So, here we are at last. The presentations of the cases of 4 candidates that I believe should be in the Rock and Roll HOF. You may disagree or agree, but I will try to present my along with several reasons why the candidates are not currently in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Let us begin with Phil Collins as a solo act, for of course he is in with Genesis.
The song above might very well be representative of the 1980s in all accounts. It is stylish, it has smooth synthesizers, and it has one of the most recognizable drum riffs in music (3:16).
The 80s, for lack of a better word, belonged to Phil Collins. In the period from 1981-1990, he had 15 Top 20 Singles, including a stretch of 12 Top Ten singles in a row on the Billboard Charts. He was everywhere, which would, IMO, eventually keep him out as a solo artist (more on that later). He and Paul McCartney are the only 2 recording artists to sell over 100 million records worldwide as a solo artist and a member of of a band. In addition, while his career never came back to the massive popularity it was in that period, he still had success songs and albums up into the late 90s.
But, I'm not going to be that easy. If I were that easy, others would get in too. I also wish to look for style and certain nuances that make them stand out and different. And with Phil Collins, this might be part of the reason why he is kept out. A lot of people criticize his music as being samey and sentimentalized. And for some of these songs, I think it is fair to say that. The song most people point to when being derisive is "Sussudio"
Outside of that wicked bass riff, there's really nothing memorable about this song. It's just there. Which I think is what a lot of people think of Phil Collins music; fun but just there. However, I will disagree with that thinking by looking at two songs that break away from that Phil Collins ideal, one obviously and one not obviously. First, the obvious one: Another Day in Paradise.
It is dark, lilting yet still has that Phil Collins smooth sound to it. The song was written about the homeless epidemic in countries. A lot of music critics called it too soft, but I think that would take away the identity of the song and the person who wrote it. It matches Phil's voice very well and it gets the subject across. Now to the non-obvious one and my personal favorite Phil Collins song: Take Me Home.
I love this song. It is powerful instrumentally and melodically; and it seems to have a melancholy yearning for home, or at least that's what the video suggests. But what makes this song stand out in my case for Phil Collins is that this song does not mean what most think it means. In many interviews, Phil Collins has stated that the real representation in this song is that a man is stuck in a mental asylum and yearns to get out a la One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
Yes. This positive sounding song has a dark secret. And I love that because it shows the artists capability to say something and wrap it in any type of disguise or clothing. Just like "Pumped Up Kids" by Foster The People is a happy sounding number but it's discussing a school shooting. This works in the same wa. And I think it shows Collins has the substance to match the success to get in.
Why is he not in?
Two main reasons. One, I mentioned before was because his songs to many sound samey. The other is quite simply a matter of oversaturation. Remember, during the time he was doing solo albums, he was also doing work with Genesis, so his voice was out there over the radio/TV in two seperate channels. After a while of this, it is clear that people simply got sick of hearing him or seeing him. An incident he points to is that of Live Aid where he played in Britain and then flew the Concorde across the Atlantic Ocean to play in the US. Once again, there is only so much people can take. The oversaturation leads to acrimony. Combine that with with some of his samey songs being played in stores (including the one I work for) and you have full on hatred. That to me is why he is not in.
In conclusion...
Genesis, as most people know, had two main singers throughout their history: Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins.
Peter Gabriel went on to have a successful solo career, one that eventually and deservedly got him in the HOF. Yet his solo career success pales in comparison to Collins'. And yet he is in and Collins is not. This is why I believe Phil Collins needs to be inducted as a solo artist..
Next Time, I will go around the same period to the Go-Gos, a band with a great influence in a very short window
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