How can you miss with Phil Collins?

Phil Collins needs a backup band. This video for 1981's "I Missed Again" would be a late addition to our growing list of "Unintentionally Frightening Videos of the 80s."

(Why, well to paraphrase another tune, "take a look at him now" during the close-up drum playing. It's nearly a Spinal Tap moment.)

This week's podcast -- assuming Sean Daly and I stumble into the office and record one -- is all about the Top 10 songs of Phil Collins, a man whose music is far darker than his public persona. And "I Missed Again" does make our preliminary list -- though we're not saying where.

My question to you: What would be your pick for the top spot on the Collins' Top 10 list? And then tune in Saturday to see if our list matches yours.

Comments

[Michelle]

Phil Collins, 57, sure doesn't seem to mind parting with large sums of money to end marriages. According to Sunday's Daily Mirror, the Genesis singer has given his third wife, Orianne Cevey, 35, nearly $50 million in a divorce settlement - after six years of marriage and two children. In 1994 he gave second wife Jill Tavelman somewhere near $34 million after famously dumping her by fax. His first wife, Andrea Bertorelli, "ran off with the decorator."
Posted at 09:53 AM/ET, August 18, 2008, USA Today

That helps explain all his bitter lyrics.

[gary]

Let's not forget, people, that the "Missed Again" video was made before MTV was on the air. I cut slack points for that. They weren't preoccupied with image then.

[Cait]

Top 5 Phil Collins songs:

5) I Wish It Would Rain
4) I Missed Again
3) Against All Odds
2) In The Air Tonight
1) Take Me Home

I also love the songs he produced for Adam Ant and Frida.

[Blaine]

Great posts. While I love so much of the man's work, I suppose I, too, would go with "In the Air Tonight" as the #1.

I graduated from high school in '87 and got a CD player from my parents as a gift. I promptly ran out the next morning to the mall [Sears, of all places] and bought "Face Value" on CD, and I nearly had an "O" when the drums kicked in toward the end of "Air."

[Mauricio]

After all the obvious choices (I like most of the songs already mentioned) I have to say that the song "I wish it would rain down" is my all time fave.

Clapton on guitars and classic Phil style drums just makes it an awesome but less known Collins classic.

Just found your podcast and I'm hooked! I listened to 4 shows in a row at work today. Keep it coming!

[Richard Phelps]

Top 5 80's Phil Collins solo:

5 Groovy Kind Of Love
4 Hang In Long Enough
3 Something Happened On The Way To Heaven
2 In The Air Tonight
1 Against All Odds

Special mention of 'I Missed Again', my #6. 'Hang In Long Enough' made the list instead coz I love how the drums and bass guitar talk to each other, otherwise my basis is solely on the placement of drumming in these songs.

He used the horn section extremely well in the 80's didn't he!

Phil Collins with Genesis, or Collaborations: Top 5

5 No Reply At All
4 Home By The Sea
3 That's All
2 Turn It On Again
1 Easy Lover

Cheers Spears!

Richard

[Blaine]

Longtime Collins/Genesis/Gabriel freak here, and I never tire of the melancholy of "Take Me Home" and "We Said Hello/Goodbye." Not necessarily my absolute favourite solo Phil, but they're up there.

And, as for Peter's "So," how about "That Voice Again"?

[Bassnote]

How could I leave "The West Side" off my list!!!!! I love that song! Take "Find A way To Your Heart off my list, and put "The West Side" in at #2.

[Jim]

My top 10:

10)I Wish It Would Rain Down
9)Something Happened On The Way To Heaven
8)Take Me home
7)Thru These Walls
6)Inside Out
5)The West Side
4)I Cannot Believe It's True
3)Do You Remember
2)Separate Lives
1)In the Air Tonight

[Matt]

If there's still time, I'm changing my vote to "Take Me Home" (No Jacket Required). Tremendous song that I totally blanked on earlier.

(But I still expect to hear Sean screeching out "Don't Lose My Number.")

[Andrea]

In the Air Tonight.
And have you seen the candy ad? I don't think it was released in the US:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TnzFRV1LwIo

[CHAD]

here are some of my fav phil collins tunes in no particular order: in the air tonight, dont lose my number, one more night, against all odds, i dont care anymore, another day in paradise, i dont wanna know, inside out, i missed again, i wish it would rain down.

[Bassnote]

Sorry I keep hijacking this post and making it about Peter Gabriel, but I have some more Gabriel news. He and his wife, Meabh, just welcomed a new son into the world on July 5th. The baby's name is Luc. It is their second child.

[Bassnote]

I hate to admit it, but I still like Collins' duet with Philip Bailey, "Easy Lover." Total cheese, but oh so tasty.

