Phil Collins' career as a drummer and singer began years before he joined Genesis. At the age of four, he was given his first child's drum kit for Christmas. In 1966 he formed his first school band, The Real Thing, and also became friends with guitarist Ronnie Caryl, with whom he jammed regularly and, from 1967 onwards, occasionally played in his father's band called The Ronnie Caryl Orchestra. After the decision was made to pursue a career as a professional musician, further engagements with the R'n'B cover group The Charge and the Cliff Charles Blues Band followed. The first known sound document, however, came in 1968 as a member of the band The Freehold, with whom he recorded his first self-written song, which he even sang himself...
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Lying, Crying, Dying Recording date: 1968 Recording location: Regent Sound Produced by: ? Performed by: The Freehold: Phil Collins (Vocals, Drums), Les Mannering, John "Fluff" Hunt, Jeff Slater (Tabourine) First official release: --- Best available source: Freehold Lying, Crying, Dying (Acetate 7" & Bandcamp) |
Together with friend Ronnie, they meet two other musicians in the same year to initially act as a backing band for the vocal group The Gladiators. But the four want to move forward independently and give themselves the name Hickory, under which they record a single under the aegis of Brotherhood Of Man member John Goodison...
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Green Light (Eddy Grant) (2:14)The Key (John Goodison/M. Clarke/P. Williams) (2:03)Recording date: 1968? Recording location: CBS Studio? Produced by: John Goodison Performed by: Hickory with Orchestra (conducted by John Goodison) First official release/Best available source: 24th January 1969 - Hickory Green Light (UK 7"//CBS 3963) |
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The successful songwriting duo Ken Howard & Alan Blaikley became aware of the band in the spring of 1969 and were able to inspire the four musicians to record their concept album Ark 2 and also to promote it under the new band name Flaming Youth... |
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Guide Me, Orion * (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (3:17)Earthglow (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (2:52)Weightless (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (2:37)The Planets: Mars - Bringer Of War Changes (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (5:48)Pulsar (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (3:04)Space Child (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (5:10)In The Light Of Love (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (3:25)From Now On (Immortal Invisible) * (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (4:20)Recording date: July - September 1969 Recording location: De Lane Lea Music/London Produced by: Ken Howard & Alan Blaikley Performed by: Flaming Youth *First official release: 10th October 1969 - Flaming Youth Guide Me, Orion (UK 7"/Fontana TF 1057) First official release: 17th October 1969 - Flaming Youth Ark 2 (UK LP/Fontana 881 017 TY) Best available source: Flaming Youth Ark 2 [1996 remaster] (EU CD//Polydor 532 905-2) |
The album release does not go unnoticed. And so the band also manages to be invited to session recordings for the legendary BBC Radio: first excerpts from the album for the Dave Lee Travis Show, then the complete album for Night Ride and finally, after the turn of the year, an interesting set for Radio One Club, consisting of two album tracks, two cover numbers by Honeybus and the Yardbirds and the self-written track Good Time Woman.
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Changes [BBC Dave Lee Travis Show version] (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley)(?:??)Guide Me, Orion [BBC Dave Lee Travis Show version]* (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (2:53)Mercury - The Winged Messenger / In The Light Of Love [BBC Dave Lee Travis Show version]* (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (3:34)Recording date: 27th October 1969 Recording location: Aeolian Hall Studio 2/London Produced by: Paul Williams First official release: 2nd November 1969 - Dave Lee Travis Show (BBC Radio One Broadcast) *Best available source: Top of the Pops (Show 262) (12" LP//BBC Transcription Service) |
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Guide Me, Orion [BBC Night Ride version] (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (3:04)Earthglow [BBC Night Ride version] (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (2:40)Weightless [BBC Night Ride version] (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (2:50)The Planets: [BBC Night Ride version] Mars - Bringer Of War (1:49) Changes [BBC Night Ride version] (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (5:30)Pulsar [BBC Night Ride version] (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (3:00)Space Child [BBC Night Ride version] (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (4:52)In The Light Of Love [BBC Night Ride version] (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (3:41)From Now On (Immortal Invisible) [BBC Night Ride version] (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (4:08)Recording date: 23rd December 1969 Recording location: BBC Maida Vale Studio 4/London Produced by: Alec Reid First official release: 21st January 1970 - Night Ride (BBC Radio One & Two Broadcast) Best available source: Night Ride (12" LP//BBC Transcription Service) |
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Changes [BBC Radio One Club version] (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (3:37)In The Light Of Love [BBC Radio One Club version] (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (3:20)Do I Still Figure In Your Life? [BBC Radio One Club version] (Peter Blumson) (2:44)Shapes Of Things [BBC Radio One Club version] (Jim McCarty/Keith Relf/Paul Samwell-Smith) (4:00)Good Time Woman [BBC Radio One Club version] (Ronnie Caryl/Brian Chatton/Phil Collins/Gordon Smith) (3:50)Recording date: 6th February 1970 Recording location: ? Produced by: ? First official release: 5th March 1970 - Radio One Club (BBC Radio One broadcast) Best available source: Radio One Club (12" LP//BBC Transcription Service) |
Despite appealing reviews, the band remains relatively unsuccessful, which even the single released after the album in 1970 could not change ...
