“Phil Collins – Live Not Su-Su-Studio” TWR takes a look at some of the best live recordings available for collectors.

Sorry about the title folks, I couldn't resist! Phil has provided us with a brace of live albums and videos documenting his live shows but as we all know, fans always want more and fortunately for us, there are plenty of (ahem) unofficial live documents out there to whet the appetite. This is merely a “selection of shows” - literally among the hundreds that are out there, and I have deliberately chosen a mix of radio, soundboard and audience recordings to give a flavour of sources.

We get off to a great start with this edited recording from Phil's show in Philadelphia which was broadcast by the King Biscuit Flower Hour programme I believe. Here we have all the evidence that we need that Phil as a solo artist was going to be every bit as impressive as his career with Genesis. Opening with a blistering I Don't Care Anymore which will rattle your speakers the pace doesn't let up with excellent versions of Thunder & Lightning, which sounds incredibly strong compared to the rather lacklustre album version, and a racy I Cannot Believe It's True.

Sadly the between song banter has been edited out which is a shame but it’s the music which matters and here we have Phil at his very best. The pace slows for the gorgeous This Must Be Love before we get to the dark and dramatic Thru These Walls, which is every bit as powerful and creepy live as it is on record. The gloom is pierced by the upbeat and sassy I Missed Again before we get the track which probably has most Genesis fans tearing their hair out; the jazzy Behind The Lines on which the Phoenix Horns play their hearts out – it's marvellous!

Of the rest of the disc the obvious highlights include the marvellous instrumental romp that is The West Side, and for me at least, the underrated classic The Roof Is Leaking which takes on a completely different complexion live and is remarkably powerful and features some brilliant banjo playing from Daryl Stuermer. Phil's voice displays some hoarseness throughout this gig, not surprising really given the demands placed on his voice both with this band and with Genesis at the time, but on occasions it actually adds to the dramatic effect of the songs.

Of course, In The Air Tonight is here all present and correct and we even get a brilliant work out on the Brand X classic – And So To F... a superb representation of Phil at the start of his solo career brings this excellent recording to a close.

Live At The Tower” Tower Theatre Philadelphia 10th December 1982. (Source: FM Radio Broadcast)

Another recording taken from the second leg of the Hello, I Must Be Going is this excellent soundboard recording from the show on 5 th February in Ann Arbor. Here we have the warts and all version of the previous show including Phil's between song patter. Like its predecessor we get started with another powerful version of I Don't Care Anymore and Phil is in fine form here and Daryl puts in some excellent work on guitar. Thunder And Lightning sounds so much funkier live than it does on record and here the combination of drums and horn section really brings this one to life. Phil's banter with the crowd is all here present and correct which makes this even more enjoyable.

I Cannot Believe its True benefits from the awesome guitar work of Daryl once again whilst other highlights again include Thru These Walls which is every bit as creepy and dramatic live as it was on record. Contrasting that with the jaunty I Missed Again shows the breadth of styles Phil had to offer even on these early gigs. For me once again, the real show stealer is The Roof Is Leaking. I don't know why this should be the case but it just works so much better live! The West Side, In The Air Tonight are equally as impressive and we also get the recent “hit” You Can't Hurry Love as well which is a truly joyful performance. Strangely the recording closes with It Don't Matter To Me which is every bit as fiery live as it is on record but sadly we don't get the encore of And So To F... but that's a minor quibble and this is a superb addition to anyone's collection.

Hill Auditorium Ann Arbor Michigan 5th February 1983 (Source: Soundboard Recording)

Moving swiftly onwards we come to Phil's second solo tour for the hugely successful No Jacket Required album and this rather enjoyable recording from one of the first shows on the tour. I have very fond memories of this one because I was there! Getting under way with a particularly feisty I Don't Care Anymore. Here we get pretty much the whole new album which is only right and proper and hearing it live added dimensions to the songs which were missing on the record. It's “Brown trousersville” as Phil so humorously puts it as he introduces Against All Odds which instantly became another live favourite. Inside Out is a raucous delight whilst Sussudio immediately became a firm favourite with audiences as did Take Me Home which rapidly was to morph into the standard set closer.

