As a lifelong Phil Collins and Genesis fan, when it comes to reviewing an album that is coming up to its 40th anniversary there is a lot of emotional bias which I recognise and realise that I must approach this from a less prejudiced direction so that it is fair and objective. My loyalty to Phil makes this difficult but not impossible.
With the album title deriving from him sulking about not being allowed into a restaurant without the correct attire it certainly had the media asking him to tell them the full story, ad nauseum. Additionally there is the cover showing his face in an orange light he looks like an Oompa Lumpa’s death mask, not the best image but it was his third album and it continued the facial portrait theme of the earlier two albums with the sound being a deliberate attempt to move away from previous output which were influenced by his divorce. Instead he moved to a more up-tempo pop feel, while still finding the need to cover break ups and lost love.
At the time I remember buying all the ‘product’, picture discs, singles and, the LP (and later on the CD). I also still have the concert t-shirt, if a little ‘snug’ on me now and the tour jacket that is frayed but still looks pretty good. I was a teenage fan so that is my excuse and I am sticking to it.
But forget all the nostalgia and risks of hyperbole, what of the album itself and how have the songs faired after a much delayed visit? I had not played No Jacket Required for a long time so it was an interesting journey of rediscovery for me.
By his own admission Sussudio was inspired by Prince’s 1999 but it was a gibberish song then and it still is. Perhaps, up to that point in his career his weakest single release, and yes I do include Thru These Walls in that summary. But it did pretty well in the charts so it proves that Phil’s choices are better than mine.
Only You Know And I Know has crashing drums that certainly tick the up-tempo box but now seems fatigued and he has done far superior drum accompaniments. But, as a throwaway song, it is enjoyable. Number three on the list is the joint favourite song on the album, Long Long Way To Go. A powerful ballad with social undertones. Assisted by Sting on backing vocals this is one track that I will be happy to play again, late at night while I relax in the evening’s gloaming.
I Don’t Wanna Know, an infectious pop song with the theme of ‘I trusted that woman but now she can get lost!’, is still enjoyable and, thanks to Daryl Stuermer’s stunning guitar playing, when I played it I couldn’t help but do a little seated jig. Then there is another single, One More Night. A gentle romantic ballad where he is either asking for a second chance or another night of passion, for old time’s sake. I was never sure which it should be. I know which I would like it to be, but I am not the greatest of romantics, so please feel free to interpret it as you see fit.
Don’t Lose My Number is a great song that paints a wonderful picture about ‘Billy’, rather than Rikki, being on the run. It travels along at a good pace with a video that starts off with the usual slow 1980’s dialogue intro but once the music starts the movie and contemporary social parodies, including Westerns, Every Breath You Take, Mad Max, Fame, I’m Still Standing, and Samurai films might not have anything to do with the song and could be accused of being woefully self-indulgent but it is still worth a view on YouTube.
Seventh in line is Who Said I Would. Another dance song that fits in well with the whole concept of the album but it has not aged well and is more like the feet of Ozymandias stuck in some remote desert, rather than any towering monument to Phil’s legacy.
Doesn’t Anybody Stay Together Anymore is, along with Long long Way To Go, my joint favourite song. Although it has the same musical feel to the rest of the album, there are layers and a texture to it that make me stay loyal. I am sure the title says all you need to know about the theme and I suppose my having, at the time, recently gone through a break up with a teenage crush helps to bring back memories of the event and make me think ‘Darren, you were one heck of a schmuck, then!’ Some things never change.
As you would expect with a Phil Collins album the drumming on Inside Out is front and centre and the song is still enjoyable. His Motown love affair is evident and, in an earlier time, could easily have been a Holland-Dozier-Holland song. Lush saxophone playing helps and would be ideal for an end of disco smooch. Take Me Home was another single with yet another over top video that must have had a budget to match. A nice enough song but, I remember even at the time that it came across as a filler rather than killer. The LP’s final track and an lazy way for it to come to an end.
Finally, on the CD release, at least, there is We Said Hello, Goodbye (Don’t Look Back). I always thought that this was an outtake from his previous album, Hello, I Must Be Going, and for all I know it could be. An echoing piano and filtered vocals is reminiscent of John Lennon’s Imagine with lyrics, and overall feel, that could have been made for the Wind And Wuthering era Genesis. A good song which I had totally forgotten about until I started this review.
So, after all the minutia detail and nit picking what do I now feel about the album? I am sad to say that it was an album of its time, an bygone era when big hair for both men and women was popular, Miami Vice shoes without socks were an actual thing and Phil Collins was everywhere. But in retrospect it might have been better than a couple of his later albums but it still hasn’t aged well. If I was feeling nostalgic and wanted to listen to some solo Phil I would still opt for Face Value or even his Hello, I have a bus to catch album.
TRACK LISTING
01. Sussudio (4:23)
02. Only You Know And I Know (4:20)
03. Long Long Way To Go (4:20)
04. I Don’t Wanna Know (4:12)
05. One More Night (4:47)
06. Don’t Lose My Number (4:46)
07. Who Said I Would (4:01)
08. Doesn’t Anybody Stay Together Anymore (4:18)
09. Inside Out (5:14)
10. Take Me Home (5:51)
~ Bonus Track (CD Version)
11. We Said Hello, Goodbye (Don’t Look Back) (4:15)
Total Length – 50:27
MUSICIANS
Phil Collins – Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Bass, Drums & Percussion
David Frank – Keyboards Keyboards, Minimoog Bass (1 & 7), Oberheim DMX (1), Additional Keyboards (6)
Nick Glennie-Smith – Keyboards (11)
Daryl Stuermer – Guitars (1-10), Keyboards (4)
Leland Sklar – Bass (3–6, 8–11), Piccolo Bass (3 & 10)
The Phenix Horns (1,2 & 7)
– Don Myrick – Saxophones, Sax Solo (5 & 9)
– Louis Satterfield – Trombone
– Michael Harris – Trumpet
– Rahmlee Michael Davis – Trumpet
Gary Barnacle – Sax Solo (4 & 7)
Sting – Backing Vocals (3 & 10)
Peter Gabriel – Backing Vocals (10)
Helen Terry – Backing Vocals (10)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Virgin
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 18th February 1985
LINKS
Phil Collins – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram
