Peter Gabriel or Phil Collins, who was the better lead for Genesis and had the best solo career?
Jan 29, 2010 at 2:20 AM Post #16 of 42
Yeah, there is no denying that Collins is a great drummer.
Collins' boringness seems to stem from the fact that all his songs sound the same. Sure, I like some songs he's composed for Disney, but if you listen to them; I mean really listen. You'll find that they sound pretty much the same, and the lyrics are nothing really spectacular.

John2e: If you ever have the time, you should pick a few of the earlier Genesis albums up, they are really good IMO.
 
Jan 29, 2010 at 3:09 AM Post #21 of 42
Gabriel was the more creative genious behind so much of Genesis epic masterpieces like Lamb Lies Down...., Supper's Ready, Cinema Show, Dance on a Volcano, etc etc. With the lone exception of "And Then There Were Three", I much prefer Genesis with Gabriel contributing.

Having said that, Phil Collins is a better pop star and better entertainer in the live setting. He's more versatile in his music appeal having enormous success in pop, adult contemp and soundtracks. He's certainly had a far more successful solo career and appeals to far more people.

Both equally great singers.

But I'd still rather listen to Gabriel solo stuff than Collins solo stuff.
 
Jan 29, 2010 at 3:18 AM Post #22 of 42
Gabriel had the better solo career for sure, but Genesis was better once Phil Collins started singing. The first album without Gabriel was Trick Of The Tail and it was one of their best albums ever. In fact, they followed it up the same year with Wind & Wuthering which was also a masterpiece.

P.S. Spyro, Dance On A Volcano was from Trick Of The Tail. Gabriel had no part of that.
 
Jan 29, 2010 at 3:35 AM Post #23 of 42
Just saw this as I started listening to Phil Collins "Face Value" album. I haven't listened to it in over 20 years. I remember as being pretty good at the time and more of a classic rock kind of sound but I'll see as the album progresses.

With that said, I chose Peter Gabriel for both Genesis and his solo work. Much more creative and experimental. Gabriel had some pretty poppy stuff in the 80's too, like "Big Time" and "Sledgehammer", but most of the other stuff on the "So" album was great.

p.s: As am progressing through "Face Value", it's sadly is getting pretty poppy. So in the end, I think of Phil Collins as more of a guilty pleasure. I know it's bad but still like to listen from time to time.
 
Jan 29, 2010 at 7:34 AM Post #24 of 42
Well Genesis did reach their peak of both sales and popularity (which go hand-in-hand I suppose) when Collins hit the stage.

And it is true if you listen to some of Gabriel's stuff from the 80's it all kind of sound the same, but I take it over Collins.

For me Gabriel's lyrics really come forth as the thing that makes him stick out, and it's something I cannot describe.

And as much as I talk down Collins, his music is a guilty pleasure on occasions, rarely, but there are times when I'm home alone.
 
Jan 29, 2010 at 9:15 AM Post #25 of 42
This wasn't a difficult decision for me - Gabriel by some way - but I do think that there have been some unfair things wirtten about Collins here.

Firstly, Genesis was not an out-and-out pop band during the Collins era ... yes, they had plenty of pop hits, but there is also some nice prog stuff like "Home By The Sea" and "Driving The Last Spike". (Maybe more Tony Banks than Phil Collins, but worth bearing in mind.) Equally, there's some great stuff in Collins's solo catalogue (let's not forget "Coming In The Air Tonight", which is a classic single) and there's a fair amount of range on his albums.

Equally, Gabriel's solo work has not all been groundbreaking ... he certainly seemed to lose his way a bit towards the end of the eighties, which is why Up was such a welcome return to form.

The thing is: Collins did nothing really "important" whereas Gabriel continued to push the envelope musically, especially with 3 & 4.
 
Jan 29, 2010 at 11:55 AM Post #26 of 42
Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Gabriel had the better solo career for sure, but Genesis was better once Phil Collins started singing. The first album without Gabriel was Trick Of The Tail and it was one of their best albums ever. In fact, they followed it up the same year with Wind & Wuthering which was also a masterpiece.

P.S. Spyro, Dance On A Volcano was from Trick Of The Tail. Gabriel had no part of that.


You are right, I stand corrected. My favorite Genesis release is the "live" Seconds Out from 1977 which is pretty much Phil singing Peter's songs.

Can we find a list of who authored most of those songs in the 70's? I think it actually may have been more of a collaborative band effort than "Peter or Phil". In any event, I stopped listening to Genesis into the 80's when Phil took them more pop'ish and more radio friendly. I much prefer the old stuff.
 
Jan 29, 2010 at 12:46 PM Post #27 of 42
Just taking ballads by Collins and Gabriel during their solo careers. Collins ballads are middle of the road, syrupy and radio friendly. Gabriels are racked with emotion, often pain and really dig deep into the soul. I think that sums up the main difference between the two.
 
Jan 29, 2010 at 4:12 PM Post #30 of 42
As much as I love Gabriel-era Genesis, I enjoy the Collins era just as much if not more, since that's how I was introduced to Genesis in the first place. I haven't checked out much of Gabriel's solo career, but Phil Collins started off his solo career fairly strong; by the early 1990s, though, things went downhill.
 
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