Not so tonight however, as interspersed between those new songs are several “oldies” such as a truly lovely If Leaving Me Is Easy and once again the funky Behind The Lines. And a breath-taking In The Air Tonight. The encores of People Get Ready, It's Alright and And So To F... remain among my favourite performances. Whatever the song, Phil and the band are on absolute fire throughout the show and this excellent audience recording captures that excellently.

Apollo Theatre Manchester 12th February 1985 (Source: Audience Recording)

A relatively recent addition to collections is this superb recording from Dallas. The sound quality on this one has to be heard to be believed – the drums on I Don't Care Anymore have never sounded better to my ears – wonderful and Phil is in full throated glory vocally too – the rawness of his delivery merely adds to the passion of the song. Only You And I Know too has a power and dynamism which is staggering to hear. Phil sounds absolutely on top form as he banters with the audience and also confirms that the band were being filmed at this gig (for the No Ticket Required film perhaps.. or something else as yet unreleased ?) whilst winding the audience up about Barry Manilow! I Cannot Believe It's True gets under way eventually and here the horn section take the honours with a big bold and sassy performance.

The pace slows somewhat with This Must Be Love, smooth and jazzy, this one remains a personal favourite, and I have seldom heard it performed better than here. By now Against All Odds had secured its place in musical history and what we get tonight is an absolutely glorious performance full of emotion. Inside Out and Who Said I Would are both delivered at full tilt, both Phil and the entire band are on fire here especially Daryl on the latter where his guitar work is brilliant.

Other highlights include an incredible In The Air Tonight, Daryl rips the air apart with his banshee guitar whilst Phil and Chester threaten to bring the roof down with their percussive bombardment. The band intro don't get any better but Daryl's “house muzak” is absolutely “Fabulous” (listen to the recording and this will all make sense!)

I have never heard a better performance of Like China, not a favourite of mine but here delivered with just the right amount of tongue in cheek humour to make it work. Same goes for You Can't Hurry Love which is absolutely stunning. Hand In Hand too takes things to another level as the entire band are evidently having a collective blast playing this marvellous tune and once again both Phil and Chester rattle the traps magnificently.

Take Me Home became an instant favourite, no doubt helped by the brilliantly funny promotional video but here again we have a performance full of energy and humour. Leland Sklar and Daryl Stuermer lay down some fine licks whilst Chester underpins everything with some impeccable drumming.

The encores? Well, Curtis Mayfield's People Get Ready always brings a lump to my throat, it did at the Manchester gig mentioned above and hearing it in such wonderful quality had the same effect – simply wonderful. And this magnificent recording is finally brought to a close with another Mayfield classic: It's Alright nothing needs to be said, perfection. I envy the audience at this gig as it must have been something truly special and this recording manages to capture some of that.

Reunion Centre Dallas TX 29th May 1985 (Source: Soundboard Recording)

Five years later and Phil was on the road again, promotion the But Seriously album which propelled him into the superstar stratosphere. The tour was his longest to date lasting almost a year and to my mind remains his best musically and visually. Who can forget the carousel stage set up unfolding like a flower to reveal the band? Anyway, fortunately this tour is very well documented, not only was the show in Berlin filmed and released but also the Serious Hits Live album took care of the soundtrack but of course, collectors are never satisfied are we so happily for us, there are many recordings form the tour available of which the recording from the Entertainment Centre in Sydney on 15 th March 1990 is probably one of the best.

Getting under way with an extended Hand In Hand and a rampaging Hang In Long Enough in which the horn section and drums stomp everything in their way in a glorious rampage of sound. Seldom has Behind The Line sounded funkier and sassier than it does here. Being Australia, their musicians' Union rules meant that, just as in 1986, with Genesis, the band were accompanied by a string section for Against All Odds which actually adds greatly to what is already a classic track.

In amongst the hits were sandwiched some lesser known Collins song and it is great to hear Do You Remember? Here, an altogether more sedate effort amongst all the madness and mayhem with some excellent guitar work from Daryl and fulsome keyboards from Brad Cole. Normal service is resumed with Something Happened On The Way To Heaven and a particularly dramatic Another Day In Paradise.

We got treated to some superb instrumental workouts on this tour as well with both Saturday Night And Sunday Morning and The West Side and Heat On The Street giving the band the chance to flex their collective muscles and once again it is the combination of the horn section and Phil and Chester beating several shades of you know what out of their drumkits that really impresses. Where Phil got the energy from is anyone's guess!

