Face Value | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 13 February 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1979 (demos) August–December 1980 (overdubs and mix) [1] | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 47:49 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Producer |
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Phil Collins chronology | ||||
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Singles from Face Value | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Face Value is the debut solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins,released on 13 February 1981,by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in North America. [10] [11] After his first wife filed for divorce in 1979,Collins began to write songs during a break in activity from Genesis with much of the material concerning his personal life. The album was recorded from mid-1980 to early 1981 with Collins and Hugh Padgham as producers. Additional musicians include the Phenix Horns,Alphonso Johnson,and Eric Clapton.
Face Value was an instant commercial success and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for three weeks and No. 7 on the US Billboard 200. It has since sold over 5 million copies in the US and over 1.5 million in the UK. The album received widespread praise from critics and launched Collins' solo career whose commercial success would ultimately outstrip that of Genesis. Its lead single "In the Air Tonight",released in January 1981,reached No. 2 on the UK singles chart and became known for its drum arrangement and use of gated reverb. In January 2016,Face Value was reissued with bonus tracks and new photography in the style of the original but featuring a present-day Collins. [12]
By 1978,Phil Collins had been a member of English progressive rock band Genesis for almost eight years. After spending the first five as their drummer,he reluctantly accepted the role of frontman of the group in 1975 following the departure of the band's original singer,Peter Gabriel. Three years later,after departure of guitarist Steve Hackett,Genesis' nine-month world tour to promote ...And Then There Were Three... (1978) [13] became problematic for Collins's wife Andrea who complained that he was not at home enough and that should he commit to the full tour,she would not be there when he returned. [14] Collins,however,maintained that the band were on the cusp of international breakthrough and the tour would pay dividends for the future. [15] However,at the end of the tour,Andrea decided to take their two children to her parents in Vancouver,Canada. In an attempt to save his marriage,Collins moved to Vancouver,but the attempt failed. Collins returned to England in April 1979,with Andrea having agreed to return with the children. [13] [16]
With Genesis members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford working on their solo albums through 1979,Collins used some of his spare time to write songs. He told Modern Drummer early that year:
One ambition is to do my own album which will have a lot of variety. I write songy [sic] stuff, as well as some from the Brand X area. I'm also hip to what [Brian] Eno does – those kind of soundtracks which I've always been interested in – two or three minutes of just mood. The album, when it does come out, will have a lot of different styles on it. [17]
In his home in Shalford, Surrey, named Old Croft, Collins set up a Sequential Prophet-5 synthesiser, piano, Roland CR-78 drum machine, and an 8-track tape machine in his bedroom, and recorded a collection of demos with backing tracks and early lyrics. [18] He was not concerned with the quality of the recordings as what may have lacked in the recordings would have been salvaged with the emotion in the songs. There were numerous times where Collins stopped recording earlier than planned as the ideas were not working in the studio, leaving him to resume the following day. [19] Collins based the majority of Face Value on the divorce he had endured, and used a solo album as an outlet for his feelings. [19]
During the conception of the album, Collins had forged a close friendship with John Martyn and contributed towards Grace and Danger (1980), which contained a similar narrative relating to divorce and relationship breakdown. Some of Collins' material that he had written was performed by Genesis on Duke (1980), including "Misunderstanding", the arrangement of which remained unchanged. [19] He had played "In the Air Tonight" and "If Leaving Me is Easy" to the group, but they were left out as Collins said they were "too simple for the band". [19]
Early album titles included Interiors and Exposure. [19] To release the album, Collins signed a solo contract with Virgin Records for UK distribution. [18] He did so to "leave the nest" and to ensure he could maintain full creative control over the music. Collins also felt that releasing the album on Charisma Records, the same label as Genesis, would have harmed its success due to the preconceived notions people have about bands and labels. [18] Collins thought a new label would benefit the casual listener and appeal to a wider audience. [19] Virgin gave Collins a £65,000 advance on the album. [20]
Recording sessions for Face Value took place at the Town House in London and the Village Recorder in Los Angeles between August and December 1980. The demos recorded onto 8-track were transferred onto 24-track. [18] According to Classic Albums , in what was considered a controversial move at the time, Collins, who grew up listening to American R&B as a child in Chiswick, decided to incorporate an R&B horn section, hiring the Phenix Horns, who played backup for Earth, Wind & Fire. Collins had asked a contact who knew the group if they were interested in playing, and upon their agreement their leader Thomas "Tom Tom 84" Washington met with Collins who asked him to sing the sections where the horns were to be placed into a tape recorder. The group recorded their parts the following day. [18]
