Phil Collins
 Phil Collins is known far
and wide as one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary
singers of the 1980s. His ascent to the top of the charts in the mid-
to late '80s was remarkable, beginning with his first solo single,
"In the Air Tonight," which quickly rose to No. 2 in the U.K. and
Top 20 chart in the United States. Between 1984 and 1990, Collins
released a string of 13 straight U.S. Top 10 hits.
But Collins was not new to the showbiz scene. He grew up as a child
actor and singer who appeared in the London production of Oliver!
in 1964. He entered the music scene near the end of his teens, when
he began as a replacement drummer in the British art-rock band Genesis
in 1970. At the same time, he maintained a separate jazz career
with the band Brand X.
However, Collins' real bread and butter was Genesis, which was
led by frontman Peter Gabriel. The band plugged along, gaining moderate
success in the U.K. and the U.S. when Gabriel left abruptly in 1974.
The band launched a massive search that took them through 400 singers
before they decided to let Collins try his hand.
1.moderate:adj. 中等的, 适度的, 适中的 v. 缓和
Drawing on his vocal talents, Genesis slowly simplified their sound
and focused on Collins' expressive, throaty voice. By 1978, the
band's And Then There Were Three had gone gold, and the follow-up,
Duke, was even more successful.
Around this time, Collins began producing solo music, and released
Face Value in 1991. The album was a bigger hit than any other
Genesis album, with a concentration on Collins' voice mixed with
stark piano music and drum rhythms.
1.stark: adj. 刻板的, 十足的, 赤裸的, 荒凉的 adv. 完全地
Collins balanced Genesis with his other efforts quite successfully
throughout the '80s. In 1992, Genesis released We Can't Dance
and began to tour extensively.
When he returned from touring, Collins released Both Sides
in 1993, which turned out to be somewhat of a commercial disappointment.
By 1995, he had announced he was leaving Genesis for good.
Collins continued on with his solo career. His most recent studio
album, Dance Into the Light, came out in 1996.
In the fall of '98 a greatest hits package, Phil Collins...Hits,
was released on Atlantic. The album culls hits from Collins' nearly
two-decade long career and includes a new track, a cover of the
Cyndi Lauper hit "True Colors," produced by Babyface.
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