The rest of the show placed the emphasis on the “serious hits” and why the hell not? When you have classics like In The Air Tonight, You Can't Hurry Love and Easy Lover in your ammunition locker it would be crazy not to use them and they are all here in tip top condition on this superb recording.

Entertainment Centre Sydney 15th March 1990 (Source: FM Radio Broadcast)

A few months later and Phil and the band were back on home turf for this show at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre for a gig I was very fortunate to attend. An above average audience recording this one which manages to capture something of the excitement of the show which is sometimes sanitised out by radio broadcasts. Like the preceding recording the show gets under way with a wonderful Hand In Hand with Phil extemporising even more than normal getting the crowd involved. Hang On Long Enough threatens to bring the roof down with a stomping performance from the horn section and Chester whose fills are simply awesome.

The between songs patter doesn't get any better I'm afraid but the audience didn't mind and why should we, Phil was evidently having as much fun as we were. Against All Odds simply gets better with age and it doesn't seem to matter that here we don't have the benefit of the string section which was present at the preceding gig in Sydney. Don't Lose My Number keeps the adrenalin levels up with this rampaging tale of a fugitive from justice with some incredibly guitar riffing from young Mr Stuermer who also makes his presence felt on Inside Out.

Do You Remember is prefaced by some amusing reflections on relationships by Phil, who was self-deprecating throughout. This has to be one of Phil's most underrated songs and it's a wonderful performance tonight aided by the vocal harmonies which are glorious. The set had obviously been rejigged as next up we get the upbeat and sassy Who Said I Would which wasn’t performed in Sydney. I guess such changes kept things fresh for Phil and the band and it was certainly enjoyed by the audience who lapped it up.

Hit followed hit as Phil and the band ramped up the pace with classics such as Something Happened On The Way To Heaven and In The Air Tonight in which Daryl's razor sharp guitar riffs echoed around the cavernous NEC hall . Equally impressive was Phil's Anti-Apartheid anthem; Colours, OK Biko it isn't but nonetheless the message is as heartfelt and the music is every bit as dramatic.

Into the home stretch and we get the slow and bluesy A Groovy Kind Of Love which gave the audience a chance to take a breather before the party really got started with a truly rollicking Easy Lover. Contrasting this with a marvellously sedate Always and the closing magnificence of Take Me Home brought another wonderful evening with Phil and the band to a close. A night I will always remember and get to relive on this excellent recording.

NEC Birmingham 10th July 1990 (Source: Audience Recording)

We are back in Birmingham for the next selection, another above average audience recording and another show I was lucky enough to be present at. It was all for Phil's band with several new faces this time round and an all new stage set up. Gone was the carousel and what we had on stage tonight resembled nothing more than a scrapyard. After the intro music (same as 1990) the show gets under way with a protracted drum duet between Phil and new drummer, Ricky Lawson who in addition to his drumkit, was also wired up to trigger drum sounds from his body. The result was an amusing but over long ramble which eventually leads into the thunderous I Don't Care Anymore and you can almost feel the drum vibrations in the room – this was LOUD! So was Don't Lose My Number truly remarkable. Phil and the new look band were on fire tonight and weren't in the mood to take any prisoners.

The between song banter hasn't changed... although his reference to the tabloid press gets a big cheer before we slow things down with Every Day, a lovely slow tempo number in which the harmony vocals are simply to die for. The shows on this tour were if anything even longer than the ones on the previous tour and the set was distinctly divided into two halves the “Dark” and the “Light” and so as you can imagine, the first half was made up of the more sombre songs. Don't let that fool you though. Survivors is a shout of triumph which was a joy to hear with some phenomenal percussion from Ricky and a rumbling bassline from Leland Sklar.

The second half of the show was party central as hit after hit was delivered to an audience in full on party mode. Easy Lover was absolutely superb – always a favourite and brilliant tonight. We even got a non-Collins track in Knocking On Heaven's Door in which the entire band put on a superb performance and by the time we got to You Can't Hurry Love, the band must have been recharging their energy levels off an ecstatic audience – another night to remember and another excellent recording.

