The Phil Collins revival is in full swing! After hinting he might be felling well enough to record and tour again comes the news that the awesome Rhino Records will re-issue remastered and expanded version of Phil’s catalog on CD, digitally and on 180-gram vinyl.
And take a close look at those album covers! Phil has faithfully recreated them, now with deeper lines of experience and irony to punctuate the iconic images.
The first release celebrates the 35th anniversary of Phil’s initial solo outing Face Value, which opens with the classic thumper “In The Air Tonight” and ends inexplicably with a cover of the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” and somehow works in “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.”
Worth noting: we’ve heard the 2016 remastered versions and they are sensational!
SCHEDULE:
Face Value (1981) – AVAILABLE
Hello, I Must be Going (1982) – February 26, 2016
No Jacket Required (1985) – April 15
…But Seriously (1989) – TBA
Both Sides (1993) – AVAILABLE
Dance Into the Light (1996) – February 26, 2016
Testify (2002) – April 15
From the official Rhino website:
Its imminent arrival was announced some weeks back, but it’s finally here: the kickoff of Rhino’s reissuing and remastering of Phil Collins’ back catalog. Yes, you knew him and loved him as one of the core members of Genesis, you followed him when he opted to step away from the band on occasion and do his own thing, and now he’s asking you to Take A Look At Me Now with this new campaign which takes his eight solo albums and kicks them up a notch in celebration of the 35th anniversary of his debut album.
Appropriately enough, this first wave of reissues features that very album, 1981’s Face Value, and its companion reissue – just to keep you guessing – is 1993’s Both Sides.
Face Value is unarguably best known for its opening track, In the Air Tonight, which is dark and depressing but features one of the greatest drum moments in rock ‘n’ roll. Oh, and it’s also an amazing song, so it’s got that going for it, too. You’ll possibly also remember such AOR stalwarts as I Missed Again and If Leaving Me Is Easy, which continue to earn airplay on a regular basis even now. Similarly, Both Sides is remembered best for its opening track as well: Both Sides of the Story, which proved to be a Top 10 hit on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart as well as a top-10 hit on the UK Singles chart. Other singles which may ring a bell include Everyday, which was actually the album’s biggest hit in the US (it hit #24, whereas Both Sides of the Story only hit #25), and We Wait and We Wonder.
Here’s the full track listing for the re-issues, so you can see the variety of demos and live performances that Collins has selected for the bonus discs on each set, but on the visual front, you’ll also want to make note of how our man Phil has recreated the covers for each of his albums, which is a fun idea that makes us smile every time we look at ’em.
FACE VALUE: DELUXE EDITION
Disc 1:
1. “In The Air Tonight”
2. “This Must Be Love”
3. “Behind The Lines”
4. “The Roof Is Leaking”
5. “Droned”
6. “Hand In Hand”
7. “I Missed Again”
8. “You Know What I Mean”
9. “Thunder And Lightning”
10. “I’m Not Moving”
11. “If Leaving Me Is Easy”
12. “Tomorrow Never Knows”
Disc 2:
1. “Misunderstanding” – Live
2. “If Leaving Me Is Easy” – Live
3. “In The Air Tonight” – Live
4. “Behind The Lines” – Live
5. “The Roof Is Leaking” – Demo
6. “Hand In Hand” – Live
7. “I Missed Again” – Live
8. “….And So To F” – Live
9. “This Must Be Love” – Demo
10. “Please Don’t Ask” – Demo
11. “Misunderstanding” – Demo
12. “Against All Odds” – Demo
BOTH SIDES: DELUXE EDITION
Disc 1:
1. “Both Sides Of The Story”
2. “Can’t Turn Back The Years”
3. “Everyday”
4. “I’ve Forgotten Everything”
5. “We’re Sons Of Our Fathers”
6. “Can’t Find My Way”
7. “Survivors”
8. “We Fly So Close”
9. “There’s A Place For Us”
10. “We Wait And We Wonder”
11. “Please Come Out Tonight”
Disc 2:
1. “Take Me With You”
2. “Both Sides Of The Story” – Live
3. “Can’t Turn Back The Years” – Live
4. “Survivors” – Live
5. “Everyday” – Live
6. “We Wait And We Wonder” – Live
7. “Can’t Find My Way” – Demo
8. “I’ve Been Trying”
9. “Both Sides Of The Story”
10. “Hero” – Demo
Both original albums are now available on 180-gram vinyl as well. Get Face Value and Both Sides here.