The Phil Collins Albums Pt. 2 - Hello, I Must be Going

The second in a chronological wander through Collins’ eight solo albums.

I often wonder how songwriters do it. Not write songs – well, that as well – but how they put their emotions on the line for public consumption. Of course, drawing on a personal emotional well is a necessary part of writing anything meaningful, and so is part of the Faustian pact any artist makes when they decide (or are driven) to create. Even so, it takes guts.

Listen to Hello, I Must Be going by Phil Collins on your preferred streaming service

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Some songwriters go inside and pull out their emotions because they have no other option. Nick Drake is an example of the tortured soul who wrote songs and made music as the only way he could respond to his extreme inner turmoil (it goes without saying there are many more). If an audience appreciates the music, that’s a bonus, but the songs have to be written regardless of what people think.

Phil Collins, though, is a drummer first. When he began to write songs, it was with Genesis. Prog rock lyrics tend to draw on fantasy and folklore tropes much more than they do on deep affairs of the heart. When he took over singing duties for the Trick of the Tail album, he contributed to fantasies such as ‘Dance on a Volcano’:

“Holy mother of God

You got to go faster than that to get to the top

Dirty old mountain all covered in smoke

She can turn you to stone so you’d better start doing it right.”
(Written by Collins/Rutherford/Hackett/Banks)

By the time of Face Value, Collins was going through a divorce, and the songs on the album reflected the pain of the process. For his second solo album, his attitude was less one of wallowing in pain and more one of wanting to give his ex a metaphorical kicking. The success of Face Value had inspired her to request an increase in the divorce settlement.

“… When I opened your letter yesterday

I could not believe my eyes

'Cause I've already given all I have to give

And I think it must have slipped your mind

But I remember not so long ago

I gave it all, it's gone

And I gave it all to you

Now I'm living on borrowed time, but it's mine.”
‘I Cannot Believe It’s True’ (Written by Phil Collins)

This is no longer metaphorical. Look below at some of the other song titles in the track listing above, and you’ll get an insight into Collins’ state of mind at the time.

In keeping with his new attitude, ‘I Cannot Believe It’s True’ is upbeat, as are many of the songs. The Phenix Horns reprise their role of punching up the dynamic range. Increased confidence as a solo artist, and probably an increased budget, brings an orchestra on ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’, ‘Don’t Let Him Steal Your Heart Away’, and ‘Why Can’t It Wait Till Morning’. This is the Mountain Fjord Orchestra, which might just be a play on their leader’s name, Martin Ford. Collins loves a good pun – even the album title comes from the Marx Brothers.

The album starts with a distinctively Collins drum pattern, a solid rhythm over which to declare “I don’t care anymore”. This song could be paired with 10cc’s ‘I’m Not In Love’. You are. ‘I Don’t Care Anymore’. You do.

‘I Don’t Care Anymore’ live at Perkins Palace

It’s not all relationship breakdown anger, though. The cover of ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ foreshadows his entire album of Motown covers that followed years later. The roots of Genesis, of Collins and Gabriel, can be found growing among Motown and Stax and classic soul, not in the progressive rock patch over the garden wall as you might expect. The video for this hit single prompted a work colleague to ask if anyone had seen ‘Top of the Pops’ last night, because those triplets were amazing.

‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ official video

‘Thru These Walls’ features the return of the massive ‘In the Air Tonight’ gated drum sound, this time set against a humorous tale of listening to the goings-on of the neighbours through a shared wall.

‘The West Side’ is an early outing for The Phil Collins Big Band, complete with a sax solo from Don Myrick, and it’s a jazzy, moody, dynamic instrumental – one that demonstrates Collins’ chops as a serious player. Listen to the live rehearsal on the bonus disc that comes with the 2016 remaster release to hear this track release its full potential.

Hello, I Must Be Going, as is often the case with second albums, is in the shadow of Face Value. There’s nothing as groundbreaking as ‘In the Air’, but that was a once-in-a-career breakthrough. It’s a great listen if you don’t give too much bandwidth to the lyrics. Even then, if you’re suffering a similar misfortune to the one Collins was experiencing when he wrote these songs, they might speak to you.

In part three, we reach No Jacket Required. How would the difficult third album go?

Get your own copy of Hello, I Must Be Going (2016 remaster) here (paid link)

Tracks: 1. ‘I Don’t Care Anymore’ 2. ‘I Cannot Believe It’s True’ 3. ‘Like China’ 4. ‘Do You Know, Do You Care’ 5. ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ 6. ‘It Don’t Matter To Me’ 7. ‘Thru These Walls’ 8. ‘Don’t Let Him Steal Your Heart Away’ 9. ‘The West Side’ 10 ‘Why Can’t It Wait Till Morning’

Released November 1982

Previous posts about Phil Collins in LP: Face Value (the first of this series) No Jacket Required (to be revised for this series) plus Drummer, And More. Subscribe now to ensure you receive the entire series.

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