National Exhibition Centre Birmingham 4th October 1994 (Source: Audience Recording)

A few weeks later and yours truly was on the road again this time only up the M62 to Manchester. This recording is a superb soundboard affair and as such should be in anyone's collection. There were several set changes tonight although the opening quintet of I Don't Care Anymore, Don't Lose My Number, Every day, Survivors and Another Day In Paradise were every bit as dramatic and effective as they had been in Birmingham.

Tonight was the day when it was announced that Great Train Robber, Buster Edwards had passed away and so it was a particularly emotional reading of A Groovy Kind Of Love. You really couldn't fault tonight's performance and by the time we get to Find A Way To My Heart the band and audience are virtually as one. Amy Keys' vocals on this one are out of this world! It Don't Matter To Me is a glorious shout of freedom – Phil's rehabilitation is well under way and the euphoria is almost tangible the horn section take honours here for a spicy and sassy performance although the vocals from Phil and the boys and gals give 'em a close run for their money.

Easy Lover? Of course and once again it shines like a polished diamond. Daryl is at his very best on this one and once again the vocals take this to another level – you had to be there to realise just HOW good this one is! In addition to the glorious Knocking On Heaven's Door, Phil decided to throw a couple more classics into the mix with Get Ready by the Temptations and Smokey Robinson's immortal I Got Sunshine which brought the pace down for a few minutes before we got the now standard end of show exhortation to Take Me Home which had full on audience participation. Just listening back to this recording for the purposes of this feature has brought a smile to my face – memories like these are priceless!

Gmex Centre Manchester 29th November 1994 (Source: Soundboard Recording)

Two years later and Phil took everyone by surprise by announcing that he was going to tour with a Big Band Jazz Band. I am sure many fans were either horrified or intrigued by the prospect. I definitely fell into the former category at first before succumbing to curiosity.

That curiosity was satisfied with this excellent soundboard recording from the gig at La Pinede in France. The show gets under way with a surprisingly good Genesis medley including Behind The Lines, Los Endos and In That Quiet Earth. This is evidently part of the soundcheck as there is a conversation between Phil and one of the crew immediately afterwards. Two Hearts works remarkably well in this bright and breezy jazz setting. Phil attempts his French next stating that his Big Band will be performing song s by Genesis and his solo songs too leading in to That's All. Never a favourite of mine it has to be said, but you know what, in this swing arrangement it is rather enjoyable especially the trombone of Arturo Velasco.

The previously mentioned Genesis medley is next getting under way with In That Quiet Earth and Afterglow being given the full on jazz treatment which is once again surprisingly good! Being jazz, it sometimes takes a while before you can actually recognise what the song is that the band are playing and this is certainly true of the next one which eventually arrives as a slow and sassy Invisible Touch which I think is absolutely brilliant vindicating the decision to involve the horn section on some of the band's songs – wonder what the guys in Genesis thought of it?

In The Air Tonight, once again would not be recognisable were it not for Daryl's searing guitar break but once it gets going it is an interesting alternative reading of the classic but it doesn't really work for me I'm afraid. The West Side and Hand In Hand both work perfectly in this setting and if anything have slightly more edge to them than their usual live counterparts.

The suite of Jazz standards works very well although to be honest I am not a fan and remain unfamiliar with most of them. We return to more familiar territory with Los Endos and Always, the latter already being a favourite with Phil's fans from the previous tour. The evening closes with a stomping version of Sussudio which once again is a real surprise and works very well.

The Big Band shows were a total surprise and not only too Phil but his audience out of their comfort zone, the end result was fascinating as this excellent recording demonstrates.

La PinedeAntibes 16th July 1996 (Source: Soundboard Recording)

Barely a year later and Phil resumed normal service with his tour to promote Dance Into The Light and truly was back on the road again for this gig at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre. Hang On Long Enough gets things off at a frantic pace, stomping percussion and sassy horns get things off in fine style. There's no let up as that tale of a fugitive from justice; Don't Lose My Number kicks some serious ass.

River So Wide is driven along by some truly fantastic percussion from Ricky Lawson whose playing rattles the old NEC to its foundations and Daryl's guitar riffage rips the hairs off the back of your neck before the band switch into overdrive for Take Me Down, and once again, Ricky Lawson pounds the shit out of his kit for a powerful Find A Way To My Heart on which the vocals of Amy Keys and Arnold McCuller are breathtaking.

