Hits - Collins, Phil (CD 1998)

To some Phil Collins is known as one of the most successful pop artist of the 1980s. I ve been a fan of Phil Collins for a very long time; perhaps that s why I enjoy listening to his 1998 CD titled, PHIL COLLINS HITS .

Despite my teenagers booing my nostalgic taste for the good old days when Don Johnson was the epitome of kool and Phil Collins was the pop icon of the airwaves. The 16 songs on this CD continue to give me 1 hour and 12 minutes of continuous back-to-back tunes that have stood the test of time.

Phil Collins Hits - 1998 Tracks is packed with songs including:
1. Another Day In Paradise (6:20) 2. True Colors (5:03) 3. Easy Lovers (5:03) 4. You Can't Hurry Love (2:53) 5. Two Hearts (3:25) 6. I Wish I would Rain Down (5:28) 7. Against All Odds (3:23) 8. Something Happened On The Way To Heaven (4:52) 9. Separate Lives (4:06) 10. Both Sides Of The Story (6:39) 11. One More Night (5:13) 12. Sussudio (4:23) 13. Dance Into The Light (4:24) 14. A Groovy Kind Of Love (3:28) 15. In The Air Tonight (5:32) 16. Take Me Home (5:51).

My favorite song on the CD is Easy Lover perhaps I m revealing my age but I did some pretty mean dance steps during the mid 80 s when this song rocked the charts. The song Easy Lover originally off of his 1984 Chinese Wall album features Phil singing with his bud Phil Bailey.

The song Easy Lover is about a man who falls in love with a women who takes his heart, encouraging the man to be reserved in the relationship because she s and Easy Lover . Perhaps one of the hidden reasons I ve always liked this song is that in the past I would always fall for the Easy Lover only to find myself discarded like yesterdays news and before it you ll be on your knees.

The third song on the CD is another all time favorite You Can t Hurry Love a song originally produced in 1982 from Phil s CD HELLO I MUST BE GOING . Wow, how I long for the days when songs where sang with a meaning. In this song Phil sounds like my late mother Alice, Love don t come easy, it s a game of give and take.

If you ve ever been in love, fallen in love are perhaps you are currently in love this song really hits on the fact that real love does not come easy and in reality it s hard to find.

This CD also features Phil Collins's Against All Odds" and "Sussudio" two of the hottest songs in the mid '80s, winning radio stations and diverse listeners from across the United States. I ll never forget the song In The Air Tonight which was used on one of the hottest Television shows of the 1980 s Miami Vice. Listening to this CD is a wonderful stroll down memory lane. How you experience the songs on this CD will largely depend on if you embraced the full essence of the exuberant 80 s.

During the 80 s songs like Two Hearts and "Take Me Home were staples in my music diet. Although this CD does not contain all of Phil Collins Hit s I m sure the true fan will be delighted to come across such a collection of what s now considered classic tunes. Anytime you start hearing Phil Collins's biggest tunes while riding on elevators then one can only acknowledge that this is truly good music.

Although I think Cyndi Lauper sings the song "True Colors" better than Phil Collins I ve always enjoyed Phil s rendition produced by Babyface. If I was forced to pick my least favorite song on the CD it would be True Colors although it s not a carbon copy of Cyndi Lauper's version I m just use to hearing Cyndi Laupers voice.

Even though I truly enjoy the song Sussudio of his 1985 album No Jacket Required and I ve even tried to get the lyrics down to a science and can quickly sing along to the music:

There's this girl that's been on my mind
All the time, Sussudio oh oh
Now she don't even know my name
But I think she likes me just the same
Sussudio oh oh

I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out what Sussudio means? It s not in any dictionary perhaps its simply another mystery of life?

I recommend this CD as an excellent sample into the world of Phil Collins, I m sure there are other songs that could have been added but this CD makes and excellent edition to any music collector giving you some of the best music of the 1980 s. To me Phil Collins still reins supreme as one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary artist of the 1980s and early 90 s.