Album Review: Phil Collins - Face Value (1981)

Loved ...But Seriously.  Very much liked No Jacket Required.  And of course, I would be mad to not have a copy of ...Hits in my possession.  But I've never got around to listening to Face Value, the album that effectively launched Phil Collins' solo career.  And it's a bit of a yo-yo kind of affair in terms of quality.  Everybody knows the opening track, "In the Air Tonight", which is easily the best song on this album.  The following two tracks, "This Must be Love" and "Behind the Lines" are nothing short of boring, and the album waits until "The Roof is Leaking" for things to really start picking up.  I hear fragments of "That's All" from his Genesis tenure among several tracks, including the respectable "Thunder and Lightning" and "The Roof is Leaking", and "Hand in Hand" is actually pretty good, as is the instrumental, "Drone."  I also kinda like "I'm Not Moving", and "I Missed Again" seems like a somewhat appropriate song title if the song is anything to go by.  The album once more ends on a duller note with "Tomorrow Never Knows."  Yeah, it's really a mixed bag this album, with some potential on display, but otherwise marred by too many lackluster numbers.  I'd by this album as collector's piece, but nothing more.  Otherwise, stick to streaming if you want to hear this album.  Overrated and not his best, in my opinion.  B