Customer Reviews

Hits

5 star:		(149)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

As a Phil Collins fan for many years, I was really glad to see a compilation of hits that included many of the songs I have loved for a long time. To just mention a few tunes, one of my favorites of all time, "Against All Odds", is on this CD, and if you have never heard the song, the CD is worth buying for this song alone. No wonder it was nominated for an Academy Award as part of the soundtrack for the movie bearing its title. "Against All Odds" is a song that certainly makes you feel something, and his voice stirs deep emotion, at least in me. Another of my favorites, "Easy Lover", is a fast-paced hit that makes the best of a combination of Phil Collins and Phil Bailey on vocals. Definitely a likable hit. The passionate "Separate Lives" is also a duet, a beautiful one, and one of the reasons I truly love this CD. If you turn up the volume when Phil comes on the radio, you can bet that you will covet this CD full of hits. "In the Air Tonight" is one reason to turn up the volume, with its smashing drum beats and the sultry, almost angry, lilt in Phil's vocals. Upbeat hits like "Two Hearts","Can't Hurry Love" and "Dance into the Light" really throw an added spark into the mix. Phil's remake of Cindy Lauper's "True Colors" is well done and of course what Phil Collins hits CD would be complete without the catchy "Sussudio". Songs like "Groovy Kind of Love", "I Wish it Would Rain Down", "Take Me Home", "One More Night" and "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" round out this album. Many of the songs included on the CD were favorites of mine that I hadn't heard in a long time and hearing them again was truly great. A must-have CD for any Collins or Genesis fan. It earns every one of the five stars I gave it.

This greatest hits volume of Phil Collins is "Almost Perfect". The reason I say almost, is because the cd leaves off a very important song that was essential to Collins 80's sucess. Yes you guessed it, "Don't Lose My Number". This is one of Phil's great catchy 80's tunes from the late summer of 1985 which is when in my opinion, he was at his pinnacle of success. You just don't leave that song off of the cd, and put on the song "True Colors" which was a far cry from the greatest version done in the winter of 87' by Cyndi Lauper. Besides that, this cd is a winner and has most of Phil's best solo work. My choice, buy this cd and also "No Jacket Required". It will give you the best of both worlds.

Phil Collins has been a presence in world-wide rock scene since the 1970s. He has a great tonal quality to his voice, and his music has moves from the impudent to the sensitive and soulful. This album came out in 1998, and is a nice selection of Phil's songs. It has the brash In The Air Tonight, the pop-hit Sussudio, and the reflective Both Sides Of The Story.

Overall, I found this to be a great album, which I have listened to many, many times. My favorite tracks are Against All Odds, Separate Lives, and In The Air Tonight. I love this album, and highly recommend it to all fans of great music!

Released in 1998, this CD is a heck of a collection of "Hits" indeed. That said, it's true that this disc is missing LOTS of Phil's hits--not just smaller hits/ radio favorites, but big hits like "I Missed Again", "Do You Remember?", and "Don't Lose My Number". Phil's got so many superb hits that they easily could have made this an extraordinary two disc set, and that's not even including his Genesis hits. Still, what we do get here is a heck of a SINGLE disc. (Clever album cover, too.)

Excluding Phil's 1990 "Serious Hits...Live!" album, this "...Hits" disc brings together half a dozen songs that weren't on any prior Phil Collins album, and this time all the songs are in their original studio versions. There's the ultra-catchy duet with Philip Bailey "Easy Lover" which appeared on Bailey's 1984 album "Chinese Wall". There's the regal, soaring power ballad "Against All Odds", a smash hit from the soundtrack to the movie of the same name (it's actually based on a song Collins had 'left over' from the "Face Value" era but hadn't used). There are his two contributions to the soundtrack for the movie "Buster" which Phil starred in--the intoxicatingly infectious feel-good tune "Two Hearts", co-written by Lamont Dozier; and his brilliantly reinterpreted version of the Mindbenders' mid-'60s hit "A Groovy Kind Of Love" (no offense to Eric Stewart).

As has become the custom, Phil added one new song, but it's not a Collins composition--it's a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors". Babyface produced it and did the drum programming on it, and it ends up having a frighteningly "contemporary" sound to it a la the Backstreet Boys or N Sync, but thankfully, this production style has proven to very much be a "one shot deal" for Phil, and basically all of his subsequent music has found him staying true to himself. (Thank goodness Phil hasn't done a full album with Babyface producing.)

Another downside is the Phil Collins-Marilyn Martin duet version of the Stephen Bishop composition "Separate Lives". I've always found this track to be utterly uncharacteristic of Collins, and it just doesn't suit him. Bishop's own solo acoustic version of it recorded in the '90s was a revealation to me, but the hit version here is frustratingly sappy and I've never been a fan of it.