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Man, Woman And Child (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (3:14)Drifting (Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley) (3:52)Recording date: 1970? Recording location: ? Produced by: Ken Howard & Alan Blaikley Performed by: Flaming Youth First official release: 26th June 1970 - Flaming Youth Man, Woman And Child (UK 7"//Fontana 6001 002) Best available source: Flaming Youth Ark 2 [1996 remaster] (EU CD//Polydor 532 905-2) |
Quite unexpectedly, Collins gets the opportunity to play percussion on a session for Beatle George Harrison in the spring of 1970, but unfortunately the recording seems to have been lost.
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Art Of Dying [alternate version] (George Harrison) ()Recording date: May 1970 Recording location: Abbey Road Studio 2/London Produced by: Phil Spector Performed by: George Harrison feat. Phil Collins (Percussion), Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Klaus Voormann & Peter Drake First official release/Best available source: --- |
The sound documents recorded by Phil himself are also likely to date from the time after the failure of Flaming Youth...
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Drum Solo [2 takes] (Phil Collins) (8:40)Recording date: 1970? Recording location: ? Produced by: Phil Collins Performed by: Phil Collins First official release/Best available source: 2010 - Phil Collins Drum Solo [2 takes] (256kb/s mp3 Download//philcollins.com) |
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Ron & Phil Jam (Ronnie Caryl/Phil Collins) (11:32)Recording date: 1970? Recording location: ? Produced by: Phil Collins Performed by: Ronnie Caryl & Phil Collins First official release/Best available source: 2010 - Phil Collins Ron & Phil Jam (256kb/s mp3 Download//philcollins.com) |
Phil and Ronnie eventually audition for the vacant positions in Genesis, but only Phil gets the nod and is an official member of the band from August 1970.
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Even before the first studio recordings were made with the band, he was allowed to contribute backing vocals together with Genesis singer Peter Gabriel on another production by the Genesis producer at the time - the debut album by Colin Scot... |
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Lead Us (Neil Innes) (4:34)Nite People (Colin Thistlewaite) (4:15)Recording date: January - March 1971 Recording location: Trident Studios, London Produced by: John Anthony Performed by: Colin Scot feat. Phil Collins (Backing Vocals) u.a. First official release: 1971 - Colin Scot Colin Scot (UK LP//United Artists Records UAG 29154) Best available source: Colin Scot Colin Scot [2006 Remaster] (EU CD//Eclectic Discs ECLCD 1036) |
In spring, the first (but unfortunately lost) studio recordings for a single are made with his new band Genesis, and in August the first album with him as drummer is recorded. Nursery Cryme also contains the first Genesis song sung by Collins, For Absent Friends, which he contributes together with the new Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. Incidentally, the engineer on the recordings is a certain David Hentschel, who would go on to play a significant role in Genesis and Phil's other activities in subsequent years. At the end of the year, Phil once again made a small guest appearance together with Peter Gabriel as a background choir for a song by the Keef Hartley Band ...
