Forty-five years on from the creation of one of the most important albums of his career, Phil Collins has been looking back at the story behind Face Value — just as the landmark record prepares to receive a shiny new Steven Wilson remix. 🎧🔥

There are albums that launch solo careers… and then there’s Face Value.

Phil Collins has reflected on the creation of his hugely influential debut solo album in a new interview clip, revisiting a period that transformed him from the drummer and increasingly prominent voice of Genesis into one of the biggest solo artists on the planet.

And the timing couldn’t be better.

A new Blu-ray Audio edition of Face Value is set for release on 18 September 2026, featuring brand-new Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround and stereo mixes by Steven Wilson.

Yep. In the Air Tonight in Dolby Atmos.

Someone warn the neighbours. 🥁💥

🎤 From Genesis Drummer to Solo Superstar

When Collins began putting together Face Value, he was already well established through Genesis, but his debut solo record showed another side of the musician entirely.

Released in 1981, Face Value emerged during an intensely personal period in Collins’ life, with the breakdown of his first marriage heavily influencing the material.

Rather than attempting to simply create another Genesis record under his own name, Collins explored soul, pop, rock, atmospheric electronics and deeply personal songwriting.

The result was an album packed with emotion, experimentation and one absolutely enormous drum fill.

You know the one.

BA-DUM BA-DUM BA-DUM BA-DUM-DUM.

Air drummers of the world have been waiting their entire lives for that moment. 🤘😂

🌩️ ‘In the Air Tonight’ Changed Everything

Of course, no conversation about Face Value can happen without mentioning ‘In the Air Tonight’.

The song became Collins’ signature solo track and remains one of the most instantly recognisable recordings of the 1980s.

That haunting drum-machine pattern.

Those restrained vocals.

The growing sense that something absolutely massive is about to happen.

And then…

THE DRUMS.

Few drum fills have become part of popular culture quite like it. Even people who couldn’t name a Genesis album if you threatened to confiscate their Greggs sausage roll know exactly when those drums are coming.

But Face Value was never simply a one-song album.

🎶 An Album Packed With Ideas

The record demonstrated just how broad Collins’ musical influences had become.

Alongside the darkness and tension of In the Air Tonight, listeners encountered tracks including ‘I Missed Again’, ‘If Leaving Me Is Easy’, ‘Behind the Lines’ and ‘This Must Be Love’.

There was brass.

There was soul.

There was progressive rock DNA.

There were drum machines sitting alongside thunderous acoustic drums.

And underneath everything was an artist using the studio almost like another instrument.

That willingness to experiment would become a defining feature of Collins’ solo career throughout the decade.

🎧 Steven Wilson Gets Behind the Mixing Desk

Now Face Value is being revisited for a new generation of listeners — and they’ve brought in one of the most respected names in modern surround-sound mixing.

Steven Wilson has created new Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and stereo mixes of the album for the forthcoming Blu-ray Audio edition.

For rock and progressive music fans, Wilson’s involvement is particularly interesting.

The Porcupine Tree frontman has developed a formidable reputation for remixing classic recordings while attempting to preserve the character and atmosphere that made the originals special.

Rather than simply turning everything up until the meters start crying, his mixes frequently uncover details buried inside recordings fans may have heard hundreds of times.

And Face Value should give him plenty to work with.

Between the percussion, keyboards, brass, atmospheric production and layered vocals, there’s a serious amount happening inside this record.

Dolby Atmos could potentially place listeners right inside Collins’ musical world.

And when that drum fill arrives?

Sweet mother of cymbals. 🥁🔥

💿 Face Value – Original Track Listing

  1. In the Air Tonight
  2. This Must Be Love
  3. Behind the Lines
  4. The Roof Is Leaking
  5. Droned
  6. Hand in Hand
  7. I Missed Again
  8. You Know What I Mean
  9. Thunder and Lightning
  10. I’m Not Moving
  11. If Leaving Me Is Easy
  12. Tomorrow Never Knows

The album famously closes with Collins’ interpretation of The Beatles’ ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, further demonstrating just how adventurous the record was.

🥁 45 Years Later, The Story Still Matters

Seeing Collins discuss the creation of Face Value all these decades later gives fans an opportunity to look beyond the enormous sales figures and radio hits.

At its heart, this was an artist making music during a turbulent moment in his life.

Nobody could have known exactly where it would lead.

What followed was one of the most successful solo careers in British music history, with Collins becoming a defining musical figure of the 1980s and beyond.

Yet Face Value still feels different.

It’s rawer.

More intimate.

Sometimes strange.

Sometimes vulnerable.

And occasionally absolutely bloody enormous.

That’s why we’re still talking about it 45 years later.

🔥 A Classic Album Gets Another Spin

The forthcoming Blu-ray Audio release offers longtime fans the chance to experience Face Value from a completely different perspective, while Collins’ new reflections provide the human story behind the music.

For those who grew up with the record, it’ll be another excuse to crank it.

For younger listeners discovering Collins through streaming, television, films or the endless resurrection of classic songs online, it could be the perfect opportunity to discover the album that started his solo journey.

And for drummers?

Well…

You already know what’s happening.

Lights off.

Volume up.

Imaginary drum kit ready.

Wait patiently…

BA-DUM BA-DUM BA-DUM BA-DUM-DUM. 🥁💥

Never gets old, mun.

🤘 The Riff Report Wants to Hear From You!

Where does Face Value rank among Phil Collins’ greatest albums?

Is In the Air Tonight home to the greatest drum fill ever recorded, or have you got another contender?

And will you be checking out the Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos remix when the Blu-ray Audio edition arrives on 18 September 2026?

Get amongst it and let us know.

Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. 🤘🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

#PhilCollins #FaceValue #StevenWilson #Genesis #TheRiffReport