“Take A Look At Him Now” – Phil Collins on TV

No, this isn't going to be a long boring recitation of all the multitude of appearances Phil has made on TV both here in the UK and elsewhere. No, what we have decided to do is give you a few choice cuts to chew over – a “selection” (there's that word again) of some of the more interesting and on occasions, amusing TV appearances by Phil since his career began. For the sake of completeness, we shall also include a handful of those naughty bootleg live appearances to fill in the gaps where there was no official live film release.

So, apart from the official live films and video EPS mentioned above, where exactly do you start when assessing Phil's career on TV? Well, at the beginning of course, so the first item on our list features Phil and Flaming Youth. Amazingly enough there are several recorded performances by this formative band including “Start Ins Weltall Mit Arche II” which must have been a nice Christmas present for the TV viewers in Germany as it was broadcast on Christmas Eve 1970. Here we have the band “performing” several tracks from the Ark Two album although all music and vocals were mimed which is a shame. Frightening to see how young everybody looks on this one but it is a vital document in Phil's career. What makes all of these films all the more amazing is that there is no similar contemporaneous footage featuring Genesis!

Moving on to the early 1980's and Phil's early solo career and there are several very interesting appearances in circulation. Of these I have singled out three for closer examination. Of these the most interesting from the perspective of Phil's outlining his own career development has to be the interview he had with DJ Paul Gambaccini for the newly established Channel 4 TV in the UK for their The Other Side Of The Tracks documentary which was broadcast not long after the establishment of the channel. Phil gives an honest appraisal of his career to date and there are also some very interesting behind the scenes studio clips and live performances.

From the perspective of seeing an example of Phil's work with other musicians without doubt the most interesting is The Making Of There's Something Going On which is a behind the scenes look at Phil's work as producer for ex ABBA member, Anni Frid.

For entertainment value then Mandagsboren (Monday Show) from Swedish TV in 1982 recorded and broadcast during Phil's first solo tour is hard to beat. Phil and his band are evidently having a great time and Phil sends up the unwitting interviewer by affecting the cod Swedish voice of The Muppets' Swedish Chef Character and also performs three numbers including an all too rare performance of the Brand X classic And So To F...

The mid-Eighties were to witness Phil's rise to superstardom and this was nowhere better demonstrated than his very own episode of the long running This Is Your Life series.

Another chat show with a long pedigree was Parkinson, and Michael Parkinson, the doyen of chat show hosts got his crack at Phil during an excellent interview recorded between the release of Buster and the next Phil Collins album; But Seriously.

Into the 1990's and the next brace of items show just how far Phil had come in terms of popularity. By now MTV had become a TV staple and Phil's appearance on their Most Wanted show highlighted his amazing career.

Taratata, a long running French TV chat show gave Phil his moment with a broadcast from 1993 which included an interview and performances by him and his band. Phil subsequently repeated the experience in 1994. As discussed in another feature in this edition, Phil's live performances also feature extensively on TV in the shape of broadcasts of gigs. There are literally dozens (if not more) of these and of these two stand out for their particular significance. The broadcast from the Fukuoka Dome during the second leg of the Both Sides tour in 1995 is not only an excellent broadcast of the show itself but also shows the thoughtful side of Phil as the performance is dedicated to the people of Kobe, whose city Phil was scheduled to play before it was hit by a devastating earthquake.

Phil's Big Band shows were documented by the Hot Night In Paris album and thankfully the 1998 shows are also documented by the complete broadcast of the show from Pori Fest in Finland. Here you can get to appreciate just how enjoyable these gigs were and how much Phil was enjoying performing them. The 2000's were something of a curious period for Phil beginning with his ostensible retirement from recording and performing. Not before he had released the Testify album for which a fascinating EPK (Electronic Press Kit) was released to publicise the album. Released in a long and short format, these gave us a fascinating look into the creation of the album.

With his return to touring in 2004, Phil gave us what is, to my mind one of the best rock documentaries ever made: The Long Goodnight which was only available at gigs on the 2004/05 tour and which documents that tour in fascinating detail. It is worth it for the clip which shows Phil's manager, Tony Smith berating a Greek promoter who has clearly failed to do his job properly – interesting to see exactly how a manger earns their percentage!

The BBC got in on the act with their A Life Less Ordinary documentary an excellent and detailed examination of Phil's career from its humble beginnings to the superstar status he occupies today. Fascinating glimpses of his career, his honest reflections on many aspects of his life as well as reflections on Phil from some of those most closely associated with his work, and for some strange reason I get a credit too! Of much more recent vintage, the Drumeo project gave us an in depth look at Phil's career from the perspective of Phil himself and goes into unprecedented detail with the full co-operation of Phil.

And that's that. As any collector will tell you; the list of TV items by Phil is endless and is always being added to as more delightful items emerge from cupboards and wardrobes and it is the thrill of the chase of collecting these which many Phil fans find so enjoyable – yours truly included!