Face Value is the debut solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins, released on 13 February 1981 by Virgin Records. After his first wife filed for divorce in 1979, Collins began to write songs during a break in activity from Genesis with much of the material concerning his personal life. The album was recorded from mid-1980 to early 1981 with Collins and Hugh Padgham as producers. Additional musicians include the Phenix Horns, Alphonso Johnson, and Eric Clapton.
Face Value was an instant commercial success and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for three weeks and No. 7 on the US Billboard 200. It has since sold over 5 million copies in the US and over 1.5 million in the UK. The album received widespread praise from critics and launched Collins' solo career whose commercial success would ultimately outstrip that of Genesis. Its lead single "In the Air Tonight", released in January 1981, reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and became known for its drum arrangement and use of gated reverb. In January 2016, Face Value was reissued with bonus tracks and new photography in the style of the original but featuring a present-day Collins.
Tracklist:
Side one
1. In the Air Tonight 0:00
2. This Must Be Love 5:33
3. Behind the Lines 9:31
4. The Roof Is Leaking 13:32
5. Droned 16:45
6. Hand in Hand 19:36
Side two
1. I Missed Again 24:55
2. You Know What I Mean 28:42
3. Thunder and Lightning 31:17
4. I'm Not Moving 35:28
5. If Leaving Me Is Easy 38:05
6. Tomorrow Never Knows (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) 43:00
7. Over the Rainbow (unlisted, except on cassette release WEA 1981) 47:16
Personnel
Phil Collins – vocals, drums, Roland VP-330 vocoder (1, 6, 10), CR-78 drum machine (1, 6, 12), Prophet-5 synthesizer (1, 2, 5–7, 10–12), Fender Rhodes (1, 2, 9, 11), percussion (2, 10), piano (4–8, 10), handclaps (5, 9), congas (5), marimba (6), acoustic guitar (13)
Daryl Stuermer – guitars (1–3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12), banjo (4), 12-string guitar (5)
Eric Clapton – guitar (4, 11)
Joe Partridge – slide guitar (4)
John Giblin – bass guitar (1, 9, 10, 12)
Alphonso Johnson – bass (2, 3, 6, 7, 11)
L. Shankar – violin (1, 5, 7, 12), tamboura (5), "voice drums" (5)
J. Peter Robinson – Prophet-5 (3)
Stephen Bishop – background vocals (2)
Arif Mardin – string arrangements (8, 11)
EWF Horns – horns
Don Myrick – tenor saxophone (3, 6, 7, 9, 12), alto sax solo (11)
Louis Satterfield – trombone (3, 6, 7, 9, 12)
Rahmlee Michael Davis and Michael Harris – trumpets (3, 6, 7, 9, 12), flugelhorns (11)
Ronnie Scott – tenor saxophone solo (7)
Music preparation – Maurice Spears
Other background vocals on tracks 6 and 12 by several children's choirs in Los Angeles
Strings on tracks 8 and 11 conducted by Martyn Ford
Violins – Gavyn Wright (leader), Bill Benhem, Bruce Dukov, David Woodcock, Liz Edwards, Irvine Arditti, Ken Sillitoe, Peter Oxen and Richard Studt
+++ Description, Tracklist and Timecodes by Alexander4History +++
