Phil Collins - Hello, I Must Be Going! (2LP 45RPM) (Analogue Productions) (Atlantic 75 Series)

On his first solo album, 1981's Face Value, Genesis drummer-singer Phil Collins showed that he wasn't about to be left behind in the mire of classical-rock sludge. That LP boasted shorter songs and demonstrated that Collins had a true pop sensibility. Hello, I Must Be Going! continues that trend, with some familiar patterns emerging, wrote Rolling Stone's John Milward.

"First, there are the dramatic rock dirges that use drums as a lead instrument; 'I Don't Care Anymore,' with Collins' one-man band playing alongside Daryl Stuermer's atmospheric guitars, wins in this category. Then there are the buttery ballads, of which "Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away" is the best by virtue of a Beatles-like melody that buoys Collins' anonymously sweet voice. Both of these styles were already Genesis staples; it was Collins' uptempo soul tunes on Face Value and Genesis' Abacab that surprised old fans and found new ones. 'I Cannot Believe It's True,' with Earth, Wind and Fire's Phoenix Horns casting out clean lines, clobbers the other soul contenders on Hello, I Must Be Going!, especially his remake of the Supremes' 'You Can't Hurry Love.' Collins took the golden-oldie route on that song and the result isn't soulful, it's superfluous. Despite its trend-bucking boast of an 8-track recording, the album's rich luster is of the old classical-rock school. In fact, the LP sounds like stripped-down Genesis, ornamental but not too ostentatious. — John Milward, Rolling Stone (3 Stars)."

This Analogue Productions (Atlantic Series) reissue of Hello, I Must Be Going! has the essential elements that make it a standout for your collection. First, we turned to Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering to cut lacquers from a 1/4" EQ'd Dolby tape copy of the original master. Pressing on 180-gram vinyl is by Quality Record Pressings and RTI, and the album is housed in tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing.

"But Collins hits more often than not, adeptly blending moody keyboard trills and bone-crunching drumbeats in 'In the Air Tonight' and shifting with surprising sure-footedness from the Eno-esque repetition of 'Droned' through the percussive horn blasts of 'Hand in Hand' to the persuasive intimacy of 'If Leaving Me Is Easy.'"

AllMusic gave the album 5 stars, with reviewer Tim Sendra writing: "Phil Collins' first solo album, 1981's Face Value, was a long time coming, but it proved worth the wait, both for the Genesis drummer/vocalist himself and fans of thoughtful, emotionally charged pop. ... (He made) an album that stands as a classic moment of '80s pop/rock. ... Collins felt driven to make this album to help him heal. It's not a career move or a cash grab; it's a transmission from a wounded soul delivered with a soft touch and sensitivity."

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 'Til Morning