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? Don't Sign It (Chris Mercer) (4:24)? You Say You're Together Now (Gary Thain) (3:42)Recording date: late 1971 Recording location: Island Studios/London, Trident Studios/London Produced by: John Burns & Keef Hartley Band Performed by: Keef Hartley Band feat. Phil Collins & Peter Gabriel (backing vocals on one song) First official release: 5th? May 1972 - The Keef Hartley Band Seventy Second Brave (UK LP//Deram Records SDL 9) Best available source: The Keef Hartley Band Seventy Second Brave [2009 remaster] (UK CD//Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2100) |
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In 1972 Phil is booked for the first time as a drummer for a session, namely for the debut album of singer/songwriter Eugene Wallace, produced by Genesis producer John Anthony, on which Phil's buddy Ronnie and David Hentschel, among others, also play... |
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The Gambler (Eugene Wallace) (4:28)Rock Me On The Water (Jackson Browne) (4:14)Don't You Feel It? * (Eugene Wallace) (4:14)The Snowman (Martin Hall) (4:11)The Badman (Eugene Wallace) (3:24)You Can Leave Your Hat On (Randy Newman) (3:08)Blind Willie Johnson (Martin Hall) (4:26)Book Of Fool (Eugene Wallace) (5:47)Recording date: 1972 Recording location: Trident Studios/London Produced by: John Anthony Performed by: Eugene Wallace feat. Phil Collins (Drums), Ronnie Caryl, Tim Renwick, Ray Cooper a.o. First official release/Best available source: July 1974 - Eugene Wallace Book Of Fool (UK LP//EMI EMC 3018) *Best available source: Phil Collins Plays Well With Others [2018 remasters] (4CD//Atlantic 0081227942052) |
The recordings for the next Genesis album Foxtrot were made in August 1972, and Phil subsequently toured a lot with Genesis until mid-May 1973. Nevertheless, studio jobs came up, first for the Lindisfarne/Genesis tour support - the Scottish singer/songwriter Rab Noakes, and then for Neil Innes (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, The Rutles). It is unclear exactly when he joined the sessions for ex-Yes guitarist Peter Banks' first solo album during this time...
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Wait A Minute (Single Version) (Rab Noakes) (4:00)Recording date: late October 1972 Recording location: Landsdowne Studios/London Produced by: Bob Johnston Performed by: Rab Noakes feat. Phil Collins (Drums) & Robin McKidd First official release: 24th November 1972 - Rab Noakes Wait A Minute (UK 7"//A&M Records AMS 7043) Best available source: Rab Noakes Bridging The Gaps [2017 remasters] (UK 2CD//Neon Records NEONCD019) |
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How Sweet To Be An Idiot (Single Version) (Neil Innes) (3:47)Recording date: late 1972? Recording location: ? Produced by: John Anthony Performed by: Neil Innes feat. Phil Collins (Drums), Brian Odgers (Bass) & Richard Hewson (String/Brass Arrangement) First official release: 16th February 1973 - Neil Innes How Sweet To Be An Idiot (UK 7"//United Artists Records UP 35495) Best available source: Neil Innes How Sweet To Be An Idiot [2020 remaster] (UK CD//Grapefruit Records QCRSEG073) |
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Battles (Jan Akkerman/Peter Banks) (2:23)Knights-Reprise (Peter Banks) (2:13)Stop That! (Jan Akkerman/Peter Banks) (13:41)Get Out Of My Fridge (Jan Akkerman/Peter Banks) (3:20)Recording date: November 1972 - June 1973 Recording location: Advision Studios/London Produced by: Peter Banks Performed by: Peter Banks feat. Phil Collins (Drums), Steve Hackett, John Wetton, Jan Akkerman & Ray Bennett First official release: 21st August 1973 - Peter Banks (Two Sides Of) Peter Banks (UK LP//Sovereign 5C 062-94 664) Best available source: Peter Banks Two Sides Of Peter Banks [2009 Remaster] (UK CD//Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2165) |
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For his buddy Ronnie Caryl's new band Sanctuary, Phil records some choral vocals for a song. However, the recordings were never released... |
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How Could You Change Your Mind () ()Recording date: 1973? Recording location: Produced by: Performed by: Sanctuary feat. Phil Collins (Backing Vocals) First official release/Best available source: --- |
Before Genesis record the album Selling England By The Pound in August 1973, which will include More Fool Me, another song with Phil as lead singer, he teams up with band mate Mike Rutherford and ex-Genesis member Anthony Phillips to record demos first. Two songs are then professionally recorded in early November during a short break of the Selling England tour to be released as a single, which never happened...
