All Live

Rating:
Summary: The essence of what makes a great live performance...
Review: ...is great musicianship. This band, perhaps Phil's best all-around live group, has plenty to spare. I first became acquainted with this performance in 1986 from a VHS recording of an abridged broadcast on HBO (this DVD is also abridged--more on that later). After wearing through that VHS casette (eight or nine viewings a year for nearly two decades will do that...), I was finally able to locate a copy here on Amazon. This concert has been an important part of my development as a musician for several reasons, but the key reason is the stellar musicianship.

Much of the focus of Phil's music through the early 80's was developed around pop songs utilizing a horn section, which provided an excellent foil for his piano-based ballads and prog rock stalker tunes. The horn section was none other than the Phenix Horns, who played with Earth, Wind, and Fire prior to joining Phil in '81. This foursome helps make the live performance special. In addition to playing their horns, all four play percussion and sing backing vocals throughout. Lead trumpeter Michael Harris even sings a little lead vocal on the Curtis Mayfield tune used to close the evening. Trombonist Louis Satterfield, probably better known as the bassist on the great B.B. King and Muddy Waters recordings of the 60's, doubles on baritone sax at the end of the opening tune. Trumpeter Rahmlee Michael Davis's brief lydian flourish at the end of 'Hand in Hand' is raw and strikingly beautiful. It is saxophonist Don Myrick, however, who contributes the most. His solos on 'Who Said I Would' and 'One More Night' along with his featured piece, 'The Westside', invoke the spirit of Cannonball Adderly. Sadly Don has been taken from this world ahead of his time--he was shot dead by the LAPD in his home in 1993. (Wait, the LAPD shot an unarmed black man? Surely not!)

The band is rounded out by a (mostly) all-star rhythm section. Guitarist Daryl Steurmer shows off his jazz/rock chops as much as possible, though he isn't allotted as much solo space as Myrick. Bassist Leland Sklar, best known as James Taylor's bassist, is concise, supportive, and flashy all at once. On two songs, Sklar holds down one bassline on his bass while thumping out another with his feet on synth pedals; on two other tunes he sits down at Phil's synth. He also sings a mean backing vocal on 'Against All Odds'. Former Zappa drummer Chester Thompson reinterprets Phil's original parts while adding his own signature flair. He also functions as a textural percussionist on some of the drum machine-based tunes. The section is rounded out by keyboardist Peter Robinson. Peter sports a skintight black shirt, bright red jacket and pants, and a super-sweet curly blonde mullet. Oh, and a stuffed puppy is perched atop his Prophet V. What more can be said?

The genius here is in the presentation. The camera allots as much--perhaps even more--time to the backing musicians as it does to the leader, save when he is playing his drums. Seldom will one see so much footage of the bassist in any band; of course, it doesn't hurt that Sklar sports a ZZ Top beard, granny glasses, and a tank top. Chester's xylophone/triangle/cabasa rig has a camera positioned directly above to allow the viewer to see his hands. This is not a video of Phil Collins, but rather one of Phil Collins and his band. They look, sound, and act like a band. They sing into eachother's mics, occasionally strike stupid poses, toss around a basketball, and seem generally unashamed at the fact that they wear matching sunglasses on one tune. Myrick yells loudly into Collins's vocal mic during the closing call-and-response section of 'Hand in Hand'; Phil tries to give him a stern look, but can't conceal his amusement. This is an ensemble in every sense, and that makes beautiful music.

The stage setup also lends to the atmosphere. The three drumkits (Phil's, Chester's, and the communal Simmons electronic kit complete with hexagonal pads) are perched on a riser along with Robinson's massive keyboard rig. This undoubtedly gave the audience a better idea of who was doing what, which is important given the versatility of the group. The stage setup looks big, yet one gets the feeling that the musicians were unencumbered by the physical proximity. The set is simultaneously grandiose and intimate, a difficult feat considering that the stage is occupied by nine musicians playing roughly thirty different instruments.

My only objection to this recording is what has been omitted. Nine other songs were on the setlist during this tour. I have found bits and pieces of a few of them, but as of right now I have only found one other complete performance ('If Leaving Me is Easy', off of the documentary of the making of Face Value). I desperately want to hear the other eight tunes in their entirety! Given that running time isn't a real issue on DVD, I can't imagine why an uncut version of this concert has never been released.

I highly recommend this DVD instead of the more popular

Rating:
Summary: All Live In Phil's Prime
Review: Phil Collins All Live! This is a concert from Phil during his prime(1985) in Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. He performs some of his biggest hits from that era, "Against All Odds", "In The Air Tonight", "You Can't Hurry Love", "Take Me Home" & "One More Night". It's a good show, as were all of Phil's. He performs a great "In The Air Tonight" and the song "Westside" was very powerful. Any Phil Collins DVD is good...there are some that are better...if you want an introspective look at Phil and his personal life try "A Life Less Ordinary", if you want a slightly better concert DVD I would go with "Serious Hits...Live!" which also features multiple camera angles to choose from.

Rating:
Summary: All Live In Phil's Prime
Review: Phil Collins All Live! This is a concert from Phil during his prime(1985) in Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. He performs some of his biggest hits from that era, "Against All Odds", "In The Air Tonight", "You Can't Hurry Love", "Take Me Home" & "One More Night". It's a good show, as were all of Phil's. He performs a great "In The Air Tonight" and the song "Westside" was very powerful. Any Phil Collins DVD is good...there are some that are better...if you want an introspective look at Phil and his personal life try "A Life Less Ordinary", if you want a slightly better concert DVD I would go with "Serious Hits...Live!" which also features multiple camera angles to choose from.