Another Day In Paradise simply gets better every time I hear it and tonight it was a damn fine version! Daryl's acoustic work is impeccable whilst Brad Cole lays down a sensitive keyboard part and the whole thing is underpinned by tasteful percussion and bass from Ricky and Leland Sklar. Just Another Story, driven along by the meaty bass of Leland Sklar and impeccable drumming of Ricky isn't one of my favourites I'm afraid but live it works very well, the soap opera drama comes across better in the live context.

The real surprise on this tour was the inclusion of a piano solo version of Long, Long Way To Go, a criminally underrated song from No Jacket Required. Phil puts real emotion into it. Even old classics have been given a fresh makeover as In The Air Tonight features a totally new intro which took everyone by surprise until Daryl’s familiar razor sharp riff cut through the air.

The rest of the show was drawn from the most successful songs from the back catalogue and resulted in one long party for the audience and I suspect for the band whom as I recall seemed to be having the time of their lives onstage.

National Exhibition Centre Birmingham 6th November 1997 (Source: Audience Recording)

Just over a month later and another gig another city. This time the venue was the cavernous NYNEX Arena in Manchester and as I recall I was up in the nosebleeds for this one. The view of the stage was excellent however and the sound in the hall was remarkably good as this recording demonstrates.

Fundamentally the same set as Birmingham and so as you can imagine, there are many highlights. The stand out tracks for me included a rollicking version of Find A Way To My Heart on which both Arnold McCuller and Amy Keys sang their hearts out, bless 'em! Another Day In Paradise too loses none of its effect and tonight was no exception.

A thunderous Both Sides revealed just how much this song, and so many of the others from that album benefit from the presence of extra musicians. Kudos to Ricky Lawson in particular here, his percussion sounds like an artillery barrage! Of the new stuff, Lorenzo with its African rhythms and racy percussion was a real surprise, even the derogatory Wear My Hat can't help but raise a smile.

Long, Long Way To Go remains a highlight from this tour, its message is sadly every but as necessary today almost thirty years later. I'm sorry but anyone who cannot at least sing along with Easy Lover, You Can't Hurry Love and Take Me Home is either deaf or dead. I assure you, the audience at the NYNEX were neither as this excellent recording proves.

NYNEX Arena Manchester 19th November 1997 (Source: Audience Recording).

A return to the Big Band format followed in 1998 with a handful of shows at some of the more prestigious Jazz festivals in Europe and the USA. Fortunately this time round he also performed a couple of shows in the UK with the last show of the tour being at the magnificent Symphony Hall in Birmingham. This show was recorded by the BBC and broadcast in edited form some time later which I am very pleased about as I was fortunate enough to be at this one.

Introduced by Jools Holland, the broadcast gets under way with That's All which once again, really swings out and the band are obviously having a blast vamping this one up. The same goes for the new jazzified Invisible Touch which after an extended intro which definitely fooled this listener, gets another wonderful reworking.

The emphasis was on the Collins/Genesis material for the broadcast and so we also got a virtually unrecognisable version of Hold On My Heart which I could live without if I am honest. I Don't Care Anymore was far superior and so was Sussudio which was every bit as joyful as always.

Sadly it is missing one of the real highlights of the set the vocal set featuring the awesome Oleta Adams which featured Georgia (On My Mind) and New York State Of Mind both of which were absolutely superb. I was fortunate this evening to be sat front and centre and during this set Oleta looked directly at me and said; 'its great to see someone enjoying himself' a memory I will treasure. Sadly there appears to be no complete recording available from this gig or any other on the '98 tour so we are very fortunate to have this one.

Symphony Hall Birmingham 24th July 1998 (Source: FM Radio broadcast).

The years following the second Big Band tour were eventful ones for Phil. A series of health issues restricted his performances and in fact, due to the loss of 80 per cent of his hearing in one ear, Phil had been advised to cease performing altogether. Shows were sporadic affairs during those years including this one which was one of a handful done to promote Phil's new album - Testify.

