Phil Collins

Not Dead Yet: The Memoir reminded me of how pervasive, ubiquitous, the music of Phil Collins was in the 1980s. Some evenings while reading Not Dead Yet I listened to Collins-era Genesis and Collins solo, thinking that I didn't know many of his songs. I listened to something like 45 songs and I knew more than I didn't know. Collins was in the air, seeped into the pores of your skin. In many ways, Collins was the 1980s.

(I also listened to the first few Genesis records, when Phil either was not with them yet or solely behind the drum kit; not very familiar with the band, I was surprised to discover how proggy and arty their early stuff is; really liked it.)

But Phil is more than that. I didn't know much about all-pervasive Phil. His career has been long and relatively varied. He's a fascinating person. Also an infuriating one. By the time he romantically reconnected with a high-school sweetheart, risking yet another divorce and the dissolution of yet another family, I was literally shouting in frustration at the printed page.

Not Dead Yet is decently written and engaging, fascinating, informative, aggravating. Phil lays it all out there: the divorces, the relentless projects and work and touring, the health problems and crises, the end-of-career alcoholism. He's taken responsibility, he's shouldered his regrets, he's frequently danced through the fire to the edge of a cliff and he's come through it all. He's not dead yet.… (mais)

CDCOL | 1 Digital File | Please see CDCOL for all tracks |

Tracklist

1 Phil Collins– Another Day In Paradise 6:20
2 Phil Collins– True Colors 4:33
3 Philip Bailey And Phil Collins– Easy Lover 5:03
4 Phil Collins– You Can't Hurry Love 2:53
5 Phil Collins– Two Hearts 3:25
6 Phil Collins– I Wish It Would Rain Down 5:28
7 Phil Collins– Against All Odds 3:23
8 Phil Collins– Something Happened On The Way To Heaven 4:52
9 Phil Collins And Marilyn Martin– Separate Lives 4:06
10 Phil Collins– Both Sides Of The Story 6:39
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11 Phil Collins– One More Night 5:13
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12 Phil Collins– Sussudio 4:23
13 Phil Collins– Dance Into The Light 4:24
14 Phil Collins– A Groovy Kind Of Love 3:28
15 Phil Collins– In The Air Tonight 5:32
16 Phil Collins– Take Me Home 5:51

Manufactured By – Warner Music Colombia S.A.
Hecho en Columbia - The pressing plant is Disonex S.A.S., an enterprise in Colombia, with the main office in Bogota D.C.. It operates in the Printing sector. Disonex S.A.S. was incorporated on February 21, 1991.… (mais)

CDCOL | Compilation | Duet Voices |

TRACKLIST

1 Phil Collins– Another Day In Paradise 6:20
2 Phil Collins– True Colors 4:33
3 Philip Bailey And Phil Collins– Easy Lover 5:03
4 Phil Collins– You Can't Hurry Love 2:53
5 Phil Collins– Two Hearts 3:25
6 Phil Collins– I Wish It Would Rain Down 5:28
7 Phil Collins– Against All Odds 3:23
8 Phil Collins– Something Happened On The Way To Heaven 4:52
9 Phil Collins And Marilyn Martin– Separate Lives 4:06
10 Phil Collins– Both Sides Of The Story 6:39
11 Phil Collins– One More Night 5:13
12 Phil Collins– Sussudio 4:23
13 Phil Collins– Dance Into The Light 4:24
14 Phil Collins– A Groovy Kind Of Love 3:28
15 Phil Collins– In The Air Tonight 5:32
16 Phil Collins– Take Me Home 5:51… (mais)

Getting out of the way that I was a Genesis super-fan (and attached to that, a lover of Phil Collins music) when I was 13 through 15 or so, this book had more for me than I imagine it would for most.

That said, there's a lot of of being defensive about things in the tabloids that I literally never heard of, much less cared about, much less wanted to hear rehashed. And there is not a lot about the actual creation of music other than "In the Air Tonight," (attempting to put rumors to rest) "Against All Odds," and his later solo work. If this had dug in to the creation of the Genesis albums (I'm fairly certain some section of his output can be explained by a song from Abacab) other than noting that they all have insane time signatures (I wasn't aware "Turn it on Again" was 13/8, but I did previously know it is nearly impossible to drum), I would have appreciated it more.

As regards the second to last chapter, I'm a bit concerned that while Collins is clean, now, certain rooms would recommend he do a bunch more work on himself. There is an aphorism in those rooms that goes "Poor me. Poor me. Pour me another drink." Likewise, his tendency to narratively roll forward, then duck back in time to his personal life puts a gloss on fairly bad behavior. One doesn't need to be a psychiatrist to note that while he disclaims his title as "workaholic" (saying he just couldn't say "no" to the projects he was offered), he spent a lot more time avoiding his families than he did with them.

The audiobook is entertaining in that his obliviousness and lack of self-knowledge play so straightly that it makes him seem charming instead of caddish.… (mais)