The Hunt For New Music: Phil Collins is not a new musician but he has produced such a body of work, that some of his songs may be new to you, despite his worldwide fame and success. Collins has enjoyed a very successful career, first as the drummer/singer for Genesis, where he replaced the talented Peter Gabriel as lead singer, and then as a solo artist. He is one of only three solo artists (Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson are the other two) to have sold over 100 million records. Wikipedia–as they always do–has a very nice overview of Collins’ career. Collins has backed away from a heavy touring and recording schedule in recent years, although he has been emphatic that he has not retired, so maybe you haven’t had a Phil Collins fix in a while. This weekend concert should solve that.
One reason Phil Collins is not quite as visible as he once was (and he was everywhere) is health. First, a medical issue with his vertebrae has made it impossible for him to play the drums (nerve damage) and he was–as you’ll see in this concert–one of the great rock drummers of all time. He also had a hearing issue, when his hearing was severely compromised by an infection; he would not be the first rock musician to suffer hearing issues, as the volume levels on stage for world-class bands like Genesis or solo performers of Collins stature are immense, but Collins problem was more severe than just rock&roll wear&tear.
Collins is a very gifted song writer as a well as performer, and is an Academy Award winning film composer for his song “You’ll Be In My Heart”. Some critics have unfairly bashed Phil Collins simply because at one point in his career, he appeared to be everywhere, but that premise is both short-sighted and ridiculous: why knock a human who does something so very, very well just because he’s so popular or ubiquitous. He’s got gifts. He used them. Enjoy it. Being productive is not a defect for an artist. For this weekend’s installment of Weekend Concert Series, it’s Phil Collins Performing live in Paris in 2004 ; the concert is full length and very well recorded. Play this back through the big speakers. Special thanks to all involved for making this one possible. Enjoy the performance and the evening.
The Fine Print: Made available via embed from YouTube. Thank you. All rights belong to the respective owners. Special thanks to Phil Collins (www.philcollins.co.uk) for allowing the posting of this concert for enjoyment by his fans. This concert was produced/recorded in Paris in 2004. Also special thanks to the Piano Keys Sessions Channel for curation and preservation.