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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The beginning of Phil Collins's massively successful solo career coincided with the discord in his first marriage, turning Face Value into a compelling churn of emotions, from the utter disgust of "In the Air Tonight" (where Collins dryly comments, "If you told me you were drowning / I would not lend a hand") to the delight he feels in exploring a new relationship ("This Must Be Love"). Collins' thundering drums and punchy horn arrangements--a close approximation of Earth, Wind & Fire's sound, actually--clicked with the public, turning "I Missed Again" and "In the Air Tonight" into Top 20 singles and launching Collins' career as one of the biggest and most unlikely stars of the 1980s. --Daniel Durchholz
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
In 1981, before he discovered his social conscience, he wrote a great album about problems that he really understood, and sentiments that he really felt. There's real edge here, in the menacing bassline and explosive drums of 'air tonight'. There's some funk in the riffs 'behind the lines'. And genuinely exotic world influences in 'droned' and 'the roof is leaking'. He even picked a great, neglected Beatles track to cover. So don't buy anything he's ever written - except this. 20 years ago, he got it absolutely right. Swallow your pride and put it in your basket.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I first heard this album in the season of autumn and, for me, it will always be an autumn album. That said, it is an outstanding piece of work and a musical rarity i.e. not a weak song in sight. "In the air tonight" is so listeningly beautiful that,up until that famous drum solo occurs, you can almost heard a pin drop. Then there is the most romantic of love songs "this must be love" before the mood is again broken by the dispairing tones of "roof is leaking" and "Droned". The album takes this high to low mood swing throughout but it certainly keeps you interested. My personal favourite is "thunder and lightning" with lines as strong as " I never believed in second chance...you just get one crack of the whip and thats all...". Overall the album has great variety, great lyrics and music that seems as important now as it did in 1981. My only regret is that it was never repeated. Perhaps a case of too many eggs in the one basket..?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Phil Collins has had an interesting career. Coming in for Genesis' third album to be the drummer, he then went on to become the lead vocalist after Peter Gabriel left. He also joined the Fusion group Brand X while in Genesis. In 1981 he launched his successful solo career with this album, "Face Value". He has even had a small acting career to go along with his career in music. Far from one expects from a star, at least in the way he looks, one has to respect his career and what he has accomplished. This first album from him very much fits his career. There is an iconic song, some puzzling song choices and some hidden gems as well.
The album opens with "In the Air Tonight", a piece which has staying power as we near 30 years later, and with no end in sight, nor would one expect there to be. It is a simple piece, and yet masterful in the way it is executed. I suppose it didn't hurt that it spawned an urban legend about its origins either, but it would still be with us even if that had not happened. Next up is "This Must be Love", a nice pleasant piece but one which is easily forgotten after the opener. Next comes an odd choice as Phil chooses to cover "Behind the Lines", a Genesis song which had originally been released less than a year before on the "Duke" album. It is a different version, but it seems like a strange thing to do. "The Roof Is Leaking" is the next track, a nice track which has a different feel than the first pieces, with Phil on piano, and it blends well into two instrumentals (though with voices as instruments) called "Droned" and "Hand in Hand", which closes out the first half of the album.
"I Missed Again" opens the second half of the album, once again a decent piece but not a classic, which made the top 20 as a single. Next up is a nice slower piece titled "You Know What I Mean", which is one of the pieces which I would call a hidden gem, along with the following piece "Thunder and Lightning" which is a faster and more upbeat song. "I'm Not Moving" is an interesting piece and provides some more diversity to an already diverse album. "If Leaving Me Is Easy" is another slower piece, but in this case the slowness tends to drag on a bit. "Tomorrow Never Knows" is another one of the odd choices. It is certainly different from "The Beatles" version, but at the same time Phil's version isn't enough different to justify doing the cover, at least in my opinion.
The result is an album which has some great high points, but there are tracks here which one could well do without. Nevertheless, this is a classic album, and represents Phil's career quite well. He has always been one to perform, no matter the genre and that diversity comes through on this album, though certainly some styles are more prevalent than others.
