"Something Happened On The way To Acapulco" - The Phil Collins Story, Part Three: But Seriously. Narrated by Alan Hewitt, with thanks to P. Gozzard, J. Mitchell and A. Callingham.

After the release of Phil's highly successful third solo album, "No Jacket Required" and the massive tour undertaken to promote it (see TWR #34), the hyperactive Mr. Collins returned to the Genesis fold for the writing and recording of what was to become the band's most successful album to-date, "Invisible Touch" which, upon its release in June 1986, broke every rule in the Genesis rule book, presenting the band with no less than five hit singles (four in the UK and five in the US), and a gargantuan tour encompassing 112 shows, a tour which lasted ten months by which time the band had been seen by an estimated two million fans!

One would think that after all that, Phil would be in need of a lengthy spell in a sanatorium to recover, but no! By the summer of 1988, he was back in the spotlight once more with the release of the re-mixed version of his first solo hit, "In The Air Tonight", which was issued on June 6.

The single was merely the preamble to the furore which was to break loose with Phil's first proper attempt at a life in movies. Having already tried his hand with a cameo role in the hit TV series Miami Vice in 1986, Phil was back as another villain, portraying the Great Train Robber "Buster" Edwards in the film of his part in the robbery and subsequent events in his life.

The film fell foul of the media circus which said that the film was glorifying crime, a charge that can be easily refuted if you actually watch the film. The fuss was so strong that it even forced the Prince and Princess of Wales to change to another film for the 1989 Royal Gala Premiere! That aside, however, the film itself was extremely enjoyable, and Phil's own performance in it, while not exactly Oscar winning material, was more than competent. Despite the hype which attended the film, the soundtrack proved to be equally surprising, it spawned not one but two hit singles. The first being the marvellous cover of "A Groovy Kind Of Love" which featured a typically entertaining video. The single became Phil's second number one in the UK charts, and it attained a similar position in other territories too. So, even if the critics found fault with Phil's acting or his choice of film roles, the public certainly took him and this song to their hearts (and record collections). The success of the single was almost repeated by the second single to be issued from the soundtrack, "Two Hearts" which was issued in November 1988 and accompanied by a hilarious video of Phil and "The Four Pound Notes" introduced in a riotous send-up of Top Of The Pops by veteran DJ Tony Blackburn no less! The single peaked at the number six position in the UK, and helped keep Phil's profile high well into1989 while he was occupied at work on his fourth solo album...

Phil and the band on stage in Zurich, 1990 Picture courtesy of G. Truffer/TWR

Never one to keep the fans waiting too long, Phil's new album was completed and ready for release in November 1989. The album was prefaced by the first single to be taken from it, "Another Day In Paradise", which was released on October 23, 1989. Once again, Phil managed to take both his fans and the critics by surprise. "Another Day..." was a social conscience song which quite graphically illustrated the problems of the homeless, both in the UK and elsewhere. The video which accompanied the song was even used by the US Senate Commission On The Homeless and also by many charities working on behalf of the homeless to bring home the point. The video, an atmospheric pieces, shot in black and white also served notice that Phil was not writing polite "fluffy" pop songs with no real meaning but was instead, a song writer of worth with something to say which was worth hearing even if the message itself was a little unpalatable!

The album, titled "But Seriously", was released in November 1989 and once again, charted at the number one slot in the UK and elsewhere around the world. It was also the first album by Phil to have the compact disc and vinyl issues given different running orders. The CD version also contained two tracks omitted from its vinyl counterpart, although both of these, "Saturday Night And Sunday Morning" and "Heat On The Street" were easily available to collectors on subsequent singles as the B-sides. The album remained high on the charts for almost six months and was (and still is for that matter!) Phil's most successful album to date. A further four singles were released from the album, staring with "I Wish It Would Rain Down" and the subsequent issue of "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven", "That's Just The Way It Is" and "Hang In Long Enough". None of these emulated the success of the debut single, however they were to prove a fertile hunting ground for Collins completists including as they did, several demos of tracks and a myriad of non album tracks, several of which should have been included on the album in the opinion of many fans (myself included!). All of this served as yet another indicator that Phil's time away from Genesis had been time very creatively spent. All that remained now was for Phil to embark on the traditional tour in support of the album. This he eventually did, beginning with a two day rehearsal at the Seto-Shi Bunka Centre in Nagoya, Japan before the tour proper, which kicked off at the Rainbow Hall also in Nagoya, on February 26 1990. Basing the new stage show around the idea of a fairground carousel, the stage was completely masked and it was amazing to see it open up like a fan to reveal Phil and the band who launched into the longest set Phil had ever played, with each show lasting on average, a little under three hours. With four albums to draw upon, Phil was able to produce his most entertaining show to date, and a typical set on the first leg ran as follows...

