Hear Phil Collins’ isolated drums for Genesis ‘Dancing With The Moonlit Knight’
You may know Phil Collins best as a solo artist, but before he took to the stage on his own, he was backing the band Genesis. His drumming ability might not be as extravagant or in your face as some famous rock and roll drummers; however, the complexity with which he approaches rhythm, paired with his unbelievable songwriting ability, makes him one of the most essential drummers ever to pick up sticks.
Yes, when you think of Phil Collins, you think of that drum fill, but he was responsible for many other important moments in music. He has a tremendous understanding of the drums, to the point that he knew exactly what was needed to move a song along but in a natural way without overpowering it.
He was initially inspired by The Beatles before further diving into rock music. Bands like The Who and The Action ignited his passion for the drums, and that rock energy, paired with modern advancements in music, meant that Phil Collins had plenty to learn from when he started playing.
One of the areas of music where Collins thrives best is within his drum fills. He has inspired air drummers for decades now, and despite having one particularly famous song, his complex drum fills are present on most songs he works on. He also had his very own style, making it so no other artist could sound anything like him. His drumming technique became instantly recognisable, which is more than can be said for many drummers as they are notoriously tricky instruments to make one’s own.
Collins’ ability didn’t start and stop at good fills, though. He had a mastery of time signatures that other percussionists could only dream of, and in developing this intricate knowledge of rhythm, he made it so that the songs he worked on were separate from anything else that could be heard in the charts. Tracks like ‘Firth Of Fifth’, ‘Turn It On Again’, and ‘Nuclear Burn’ clearly highlight the inspired ways Collins could exploit his uncanny understanding of time.
He was also innovative. Electric drums are standard in music these days, but they weren’t when Collins initially started out. He saw the potential in the instrument, so he started playing them and incorporating them into songs despite the fact it wasn’t particularly ‘cool’ to do so. Arguably, he was one of the musicians who pioneered the mainstream movement towards electronic drums.
The recording below shows Phil Collins isolated drums on the Genesis track ‘Dancing With The Moonlit Knight,’ which highlights the drummer’s above qualities. He starts the song slowly, those electric drums gently coming in before growing much more complicated, with complex time signatures taking centre stage in the second half. Several tracks highlight Collins’s ability as a drummer, but this is undoubtedly one of the most prevalent.