Collins produced the album himself with assistance from Hugh Padgham, who would co-produce several of Collins and Genesis's subsequent albums in the 1980s. Initially he considered George Clinton, Maurice White, or Phil Ramone until he realised that he merely wanted someone to endorse his own ideas. [19] Assistant recording engineer Nick Launay was hired after Collins was impressed with his work with Public Image Ltd. [21] Collins was dissatisfied with initial test cuts of the album, describing them like a Queen album, "big, British and upfront". [19] He then listened to several albums by black musicians including ones by The Jacksons and a collection of soul artists in his own collection, and noticed a common link with technician Mike Reese who worked at a Los Angeles mastering lab. Reese prepared a cut which Collins was satisfied with. [19]
The simple style of music on Face Value was reasoned by Collins as his fondness of Weather Report's simple melodies and for black music. [19] Collins controversially included drum programming rather than just live drum instrumentation despite his reputation as a drummer. Collins said he wanted to experiment with different sounds and was inspired by the work of his former bandmate Peter Gabriel, who had used drum programming on his last album; Collins was part of these sessions. Many of the songs' arrangements were done by Collins and session arranger Thomas "Tom Tom 84" Washington. He incorporated Indian-styled violins, played by L. Shankar, for additional textures.
The last recording session for Face Value was in January 1981, prior to the release of the first single, "In the Air Tonight". Atlantic CEO Ahmet Ertegun advised Collins to perform drums during the verses and opening of the song, whereas the album version does not feature live drumming until the bridge.[ citation needed ]
The album features songs of different genres. While technically a rock and pop offering, the basis of many of the tracks lies in R&B with light funk influences, especially in "I'm Not Moving", for which Collins sang his backgrounds with a vocoder. "Droned" and "Hand in Hand" are progressive rock instrumentals, with the first featuring an Indian raga sound, while "Hand in Hand" features jazz elements, a black children's choir from Los Angeles humming the music, and improvisational instrumentation by Collins and the Phenix Horns. [19] "The Roof Is Leaking" has Delta blues and country elements. "Behind the Lines" was originally recorded by Genesis on Duke album as a progressive rock number. Collins worked up a horn-driven R&B/funk-inspired arrangement after speeding up the tape on the Genesis version and thinking that the sped-up version sounded like a Michael Jackson song. The cover of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" includes instruments and vocals playing in reverse while Collins provided multi-layered background vocals and sparse drumming. After the song ends, Collins can be heard quietly singing "Over the Rainbow" in reference to the recent murder of John Lennon; this final song is unlisted on most releases of the album (the original US cassette version being an exception), and marks the only time Collins used a hidden track on one of his own releases.
Four songs Collins wrote during the Face Value sessions were ultimately omitted: "Misunderstanding" and "Please Don't Ask" which appeared in the Genesis album Duke , "How Can You Just Sit There" (which evolved into his 1984 single "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"), and what would become "Don't Lose My Number", which would not appear until Collins' third album No Jacket Required in 1985. According to Collins "Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away" and "Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning" (from his 1982 follow-up Hello, I Must Be Going! ) were written during the Face Value sessions. [22]
Collins regarded Face Value as a highly personal project, which gave rise to the iconic cover art with Collins' face in extreme close-up, originally intended to symbolise the listener "getting into his head"; the reverse side of the sleeve shows the rear of his head, although the CD version of the album placed this image on the insert card instead. To emphasise the personal nature of the album, Collins also hand wrote all of the liner and sleeve notes, even down to the legal statements on the outer circumference of the centre label of the disc itself. Both of the main visual elements of Face Value – the facial close-up, and the handwritten notes – would become a motif of Collins' subsequent albums until 1996's Dance into the Light . When crediting the musicians in the liner notes, rather than write "Phil Collins", Collins simply wrote "Me", although in future albums he would write his initials "PC". [18]
Face Value became an immediate success, reaching No. 1 in the UK, Canada, and other European countries, while peaking in the top ten in the US. "In the Air Tonight" became the album's biggest hit, reaching No. 2 in the UK, No. 1 in three other countries, and becoming a top twenty hit in the US. Other songs such as "I Missed Again" found modest success reaching No. 14 in the UK and No. 19 in the US, while the third single, "If Leaving Me Is Easy", reached No. 17 in the UK but was not released in America. Sales of the album reached five million in the US and went five-times platinum in the UK and ten-times platinum in Canada. No solo tour was produced from this album – Collins immediately resumed working with Genesis for the album Abacab upon the album's completion.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [23] |
