Phil Collins has had his fair share of experience in the industry, from being a drummer in the band Genesis, to the artful dodger in the West End musical Oliver!, and even a voiceover artist for Disney. If his eclectic career is anything to go by, you can be sure his music taste, which he revealed to Apple Music while promoting his record Going Back, is just as varied.
From Motown to rock and even musical theatre, there are some surprises on the 80s icon’s list. Collins’ first choice goes back to when he’d visit London’s Marquee Club “three or four times a week” to see his favourite Motown band, The Actions. Their single ‘I’ll keeping holding on’ stood the test of time, making it to his list all these years later. As a rock musician himself, Led Zeppelin may seem a more obvious choice.
He paid tribute to John Bonham in particular: “Now, when I was growing up – obviously, growing up as a drummer – there were quite a few drummers that caught my fancy over the years.
“Ringo to Charlie Watts to Ginger Baker to Keith Moon. But one of the finest, I think, drummers I’ve ever heard, and the first drummer I ever gave a standing ovation to was John Bonham.”
He made the bold claim that the “groove, sound and attitude” made it probably “one of the best drum recordings ever made in pop music”.
Perhaps as a nod to his artful dodger days, this track strays far from his rock background, coming from the musical Wicked. It’s not the iconic ‘defying gravity’ that made his list, instead the track ‘I’m not that girl,’ which he deemed “staggering”.
There is an ongoing theme for Motown throughout, with The Miracles’ ‘going to a go-go’ making the cut, as well as ‘Papa was a rolling stone’ by The Temptations, referencing Collins’ covers album Going Back.
Collins also said Bonnie Raitt’s song ‘I can’t make you love me’ is “one of the best love songs I’ve ever heard.”