Phil on stage in Zurich, 1990 Picture courtesy of G. Truffer/TWR

Hand in Hand / Hang In Long Enough / Behind The Lines / Against All Odds / Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore? / All Of My Life / Don't Lose My Number / Do You Remember? / Something Happened On The Way To Heaven / Another Day In Paradise / Separate Lives / I Wish It Would Rain Down / Saturday Night Sunday Morning / The West Side / That's Just The Way It Is / Heat On The Street / One More Night / Colours / In The Air Tonight / You Can't Hurry Love / Two Hearts / Find A Way To My Heart / Sussudio / A Groovy Kind of Love / Easy Lover / Always / Take Me Home

There were some set changes as the tour progressed, however, mainly due to the increasing strain the show was placing on Phil's voice, which led to several of the stronger songs being omitted from the show including "Behind The Lines" and "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven". These were replaced by other numbers including "Inside Out", and, on a handful of occasions, the wonderful new version of "The Roof Is Leaking" which found its way on to the live EP released in late 1990. The tour was a huge success, with Phil drawing accolades wherever he went, and the album went several shades of precious metal into the bargain!

Accompanying the album, Phil also released two videos, the first titled "Phil Collins - The Singles Collection" was yet another worthwhile addition to the growing number of Phil's video releases, including as it did, several promotional videos which had not been seen on previous compilations. This was followed in 1991, by the obligatory live video which had been filmed at Phil's open air shows in Berlin during the summer of 1990 and was a marvellous gesture to his fans, containing the entire unabridged show. Phil's profile during the preceding eighteen months or so had reached almost fever pitch and during this time he s was seen on just about every chat show and music show that you could think of (and several you couldn't think of!!) and the listing given here gives you an idea of just how prolific Phil was during this period.

Phil Collins UK Videography 1988- 92

• "Buster" (Film) 1988
• Prince's Trust Rock Gala 23.6.88
• "Wired" C4 TV ?.6.88
• "Parkinson One On One" BBC TV 16.7.88
• A Groovy Kind Of Love (TOTP BBC) 8.9.88
• "Aspel &, Company" ITV 10.9.88
• A groovy Kind Of Love (TOTP BBC) 15.9.88
• "The Last Resort" ITV 16.9.88
• "The Late, Late Show" (RTE) 17.10.88
• "This Is Your Life" ITV 26.10.88
• A Groovy Kind Of Love (TOTP BBC) 25.12.88
• "Comic Relief" BBC1989
• "Night Network" ITV 1989
• "Donahue" ITV 1989
• "In Profile" ITV 1989
• "Music Box" (UK Cable TV) 1989
• Another Day In Paradise (TOTP BBC) 26.10.89
• "Jonathan Ross Show" ITV ?.10.89
• "Rapido" C4 TV ?.10.89
• "Going Live" BBCTV ?.10.89
• "Off The Wall" (UK Cable TV) 30.10.89
• I Wish It Would Rain Down (TOTP BBC TV 26.1.90 &, 8.2.90)
• "Wogan" BBCTV ?.2.90
• B P I Awards Ceremony ITV 20.2.90
• The Singles Collection (Official Video) 1990
• TVAM interview ?.4.90
• "Rock Steady" C4 TV 16.4.90
• MTV ASCAP Awards 3.10.90
• "What's That Noise?" BBC 16.10.90
• MTV Music Awards 27.10.90
• "Seriously Live In Berlin" (Official Video) 1991
• "Buster" (video edition)
• "But Seriously - The Videos" (Official Video) 1992

The last items to appear during this high profile period were the live album and a somewhat belated video compilation - almost a video album, titled "But Seriously - The Videos" which was released in 1992 and included video and live footage to accompany every track on the album as well as a couple of the album's B sides which makes it another useful addition to the collections of Phil's fans.

By the time the video appeared, Phil was firmly ensconced in the tour to promote the most recent Genesis album which, as well all now know, was to prove to be a pivotal affair in both the band's career and Phil's and it was to be a further year before any more was heard of Phil Collins: Solo Artist, but more of that next time...