The Best Of The Best Guest: The Ten Greatest Songs Phil Collins Guest-Drums On
No jacket required. No reservation required either. Phil Collins is at the very top of this guest list.
It's no secret that Phil Collins has made his mark as a drummer both with Genesis and as a solo artist. What you may also know is that he has added his one-of-a-kind drumming talents to songs by a very long list of artists including Thin Lizzy, David Crosby, Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Tears For Fears, Howard Jones and more . From jazz to pop, fusion to rock, here are the ten greatest guest-list performances by Phil Collins:
- 10
"Homage" - Raphael Rudd (1980)
One of the more obscure recordings of Collins as a guest-drummer and a true gem of a performance. This one is credited to neo-classical artist Raphael Rudd from the Pete Townshend-produced album 'The Awakening'
- 9
"No One Is To Blame" - Howard Jones (1986)
Here is one example of how Collins' drumming can make a good song sound great. In 1985 Howard Jones recorded a version of this song without Collins and it ended up being an obscure album track. It was re-mixed with Collins on drums, however, and released as a single in 1986. It went all the way to #4 on the charts. Coincidence? I don't think so.
- 8
"Worse Than Detroit" - Robert Plant (1982)
Robert Plant had spent the majority of his career singing to the massive beats of John Bonham. After Bonham's untimely death in 1980 Plant ventured out on his own and brought in another massive force behind the skins - Phil Collins. It turned out Collins would drum on most of Plant's first two solo albums. This groove-rocker comes off of Plant's first solo effort, 1982's 'Pictures At Eleven'.
- 7
"Same Old Blues" - Eric Clapton (1985)
Collins produced Eric Clapton's 'Behind The Sun' album from 1985 so it only made sense he take a seat behind the drum kit in the studio. The two would work together again the following year but we'll get to that later in this list. For now, enjoy hearing Collins and Clapton play the blues with knock-out results.
- 6
"Other Arms" - Robert Plant (1983)
Another Robert Plant/Phil Collins collaboration, this one comes off of Plant's second solo album, 1983's 'The Principle Of Moments'. The story is that Atlantic Records wanted to release this as a single but Plant refused because he didn't want to be labeled as just a hard-rock singer. Too bad, really. This would have sounded very cool tearing up the FM rock airwaves back in '83 and Collins really delivers behind the skins.
- 5
"Intruder" - Peter Gabriel (1980)
Five years after leaving Genesis Peter Gabriel brought his old friend back to lay down the beats to his third solo album. Collins leads off the album with this eerie beat which is enough to make Gabriel's face melt. Don't believe me? Just look at the album cover.
- 4
"Easy Lover'" - Philip Bailey (1984)
In 1981 Phil Collins brought in the Earth, Wind & Fire horn section, known as Phenix horns, for his first solo album 'Face Value'. In 1984 Collins returned the favor by recording a song with original EWF singer Philip Bailey for "Easy Lover", a song that went all the way to #2 that year.
- 3
"Grand Illusion" - Eric Clapton (1986)
Eric Clapton enjoyed his recording experience with Collins so much on 1985's 'Behind The Sun' that he brought him back for 1986's 'August' album. On this track Collins adds some thunderous pounding to his trademark fills between the beats. That and Clapton tearing it up on guitar? You gotta love it.
- 2
"Do They Know It's Christmas" - Band-Aid (1984)
In November of 1984 the biggest rock stars of the time gathered together to record a song in response to the news of famine in Ethiopia. One of those stars was Phil Collins who provided the driving beat behind this Christmas classic. Here is the extended re-mix which really shows off Collins' work. Get to the 2:25 mark and you'll know what I mean.
- 1
"I Know There's Something Going On" - Frida (1982)
Now here is the prime example of how Phil Collins can take an ordinary song and make it shine. Anni-Frid Lyngstad, aka Frida, was a founding member of the Swedish pop group ABBA. After their breakup Frida released a solo album in 1982 called 'Something's Going On'.
Without Collins' bad-ass beat this song would have likely fallen into the ABB-yss. I could put this beat on a loop and play it all day long. It's just that good.