Customer Reviews

Serious Hits ... Live!

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"Serious Hits Live" documents Phil Collins' tour for his 1989 album, "But Seriously." As promised, this live album has Phil performing his biggest hits, including "You Can't Hurry Love," "Sussudio," "One More Night," "Easy Lover," and "Take Me Home." Phil proves for all to hear what a dynamic performer he & his band are live in concert. His earth-shattering performance of "In The Air Tonight" alone makes this CD worth getting, but overall this is a fabulous live set. It's Phil's show all the way, and you're invited! Enjoy.

Phil Collins does live performances of his non-Genesis hits on this album. The title of this review was inspired by the two live albums following his band Genesis' WE CAN'T DANCE album. Phil promotes his BUT SERIOUSLY album on this recording. This album opens with a BUT SERIOUSLY track,SOMETHING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN. Then comes,from the Jeff Bridges-Rachel Ward movie of the same name,AGAINST ALL ODDS. Other BUT SERIOUSLY tracks are ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE and DO YOU REMEMBER?. From NO JACKET REQUIRED are SUSSUDIO,ONE MORE NIGHT,DON'T LOSE MY NUMBER,TAKE ME HOME and WHO SAID I WOULD?. From FACE VALUE is IN THE AIR TONIGHT. From HELLO I MUST BE GOING is a cover of YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE. There are three other showtunes,SEPARATE LIVES from the 1985 movie "White Nights", and TWO HEARTS and a cover of A GROOVY KIND OF LOVE from "Buster",which Phil made his film debut in. There's also EASY LOVER,minus Earth Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey. The studio version of EASY LOVER was a duet of Bailey and Collins on Bailey's CHINESE WALL album.

As good as Phil Collins' solo albums can be, they often contain no small amount of "filler", and the slick, glossy production on records like "Face Value" and "No Jacket Required" makes them seem somewhat dated.

But this live album remedies some of that. Although no-one can accuse Phil Collins' horn-laden pop music of being 'gritty', it nevertheless sounds a little more genuine and less over-produced, and the track list is very strong, including almost all of Collins' best songs of the 80s:
The spooky "In The Air Tonight" is here, as is "Take Me Home", "Separate Lives", "A Groovy Kind Of Love" and several others.

There is still too much synth on tracks like "Against All Odds" (an otherwise superb ballad) and "One More Night", but that's what Collins' music is like, and "Serious Hits...Live" remains a good, solid collection of adult pop songs.

For Phil Collins, he has made a massive impact on what the music industry should sound like, be like, and act like. Still, it is always a better appeal trying to hear him live and assertive. I sometimes miss seeing that triumph Phil had endured on his own, and with Genesis. It is just a shame that he isn't performing as heavily as he used to. Hopefully, that live feel can be reflected in his music again.

With Phil's 1990 Serious Hits... Live, he captured a level of star power, that now seems more like it was manufactured by Britney Spears and Ashanti. But it is the music that needs to speak the message, not looks within itself. Phil gives a knouckout performance of several of his biggest songs on his own including, Something Happened On The Way To Heaven, Seperate Lives, Two Hearts and Another Day In Paradise. Still, you can't beat the classics from his legacy. The album also includes live performaces that give a serious appeal, including One More Night, and the song that launched Phil Collins solo status into the star status he is at today, In The Air Tonight.

Every Phil Collins fan is really going to want to own this one live piece of music. Still, is was just a shame that he didn't perform anything he did with Genesis on this record. Perhaps it is for the better. After all, there can be too much of a serious thing.

Having seen this set of shows years ago in Denver I was pumped when I ran into it online. Sit back and enjoy this gem - if you grew through college in the 80's you will be transported back in time only coming back home when Phil asks - Awesome stuff.

I'm not a huge Phil Collins fan; some of his songs on here ("A Groovy Kind of Love" and "Can't Hurry Love") are enough to make me puke, but there is some good stuff to be found. In particular, "Another Day In Paradise" and "In the Air Tonight" are great, great songs. To find them both on the same CD is a big plus. Unfortunately, since this was a concert, the audience's clapping and cheering through so much of many of the songs ruins the mood and the emotion they would otherwise induce. But if you don't mind live performances, go for it.

Taking in account how many fantastic live recordings there excist of Phil Collins, with Genesis and solo, it's really surprising how dull and uninspiring this, the only official release from his solo career, is. It's now bad, but the performance isn't exceptional by any means, and the sound is unsatisfying.

The are a couple of songs on this recording, that I think is what it all should have been like - 'Do You Remember' is very beautiful (though very close to the album version - more interesting is perhaps the piano-only version from his 1997 tour). 'In The Air Tonight' is good, but also this one was done better later - check out the 'Live And Loose In Paris' video from the 1997 tour. 'Take Me Home' is here in a great prolonged version, and is one of the highlights of the set.

Many of the uptempo songs - 'Something Happened...', 'Who Said I Would' and especially 'Sussudio' suffers from a somewhat metallic sound, making them less enjoyable than other recordings.

All in all, this is a nice record with some great songs, but most of them suffers from the "not as good as..." problem. If you think this is fantastic, try to get the 1997 video ... or some of the full recordings from either 1994 or 1997 tour - now THAT is great! And why the [heck] weren't any of those released as offical CDs?

I have several Genesis and Phil Colins CDs. This is one that I continually listen to. It is perfect in every respect, with background vocals and perfect redentions of his best solo songs. I wish I was at this concert. Don't hesistate to get it if you enjoy Phil Colins!

Serious Hits Live is one great live CD. The sound quality is incredible. Actually, the only negative thing I can really say about it is that sometimes it just sounds TOO clean. But that does not take away from the overall quality. I don't understand why anyone would even bother with Phil's HITS cd when they could have this! 1) Unlike HITS, "Do you Remember" and "Don't Lose my number" are both here! And they sound great! 2) Serious Hits Live has ALL the same songs as HITS except "Dance into the Light," "Both Sides," "True Colors" (no big loss so far) and "I Wish it Would Rain Down." 3) Every song that appears on both HITS and Serious Hits Live sounds twice as good on the latter!

The only sound argument, in my opinion, for buying HITS instead of Serious Hits Live is that "I Wish it Would Rain Down" is only on HITS. And that is truly one of his best songs, perhaps my overall favorite Phil song. But all other arguments are [junk]. Every song sounds great here. "In the Air Tonight" is truly breathtaking, gives me chills every time I hear it. Songs like "One More Night," "Don't Lose My Number," "Sussudio," and especially "Separate Lives" are seriously 5 times better than the respective originals (seriously...get it?).

Just as a side-bar, Phils vocals sound much better here than on any live Genesis album (and I have them all). I think it's because his solo stuff has always meant more to him personally than the stuff Genesis did. Sometimes on Genesis live albums, for no apparent reason Phil will start singing with some weird Turkish-like accent which is really annoying (Genesis fans know what I'm talking about...and I don't just mean on "Illegal Alien").

This live Cd is amazing, Phil Collins is great in this wonderful live masterpiece.. His voice is so amazing in every song it will blow you away... It has all of his greatest hits on here, but one could be added but wasnt which is "I dont care anymore" but thats ok its still an amazing CD, i love it and so will you!!All i can say is buy this Cd its the best live Cd i have of Anyone!!