Phil Collins - Face Value

Phil Collins - Face Value (1981)

Genre: Art Rock, R&B

Phil Collins was one of the first English musicians I was turned on to since loving the Tarzan soundtrack as a kid. Believe it or not, this is my first time properly listening to one of his solo albums all the way through. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

As a huge fan of Peter Gabriel's Genesis, I don't discredit Phil completely in evolving Genesis into primarily a pop rock band. They made some big stinkers for sure, but there were always plenty of catchy tunes to be found among their later discography. With that said, I guess the reason I never delved into Phil's solo material was because In The Air Tonight is so overplayed on the radio, that I lost motivation. And I'll admit, it took a little while to grow on me, but I did enjoy this record more than I thought I would.

As I said, I have grown pretty tired of In The Air Tonight, but I can't deny how great of a song it is; one that gave rise to many aspiring drummers for its awesome drum fills. Really though, most of the tracks on here show that they're a product of their time. Mostly lovey-dovey songs with the occasional upbeat dance type groove, but mostly slow, ballad-like instrumentals and the occasional seductive sax playing, which is most prominent on the track If Leaving Me Is Easy. It's easily one of my favorites on the album. I don't know what it is, really, but I just love the sax playing and Phil's voice on that one. Behind The Lines, a song that Phil sings on the Genesis record Duke makes an appearance here, but arranged in more of a funk style, which I can't vouch for in terms of superiority, but it's still quite catchy.

Droned and Hand in Hand are the two instrumentals that play at the end of Side A. Droned was amazingly infectious, bringing about African-inspired beats and an almost tropical sort of vibe at times. Hand in Hand however, happens to easily be my least favorite on this record, and it's funny that I say that, because it is one of the more sonically interesting ones. There's lots of brass and an undeniably upbeat dance-like quality about it, but I just personally feel like it's way too overblown, and as an instrumental, it often sounds more like something you would hear in the background of a Spanish music festival.

While I didn't think there were many standout tracks to be found here, most of them were quite pleasant. This is definitely an album I would only really play when I'm in a summery, easy-going mood, though I guess that's how I've felt about a lot of 80's R&B records. One song I want to point out as an anomaly is the cover of The Beatles' Tomorrow Never Knows. While still holding back on the heavy experimentation that was used in the original, it still sounds odd within the context of this record, but it's nevertheless a pretty solid cover, in my opinion. Overall, there's good vibes here, even if it's somewhat clichéd at times. 

B+

Favorite Tracks: In The Air Tonight, The Roof Is Leaking, Droned, If Leaving Me Is Easy, Tomorrow Never Knows

Least Favorite Track: Hand in Hand