Is Phil Collins ready to release his first new music in more than 20 years? Producer and manager Simon Napier-Bell confirms that the ex-Genesis frontman has been updating the studio at his home by Lake Geneva.
Napier-Bell interviewed Collins for an upcoming documentary on London’s famous Marquee Club live music venue. “He was in top form, full of wicked stories – hugely fun,” Napier-Bell said in a social media post.
Genesis’ stops at the Marquee dated back to the band’s earlier Peter Gabriel era. But Collins fronted Genesis for a key show there, as well.
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Genesis made a memorable appearance there in September 1982, despite having already risen to platinum-selling fame. They were billed as the Garden Wall in a secret warm-up show before a multi-night stand at the Hammersmith Odeon during the Three Sides Live Tour. Recordings from the show were widely bootlegged.
‘We’re Going to Hear Some New Music’
News of a return to recording is intriguing since Collins’ most recent new music dates back to the soundtrack for Disney’s 2003 film Brother Bear. His last solo album of original material was 2002’s Testify, which Collins followed up with a cover album of R&B standards in 2010 called Going Back.
“He’s just had his studio revamped,” Napier-Bell added. “For sure, before too long we’re going to hear some new music.”
Meanwhile, look for an expanded 30th-anniversary edition of Collins’ fifth solo album, 1993’s U.K. chart-topping hit Both Sides, in September. Dubbed Both Sides (All the Sides), the box set looks back at a project that arrived two years after Collins’ final album with Genesis, We Can’t Dance.
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Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
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