed by the final portion where he does his stupid mannerisms and looks around at everything like he is putting on a show, and trying to mimic gabriel.

 

I don't know if anyone can take this feeling away from me, but I really wish I didn't think this.  I LOVE his drumming with genesis, and always thought he was cool with them...but now whenever I watch old Gabriel genesis videos I look at collins in a different light.  He just seems like he NEVER liked what they were doing, and was never really into the whole FEEL of the music.

 

Am I wrong? I am not certain, maybe it is just me, but I can't help but feel like this towards Collins.

 

Please, if anyone has anything to add, let me know!

 

Thank you!

 

For those who have not noticed it. Collins has played way more Progressive rock and other complex genres than Peter Gabriel has in his carrer. First of all, are you aware who were actually playing the music in those outstanding instrumentals of Hogweed, Musical box, In the cage, Supper's ready, The knife (live) etc etc etc etc etc ???. It certainly wasn't Gabriel. While Collins was breaking his back delivering some of the best drumming in prog in every concert, Gabriel was making funny faces, dancing around, drinking water, staying still, or, in the best case, playing those little tambourines that you never get to listen. Gabriel might have written the lyrics to most of the songs, including The lamb's, where he admits never placing a foot in the rehearsals room where the music was actually made, where Collins was a fundamental element. Collins as some well state, participated in several prog and fusion projects, playing great drums in every single second of every track. Where was Gabriel at the time?, writing his first and second solo albums with songs like "Moribund The Burgermeister", "Waiting For The Big One"....they suck big time !!!, and they could hardly be called prog !!!. He even wrote a pure pop song with "Solsbury hill". "Here comes the flood" is lovely, but not because of the complexity or its progressiveness, because it's neither !!!. But because of the feeling to it, but that's it. The first Collins album is way better than any first 4 album by Gabriel. The fact that Gabriel's had a little less pop don't make them any better. "The rythm of the heat" and "Lay your hands on me", "here comes the flood" nad "San jacinto" are the first interesting songs by Gabriel as a solo composer, and no one could deny they are very inconsistent and unpolished (at least the first 2 mentioned). The main strenght in Gabriel is the feeling and he couldn't deliver it in a sharp and consistent manner until his 4th or 5th album.

 

 (   Hey, right now my MP3 selected Tonight Tonight tonight randomly. From the so called "shame of prog", "Genesis purest sellout"...Etc.Has anybody payed attention to the middle section?, among other details?..These instrumental is way more interesting and complex than Close to the edge's !!!, the "best song in prog". Would anybody dare saying otherwise?. Honestly?.

 

 

He is still making "no straight pop"?...So what?, he started making interesting music some 14 or 15 years after Collins had played 38,978,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999.00 notes of the best prog !!!. Gabriel was and may still be hungry to actually write something similar to prog, and he had better since he spent hundreds of concerts watching 4 guys playing music he could hardly say he participated in. People love bashing Collins for making pop. These people should also be more inteligent to notice he played prog for around 300 live shows (just to tell a number), for some 10 albums and for a good number of very good songs in plain 80's.

 

I love Gabriel's music, and as a Genesis fan I feel proud to say he was part of my beloved band, but please !!!, stop making a superheroe out of his memory. He never played a prog note in the 70's, managed to create some complex songs until US and Passion (where he got help from a wide number of musicians), he is still making something that could not be called completly pop, but that's it !!!. He's not the proggiest man by excelence. Collins I repeat, has played and composed way much more prog than Gabriel himself. And even as a Solo artist, I'd rather listen to "I don't care anymore", "I can hear through these walls", "like china", "Do you know, do you care", "Long Long Way To Go", "The west side", "In the air tonight" than most of Gabriels' first clumsy attempts as main composer. Lots of people will say they hate "But seriously". I for one, love it. You who argue Collins has no inspiration, just pay attention to "Saturday Night And Sunday Morning" and "Hang In Long Enough", full of energy and great pop. Yes !!, POP !!. Who cares about the genre if the music is well done?, Have you heard anything by Le Orme?, it's supposed to be great prog, no matter how much I've been listening to it carefully in the last few weeks, I find it cheesier everyday !!!. I push play on "Lessons of love" by Level 42 (Pure 80's pop) and keep loving it since it's release. I have news for you guys !!, Prog is not a warranty of quality !!.

 

"he's not prog, he's prog. I hate his pop"...give me a break !!!. Some of the most inspiring songs in history have nothing to do with prog. Has anybody listened to "Scarborough fair" by Simon and Garfunkel ?. "I heard it through the grape vine" by Marvin Gaye?.

 

If someone is wondering wether I really like Prog. Be sure I do, and I like even the least accesible. When it's good, I love it, when it's cheesy I hate it more than a Justin timberlake song.

 

So, yes...This must be surprising to most people. In a carrer balance, Collins has been way proggier than Gabriel himself. The so called "purist of prog"..HAHAHA !!!.

 

 

Excuse me my dearest friend, but... how the hell do you know that???!!!??

 

So you KNOW he's in pop only because of the money.... you say that, within himself, he DOESN'T like what he's doing?

 

I think he was wealthy enough even before leaving Genesis so I really doubt he HAD TO PLAY MUSIC HE REALLY HATED.

 

He likes pop music... OK!

 

My favorite genre is prog, just after classical.... but: i can hear when good music FOR EVERY genre is performed....

 

Yes... we can't compare Supper's Ready with Two Hearts or other Collins hit.... but then, that would be a STUPID comparison.... how the hell can you compare music made with different purposes, different audiences in mind? For sure Supper's Ready is a wonder and the other is a little insignificant pop song... but WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH COLLINS "DOING IT JUST FOR THE MONEY" and not, maybe, just maybe, and I could be saying something too outrageous, weird, incredible, un-heard of, but let's say it: what if he's doing that 'cause he LIKES IT?

 

As someone perfectly said, not EVERy PROG music is good (there's a lot of crap)... and, at the same time, non-prog music (yes, even filthy POP) can have interesting elements... and Collins' pop surely does.. from time to time (I'm not saying Sussudio was good, that was turly the epitome of awfulness)....