Face_Value_(album)

<i>Face Value</i> (album)

Face Value (album)

1981 studio album by Phil Collins

Face Value is the debut solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins, released on 13 February 1981 by Virgin Records.[10][11] After his first wife filed for divorce in 1979, Collins began to write songs during a break in activity from Genesis with much of the material concerning his personal life. The album was recorded from mid-1980 to early 1981 with Collins and Hugh Padgham as producers. Additional musicians include the Phenix Horns, Alphonso Johnson, and Eric Clapton.

Quick Facts Face Value, Studio album by Phil Collins ...

Face Value was an instant commercial success and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for three weeks and No. 7 on the US Billboard 200. It has since sold over 5 million copies in the US and over 1.5 million in the UK. The album received widespread praise from critics and launched Collins' solo career whose commercial success would ultimately outstrip that of Genesis. Its lead single "In the Air Tonight", released in January 1981, reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and became known for its drum arrangement and use of gated reverb. In January 2016, Face Value was reissued with bonus tracks and new photography in the style of the original but featuring a present-day Collins.[12]

Background and writing

By 1978, Phil Collins had been a member of English progressive rock band Genesis for almost eight years. After spending the first five as their drummer, he reluctantly accepted the role of frontman of the group in 1975 following the departure of the band's original singer, Peter Gabriel. Three years later, after departure of guitarist Steve Hackett, Genesis' nine-month world tour to promote ...And Then There Were Three... (1978)[13] became problematic for Collins's wife Andrea who complained that he was not at home enough and that should he commit to the full tour, she would not be there when he returned.[14] Collins, however, maintained that the band were on the cusp of international breakthrough and the tour would pay dividends for the future.[15] However, at the end of the tour, Andrea decided to take their two children to her parents in Vancouver, Canada. In an attempt to save his marriage, Collins moved to Vancouver, but the attempt failed. Collins returned to England in April 1979, with Andrea having agreed to return with the children.[13][16]

With Genesis members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford working on their solo albums through 1979, Collins used some of his spare time to write songs. He told Modern Drummer early that year:

One ambition is to do my own album which will have a lot of variety. I write songy [sic] stuff, as well as some from the Brand X area. I'm also hip to what [Brian] Eno does - those kind of soundtracks which I've always been interested in - two or three minutes of just mood. The album, when it does come out, will have a lot of different styles on it.[17]

In his home in Shalford, Surrey, named Old Croft, Collins set up a Sequential Prophet-5 synthesiser, piano, Roland CR-78 drum machine, and an 8-track tape machine in his bedroom, and recorded a collection of demos with backing tracks and early lyrics.[18] He was not concerned with the quality of the recordings as what may have lacked in the recordings would have been salvaged with the emotion in the songs. There were numerous times where Collins stopped recording earlier than planned as the ideas were not working in the studio, leaving him to resume the following day.[19] Collins based the majority of Face Value on the divorce he had endured, and used a solo album as an outlet for his feelings.[19]

During the conception of the album, Collins had forged a close friendship with John Martyn and contributed towards Grace and Danger (1980), which contained a similar narrative relating to divorce and relationship breakdown. Some of Collins' material that he had written was performed by Genesis on Duke (1980), including "Misunderstanding", the arrangement of which remained unchanged.[19] He had played "In the Air Tonight" and "If Leaving Me is Easy" to the group, but they were left out as Collins said they were "too simple for the band".[19]

Early album titles included Interiors and Exposure.[19] To release the album, Collins signed a solo contract with Virgin Records for UK distribution.[18] He did so to "leave the nest" and to ensure he could maintain full creative control over the music. Collins also felt that releasing the album on Charisma Records, the same label as Genesis, would have harmed its success due to the preconceived notions people have about bands and labels.[18] Collins thought a new label would benefit the casual listener and appeal to a wider audience.[19] Virgin gave Collins a £65,000 advance on the album.[20]

