Phil Collins

No Jacket Required

a mix of pure fun & deep emotions--a masterpiece

Review Score:

(10/10)
The level of quality that Phil Collins maintained in his solo work & Genesis work is nothing short of astonishing, & this 3rd solo album of his, released within the first few months of 1985, is a one in a long string of masterpieces. It's actually a somewhat unusual album for him in that he embraced synthesized club dance music quite strongly here (largely influenced by Prince), something that he did not do at all on his next couple albums (unless you count "Hang In Long Enough" from "But Seriously"). Of course that led many to cry "sellout", & although songs such as "Only You Know And I Know" do sound joltingly different than anything on "Face Value" or "Hello, I Must Be Going", it's not a sellout--it's simply Phil trying a different style & doing so with infectious tunes. Although it's easy, & certainly not without truth, to say that the album strongly recalls its era, the entire album is so well-written & well-made that it's simply great, timeless music--there's no reason at all to feel guilty about liking it. Even here, Phil's unique, homegrown, "make-it-up-as-you-go-along" approach to music making is abundantly in evidence--he's not pandering to anything, he's being true to himself & making great music in the process. "Who Said I Would", "Only You Know And I Know", the just plain fun "Sussudio", & the darkly-shaded, minor-keyed story-song "Don't Lose My Number" are propulsive dance tracks, & Phil additionally rocks out on riffy "I Don't Wanna Know" (a song about once-&-for-all ridding oneself of an unworthy lover), "Inside Out" (a song about, of all things, not succumbing to negative outside influences & featuring a piano sound that recalls his previous 2 albums), & the dynamic, mellow-versed "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore", all of which are dominated by Phil's real drums, opposed to machines. It's not true at all that there are no real drums on the album--actually, the tracks tend to feature "fake" drums masterfully supplemented by real drums. In addition to all of these highpoints, there's the starkly-arranged, haunting ballad "Long Long Way To Go", & the sighing "One More Night". Then, there's the song that closed the album in its original vinyl release, "Take Me Home", a soaring, bittersweet epic song of acceptance & "going home" again, with a powerful, gradual buildup--it's one of the most deeply moving & emotionally satisfying songs ever recorded (it features Peter Gabriel on background vocals). The CD however features an additional track, "We Said Hello Goodbye", which, with its piano + orchestra intro following the anthemic fade of "Take Me Home", & lyrics saying "home is in your heart", ends up working magnificently as a coda to the album, plus it's a great song in its own right. Phil Collins, once again, is simply captured in all around peak form on this album--great vocals, songwriting, production (he co-produced the album with Hugh Padgham), & certainly don't count out the contributions of the legendary Lee Sklar on bass, or Phil's long-time cohort Daryl Stuermer, who co-wrote 3 tracks & contributed excellent, fluid guitarwork throughout... "No Jacket Required" is an essential, awe-inspiring masterpiece.

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