No Jacket Required (Audio Cassette) [Import]

 

 

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On January 25, 1985, Phil Collins released "No Jacket Required", perhaps the best of his solo work. As has been talked about many times, the title of the album refers to an incident where Phil was denied admittance to an establishment (The Pump Room in Chicago) because of his attire. This has some of Phil's best known work, and in many ways some of the most contrasting work he has ever done. There are songs on here which people don't like mixed in with people's favorites. The album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1985.

The album opens with "Sussudio", a rather unlikely single and hit, and yet it managed to reach number one in the U.S. What I remember most about the song is the way David Letterman used to make fun of it. The song isn't one I care for much, but it obviously had great appeal to a large number of listeners. "Only You Know and I Know" is next, a more likeable track for me, and one of three for which Daryl Stuermer wrote the music. "Long Long Way to Go" is a song which has Sting providing backing vocals and his voice works well with Phil's. I don't really care for the somewhat gimmicky end, but all in all it is a pretty good piece. "I Don't Wanna Know" is a more lively piece at just the right time. This is the second of the pieces where the Stuermer wrote the music and Phil provided the lyrics. "One More Night" is one of those songs which the critics panned but Phil's fans like. It made it to number one in the U.S., and while clearly not the deepest lyric or most complex piece, it does provide a nice ending to the first half of the album.

"Don't Lose My Number" is a high energy piece to open the second half of the album. Lyrically it doesn't really explain itself, but it is catchy and grabs the listener's ear, at least the first few times one hears it. "Who Said I Would?" is another high energy piece, though not as interesting as the ones which have come before. "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore?" is a piece about everyone splitting up, and is one of the better pieces on the album for me. It is also the last of the three pieces where Daryl Stuermer wrote the music. "Inside Out" is next and it adds to the strong closing section of the album, though perhaps not quite as strong as the songs on either side of it. "Take Me Home" is the show piece of the album, a very nice song which is either about going home, or about an inmate in a mental institution, depending on who you believe. The song also features Sting, Peter Gabriel, and Helen Terry on backing vocals. It was the closer on the album, but the CD also includes "We Said Hello Goodbye", a B-side release on singles, a nice enough song, but not quite up to the closing pieces which precede it.

Phil Collins did a bit of everything on this album: vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards, vocoder, kalimba, backing vocals, and bass. He didn't do it all alone though as also appearing are David Frank (keyboards), Daryl Stuermer (guitars), Lee Sklar (bass), The Phenix Horns, Gary Barnacle (saxophone), Don Myrick (saxophone), Sting (backing vocals), Peter Gabriel (backing vocals), Helen Terry (backing vocals), and Nick Glennie-Smith (keyboards).

Phil Collins' No Jacket Required is not only great, but very hummable! Loads of catchy pop songs all throughout! I can't tell you how many times I've hummed to Long, Long Way to Go. Probably more than the big hits of Sussudio, One More Night, Don't Lose My Number and others. I don't think that any album he's done afterwards has topped this, because the songmaking is so very strong on here as well as the writing and producing he did on it. "Long" sounds like the sister to In The Air Tonight, the way that the songs sound alike, with the exception of those bridges. From the songs, to the catchy choruses to the way it defined '80s music, this is Phil Collins' best solo album to me!

...emphasis on sub (low, way down dere). The last cut should have beeen the first: 'We said hello, goodbye (don't look back)'. WORD - take this apropos advice from them. To sum up this cd, it makes a wonderful choice when used for skeet shooting. Not recommended.

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1.0 out of 5 stars Pop
Phil Collins might have made some infectious music on this album but it lacks real magic. This is pure pop and thats rarely a good thing. It certainly is not here.

Published on Jun 21 2004 by Brian Ogilby

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPERB
A GREAT CD FROM THE FORMER DRUMMER AND VOCALIST OF GENESIS.VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Published on May 16 2004 by guitar expert101

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly 80's!
One of the best of Phil Collins solo albums. The CD (with the added 11th song at the end) is to be thoroughly enjoyed by all Phil Collins fans!

Published on May 7 2004 by patriot12470

1.0 out of 5 stars (Strait)jacket required
Suitable for residential use in padded room with headphones and zoning variance only. 11 songs sure to satisfy no one in particular. One star.

Published on April 26 2004 by a music fan

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the 3 great masters of the 80s
phil collins was one of the 3 great masters of the 80s, along with grandma and jean-michel jarre. houston was the center point of 80s mania with jean-michel jarre's rendezvouz... Read more

Published on April 22 2004 by fart

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good pop/dance album.
This is the big smash album for Phil Collins. Just a couple of years after the big self-titled pop album for his band Genesis, this came out. Read more

Published on Feb 17 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars It's been a long long way for No Jacket Required
Phil Colins is, without a doubt, one of the finest singer/songwriters of recent years (not bad for a drummer, huh? Read more

Published on Dec 30 2003 by S. Sarhan

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic eighties pop in best package
Phil Collins strikes back here after a bit cheesy first two albums with amazing pop album "No jacket required". Read more

Published on Dec 22 2003 by Mike Chadwick

4.0 out of 5 stars Was THE Album to have back in the day
Anyone who was anyone had this album! It was considered a marker of sorts of your own musical knowledge. If you didn't own this... well, you had problems. Read more

Published on Nov 16 2003 by Alicia Walker

5.0 out of 5 stars No Hatin' Required
HOLY MOSES THIS IS FANTASTIC. I Was just told like 2 days ago that this CD may have been the greatest of the 80s. Read more

Published on Oct 28 2003

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