page_title: Phil Collins
section_title: 1978–1984: Solo debut with Face Value and Hello, I Must Be Going!
hierarchical_section_title: Phil Collins / Career / 1978–1984: Solo debut with Face Value and Hello, I Must Be Going!
caption_attribution_description: Genesis, Phil Collins, Strasbourg, October 1981
context_page_description: Philip David Charles Collins LVO is an English drummer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor, best known as the drummer/singer of the rock band Genesis and for his solo career. Between 1982 and 1990, Collins scored three UK and seven US number-one singles in his solo career. When his work with Genesis, his work with other artists, as well as his solo career is totalled, he had more US Top 40 singles than any other artist during the 1980s. His most successful singles from the period include "In the Air Tonight", "Against All Odds", "One More Night", "Sussudio", "Two Hearts", "A Groovy Kind of Love", "I Wish It Would Rain Down", and "Another Day in Paradise".
  Born and raised in west London, Collins played drums from the age of five and completed drama school training, which secured him various roles as a child actor. He then pursued a music career, joining Genesis in 1970 as their drummer and becoming lead singer in 1975 following the departure of Peter Gabriel.
context_section_description: In December 1978, Genesis went on hiatus while Collins went to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to focus on his family; his marriage had become strained after his extensive touring. Having failed to save the relationship, Collins returned to the UK in April 1979, by which time Banks and Rutherford were recording their solo albums. With time to spare before recording a new Genesis album, Collins played on the Brand X album Product and its accompanying tour, played on John Martyn's album Grace and Danger, and started writing his first solo album, Face Value, at his home in Shalford, Surrey. After Banks and Rutherford rejoined Collins, work began on the Genesis album Duke, released in 1980.
  Face Value was released in February 1981. It features a rework of "Behind the Lines" from Duke in a more funk and dance-oriented style. Collins sang and performed keyboards and drums. He cited his divorce as the main influence on the album's lyrics and themes, and said: "I had a wife, two children, two dogs, and the next day I didn't have anything. So a lot of these songs were written because I was going through these emotional changes." Collins produced the album in collaboration with Hugh Padgham, with whom he had worked on Peter Gabriel's self-titled 1980 album.
  Face Value was an international success, reaching number one in seven countries worldwide and number seven in the US, where it went on to sell 5 million copies. "In the Air Tonight", the album's lead single, became a hit and reached number two in the UK charts. The song is known for the gated reverb effect used on Collins's drums, a technique developed by Padgham when he worked as an engineer on Gabriel's song "Intruder", on which Collins played drums. Following an invitation by record producer Martin Lewis, Collins performed live as a solo artist at an Amnesty International benefit show The Secret Policeman's Other Ball at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London in September 1981, performing "In the Air Tonight" and "The Roof Is Leaking". Collins also worked again with John Martyn in this year, producing his album Glorious Fool.
  In September 1981, Genesis released Abacab. This was followed by its 1981 supporting tour and a two-month tour in 1982 promoting the Genesis live album Three Sides Live. In early 1982, Collins produced and played on Something's Going On, the third solo album by Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA, and performed most of the drum parts on Pictures at Eleven, the first solo album by Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant. In October 1982, Collins took part in the one-off Genesis reunion concert Six of the Best held at the Milton Keynes Bowl in Buckinghamshire, which marked the return of Gabriel on lead vocals and Hackett on guitar.
  Collins's second solo album, Hello, I Must Be Going!, was released in November 1982. His marital problems continued to provide inspiration for his songs, including "I Don't Care Anymore" and "Do You Know, Do You Care". The album reached number 2 in the UK and number 8 in the US, where it sold 3 million copies. Its second single, a cover of "You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes, became Collins's first UK number one single and went to number 10 in the US. Collins supported the album with the Hello, I Must Be Going! tour of Europe and North America from November 1982 to February 1983. Following the tour, Collins played drums on Plant's second solo album, The Principle of Moments, and produced and played on two tracks for Adam Ant's album "Strip", "Puss 'n Boots" and the title track. In May 1983, Collins, Banks and Rutherford recorded a self-titled Genesis album; its tour ended with five shows in Birmingham, England in February 1984. The latter shows were filmed and released as Genesis Live – The Mama Tour.
caption: Collins performing in 1981.
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