Once again, this was recorded and broadcast by the BBC and once again yours truly was in attendance. What we have therefore are the edited highlights of the show which begin with the revamped In The Air Tonight, sparingly performed on piano but just as effective and haunting as always. Something Happened On The Way To Heaven is its usual racy self with full on horns and sassy vocals . With no light show to speak of this was probably the most intimate Phil Collins show I ever witnessed, Another Day In Paradise felt like it was addressed to me personally and I guess, in a way, it was as we are all responsible for how we view the “invisible” homeless.

Can't Stop Loving you had not long been released as a single before this gig. One of the better covers that Phil has attempted, simple plaintive and totally charming but it still packs a punch live that it doesn't have on record. I Missed Again was given a new slowed down jazzy arrangement which worked incredibly well with the bonus of the backing vocals of Bill Cantos and Alex Brown.

Against All Odds simply gets better every time I hear Phil perform it and tonight was no exception, emotionally charged and delivered with the kind of passion that makes Phil such a firm favourite tonight was a masterclass in emotion. Same goes for You Can't Hurry Love, my lasting memory of this was of being swept along with the rest of the audience in sheer happiness and that was the feeling throughout the rest of this incredible performance.

Two Hearts, Easy Lover, a nod to The Beatles with Lady Madonna which segued into a glorious stomping Sussudio with full on audience participation acknowledging yet another triumphant night with Mr Collins as he exhorted us to Take (him) Me Home... I am sure the audience would have been glad to oblige after an evening like this. Marvellous stuff!

The Scala Club London 6th November 2002.

To all intents and purposes, the shows in 2002 were supposed to be Phil's swansong. He announced his retirement from live performance in order to concentrate on raising his young family. But, the roar of the greasepaint and the smell of the crowd couldn't be ignored for long and so in 2004 Phil undertook what was humorously entitled his First Final Farewell Tour. A massive undertaking which spanned the UK, Europe, USA throughout the summer/autumn of 2004 and again in the spring of 2005. The shows were captured in glorious sound and vision with the At Last The First Final Farewell Tour and The Long Goodnight DVD packages but as usual, even that massive effort isn't enough for fans.

There are numerous recordings this tour but out of them all this one from Amsterdam stands out as a bit special. Getting under way with the drum thing/Timbantiocha a ferocious and breathtaking drum battle between Phil and the newly returned Chester Thompson this is simply astonishing. With a show now virtually three hours long even with the interval what the audience got was practically every song you could wish for beginning with Something Happened On The Way To Heaven. The sheer energy on display during this leaves me exhausted just listening to it!

Hit follows hit in a show high on emotion and drama.... and humour of course! Giving the audience – and the band too I suspect a chance to catch their breath, slower numbers such as You'll Be In My Heart and One More Night are interspersed between the racier numbers making for a well balanced show, and hearing god knows how many Dutchmen (and women) singing along in full chorus to Against All Odds is what it's all about. The energy being generated by band and audience is almost tangible on this one. What make this recording special is the excellent quality throughout and it documents Phil at his very best.

The Amsterdam Arena 19th June 2004 ((Source: Audience Recording)

Yours truly got to catch Phil on this tour a week or so after the Amsterdam gig at the show in Manchester. Memorable for a variety of reasons not least the chance to interview Phil before the gig.

Just like the show above, this one was Phil at his very best. The show was the same as that for Amsterdam and so it really is pointless in singling out tracks for special comment as every song performed was a bona fide classic. What was the real surprise for me at least was just how well songs such as Come With Me and You'll Be In My Heart worked in the live context, even the sole representative from the much maligned Testify album; Can't Stop Loving You sounds much more impressive live than it does on record.

With virtually every song from his massive catalogue of hits on display, this gig was a joy from start to finish and you can hear that in the audience reaction on this highly enjoyable recording.

Manchester Evening News Arena 28th June 2004 (Source: Audience Recording)

Phil's next move was pure genius as far as I am concerned. Having got his love of Big Band Jazz out of his system with two highly successful tours and an album, it was time to turn his attentions to his other love – Motown. Now, anyone of a certain age will probably agree with me when I say that the classic Motown songs are part of our musical DNA. We grew up with them but over time they have become overlooked.

So when Phil decided to put together the Going Back album and revisit these classics it was the perfect time to do so. The album itself was a huge success giving Phil his final number one album in the UK. Sadly we didn't get to see this incarnation of Phil's live band but thankfully the performance was recorded and released as the Live At Roseland DVD.

