Going Back (20120)


 

  1. Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)
  2. (Love is Like A) Heatwave
  3. Uptight (Everything's Alright)
  4. Some of Your Lovin'
  5. In My Lonely Room
  6. Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me for a Little While)
  7. Blame it on the Sun
  8. Papa Was a Rolling Stone
  9. Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer
  10.Standing in the Shadows of Love
  11.Do I Love You
  12.Jimmy Mack
  13.Something About You
  14.Love is Here and Now You're Gone
  15.Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever
  16.Going to a Go-Go
  17.Talkin' About My Baby
  18. Going Back
  
  -Bonus Edition Tracks-
  - Ain't Too Proud to Beg
  - You've Been Cheatin'
  - Don't Look Back
  - You Really Got a Hold on Me
  - Ain't That Peculiar
  - Nowhere to Run
  - Dancing in the Street

 

Sadly, for Phil Collins, age would prove to not be very kind. As the years went on, Phil found himself with hearing problems, hand problems and back problems - all probably due to the many years of being dedicated to his craft. Just how serious were his ailments? Well, word is that during some of the sessions for this record, he actually had to tape the drum sticks to his hands. Very sad. He seemed to be a bit emotional on the down slide as well, which was such a change from his chirpy personality from the very successful 1980s. All of these reasons might be a prime reason why he chose a project such as this one for a full length CD release.

It was no secret to anyone that knew Phil Collins that he had a weakness for the motown tunes of the 1960s. This may seem a bit of a stretch since he made a career for himself a decade later as the drummer for the prog group Genesis, yet he would incorporate many Motown elements into his latter day material. Many of his fans were disappointed - it had been almost a decade since he had a full length album, yet the reasons mentioned above were probably a critical factor. He probably could only handle something that was significantly lighter weight.

The good news is he delivers in a way exactly as you would expect him to on these tracks. He's really not trying to reinterpret any of these songs, he simply replicates them to where many sound as carbon copies of the originals. For many fans, there's a lot of familiarity here, yet unless you're a Motown nerd, a lot of what is here may be new to the listener. This is actually very advantageous. As I listen to the familiar songs, I can't help but somehow be bored. Yes, they all sound well, but I really don't care that much for newer artists playing older material that sounds identical to the original releases. Therefore, the real treat is the songs that you may not have ever heard, since, although they're equally strong, they sound like something genuinely new. Songs such as Something About You and Uptight (Everything's Alright) probably do sound just like the originals, but I can appreciate them much more since my music memory base isn't saturated with these tunes from so many years of repeated listens.

Hopefully everyone can find some freshness here. There's quite a lot of music here, probably much more than what is necessary. 18 songs is a lot, and the bonus edition has 24! Sorry, but this is just way too much Motown. I'm not really sure what is criteria was for determining which of the songs would be "bonus", since there's an overall generic feel to the tracks, even though they are diverse enough to the spirit of the particular genre of music. Ultimately, though, the songs are wonderfully recorded, and soulfully done by Mr. Collins. Therefore, on that criteria, you can easily label this as "success", even if it is a tad too long.

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