Phil Collins: Face Value (Classic Albums)

After achieving stardom by taking over the lead vocals of Genesis from Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins released his first solo album, Face Value, in 1980. This installment of the Classic Albums series explores the making of this album in a one-hour documentary film, with Collins himself providing the bulk of the insightful commentary. From his home studio, he discusses how the lyrics to "In the Air Tonight" wrote themselves after his painful divorce and why a drummer would ever use a drum machine. Also interviewed are engineer Hugh Padgham, producer Ahmet Ertegun, Genesis colleagues Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, and many of the studio musicians. Songs such as "Behind the Lines," "I Missed Again," "The Roof Is Leaking," "This Must Be Love," and of course "In the Air Tonight" are excerpted in both home and concert footage (some of it previously unreleased), and Collins accompanies himself at the piano in a wrenching "Please Don't Ask," which was cut from the album. In the two decades between the original album's appearance and this 1999 video production, Phil Collins has gone on to become an international solo star, but many still consider Face Value his finest album. This excellent documentary shows you why. A rare and welcome insight into Phil Collins' prodigious musical talent and the fascinating story of his first solo record. Collins first enjoyed international success as the drummer of Genesis and then as lead singer after Peter Gabriel left the band. In 1981, however, Face Value launched him as a solo artist and remains, in many ways, his most exciting and unusual music offering. Face Value was immediately a worldwide hit, entering the British charts at Number 1, spending almost six years in the Top 75, and selling in excess of 12 million copies. The album went on to make the U.S. Top 10, earning a gold record. This documentary includes several previously unseen performances, as well as rare home movies, unique photographs and documents from Phil's own privat