Production

Recording

Recording sessions for Face Value took place at the Town House in London and the Village Recorder in Los Angeles between August and December 1980. The demos recorded onto 8-track were transferred onto 24-track.[18] According to Classic Albums, in what was considered a controversial move at the time, Collins, who grew up listening to American R&B as a child in Chiswick, decided to incorporate an R&B horn section, hiring the Phenix Horns, who played backup for Earth, Wind & Fire. Collins had asked a contact who knew the group if they were interested in playing, and upon their agreement their leader Thomas "Tom Tom 84" Washington met with Collins who asked him to sing the sections where the horns were to be placed into a tape recorder. The group recorded their parts the following day.[18]

Collins produced the album himself with assistance from Hugh Padgham, who would co-produce several of Collins and Genesis's subsequent albums in the 1980s. Initially he considered George Clinton, Maurice White, or Phil Ramone until he realised that he merely wanted someone to endorse his own ideas.[19] Assistant recording engineer Nick Launay was hired after Collins was impressed with his work with Public Image Limited.[21] Collins was dissatisfied with initial test cuts of the album, describing them like a Queen album, "big, British and upfront".[19] He then listened to several albums by black musicians including ones by The Jacksons and a collection of soul artists in his own collection, and noticed a common link with technician Mike Reese who worked at a Los Angeles mastering lab. Reese prepared a cut which Collins was satisfied with.[19]

Songs

The simple style of music on Face Value was reasoned by Collins as his fondness of Weather Report's simple melodies and for black music.[19] Collins controversially included drum programming rather than just live drum instrumentation despite his reputation as a drummer. Collins said he wanted to experiment with different sounds and was inspired by the work of his former bandmate Peter Gabriel, who had used drum programming on his last album; Collins was part of these sessions. Many of the songs' arrangements were done by Collins and session arranger Thomas "Tom Tom 84" Washington. He incorporated Indian-styled violins, played by L. Shankar, for additional textures.

The last recording session for Face Value was in January 1981, prior to the release of the first single, "In the Air Tonight". Atlantic CEO Ahmet Ertegun advised Collins to perform drums during the verses and opening of the song, whereas the album version does not feature live drumming until the bridge.[citation needed]

The album features songs of different genres. While technically a rock and pop offering, the basis of many of the tracks lies in R&B with light funk influences, especially in "I'm Not Moving", for which Collins sang his backgrounds with a vocoder. "Droned" and "Hand in Hand" are progressive rock instrumentals, with the first featuring an Indian raga sound, while "Hand in Hand" features jazz elements, a black children's choir from Los Angeles humming the music, and improvisational instrumentation by Collins and the Phenix Horns.[19] "The Roof Is Leaking" has Delta blues and country elements. "Behind the Lines" was originally recorded by Genesis on Duke album as a progressive rock number. Collins worked up a horn-driven R&B/funk-inspired arrangement after speeding up the tape on the Genesis version and thinking that the sped-up version sounded like a Michael Jackson song. The cover of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" includes instruments and vocals playing in reverse while Collins provided multi-layered background vocals and sparse drumming. After the song ends, Collins can be heard quietly singing "Over the Rainbow" in reference to the recent murder of John Lennon; this final song is unlisted on most releases of the album (the original US cassette version being an exception), and marks the only time Collins used a hidden track on one of his own releases.

Four songs Collins wrote during the Face Value sessions were ultimately omitted: "Misunderstanding" and "Please Don't Ask" which appeared in the Genesis album Duke, "How Can You Just Sit There" (which evolved into his 1984 single "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"), and what would become "Don't Lose My Number", which would not appear until Collins' third album No Jacket Required in 1985. According to Collins "Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away" and "Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning" (from his 1982 follow-up Hello, I Must Be Going!) were written during the Face Value sessions.[22]