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Take This Heart (Demo) * (Anthony Phillips/Mike Rutherford) ()Silver Song (Demo) ** (Anthony Phillips/Mike Rutherford) (4:13)Recording date: Summer 1973 Recording location: Send Barns/Surrey Produced by: Anthony Phillips Performed by: Anthony Phillips, Mike Rutherford & Phil Collins */**First official release: --- *Best available source: --- **Best available source: Bootleg - Genesis In The Beginning Vol. 3 (CD//) |
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Silver Song * (Anthony Phillips/Mike Rutherford) (4:16)Only Your Love ** (Anthony Phillips/Mike Rutherford) (3:09)Recording date: (between 1st and 6th) November 1973 Recording location: Island Studios, London Produced by: Anthony Phillips, Mike Rutherford & Phil Collins Performed by: Phil Collins, Anthony Phillips & Mike Rutherford *First official release: 20th July 2007 - Anthony Phillips The Geese & The Ghost [2007 remaster] (JAP 2CD//Arcàngelo ARC-7227/28) **First official release: 9th March 2015 - Anthony Phillips The Geese & The Ghost [2015 remaster] (UK 2CD//Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 32482) */**Best available source: Anthony Phillips The Geese & The Ghost [2015 remaster] (UK 2CD//Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 32482) |
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After the end of the Genesis tour in the summer of 1974, Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel worked with Martin Hall on songs that were possibly intended for an album with other artists. Phil Collins was also involved in the demo recordings... |
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You Never Know [demo] (Peter Gabriel/Martin Hall) (3:35)Firebird [demo] (Peter Gabriel/Martin Hall) (3:01)You Get What You Want (When You Rip It Off) [demo] (Peter Gabriel/Martin Hall) (5:11)Recording date: Summer 1974 Recording location: Send Barns/Surrey Produced by: Anthony Phillips? Performed by: Peter Gabriel & Martin Hall feat. Phil Collins (Backing Vocals, Percussion) & Anthony Phillips First official release: --- Best available source: Bootleg - Peter Gabriel You Never Know (CD-r//PondTrotMusic GHPC74PTM) |
Sessions for the first solo project of producer David Hentschel, whom he has known since the recording of Nursery Cryme, and the second album by singer/songwriter Eugene Wallace follow...
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Devil Woman (Ringo Starkey/Vini Poncia) (3:30)Six O'Clock (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) (4:21)You're 16 (I) (Richard M. Sherman/Robert B. Sherman) (2:35)Have You Seen My Baby (Randy Newman) (5:02)I'm The Greatest (John Lennon) (3:40)You And Me (Babe) (George Harrison/Marian Evans) (4:03)Recording date: September 1974 Recording location: Startling Studios/Ascot Produced by: David Hentschel & John Gilbert Performed by: David Hentschel feat. Phil Collins (Drums, Percussion) & Ronnie Caryl First official release/Best available source: 1975 - David Hentschel Startling Music (UK LP//Ring O'Records 2320 101) |
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Reach Out And Touch Me (Eugene Wallace) (3:48)Red Light Lady ? Kind Woman Kind (Eugene Wallace) (3:20)Lies (Eugene Wallace) (2:55)? Lullaby (Eugene Wallace) (3:06)? The Killer (Eugene Wallace) (3:34)? Children (Eugene Wallace) (5:33)? Little Baby Mine (Eugene Wallace) (4:08)Recording date: 1974 Recording location: Tridenrt Studios/London Produced by: Robin Geoffrey Cable & Del Newman Performed by: Eugene Wallace feat. Phil Collins (Drums ON WHICH TRACKS?), Phil Chen, Chris Spedding a.o. First official release: May 1975 - Eugene Wallace Dangerous (UK LP//EMI EMC 3067) Best available source: Eugene Wallace Dangerous (HiRes Download//) |
From August to October 1974, Phil worked with Genesis on the concept album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, which contained Lilywhite Lilith, a piece that was mainly written by Collins and had already been performed live in parts as The Light years before. During the mixing sessions, Collins met ex-Roxy Music member Brian Eno for the first time. For his album recording in the house at the same time, Phil contributes a drum track in return for Eno's effect skills on some Lamb tracks...