Mojo | [24] |
PopMatters | 9/10 [25] |
Q | [26] |
Record Mirror | [27] |
Rolling Stone | [28] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [29] |
Sounds | [30] |
Uncut | 7/10 [31] |
Robin Smith of Record Mirror highlighted the album's emotional restraint, commenting that it plays less like a statement of "raw emotion" and more like a "diary" of Collins' "disappointments, hopes and fantasies". [27] In Sounds , Hugh Fielder said that it effectively captured Collins' "multi-faceted" musicality with songs ranging "from funky beat to melancholic ballads with occasional pop and avant garde twinges." [30] Melody Maker 's Allan Jones considered Face Value a compelling stylistic divergence from Collins' work in Genesis, writing that the album "delights in confounding the familiar parameters" of the band's music. [32] Rolling Stone critic Steve Pond was more reserved in his praise. He complimented Collins for forgoing Genesis' "high-blown conceits" for a simpler sound rooted in "basic pop and R&B", but found that "[his] broken heart is too clearly on his sleeve, and musical missteps abound". [28] Pond nonetheless deemed it "unmistakably the most worthy Genesis product" since Peter Gabriel's 1977 debut album. [28]
In 2000, Face Value was voted number 329 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums . [33] In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Tim Sendra described Face Value as "Collins' most honest, most compelling work", which "stands as his masterpiece and one of the finest moments of the '80s musical landscape." [2] Writing for Ultimate Classic Rock in 2013, Will Levith called it a "now-classic" album, highlighting in particular "In the Air Tonight", "which just about everybody has played air drums to one time or another", but added, "The project's most forgettable moment, however, is the closing track – an absolutely atrocious cover of 'Tomorrow Never Knows' [...] Why Collins thought it was necessary to lay such a giant turd on an otherwise awesome album is beyond us." [34]
Reviewing the album's 2016 reissue, Uncut 's Sharon O'Connell said that Face Value established Collins as a "premier-league" pop and soft rock performer, "nursing only a slight prog hangover", [31] and Mojo 's Paul Elliott wrote that it remained Collins' best solo record, noting its deeply personal core themes. [24] Dorset Echo writer Joanna Davis said, "Most of the tracks stand the test of time, but some, like 'If Leaving Me is Easy', belong in the forgotten land of 80s ballads preceded by a saxophone introduction." [35] Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian characterised the album in 2016 as "an intriguing debut, wandering between art-rock and soulful MOR... Face Value's most potent quality was its emotional transparency. Like the pensive portrait on the cover, the songs addressed the listener with unflinching directness." [4]
All tracks are written by Phil Collins, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "In the Air Tonight" | 5:34 | |
2. | "This Must Be Love" | 3:55 | |
3. | "Behind the Lines" |
| 3:53 |
4. | "The Roof Is Leaking" | 3:16 | |
5. | "Droned" | 2:49 | |
6. | "Hand in Hand" | 5:20 | |
Total length: | 24:47 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "I Missed Again" | 3:41 | |
2. | "You Know What I Mean" | 2:33 | |
3. | "Thunder and Lightning" | 4:12 | |
4. | "I'm Not Moving" | 2:33 | |
5. | "If Leaving Me Is Easy" | 4:54 | |
6. | "Tomorrow Never Knows" | Lennon–McCartney | 4:15 |
7. | "Over the Rainbow" (unlisted, except on cassette release WEA 1981) | 0:32 | |
Total length: | 22:45 |
Notes
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Misunderstanding" (live 2004) | 4:42 | |
2. | "If Leaving Me Is Easy" (live 1985) | 7:23 | |
3. | "In the Air Tonight" (live 1997) | 7:51 | |
4. | "Behind the Lines" (live 1985) |
| 3:39 |
5. | "The Roof Is Leaking" (demo 1980) | 3:12 | |
6. | "Hand in Hand" (live 1997) | 9:47 | |
7. | "I Missed Again" (live 2004) | 4:22 | |
8. | "...And So to F..." (live 1982) | 6:22 | |
9. | "This Must Be Love" (demo 1980) | 3:44 | |
10. | "Please Don't Ask" (demo 1980) | 4:01 | |
11. | "Misunderstanding" (demo 1980) | 2:53 | |
12. | "Against All Odds" (demo 1980) | 2:58 |
Some songs were written around this time but have not been fully recorded and included on the record:
Production
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [39] | 2 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [40] | 3 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [41] | 1 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [42] | 2 |
Finland (The Official Finnish Charts) [43] | 14 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [44] | 2 |
Italian Albums ( Musica e Dischi ) [45] | 8 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [46] | 4 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [47] | 5 |
Spain (Spanish Albums Chart) [48] | 7 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [49] | 1 |
UK Albums (OCC) [50] | 1 |
US Billboard 200 [51] | 7 |
Chart (2016) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [52] | 54 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [53] | 79 |