Packaging

Collins regarded Face Value as a highly personal project, which gave rise to the iconic cover art with Collins' face in extreme close-up, originally intended to symbolise the listener "getting into his head"; the reverse side of the sleeve shows the rear of his head, although the CD version of the album placed this image on the insert card instead. To emphasise the personal nature of the album, Collins also hand wrote all of the liner and sleeve notes, even down to the legal statements on the outer circumference of the centre label of the disc itself. Both of the main visual elements of Face Value — the facial close-up, and the handwritten notes — would become a motif of Collins' subsequent albums until 1996's Dance into the Light. When crediting the musicians in the liner notes, rather than write "Phil Collins", Collins simply wrote "Me", although in future albums he would write his initials "PC".[18]

Commercial performance

Face Value became an immediate success, reaching No. 1 in the UK, Canada, and other European countries, while peaking in the top ten in the US. "In the Air Tonight" became the album's biggest hit, reaching No. 2 in the UK, No. 1 in three other countries, and becoming a top twenty hit in the US. Other songs such as "I Missed Again" found modest success reaching No. 14 in the UK and No. 19 in the US, while the third single, "If Leaving Me Is Easy", reached No. 17 in the UK but was not released in America. Sales of the album reached five million in the US and went five-times platinum in the UK and ten-times platinum in Canada. No solo tour was produced from this album - Collins immediately resumed working with Genesis for the album Abacab upon the album's completion.

Critical reception

More information Review scores, Source ...

Robin Smith of Record Mirror highlighted the album's emotional restraint, commenting that it plays less like a statement of "raw emotion" and more like a "diary" of Collins' "disappointments, hopes and fantasies".[27] In Sounds, Hugh Fielder said that it effectively captured Collins' "multi-faceted" musicality with songs ranging "from funky beat to melancholic ballads with occasional pop and avant garde twinges."[30] Melody Maker's Allan Jones considered Face Value a compelling stylistic divergence from Collins' work in Genesis, writing that the album "delights in confounding the familiar parameters" of the band's music.[32] Rolling Stone critic Steve Pond was more reserved in his praise. He complimented Collins for forgoing Genesis' "high-blown conceits" for a simpler sound rooted in "basic pop and R&B", but found that "[his] broken heart is too clearly on his sleeve, and musical missteps abound".[28] Pond nonetheless deemed it "unmistakably the most worthy Genesis product" since Peter Gabriel's 1977 debut album.[28]

In 2000, Face Value was voted number 329 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[33] In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Tim Sendra described Face Value as "Collins' most honest, most compelling work", which "stands as his masterpiece and one of the finest moments of the '80s musical landscape."[2] Writing for Ultimate Classic Rock in 2013, Will Levith called it a "now-classic" album, highlighting in particular "In the Air Tonight", "which just about everybody has played air drums to one time or another", but added, "The project's most forgettable moment, however, is the closing track – an absolutely atrocious cover of 'Tomorrow Never Knows' [...] Why Collins thought it was necessary to lay such a giant turd on an otherwise awesome album is beyond us."[34]

Reviewing the album's 2016 reissue, Uncut's Sharon O'Connell said that Face Value established Collins as a "premier-league" pop and soft rock performer, "nursing only a slight prog hangover",[31] and Mojo's Paul Elliott wrote that it remained Collins' best solo record, noting its deeply personal core themes.[24] Dorset Echo writer Joanna Davis said, "Most of the tracks stand the test of time, but some, like 'If Leaving Me is Easy', belong in the forgotten land of 80s ballads preceded by a saxophone introduction."[35] Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian characterised the album in 2016 as "an intriguing debut, wandering between art-rock and soulful MOR... Face Value's most potent quality was its emotional transparency. Like the pensive portrait on the cover, the songs addressed the listener with unflinching directness."[4]

Track listing

Original release

More information No., Title ...

All tracks are written by Phil Collins, except where noted

More information No., Title ...