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Mother Whale Eyeless (Brian Eno) (5:45)Recording date: September 1974 Recording location: Island Studios/London Produced by: Brian Eno (with Phil Manzanera) Performed by: ENO (Brian Eno) feat. Phil Collins (Additional Drums), Phil Manzanera, Freddie Smith, Brian Turrington, Polly Eltes &, Robert Wyatt First official release: November 1974 - ENO Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) (UK LP//Island Records ILPS 9309) Best available source: ENO Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) [2009 Remaster] (EU CD//Virgin ENOCDX 2) |
Another collaboration with Peter Banks and his new band project Empire follows, where he meets musicians with whom he will still make music later. The recordings are not released until more than 20 years later...
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Sky At Night (Peter Banks/Sydney Foxx) (9:36)Recording date: 26. September - 5. November 1974 Recording location: CBS Studios/London Produced by: Peter Banks Performed by: Empire (Peter Banks, Preston Heyman, John Giblin, Jakom Magnusson & Sydney Foxx) feat. Phil Collins (Drums, Backing Vocals) First official release/Best available source: 1995 - Empire Mark I (CD//One Way OW 31443) |
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The last Genesis tour with Peter Gabriel started at the end of November 1974, first in North America. During a two-week break from the European leg of the tour, Phil took the opportunity to support David Hentschel in recording the soundtrack for the film Operation Daybreak and to record an album with his new second band, which he had joined at the turn of the year and which would become known as Brand X in the following years. On a free tour day in Oslo, he spontaneously drums another song for the "Norwegian Simon & Garfunkel" called Tobben & Eros... |
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Operation Daybreak - Opening Titles (David Hentschel) (3:11)Operation Daybreak [untitled 1] (David Hentschel) (1:27)Operation Daybreak [untitled 2] (David Hentschel) (0:44)Operation Daybreak [untitled 3] (David Hentschel) (1:58)Operation Daybreak - Build Up To Assassination (David Hentschel) (1:36)Recording date: between 5. and 18. February 1975 Recording location: ? Produced by: David Hentschel & John Gilbert Performed by: David Hentschel feat. Phil Collins (Drums) First official release: November 1975 [movie premiere] Best available source: Operation Daybreak [2010 remaster] (US DVD//Warner Brothers D180176D) |
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[Unreleased Brand X Album] () ()Suedo John'os Surrealo Tripo [rough mix] () ()Untitled - No 2 [rough mix] () ()Percy's Third Bash [rough mix] () ()Train Jam [rough mix] Recording date: between 5. and 18. February 1975 Recording location: Island Studios/London Produced by: ??? Performed by: Brand X (Phil Collins, John Goodsall, Percy Jones, Robert Lumley, Pete Bonas, Phil Spinelli) First official release: --- Best available source: officialbrandx.com (snippets video) |
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Skammens Terskel (Januar Ero Olsen/Torbjorn Willassen) (3:30)Recording date: 20th February 1975? Recording location: Rosenborg Studios/Oslo Produced by: Tobben & Ero Performed by: Tobben & Ero feat. Phil Collins (Drums) a.o. First official release: 1976 - Tobben & Ero Gi Meg Et Hus (NOR LP//Phillips 6317 041) Best available source: Tobben & Ero 20 Beste I Tobben & Eros Verden (NOR CD//Universal 159 747-2) |
The Genesis tour ends on 22 May 1975, and with it the chapter of Peter Gabriel as the band's singer. Strangely, neither the band nor Phil Collins himself falls into a creative hole. On the contrary, he continues to expand his musical activities...
Author / Research: Steffen Gerlach
Editors: Ulrich Klemt, Christian Gerhardts
Many thanks to Mic Smith and Jonathan Dann!
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