French Albums (SNEP) [54] | 87 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [55] | 73 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [56] | 45 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [57] | 24 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [58] | Platinum | 60,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [59] | 4× Platinum | 280,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [60] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [61] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [62] | Diamond | 1,000,000^ |
France (SNEP) [63] | 2× Platinum | 600,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [64] | 7× Gold | 1,750,000^ |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [65] | Gold | 10,000* |
Netherlands (NVPI) [66] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [67] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [68] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [69] | 2× Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [70] | 5× Platinum | 1,542,095 [71] |
United States (RIAA) [72] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 12,000,000 [73] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
No Jacket Required is the third solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released on 18 February 1985 by Virgin Records in the UK and by Atlantic and WEA internationally.
Hello, I Must Be Going! is the second solo studio album by the English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released on 5 November 1982 on Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and on Atlantic Records in North America, and named after the Marx Brothers' song of the same name. After Genesis took a break in activity in late 1981, Collins started work on a follow-up to his debut solo studio album Face Value (1981).
We Can't Dance is the fourteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 11 November 1991 by Virgin Records in the UK and a day later by Atlantic Records in the US. It is their last studio album recorded with drummer and singer Phil Collins before his departure in 1996 to pursue solo projects full time. The album marked the return of band activity following an almost four-year hiatus after touring their previous album, Invisible Touch (1986).
Seconds Out is the second live album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released as a double album on 14 October 1977 on Charisma Records, and was their first with touring drummer Chester Thompson and their last with guitarist Steve Hackett. The majority was recorded in June 1977 at the Palais des Sports in Paris during the Wind & Wuthering Tour. One track, "The Cinema Show", was recorded in 1976 at the Apollo in Glasgow during their A Trick of the Tail Tour.
Invisible Touch is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 6 June 1986 by Atlantic Records in the United States and on 9 June 1986 by Charisma/Virgin Records in the United Kingdom. After taking a break in 1984 for each member to continue his solo career, the band reconvened in October 1985 to write and record Invisible Touch with engineer and producer Hugh Padgham. As with their previous album, it was written entirely through group improvisations and no material developed prior to recording was used.
Genesis is the twelfth studio album by English rock band Genesis, released on 3 October 1983 by Charisma and Virgin Records in the UK and by Atlantic Records in the US and Canada. Following the band's tour in support of their 1982 live album Three Sides Live, Genesis took an eight-month break before they regrouped in the spring of 1983 to record a new album. It is their first written and recorded in its entirety at their studio named The Farm in Chiddingfold, Surrey, and the songs were developed through jam sessions in the studio with nothing written beforehand. Hugh Padgham returned as their engineer.
Wind & Wuthering is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released on 17 December 1976 on Charisma Records and is their last studio album to feature guitarist Steve Hackett. Following the success of their 1976 tour to support their previous album A Trick of the Tail, the group relocated to Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands to record a follow-up album, their first recorded outside the UK. Writing and recording caused internal friction, as Hackett felt some of his contributions were dropped in favour of material by keyboardist Tony Banks.
...But Seriously is the fourth solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released on 20 November 1989 in the United Kingdom by Virgin Records and by Atlantic Records in the United States. After Collins finished touring commitments with the rock band Genesis in 1987, the group entered a four-year hiatus, during which Collins starred in the feature film Buster (1988). By the spring of 1989, Collins had written material for a new solo album, which addressed more serious lyrical themes, like socio-economic and political issues, as opposed to his previous dance-oriented album, No Jacket Required (1985).
Duke is the tenth studio album by English rock band Genesis, released on 28 March 1980 on Charisma Records. The album followed a period of inactivity for the band in early 1979. Phil Collins moved to Vancouver, Canada, in an effort to salvage his failing first marriage, while Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford recorded solo albums. Collins returned to the UK after his marriage ended and wrote a significant amount of material, some of which was used for Duke and some was later reworked for his first solo album, Face Value. Duke contained a mix of individually written songs and tracks that evolved from jam sessions in mid-1979, while recording took place at the end of the year. The break in activity rejuvenated the band, and they found the album an easy one to work on.