Notes

  • Several original vinyl copies have "Play Loud" etched into the album's inner groove where the matrix number is typically found. This may be because the record's baked-in volume is relatively low compared to others'.
  • The album was re-released using a flat transfer done by Steve Hoffman for the Audio Fidelity label in 2010.[36]
  • A 2-disc remastered version of Face Value was released on 29 January 2016 and contains live songs and demos.[37]

Deluxe Edition (2016)

More information No., Title ...

Demos

Some songs were written around this time but have not been fully recorded and included on the record:

  • "Please Don't Break My Heart" [demo released in mp3 through website in 2011; parts of the demo evolved into I'm Not Moving]
  • "How Can You Sit There? (Against All Odds)" [released on 'Face Value' Reissue Bonus CD in 2016]
  • "Misunderstanding" [released on Face Value Reissue Bonus CD in 2016 - Ended up on Genesis' Duke record]
  • "Please Don't Ask" [released on Face Value Reissue Bonus CD in 2016 - Ended up on Genesis' Duke record]

Personnel

Production

  • Phil Collins – producer
  • Hugh Padgham – assistant producer. engineer
  • Nick Launay – assistant engineer (London)
  • Karen Siegel – assistant engineer (Los Angeles)
  • Trevor Key – photography

Charts

More information Chart (1981), Peak position ...
More information Chart (2016), Peak position ...