The album opens with "In the Air Tonight", a piece which has staying power as we near 30 years later, and with no end in sight, nor would one expect there to be. It is a simple piece, and yet masterful in the way it is executed. I suppose it didn't hurt that it spawned an urban legend about its origins either, but it would still be with us even if that had not happened. Next up is "This Must be Love", a nice pleasant piece but one which is easily forgotten after the opener. Next comes an odd choice as Phil chooses to cover "Behind the Lines", a Genesis song which had originally been released less than a year before on the "Duke" album. It is a different version, but it seems like a strange thing to do. "The Roof Is Leaking" is the next track, a nice track which has a different feel than the first pieces, with Phil on piano, and it blends well into two instrumentals (though with voices as instruments) called "Droned" and "Hand in Hand", which closes out the first half of the album.
"I Missed Again" opens the second half of the album, once again a decent piece but not a classic, which made the top 20 as a single. Next up is a nice slower piece titled "You Know What I Mean", which is one of the pieces which I would call a hidden gem, along with the following piece "Thunder and Lightning" which is a faster and more upbeat song. "I'm Not Moving" is an interesting piece and provides some more diversity to an already diverse album. "If Leaving Me Is Easy" is another slower piece, but in this case the slowness tends to drag on a bit. "Tomorrow Never Knows" is another one of the odd choices. It is certainly different from "The Beatles" version, but at the same time Phil's version isn't enough different to justify doing the cover, at least in my opinion.
The result is an album which has some great high points, but there are tracks here which one could well do without. Nevertheless, this is a classic album, and represents Phil's career quite well. He has always been one to perform, no matter the genre and that diversity comes through on this album, though certainly some styles are more prevalent than others.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Awful release,music and sound
If this is a good album Genesis' "We Can't Dance" was written by God himself.
I really can't stand this poor Cd, Collins could at least make it sound better-
Found in my... Read more
I really can't stand this poor Cd, Collins could at least make it sound better-
Found in my... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Lucazest
BRILLANT PURCHASE
WONDERFUL PURCHASE I BROUGHT FOR MY FELLA'S BIRTHDAY ITS A AWESOME COPY AND LOVE PHIL COLLINS IS THE LEGEND! MY FELLA LOVED THE PRESENT THANKS FOR GETTING HERE SO FAST :D
Published 13 months ago by Zoe
The Makings of a Hypocritical Scumbag
I'd like to make one thing clear. I am a big fan of Phils music but I dislike him as a person very much so when I insult him, it is not a reflection on his music. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Greg Boyd
What was all the fuss about!?
What makes a Number One Album? This apparently!
Whist never a big fan of Phil Collins, he's always been highly regarded in the Music Industry. Read more
Whist never a big fan of Phil Collins, he's always been highly regarded in the Music Industry. Read more
Published on 1 May 2010 by FAMOUS NAME
"Do you like Phil Collins?"
Do you like Phil Collins? I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2009 by Billy Ray Cyrus
Behind Genesis
Phil Collins debut, an instant smash, revealed why Genesis' music was taking a more mainstream direction, and is far more impressive than that band's contemporaneous release,... Read more
Published on 3 April 2008 by D. J. H. Thorn
1st Track = Brilliant, the rest?....mediocre at best!
I'm going to go against the rest of reviews here. First, let's get it clear in your heads, I love Collins' music. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2007 by Matthew Fenn
A great debut
Phil Collins' reputation has suffered substantially over the past twenty years. He may not have been mentioned by either David Brent or Alan Partridge, but it feels like it. Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2004 by Gavin Wilson
Brilliant
His first solo album and he never bettered it. He will never write anything as good as In The Air Tonight. Read more
Published on 26 Sep 2001
A Genius Finds His Feet
Superb. This stunning debut album from one of British music's most talented musicians has to be heard to be believed. Read more
Published on 28 Nov 1999
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