The forgotten Motown greats Phil Collins rediscovered: “They were great players”
Perhaps the reason why Phil Collins has copped so much criticism over the years is that he has never known exactly who he is as a musician.
One minute he’s a rock god, the next he’s a cheesy pop prince, then after that it’s Motown, amid a whole slew of other projects thrown in between. Some may see this as a smorgasbord of versatility and talent, but to others, it’s the sign of a man who can’t help himself from capitalising on every trend and opportunity thrown his way.
The latter aforementioned genre is an area, even by Collins’s own standards, that many people were perhaps surprised to see him indulge in. After all, what similarities are there between music originally powered by African Americans through a mix of R&B, soul, and gospel, and a white British guy most famous for banging on the drums? You guessed it – nothing.
But nevertheless, this obviously still doesn’t stop anyone from being able to enjoy Motown, and even in the Genesis drummer’s own case, take on his own versions of it. He manifested this most plainly on his 2010 album Going Back, where he covered Motown classics in everything from ‘Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer’ by Stevie Wonder to ‘Do I Love You’ by The Ronettes.
Yet, in many ways, this was only like skimming the surface of the greatest hits catalogue that is Motown, because the underbelly of the genre represented something far more diverse and eclectic for Collins that surreptitiously influenced his musical psyche, long before he realised it and Going Back ever came about.
In fairness, he was quick to admit as much when he was asked how the Funk Brothers of Motown – William ‘Benny’ Benjamin, Richard ‘Pistol’ Allen and Uriel Jones – each inspired his drumming. “Oh yes, most definitely, without knowing it, I think they did for sure [influence me],” Collins replied.
“However, it was only when I began studying Motown because, like most people, I had just enjoyed it back in the ’60s, but when I went back and studied it for the Going Back album, that’s when I realised who these guys were and who did what, for example, Benny Benjamin did most of the shuffles. They were great players,” he continued.
Collins can attract all the slander in the world for not knowing his place, perhaps jumping on bandwagons, or capitalising on trends that maybe he shouldn’t. But no one can accuse him of being uneducated. The man is a sonic aficionado, and his unearthing of these unsung Motown gems is the best testament to that.
Of course, everyone is bound to chip in with their own opinions, whether helpful and accurate or not, about whether Collins was the right person to take up the Motown mantle at that specific point in time. But the charts data for his album, as well as his deep-rooted love for the genre at large, does a lot of talking to the contrary. At the end of the day, music itself has no label.
