Phil Collins - Both Sides
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Phil CollinsEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1993-11-09
Music Label: Atlantic / Wea
Product features:
- 1993 Atlantic Recording Corporation
- Both Sides of the Story
- Can't Turn Back the Years
- Everyday
- I've Forgotten Everything
- We're Sons of Our Fathers
- Can't Find My Way
- Survivors
- We Fly So Close
- There's a Place for Us
- We Wait and We Wonder
- Please Come Out Tonight
Free Music Notes for Both Sides
Free Music Review: a very serious (with a capital 'S') album, and powerfully so
Hit: 5 Stars
With his 1993 album "Both Sides", Phil Collins made an even more deeply serious (with a capital 'S') album than he had with his 1989 predecessor "...But Seriously". Certainly serious songs were nothing new for Phil--after all, this is the man who wrote songs such as "Man On The Corner", "Take Me Home", "Another Day In Paradise", and so many others. Still, Phil really did turn a musical corner with "Both Sides"--that said, it perhaps figures then that this album marks the beginning of his considerable commercial decline in the US after having been absolutely huge from the mid-'80s to the early '90s. The thing is though, contrary to what certain people will try to lead you to believe, Phil was never a musical puppet, i.e., someone who just churns out mindless product in an attempt to cash in--through all of his massive commercial success, he's remained an ultra-sincere songwriter and performer. I was 12 years old when "Both Sides" came out in November of 1993, and I remember being extremely intrigued at the time to learn that Phil had played all of the instruments on "Both Sides". Don't get me wrong--Phil did indeed do an excellent job of doing the 'one-man-band' thing on here. The fact that he was able to make such a great album like this, writing everything himself, producing all by himself, doing all the vocals and playing all the instruments--i.e. a true SOLO album--is a major testament to Phil's incredible talent. However, I now realize that it wasn't really that much of a stretch--yes, Phil had gotten assistance on all of his previous solo albums from incredibly talented players, but he had basically always used his home demos as his basic masters, something he points out in the liner notes to "Both Sides". Here, he simply went the next step, doing all the bass parts himself & so forth. However, Phil playing all the instruments does have a major significance in a number of respects. One thing is that it results in an album with none of the signature horns that appear on all of his previous albums. Instead, Phil relied a lot on atmospheric keyboards, among other things, to fill out the sound, & he really pulled it off. Add to this that there isn't a single feel-good song on the entire album like a "Sussudio" or a "Find A Way To My Heart", this album ends up being a big change of pace for Phil.
And like I said before, it works--track upon track is incredibly effective. "Can't Turn Back The Years", the ultra-slow "I've Forgotten Everything", & the minor-keyed "Can't Find My Way" with its circular rhythm are all haunting gems. The sighing "Everyday" is a deeply moving love song with a gorgeous intro consisting of piano & light use of synth. The arrestingly dramatic "We Fly So Close" sounds like it was inspired by the Dream Academy's "The Power To Believe" which itself was clearly influenced by Phil's "In The Air Tonight", and it has what is seemingly an incredible simulation of acoustic guitar on a synthesizer that sounds like something Steve Hackett might play. Phil gives a nod to his affection for jazz/ traditional pop on the wonderfully romantic and bittersweet "There's A Place For Us". "Both Sides of the Story", a rousing cry for compassion and understanding, gets the album off to a great start, and "We Wait and We Wonder" is a catchy, uptempo track about terrorism--both of these tracks find Phil interestingly and effectively incorporating bagpipe sounds. The album's other uptempo track is the infectiously uplifting "Survivors" (with a heart-melting middle-eight). Bringing the album to a fitting finale is the wishful ballad "Please Come Out Tonight".
It seems that "Both Sides" is not the album a lot of people wanted from Phil--indeed, if all you want is another "Sussudio" or "Don't Lose My Number", forget it. However, I say more power to Phil--this is the album he wanted to make, and in characteristic Collins style, the music is honest and affecting. If you're a serious fan/ listener, "Both Sides" is a treasure.
"Both Sides" was originally released in November of 1993, and with it having been such a relative commercial disappointment, you can get this DIRT cheap on CD--if you see one in solid condition for $3, it's an absolute STEAL. (P.S. Also keep an eye out for the "We Wait and We Wonder" CD single which contains two great non-LP songs: "For A Friend" and "Take Me With You".)
Both Sides Poster
1. Both Sides Of The Story (LP Version) 6:38 2. Can't Turn Back The Years (LP Version) 4:40 3. Everyday (LP Version) 5:43 4. I've Forgotten Everything (LP Version) 5:14 5. We're Sons Of Our Fathers (LP Version) 6:24 6. Can't Find My Way (LP Version) 5:09 7. Survivors (LP Version) 6:05 8. We Fly So Close (LP Version) 7:33 9. There's A Place For Us (LP Version) 6:52 10. We Wait And We Wonder (LP Version) 7:01 11. Please Come Out Tonight (LP Version) 5:46Pop Music CDs
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