Phil Collins – But Seriously (2016 Deluxe Edition 2CD) – Review

Note: This article discusses the new release of the album …But Seriously. You can find a detailed review of the album itself at this link.

Artwork

As usual, the cover photo is a modern-day copy of the original image. However, this photo is the weakest so far. Phil looks serious – so far it fits. But he looks more than just old, his face looks sunken and almost ill. Surely a more favourable shot could have been taken without having to sacrifice a serious facial expression. As with the previous reissues, the rest (layout and booklet) is based on the original album.

The Remaster

An improvement is audible, but it’s not the big aha effect of the first three solo albums. Overall, the album sounds a little clearer and more polished. However, this should be taken with a grain of salt. As with all the other remasters (except Both Sides), the main thing that has been tweaked is the volume. That’s why the songs also sound more pop, but at the same time the dynamics were sometimes more, sometimes less cut.

…But seriously, it has to be said that the dynamics have been neutered. This is no treat for audiophile gourmets. The table (see picture) shows a high dynamic range value for the WEA first pressing (Germany) from 1989. 14 is a very good value for an album from 1989 and it is therefore in the upper third of the value table at LoudnessWar. His other albums from the eighties had a similar value. The new version slips a whopping 5 points and is now only at 9.

A song like I Wish It Would Rain Down, which still had a DR value of 13 in the first pressing, now only has a weak 7. As a consequence, this means: no more soft/loud nuances, just loud and loud. If you compare the new remaster with the High Fidelity Gold Disc Remaster by Steve Hoffmann (2012), the whole thing becomes even clearer: Hoffmann succeeded in creating a practically dynamic-neutral remaster at the time. And this is far better than the 2016 version. The impression is reinforced with …But Seriously that no decisive care was taken with the remasters. Rather, most of it now sounds louder and adapted for the MP3 generation of listeners.

The Bonus tracks – „Extra Seriously“

Hang In Long Enough (live)

One of the live all-time favorites since 1990 opens the bonus CD. The recording was made in Paris in 1997 from the Live And Loose In Paris DVD. The sound quality is very good. The song has not changed as drastically live over the years as others. Therefore, it was possible to choose from a rich pool of live versions, which are certainly similar in some way. Any other would have been fine here. But since this song is missing on Serious Hits… Live!, the choice is understandable and correct.

Something Happened On The Way To Heaven (live)

Even though it continues seamlessly, we jump back in time to 2004, but stay at the Palais Omnisport in Paris-Bercy. The song was played as the opener at the First Final Farewell Tour after the drum trio. An energetic start that immediately gets the audience up to operating temperature. Unfortunately, the drum intro is missing here. But due to its length and the lack of a direct reference to …But Seriously, that would have been a bit too much of a good thing. To do without a live version of this song here would have been acceptable in view of the very good version from 1990 already available on Serious Hits… Live! It would have left room for other live songs. But more on that later.

Colours (live)

As with the bonus CD for No Jacket Required, the Seriously Live in Berlin DVD from the Waldbühne 1990 was used. And, as there, quite rightly so. A magnificent live version of Collins’ only real “long song” including the final Collins/Thompson drum duet. A real highlight. The sound quality is excellent.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (live)

Here, too, the recording was made in Berlin in 1990 and this piece is also a real gem. It’s a shame that it’s so short. It would have been a shame not to include this instrumental gem on the extras – the same applies to Colours.

Always (live)

The consideration of this cover song is a little perplexing. Yes, it is a beautiful song that Phil interprets very sensitively. And yes, it is that or at least one of his now deceased mother’s favorite songs. Yes, it was first played live on the Serious tour in 1990 and therefore has a connection to the album, albeit a somewhat distant one.

But: exactly this version was already available as the B-side to the single of Both Sides Of The Story. Where exactly the recording was made in 1990 is unfortunately unknown. Various shows were recorded throughout the tour for Serious Hits… Live! (presumably Paris, Chicago and Uniondale, among others). Berlin is definitely not one of them. There was another live version from the Montreux Jazz Festival as a B-side to The Same Moon. A live version was also part of the Love Songs sampler.

So why this song was chosen here and other live versions (e.g. Heat On The Street, All Of My Life) are missing is inexplicable. Always can be so beautiful in itself.

Find A Way To My Heart (live)

This short live concert concludes with a fantastic live song that was played on all tours from 1990 to 1997. In the end, the most recent version from 1997 was chosen, which can be clearly recognized by the percussion elements by Luis Conte, which did not exist before 1990 and 1994/95. It is unclear exactly where the recording comes from. The song was played “back to back” in 1997 pretty much directly after Take Me Down. Hence the somewhat abrupt start, which is nevertheless well done in this form. The sound quality is also good here, but the recording seems a little too clean and almost like a studio version.