In addition to those shows in New York Phil also performed a handful of other gigs including this superb soundboard recording from the gig in Montreux. It really is a joy from start to finish and you get pretty much the whole card from the album here. Dancing In The Street pretty much sums it up, everyone is evidently having a blast and why not – this music is a joy to listen to and hearing it performed by a band as tight as this one is almost as good as the real thing which was the intention in the first place. A genuine tribute to a golden era of music captured in superb quality.

Casino Montreux 1st July 2010 (Source: Audience Recording).

Well, the old dog simply wouldn't lie down would he? After DEFINITELY retiring in 2010, most of us thought that our days of attending Phil Collins gigs were well and truly over. Well, we were wrong, weren't we? With the announcement of the humorously titled Not Dead Yet Live shows initially in London, Paris and Cologne but soon extended into a massive series of globe spanning gigs that were to run throughout 2017 – 19

Yours truly was lucky enough to be in attendance at the second night at the magnificent Royal Albert Hall. As anyone who saw these gigs will tell you, what was surprising in the first instance was Phil's frail appearance. Due to surgery he was unable to stand and so performed the gigs seated. Did that make any difference? Well, only if you were expecting Phil to race around the stage. With his drumming days also behind him, that task fell to his son, Nicholas who from the outset put his stamp on his old man's drum parts. Opening with Against All Odds with its ironic line “Take a look at me now” and the now familiar drone and acoustic guitar of Another Day In Paradise which simply gets better with time.

The show even contained several nods to that “other” band Phil had performed with occasionally (!) and it was a delight to hear Follow You Follow Me and later on Invisible Touch, the latter must have been frustrating for Phil having to remain seated but the demands it places on a singer's voice didn't bother Phil and he belted this one out of the park (or hall). In many respects you could view the set list as coded references to Phil's life... One More Night... I Missed Again... Can't Turn Back The Years... Separate Lives etc... Each one a gem and all delivered brilliantly by Phil and his amazing band . It was a shame that Phil and Chester could not bury their differences but then again we would not have had the amazing talents of young Nicholas so let's not dwell on that.

As excellent as the set list and performances on this one are, sadly the notorious acoustics of the venue let the recording down but as a souvenir of one of the last times I ever got to see Phil perform this one will always be a favourite of mine.

Royal Albert Hall London 5th June 2017 (Source: Audience Recording).

Two years on and the touring never seemed to end. The UK, Europe North and South American and Australia where our final selection comes from. Phil is no stranger to Australian audiences, having performed there several times previously as a solo artist and of course with Genesis in 1986. Tonight we find ourselves in Melbourne and with an excellent audience recording which, like its predecessor, gets under way with a stately reading of Against All Odds on which Amy Keys and Bridgette Bryant back Phil up superbly well on vocals. Even after almost two years on the road, Phil still sounds in remarkably good voice. Another Day In Paradise never grows old, with Daryl's acoustic guitar and Nic Collins emulating his dad's finest licks, this one remains impressive.

There were some set changes on this tour as well and so in terms of Genesis material the lucky audience here not only got Follow You Follow Me but also preceding that, Throwing It All Away cue audience singalong participation on that one! And of course, later in the proceedings; Invisible Touch.

I Missed Again hasn't dated at all, it’s still one of Phil's best songs and delivered impeccably tonight once again augmented by his incredible backing singers. Inside Out gets an airing tonight and sounds particularly impressive. Superb percussion from Richie Garcia and Nic Collins and some equally tasty bass from old stalwart Leland Sklar augment the vocal performances from Phil and the rest of his singers whilst Ronnie Caryl and Daryl Stuermer have fun on guitar.

By the time we get to the home stretch of the gig, it is plain that once again Phil and his band have got the audience in the palm of their hands. In The Air Tonight threatens to bring the roof down whilst You Can't Hurry Love and Dance Into The Light are the invitation to party central in Melbourne - not that I imagine the audience had waited for that invitation to party as this was their night as much as the band's. As usual, Take Me Home brings everything to its usual raucous conclusion and ends an extremely enjoyable recording in fine style.

AAMI Park Melbourne 2nd February 2019 (Source: Audience Recording).

We hope that this gives you a flavour of the kind of material that is out there to be collected and of the performances which Phil gave during his solo career.