Phil Collins: Both Sides CD (New)
Phil Collins: Both Sides
1 CD. New, unopened, still sealed in shrink-wrap.
For playlist, see photo
Both Sides, released in 1993, is notable for the fact that Phil Collins made the album entirely on his own, without his usual collaborators. For the first and only time in his career, Collins played all the instruments himself, as well as taking care of primary production duties. After recording demos at home, the album was finished in just six weeks at the Farm with the help of producer/engineer Paul Gomersall.
Collins also wrote sleeve notes explaining the meaning of each song, another first. Collins claims this album to be his favorite. "Both Sides is my favorite album, from a songwriting and creative perspective. It was very much a solo album. I played everything, the songs just streamed out of me, and as a writer that's the kind of thing that you dream of," said Collins in 2016. It was also written in response to the failure of his marriage to second wife Jill Tavelman. As a result, it is seen as his most personal album.
Collins expresses both his feelings and personal problems and addresses political issues over the course of the album. He touches on politics and "the daily cloud of terrorism Britain seems to live under" on "We Wait and We Wonder", as well as a maturing disenchantment with the youth culture on "We're Sons of Our Fathers".
The album reached No. 1 in the U.K., No. 8 in Australia, and No. 13 in the U.S.
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