That’s How I Feel (B-Seite)

This song was released as the B-side to Hang In Long Enough. It cannot deny its similarity to other songs from the …But Seriously sessions. An atmospheric piece with great drum and brass parts. The song is perhaps a little weaker than the album tracks, but as a B-side it is one of the better ones. The only drawback is the fade-out at the end. The song would have deserved a better finale.

You’ve Been In Love (That Little Bit Too Long) (B-Seite)

The B-side to I Wish It Would Rain Down partly seems like a homage to the Motown era. Phil’s musical influences and roots are clearly noticeable here. Unlike That’s How I Feel, this song is not immediately recognizable as the result of the …But Seriously sessions. The track would have added another facet to the album. But the selection of album tracks was extremely successful and is totally coherent in itself. You have to draw the line somewhere.

Another Day In Paradise (Demo)

The first single and the most successful song on the album opens this demo quintet as the conclusion of the extras. It is a previously unknown demo version. Another (Homeless) was released alongside You’ve Been In Love (That Little Bit Too Long) as the B-side to I Wish It Would Rain Down.

Compared to Homeless, however, this demo is much more developed and largely finished. Apart from a short passage, the lyrics are complete and match the final version. The intro and outro with the engine noises and screeching tires are particularly interesting. This was neither on Homeless nor on the final album version. The keyboard part at the end was also not included in this form in the final version. A good choice to get this demo version out of the archives and a positive surprise. Just reading the track list when this remaster was announced, quite a few people were probably expecting Homeless.

That’s Just The Way It Is (Demo)

This is also a previously unknown demo version. Musically, the demo version is almost identical to the album version. However, apart from the chorus, the lyrics are still unfinished and are replaced by Collins’ usual incomprehensible demo vocals.

I Wish It Would Rain Down (Demo)

This demo was already available on the Do You Remember? and Something Happened On The Way To Heaven singles. The lyrics are still relatively patchy and the song still sounds very raw overall. However, there is one difference to the already known demo version: here the demo runs slower, which explains the longer track duration. We can only assume that such “minor details” did not play a role when the tapes were recorded and were not checked.

Hang In Long Enough (Demo)

Hang In Long Enough is the only song that is included twice in the extras. This demo is another previously unreleased one and reveals a very interesting version of this song. The whole thing sounds more like a remnant of the No Jacket Required sessions and, with its catchy beats, is remotely reminiscent of the demo of Only You Know And I Know from the No Jacket Required extras. The lyrics are incomprehensible and unfinished except for the chorus. In this version, the song seems like a real relic of the 1980s, which is more than can be said for …But Seriously.

Do You Remember? (Demo)

This demo is already available under the title Lionel on the Something Happened On The Way To Heaven single. The song is very well developed except for the almost completely incomprehensible lyrics. Interestingly, however, unlike the previous demos, not even the chorus is recognizable here. Phil sings something like “Didn’t You?” here. As far as the tempo of the demo is concerned, the same procedure was followed here as with I Wish It Would Rain Down. Here, too, there is no more sensible explanation than the one already described.

Evaluation of the bonus material

The mix is just right. There are six live versions and five demo tracks. Two of the well-known B-sides were also selected.

But you can already tell here that this bonus CD contains light and shade. It is noticeable what is missing and could have been on it: it starts with the B-side instrumental Around The World In 80 Presets (from the Hang In Long Enough single), continues with the wonderful Elton John cover Burn Down The Mission from the Two Rooms sampler and ends with live versions of Heat On The Street, All Of My Life, I Wish It Would Rain Down and That’s Just The Way It Is.

If there hadn’t been enough space for these tracks, there would have been plenty of candidates for inclusion that have already been officially released in other forms (e.g. the aforementioned demos or Always).

But there are also pleasing things that are easy to overlook. Further live versions of songs such as Another Day In Paradise or Do You Remember? have been omitted. The same applies to the well-known and officially available demos Homeless (Another Day In Paradise) and Broadway Chorus (Something Happened On The Way To Heaven).

So there could have been a lot more well-known material on the album. However, this doesn’t make up for the fact that some really great and sometimes obvious options have been ignored. Not to mention the completely unknown material that may be lying dormant in the archives – possibly until “the day after tomorrow”. The longer track runtimes of the demos are another annoyance.

All in all

An album as successful as …But Seriously is hard to improve on. This has certainly succeeded within the scope of the possibilities. The extras are nicely put together and form a coherent sequence. However, rarer tracks (or unplugged versions, for example) have been omitted in favour of well-known material that many fans already own. This would have enhanced the extras and even completed them with regard to the B-sides. The joy of unearthed treasures is therefore unfortunately clouded. The strange track running times of the demos indicate little care. As with other albums in the reissue series, this leaves a bland aftertaste. What a pity.

Author: Ulrich Klemt (technical Details by Christian Gerhardts)