If And Then There Were Three suggested that Genesis were moving toward pop, Duke is where they leaped into the fray. Not that it was exactly a head-first leap: the band may have peppered the album with pop songs, but there was still a heavy dose of prog, as the concluding "Duke" suite made clear. This is modernist art rock, quite dissimilar to the fragile, delicate Selling England by the Pound, and sometimes the precision of the attack can be a little bombastic…
If And Then There Were Three suggested that Genesis were moving toward pop, Duke is where they leaped into the fray. Not that it was exactly a head-first leap: the band may have peppered the album with pop songs, but there was still a heavy dose of prog, as the concluding "Duke" suite made clear. This is modernist art rock, quite dissimilar to the fragile, delicate Selling England by the Pound, and sometimes the precision of the attack can be a little bombastic. Nevertheless, this is a major leap forward in distinguishing the sound of Genesis, the band, and along with a new signature sound come pop songs, particularly in the guise of "Misunderstanding" and "Turn It on Again." The first is a light, nearly soulful, heartache song, the latter is a thunderous arena rocker, and both showcase the new version of Genesis at its absolute best. The rest of the record comes close to matching them.
The 'Up Close And Personal' range looks at the history of English progressive rock band Genesis. Stunning live performance footage showcases the talents of the band, with footage from both the Gabriel and Collins era as leading journalists and critics make a study of the band in performance.
Phil Collins first enjoyed international success as the drummer with Genesis and then subsequently as lead singer when Peter Gabriel left the band. In 1981, however, Face Value launched him as a solo artist and remains in many ways his most exciting and unusual music offering.Face Value was immediately a worldwide hit, entering British charts at Number 1, spending almost six years in the Top 75, and selling in excess of 12 million copies. The album went on to make the U.S. Top 10, earning a gold disc. Face Value also gave birth to several hit singles, including the atmospheric 'In The Air Tonight,' ' I Missed Again,' and 'If Leaving Me Is Easy.'
The live video and DVD version features one entire concert. The concert captures a live performance at Berlin's Waldbühne on 15 July 1990, which Collins has hailed as his best performance due to the energy of the German people after the fall of the Berlin wall. On the final song of the album, Collins thanks the fans in Chicago. The DVD presents an in-depth personal look at his solo concert experience. Special moments include the crowd not allowing the concert to continue with prolonged applause after "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" and the lighter vigil during "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore".
Phil Collins' ascent to the status of one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond was probably as much of a surprise to him as it was to many others. Balding and diminutive, Collins was almost 30 years old when his first solo single, "In the Air Tonight," became a number two hit in his native U.K. (the song was a Top 20 hit in the U.S.). Between 1984 and 1990, Collins had a string of 13 straight U.S. Top Ten hits.