Simon Collins's debut album

"All Of Who You Are"

Ray Coleman’s biography of Phil Collins has introduced us to Simon. Phil’s oldest son is a drummer, too, though you would not know it from All Of Who You Are.

The album does not only seem modern only because of the design. The booklet is blue and the writing is typical 90s. The music is mainly trendy, relaxed in places but sometimes also a bit forced. Pride’s catchy electro-pop is one of the highlights. The title song, Anymore and most of all In My Life are catchy ballads. It seems that the “next generation”, as Simon is billed, has inherited a sense for good melodies.

Cover Simon is influenced by ethno and/or dancefloor music. There are bits of Jean-Michel Jarre, some Wolfsheim and Depeche Mode. There are also flavours of drum’n’bass (Coast) or dance beats (on These Dreams, one of the highlights). Sometimes Simon’s penchant for electronic sounds even drifts off into psychedelia (Sphere). Money Maker on the other hand sounds like a song from the 80s. It has lots of hit potential and would be the ideal single. Simon makes his music far away from what his father has done over the years. And that is okay. The outcome has, however, little to do with Genesis. It just happens to be a record by the son of the man who used to drum and sing in Genesis.

All Of Who You Are is certainly a good album and a good start for Simon’s career. His fans, however, are not likely to be found amongst Genesis fans. The backing vocals in the chorus of Pride are sung by Simon’s dad, Phil (or “pops”, as he is called in the credits). It would have been good to hear more of Simon Collins the drummer. If you expected a straight pop or rock album à la Phil Collins or Genesis you will be disappointed. We stick with the last song of the album: Simon’s music really is Light Years Away from his dad’s or Genesis.

by Christian Gerhardts

translated by Martin Klinkhardt

first published in German in it magazine #27 (fall 1999)

Release Info:

All Of Who You Are was released on CD in 1999. A later pressing had another song, Shine Through, that was also released as a single. Shine Through is a typical pop song in Simon Collins’s style, it is a bit like Pride only slightly faster.