There are a couple other iffy inclusions too. The cliche-ridden "Something Happened On the Way To Heaven" is one of Phil's worst hits and really doesn't belong here; it should have been left off in favor of one of his numerous superior hits that DIDN'T make the cut. Also, his cover of "You Can't Hurry Love" is a blast, and I actually prefer it to the famous hit version, as I feel Phil's version kinda 'cleans up' the arrangement, but it arguably should have been left off to make room for one or two more Collins-penned songs. I also want to point out, as other have, that the songs are NOT sequenced in chronological order.

Despite all the gripes, the positives of this disc steamroll the negatives. Very minor trimmings aside, the songs are all full-length and the sound quality on the disc is superb. And of course, there's simply no arguing with most of the inclusions--"Another Day In Paradise"; "I Wish It Would Rain Down"; "Both Sides of the Story"; "One More Night"; "Dance Into the Light"; "In the Air Tonight"; "Take Me Home"--all great songs, and all collected on one disc, along with the aforementioned gems.

Phil's ability to excite and/ or move you with his music is truly incredible. In my book, Phil is a true 'album artist'--you really need all of his proper albums from 1981's "Face Value" through 1993's "Both Sides"--each of them are masterpieces in and of themselves, and I can't fathom any serious 'pop' music listener feeling otherwise. And really, to put it a certain way, "Face Value", "Hello, I Must Be Going!", "No Jacket Required", and "...But Seriously" are practically "greatest hits" albums unto themselves, with many of the 'lesser known' songs having received significant radio play or having been big fan/concert favorites. So, "...Hits" is certainly high on great songs, but by all means, get the individual albums if you haven't already.

Phil Collins was everywhere in the 1980s and early '90s. From his Genesis work to his solo stuff, he was heard on the air with new music each and every year from 1980 through 1993. An unbelievable run by a very talented musician with one of the best voices in popular music history. The songs on this solo collection speak for themselves: from the mystical "In The Air Tonight" and "One More Night" to the catchy "Susudio" and "Easy Lover" to the downright beautiful "Against All Odds" and "Separate Lives". Even the remake of "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper (which I was not too fond of in its original form) is nice. At least one track is included from each and every Phil solo album, and all of those movie soundtrack songs that were big hits are included. Once I bought this collection I was able to clean out a few record singles!

Now the downside, as is often the case with artists who have as much great material and hits as Phil has that decide to put out greatest hits albums: there are several key songs missing. A chronological list of other songs I would liked to have seen is as follows: "Missed Again", "I Don't Care Anymore", "Don't Forget My Number", "Inside Out", "We Said Hello Goodbye", "Do You Remember", "Hang In Long Enough", and "Everyday". Throw that in with some other album tracks and maybe a few rarities if they exist, and you could have easily made this a two-disk set.

No matter. This collection is still very enjoyable if you're a fan of the man, his music, and his amazing voice. Definitely a worthwhile listen that is guaranteed to bring back memories.

I really like this CD, the new hit "True Colors" with Babyface is smoothly soothing, for one thing. My favorites on this compilation would have to be "Another Day In Paradise", "Easy Lover", "You Can't Hurry Love", "I Wish It Would Rain Down", "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)", "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven", "Both Sides Of The Story", "Sussudio", the very upbeat "Dance Into The Light", Phil's first solo hit "In The Air Tonight", and the perfect ending tune "Take Me Home". The songs left off this CD for some odd reason which definetly would have given it a 5-star rating from me are "I Don't Care Anymore", "Who Said I Would", "Don't Lose My Number", "Do You Remeber?" and "Everyday". Oh well, one can't possible expect everything in one place all the time, I suppose. Anyway, this collection is very quality-material filled, get it for yourself soon!

Phil Collins was one in a rather select club of pop-meisters in the 80's that just seemed to turn all they touched into gold. Along with Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson, it seemed that every time you turned on the radio, you would hear something either by them or a pale imitation. For Phil Collins, that meant being the cottage cheese of British nice-guy pop for most of the decade, and into the early 90's.

His divorce in 1980 was the grist that created "Face Value," and before you could say "mike up those drums," "In The Air Tonight" became the new sound of percussionists everywhere. Only Phil and Peter Gabriel had this kind of pummel in their music, and the song's inclusion in "Miami Vice" burned it into the national subconscious...even enough to start an urban legend about the lyric's subject matter.

There was still some left-over emotional baggage for "Hello, I Must Be Going," but it was Collin's choice of a Motown cover that landed him on the charts. "You Can't Hurry Love" was the beginning of his nascent blue-eyed soul string of hits. By the time the monster album "No Jacket Required" appeared, Phil was making songs that aped Prince ("Sussudio") and carried a full-on horn section that was reminiscent of Earth Wind and Fire. He even became an in-demand producer, and gave EWF's Phillip Bailey his only major solo hit by duetting on "Easy Lover."

