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 โ just as the landmark record prepares to receive a shiny new Steven Wilson remix. ๐ง๐ฅ
There are albums that launch solo careersโฆ and then thereโs 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 couldnโt 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. ๐ฅ๐ฅ
๐ค 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 Collinsโ 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. ๐ค๐
๐ฉ๏ธ โIn the Air Tonightโ Changed Everything
Of course, no conversation about Face Value can happen without mentioning โIn the Air Tonightโ.
The song became Collinsโ 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 thenโฆ
THE DRUMS.
Few drum fills have become part of popular culture quite like it. Even people who couldnโt 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.
๐ถ An Album Packed With Ideas
The record demonstrated just how broad Collinsโ musical influences had become.
Alongside the darkness and tension of In the Air Tonight, listeners encountered tracks including โI Missed Againโ, โIf Leaving Me Is Easyโ, โBehind the Linesโ and โThis Must Be Loveโ.
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 Collinsโ solo career throughout the decade.
๐ง Steven Wilson Gets Behind the Mixing Desk
Now Face Value is being revisited for a new generation of listeners โ and theyโve 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, Wilsonโs 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, thereโs a serious amount happening inside this record.
Dolby Atmos could potentially place listeners right inside Collinsโ musical world.
And when that drum fill arrives?
Sweet mother of cymbals. ๐ฅ๐ฅ
๐ฟ Face Value โ Original Track Listing
- In the Air Tonight
- This Must Be Love
- Behind the Lines
- The Roof Is Leaking
- Droned
- Hand in Hand
- I Missed Again
- You Know What I Mean
- Thunder and Lightning
- Iโm Not Moving
- If Leaving Me Is Easy
- Tomorrow Never Knows
The album famously closes with Collinsโ interpretation of The Beatlesโ โTomorrow Never Knowsโ, further demonstrating just how adventurous the record was.
๐ฅ 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.
Itโs rawer.
More intimate.
Sometimes strange.
Sometimes vulnerable.
And occasionally absolutely bloody enormous.
Thatโs why weโre still talking about it 45 years later.
๐ฅ 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 Collinsโ new reflections provide the human story behind the music.
For those who grew up with the record, itโll 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?
Wellโฆ
You already know whatโs happening.
Lights off.
Volume up.
Imaginary drum kit ready.
Wait patientlyโฆ
BA-DUM BA-DUM BA-DUM BA-DUM-DUM. ๐ฅ๐ฅ
Never gets old, mun.
๐ค The Riff Report Wants to Hear From You!
Where does Face Value rank among Phil Collinsโ 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. ๐ค๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ
#PhilCollins #FaceValue #StevenWilson #Genesis #TheRiffReport