Abacab is the eleventh studio album by English rock band Genesis, released on 18 September 1981 by Charisma Records. After their 1980 tour in support of their previous album, Duke (1980), the band took a break before they reconvened in 1981 to write and record a new album. Abacab is the first Genesis album recorded at The Farm, a recording studio bought by the group in Chiddingfold, Surrey. It marked the band's development from their progressive roots into more accessible and pop-oriented songs, and their conscious decision to write songs unlike their previous albums.
Both Sides is the fifth solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Phil Collins. Featuring an adult-oriented soft rock-based sound, released on 8 November 1993 by Virgin in the UK and Atlantic in the US. Collins created the album entirely by himself, without any collaborations from outside songwriters and performers. The record received generally positive critical reviews, with Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stating that the album's "artistically satisfying" songs feature "troubled, haunting tales".
Something's Going On is the third solo album by Swedish singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida), one of the founding members of the Swedish pop group ABBA, and her first album recorded entirely in English. Her previous two albums had been recorded in Swedish. Recorded in early 1982 during the final months of ABBA, the album was released on 10 September of that same year.
Turn It On Again: The Hits is a greatest hits album by British progressive rock/pop-rock band Genesis. The album was originally released as a single album on 25 October 1999 by Virgin Records in the UK and on 26 October 1999 by Atlantic Records in the US.
3×3 is the second extended play by the English rock band Genesis, released on 10 May 1982 on Charisma Records. Its three songs were originally written and recorded for their eleventh studio album Abacab (1981), but they were not included on the album's final track selection. 3×3 reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, its tracks were included on the international edition of the band's live album Three Sides Live (1982). The lead track, "Paperlate", peaked at No. 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Dance into the Light is the sixth solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins, released on 21 October 1996 in the United Kingdom by Face Value Records. It features guest backing vocals from some of Collins' touring accompanists, including Arnold McCuller and Amy Keys. It was the first album that Collins released as a full-time solo artist, having left Genesis earlier that year.
Testify is the seventh solo studio album by English musician Phil Collins, released on 11 November 2002. The album debuted at No. 30 on the US Billboard 200, which was also the album's peak position. It was also the second Phil Collins studio album where no track peaked within the American top 40 singles chart. It was also his lowest charting album in the UK, becoming his only solo effort not to reach the Top 5. However, the album achieved success in some countries of Continental Europe. It is his second album not to be co-produced by Hugh Padgham, who co-produced Collins' most successful albums.
Hits is the first greatest hits album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released on 5 October 1998 in the United Kingdom, and one day later in the United States. The collection included fourteen top 40 hits, including seven American number one songs, spanning from the albums Face Value (1981) through Dance into the Light (1996). One new Collins recording, a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors", also appeared on the collection and was a popular song on adult contemporary stations. Hits was also the first Phil Collins album to include four songs originally recorded for motion pictures as well as his popular duet with Philip Bailey, "Easy Lover".
Chinese Wall is the third solo album by American singer Philip Bailey, released on the Columbia Records label in October 1984. The album reached number 22 on the Billboard 200 and number 10 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts respectively. The album was Grammy nominated in the category of Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. Chinese Wall has also been certified gold in the US by the RIAA.
Going Back is the eighth solo studio album by English singer-songwriter and drummer Phil Collins, released on 13 September 2010 by Atlantic Records. His first solo album in eight years, it features covers of 1960s Motown and soul standards.
The Singles is a compilation album by English drummer Phil Collins. It was released on 14 October 2016 through Atlantic Records and Warner Music. The album is Collins' fourth compilation album—after ...Hits (1998), The Platinum Collection (2004) and Love Songs: A Compilation... Old and New (2004)—and came at the end of his Take a Look at Me Now series, which saw him remaster and reissue his entire back catalogue dating back to 1981's Face Value. The compilation is made up of most of the hit singles from Collins' solo career, as well as lesser-known singles. The album was released in two versions, a standard 2-CD edition and a deluxe 3-CD edition. A vinyl edition was also released, first available as a 4-LP set with the same track list as in standard 2-CD edition, but it was, in 2018, replaced with a 2-LP set, which have only 19 selected tracks from previous version.
Bibliography