That demand extended into films. He added the Oscar nominated "Separate Lives" and "Against All Odds" to his resume and starred in "Buster." (He also had a memorable cameo in the HBO AIDS drama "And The Band Played On.") But he was also beginning to push for larger things. On the next album, "But Seriously," he tried to get - well - serious. "Another Day In Paradise" took a look at homelessness, but it was balanced by the peppy "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven" and the more rocking "I Wish It Would Rain Down," featuring Eric Clapton.

But on the increasingly introspective and world-weary "Both Sides," the title track addressed urban and domestic violence...perhaps a bit too much for the popsters awaiting another catchy "Sussudio" or a dreamy ballad like "One More Night." It took three more years for "Dancing Into The Light" to appear, but by 1996 Phil's hitmaking days had passed. It was a good album, and the title track appears on "Hits." But the time had passed.

There is one new song here, the Babyface produced cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors." It won't make you forget Cyndi's version. How much you need "Hits" will likely depend on how nostagic you are for Phil's 80's omnipresnce. Also, since this "Hits" set was released in 1998, there have been a few missing links since then. His album "Testify" was a strong return (even without the mammoth commercial success) and Phil won an Oscar for "You'll Be In My Heart" from the Disney version of "Tarzan." There were enough omissions from the earlier albums that were hit singles to merit an eventuall "Ultimate" two disc set ("I Missed Again," "Everyday," "I Don't Care Anymore" to list three), so maybe it's time for Rhino to raid the remastering vaults.

(PS = Why "Face Value" or "No Jacket Required" haven't yet been remastered is beyond me.)

When you think about it the 1980's was a terrific decade for popular music. I would compare it to the sixties. There were so many creative forces at work and pop music was vibrant and a lot of fun. When I think of the eighties I think of Phil Collins. He was not only churning out hit after hit as a solo artist but he was also hitting the charts on a regular basis as the lead singer of Genesis. And it seemed that every time you turned on the TV there was Phil performing his latest hit. He was everywhere and to be honest the unlikeliest of rock stars.

Atlantic Records released "Phil Collins.....Hits" back in 1998. And in spite of the fact that another new 2 disc collection was released in 2004 if you are primarily interested in his biggest hits then this is still by far your best buy. I particularly enjoyed Phil's upbeat pop offerings like "Two Hearts", "Sussidio", "You Can't Hurry Love" and perhaps my favorite tune of the decade "Easy Lover". You'll also find #1 tunes like "Another Day In Paradise", "Against All Odds" as well as the highly annoying "One More Night". How I hated that song!!!! Am I the only one? Then there is the unlikely remake of the 1966 hit "Groovy Kind of Love". Phil managed to take that one all the way to the top of the charts in fall of 1988. Speaking of remakes I also enjoyed Phil's version of the Cindy Lauper hit "True Colors". In fact, I think it is far better than the original. I also wanted to make you aware that a couple of Phil's biggest hits were left off this disc including 1985's "Don't Lose My Number" and one of his last big chart hits "Do You Remember?

This is a fine collection of one of the seminal artists of the 1980's. However, I stopped short of a five star rating due to the complete lack of any meaningful liner notes. Instead of the usual 8 or 12 page booklet Atlantic instead chose to make this a fold out mini poster. Some may enjoy it but it does nothing for me. But in spite of this shortcoming I am certain that pop music buffs will enjoy this disc. Recommended.

Phil Collins has always been one of my favorite musical artists. When this album was released and True Colors hit the airwaves, it showed how remarkable this man's journey through stardom over the past 20 years was.

Hits includes the songs that made Phil what he is; the slick tune with the drum solo In The Air Tonight; the best ballad ever written Against All Odds; the sentimental and dedicative Another Day In Paradise; the chilling I Wish It Would Rain Down; the fun pop grips of Easy Lover and You Can't Hurry Love; the groovy One More Night; and the incredible Take Me Home.

However, many songs were left out; I Don't Care Anymore, Don't Lose My Number, Do You Remember?, Everyday, It's In Your Eyes, and my favorite Find A Way To My Heart from But Seriously.

Still, the songs offered on Hits are worth having this album available to you...seriously!

Recommended

B+

this is a great phil collins compilation but its missing too many songs heres what the track listing should have been

1. in the air tonight
2. i missed again
3. i don't care anymore
4. you can't hurry love
5. against all odds (take a look at me now)
6. easy lover
7. sussisio
8. don't lose my number
9. one more night
10. take me home
11. separate lives
12. two hearts

1. a groovy kind of love
2. another day in paradice
3. something happened on the way to heaven
4. do u remember?
5. i wish it would rain down
6. hang in long enough
7. both sides of the story
8. everyday
9. we wait & we wonder
10. dance into the light
11. it's in your eyes
12. true colours

if this were the track listing this would have been the only phil collins cd must fans would need but as is its missing too many songs and should have been a double disc set.