Sunday Swim Presented By The Lake Review, Episode 2: Phil Collins, “No Jacket Required”

Sunday Swim is a weekly guest column written by The Lake Review for Sound Over Time, covering classic records that you need to hear if you haven’t already. Follow the Lake Review on Instagram @thelakereview.

There’s so much that can be said about the man known as Phil Collins. One of the greatest drummers in the history of music, Collins also has an incredible solo career outside of his time with Genesis as their drummer and lead singer after Peter Gabriel left the band.

Inspired by the breakdown of his marriage and soul music, Collins decided to go on a solo venture releasing incredible projects throughout the 80s and in the 90s, probably the project that first made us all a fan, the Tarzan soundtrack.

No Jacket Required, a project released in 1985, the same year heavy metal was the most popular genre in music, is a captivating experience that grabs your attention from the first track. Collins, who wanted to work more on upbeat tracks starts this album off with a track that’s filled with energy.

Sussudio, a track inspired by The Jackson’s, takes you to exactly where Phil wants your mind to be for this experience.

While this album has upbeat tracks, it is also filled with some of his best ballads including One More Night and the power ballad esque Doesn’t Anybody Stay Together Anymore, a song inspired by all the recent breakups around him including the one of his own.

This album is also one of my favorites because of the album artwork. The cover features Collins in a close up frame lit by an orange light to represent the up tempo and feeling the album gives, an album that sometimes makes you wanna get up and dance til you sweat. The Weeknd’s My Dear Melancholy cover is also inspired by the cover.

An album with songs that have been a part of my life for as long as i can remember, this album is a classic simply because of the feeling and how fresh it remains almost 40 years later. With a title inspired by an incident at a restaurant where Phil’s jacket didn’t meet the required attire, Collins saw the opportunity to make an album that provides you with a sensation where no jacket is truly required..

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