Phil Collins

He’s a lefty.

I figured as much. In the "Easy Lover" video, theres a part where Phil is playing "air guitar" and he plays the "air guitar" as a lefty.

Im also a lefty.. (in real life), but I play all instruments Righty. It was just easier (more economical?) as 90% of the world is set up for rightys. I can play drums as a lefty, but im much better at righty.




T$
 
That’s really cool. I had no idea Collins drummed for Clapton or anyone else besides Genesis or his solo stuff.
Please check out this project as a sampler:

Plays Well With Others, spotlighting the endless projects PC was invited to drum on and/or produce in the 80s and beyond.

His calendar's capacity was boundless. He lived three or four careers concurrently for a long, long while; and even as a fan, I had no idea how he did it. I always recall Eric Clapton's quote from an interview back then. "He doesn't work fast; he just works steady."

Anyway check out these tracks. You might be surprised with a song or two you already knew, that it was PC quietly banging away in the background and you'd no idea.

 
He and Don Henley - Great singers, average drummers.

Go to 6:15 here and listen to him navigate an odd time signature. Very very far from average. I would put Phill Collins at the very top of 70s Prog drummers, hands down.

The fill at 7:15 gets me every time. :)

 
His calendar's capacity was boundless. He lived three or four careers concurrently for a long, long while; and even as a fan, I had no idea how he did it. I always recall Eric Clapton's quote from an interview back then. "He doesn't work fast; he just works steady."
I've read that Chester Thompson recalls that Phil had great working ethics, and always double-tracked his drums. Even Peter Gabriel called him a 'workaholic's workaholic'!
I believe the double-tracking is what made the dense soundscapes happening in songs such as Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging and Tonight, Tonight, Tonight.
Speaking of the latter song, I hear no less than 4 drum parts in it: a Gretsch, a Linndrum, a mono Simmons, and a stereo Simmons! IIRC he was also one of the first to push drum machines into the creative forefront (as opposed to glorified metronomes, which most of us hate).
Personally I think he's one of the most criminally underrated-by-the-semi-layperson drummer, much like Moonie.
 
Go to 6:15 here and listen to him navigate an odd time signature. Very very far from average. I would put Phill Collins at the very top of 70s Prog drummers, hands down.

The fill at 7:15 gets me every time. :)

The double whammy here is he is playing this with Bruford...#1 and #2 prog drumming. Some of it can be watched here....after 3:00. Definitely 'average' ;)
 
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Go to 6:15 here and listen to him navigate an odd time signature. Very very far from average. I would put Phill Collins at the very top of 70s Prog drummers, hands down.

The fill at 7:15 gets me every time. :)

I'll have to agree with you. I've never listened to much of him besides Genisus.
 
I'll have to agree with you. I've never listened to much of him besides Genisus.

It's understandable. Much of Phil's playing in the late 80s and 90s was pretty straight forward. After Genesis transitioned from prog to pop, there were only rare glimpses of his jazz and fusion influenced drumming.
 
I remember John Bonham really liked him (he's a big Bonzo fan too), and enjoyed listening to Turn It On Again right before his unfortunate passing. 😢
 
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