Certifications and sales

‹See Tfd›‹See Tfd›

More information Region, Certification ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Tracking sheets featured in inner gatefold of Face Value vinyl LP edition
  2. [2]
    Sendra, Tim. "Face Value – Phil Collins". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  3. [3]
    Galluccci, Michael (9 February 2016). "35 Years Ago: Phil Collins Releases His First Solo Album, 'Face Value,' About His Crumbling Marriage". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  4. [4]
    Lynskey, Dorian (11 February 2016). "Phil Collins returns: 'I got letters from nurses saying, "That's it, I'm not buying your records"'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  5. [5]
    Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "1985: What the Fuck is Going On?". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 594. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  6. [6]
    "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for Phil Collins (page 3)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  7. [7]
    "Phil Collins singles".
  8. [8]
    "Phil Collins singles".
  9. [9]
    "Phil Collins singles".
  10. [10]
    "British album certifications - Phil Collins - Face Value". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  11. [11]
    "American album certifications - Phil Collins - Face Value". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  12. [12]
    Reed, Ryan (2 September 2015). "Phil Collins Details 'Face Value,' 'Both Sides' Reissues". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  13. [13]
    Fielder, Hugh (27 October 1979). "The return of... Getting it together in the Country". Sounds. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  14. [14]
    Bowler & Dray 1992, p. 151.
  15. [15]
    Bowler & Dray 1992, p. 154.
  16. [16]
    Taylor, Steve (10 November 1979). "Hard working for a living". Melody Maker. p. 27. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  17. [17]
    Alexander, Susan. "Phil Collins On the Move". Modern Drummer. March 1979.
  18. [18]
    Fielder, Hugh (7 February 1981). "Phil Collins: "Why I had to leave the nest"". pp. 22–23. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  19. [19]
    Barber, Lynden (7 February 1981). "Facing up to new values". Melody Maker. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  20. [20]
    Coleman 1997, p. 24.
  21. [21]
    Mills, Gary (26 May 2010). "No Flak Jacket Required: In Defence Of Phil Collins". The Quietus. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  22. [22]
    Considine, J.D. (June 1985). "The Second Coming of Phil Collins". Musician.(subscription required)
  23. [23]
    Larkin, Colin (2011). "Collins, Phil". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  24. [24]
    Elliott, Paul (December 2015). "Phil Collins: Face Value". Mojo. No. 265. p. 100.
  25. [25]
    Sawdey, Evan (12 May 2016). "Phil Collins: 2016 Rhino Reissues (Part One)". PopMatters. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  26. [26]
    Blake, Mark (December 2015). "Phil Collins: Face Value / Both Sides". Q. No. 353. p. 118.
  27. [27]
    Smith, Robin (7 February 1981). "Phil Puts on a Brave Face". Record Mirror. p. 19.
  28. [28]
    Pond, Steve (20 August 1981). "Face Value". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  29. [29]
    Considine, J. D. (2004). "Phil Collins". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 181–82. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  30. [30]
    Fielder, Hugh (7 February 1981). "EWF meet Brand X via Genesis (and it works)". Sounds.
  31. [31]
    O'Connell, Sharon (December 2015). "Phil Collins: Face Value / Both Sides". Uncut. No. 223. p. 91.
  32. [32]
    Jones, Allan (7 February 1981). "Face the music". Melody Maker. p. 14.
  33. [33]
    Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 133. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  34. [34]
    Levith, Will (17 August 2013). "Phil Collins, 'Tomorrow Never Knows': Terrible Classic Rock Covers". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  35. [35]
    Davis, Joanna (22 January 2016). "Album Review – Phil Collins, Face Value (Re-Issue)". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  36. [36]
    "SteveHoffman.TV – Home of Audiophile Mastering Engineer Steve Hoffman".
  37. [37]
    Reed, Ryan (2 September 2015). "Phil Collins Details 'Face Value,' 'Both Sides' Reissues". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  38. [38]
    Sinclair, Paul (2 September 2015). "Phil Collins / Face Value and Both Sides deluxe reissue details". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  39. [39]
    Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  40. [40]
    "Austriancharts.at – Phil Collins – Face Value" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  41. [41]
    "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0325". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  42. [42]
    "Dutchcharts.nl – Phil Collins – Face Value" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  43. [43]
    Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  44. [44]
    "Offiziellecharts.de – Phil Collins – Face Value" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  45. [45]
    "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 31 May 2023. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Phil Collins".
  46. [46]
    "Charts.nz – Phil Collins – Face Value". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  47. [47]
    "Norwegiancharts.com – Phil Collins – Face Value". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  48. [48]
    "Swedishcharts.com – Phil Collins – Face Value". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  49. [49]
    "Phil Collins | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  50. [50]
    "Phil Collins Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  51. [51]
    "Ultratop.be – Phil Collins – Face Value" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  52. [52]
    "Ultratop.be – Phil Collins – Face Value" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  53. [53]
    "Lescharts.com – Phil Collins – Face Value". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  54. [54]
    "Italiancharts.com – Phil Collins – Face Value". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  55. [55]
    "Spanishcharts.com – Phil Collins – Face Value". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  56. [56]
    "Swisscharts.com – Phil Collins – Face Value". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  57. [57]
    "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  58. [58]
    "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  59. [59]
    "Austrian album certifications – Phil Collins – Face Value" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  60. [60]
    "Phil Collins' entire solo repertoire has gone platinum in Belgium" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 21. 26 May 1990. p. 15. Retrieved 29 March 2020 – via American Radio History.
  61. [61]
    "Canadian album certifications – Phil Collins – Face Value". Music Canada. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  62. [62]
    "French album certifications – Phil Collins – Face Value" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 5 November 2012. Select PHIL COLLINS and click OK. 
  63. [63]
    "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Phil Collins; 'Face Value')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  64. [64]
    "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1990". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  65. [65]
    "Dutch album certifications – Phil Collins – Face Value" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 12 June 2020. Enter Face Value in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2004 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  66. [66]
    "New Zealand album certifications – Phil Collins – Face Value". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  67. [67]
    Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 951. ISBN 8480486392.
  68. [68]
    "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Face Value')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  69. [69]
    "British album certifications – Phil Collins – Face Value". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  70. [70]
    Jones, Alan (5 February 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Bowie scores consecutive No.1 albums". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  71. [71]
    "American album certifications – Phil Collins – Face Value". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  72. [72]
    Legge (8 January 2000). "Treat yourself to the classics". Billboard. p. 97. Retrieved 13 January 2022 – via Google Books.

Bibliography
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Face_Value_(album), and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.