[Spears]

I forgot "Mercy Street" was on "So." I'm changing my answer to that.

Any other Phil Collins top-songs votes? Times a-runnin' out.

[CHAD]

wow, i think i only know 4 to 5 peter gabriel tunes. i absolutely hated the song shock the monkey back in the day. i can tolerate it now, but its still not one of my favs. ive always been a more mainstream kinda person, never got into any alternative stuff(ok maybe rem), no cure, no depeche mode. i just need some KISS, reo, night ranger, van halen, sammy hagar, journey, stuff along those lines. thats the stuff i was listening to in the 80s. but i also liked phil's solo work as well as the stuff with genesis. i had all his solo stuff, i ended the streak with both sides. i also had all his genesis stuff, from duke onward, stopping at we cant dance. now these days i find sometimes, the stuff i hated in the 80s, seems not so bad. some of the early 80s new wave stuff is pretty good, actually, but the darker stuff ill never get into. i just wanted some fun tunes to drive around on a sat night and get toasted.

[jane]

Unintentional Spinal Tap moment -- no kidding. Although that's not quite an armadillo...

I'd forgotten how much I like this song -- but need to listen to it without visuals from now on.

[Bassnote]

I would LOVE that!

[Miguel]

If you make a podcast on Peter Gabriel invite Bassnote for co-host.The man is a Peter Gabriel encyclopedia.Awesome Bassnote!

[Bassnote]

Here's the P.O.V. video of "Mercy Street":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QFbfT-5gtE

[Bassnote]

Best song on "So"? That's tough because i love the whole album. "Red Rain" is a great choice, but I think "Mercy Street" is just as good. I saw Gabriel twice on the So tour, and both times "Mercy Street" blew me away. Check out his concert video "P.O.V." for the live version of "Mercy Street", it is mesmerizing.

[BBanzai]

well the 'top pick' would have to be 'In The Air Tonight'...this would have to phil's 80s opus hands down

[John Hays]

Steve, come on! It's gotta be In Your Eyes!

[Al]

Amen Steve, Red Rain was ridiculously good 80's music. It's about nuclear fall-out.

[Miguel]

I think i would go with Against All Odds.I`m not the biggest Phil Collins fan,i would rather listen to a Peter Gabriel podcast too.

[Matt]

Don't Lose My Number.

And on the podcast, I will be greatly disappointed if Sean doesn't screech out the chorus of this one, substituting "Spearsie" for "Billie."

[Tom]

"Big Time" off "So" is my fave. The video was like Pee Wee's Playhouse on acid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0FBi5Rv1ho

[Spears]

Best song of "So"? Anybody?

I sorta live for "Red Rain."

[Tonianne]

"So" is in my top 5 (top 3 maybe?) 80s albums. I'd argue that Gabriel is to music of the 80s what Cusack is to movies of the 80s.

[Spears]

I'm a HUGE Gabriel fan, meaning basically I'm a huge guy who happens to like Gabriel too.

But I'm seriously and probably foolishly waiting to see if I can get our man Peter himself to appear on that podcast.

[Bassnote]

Have you done a Peter Gabriel podcast yet? If not, you need to do one for his album "So". One of the top ten albums of the 80s.

[CHAD]

so srong

that would be so wrong

[CHAD]

i dont know, i was so srong about no jacket requireds popularity, but i think hands down it has to be, in the air tonight.

[Bassnote]

I'm hoping you limit this to Phil's solo efforts. My top 10:

10) Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore (No Jacket Required)
9) Find A Way To Your Heart (...But Seriously)
8) Hand In Hand (Face Value)
7) Thru These Walls (Hello, I Must Be Going)
6) I Don't Wanna Know ((No Jacket Required)
5) Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (Soundtrack)
4) I Don't Care Anymore (Hello, I Must Be Going)
3) You Can't Hurry Love (Hello, I Must Be Going)
2) We Said Hello Goodbye (No Jacket Required)
1) In The Air Tonight (Face Value)

[Kurt's Krap]

The darkest song Phil has been involved in has to be Genesis' "Mama."

But my solo favorite is still "Against All Odd," A power ballad if there ever were one. My favorite Genesis moment is either "Follow You Follow Me" or "Throwing It All Away," which is amazing in a live setting.

[Valdimar (Iceland)]

Is this limited to songs he released as a solo artist or do songs he wrote with Genesis count?

[Marissa]

I'm rather fond of the darker side of Collins. Phil, not Judy.

To show off my lack of Phil or Genesis knowledge, was MAMA a Phil solo effort or with Genesis?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3pNg4jWs8E