Phil Collins recut

This week we're looking at a couple of things that came for my birthday which are a bit special.

As part of the celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of Atlantic Records, some 75 albums are being re-issued in special audiophile versions by Kansas based Analogue Productions in association with Atlantic records.

They are in every sense premium editions from the high quality jacket printing and finish, the use of acclaimed mastering engineers to cut the grooves and that they are 45 rpm allowing more room for all the notes to be fully accommodated with less of the compromises required especially with long albums.

I have always liked Phil Collin's solo albums but they were bought straight to compact disc so I decided to pick up two titles of his in the series starting with Face Value, his first album from early 1981 issued after Genesis's Duke which saw the use of horns and use of intricate drum sounds on songs like In The Air Tonight and I Missed Again.

It also has an interesting version of Tomorrow Never Knows, originally written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney for their Revolver album of 1966. 

In late 1982 having issued Abacab and Three Sides Live for Genesis Phil returned to his solo material and issued this, Hello, I Go Again, the follow up.

This had a massive smash cover version of the supremes song You Can't Hurry Love that keeps much of its soulful qualities and is beautifully recorded and Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away, a hit on early 1983.

The sound quality of both these albums is absolutely stunning with lots of detail, atmosphere and dynamics coupled with excellent tuneful bass.

It is unfortunate that each is restricted to just 2,000 copies each with no ability in the license to repress because already the first one is very hard to find despite being issued in October last year.