Going Back (album)
Going Back is the eighth and most recent solo studio album by English singer-songwriter and drummer Phil Collins, released on 13 September 2010 by Atlantic Records.[1][2] His first solo album in eight years, it features covers of 1960s Motown and soul standards.
Going Back made an impact on the charts worldwide, becoming a top five album in 16 countries. It became Collins's first UK number one studio album since 1993's Both Sides. Two editions were released; a standard edition with 18 tracks and a limited Ultimate Edition with 25 tracks and a DVD with various bonus content.[3] Exclusive versions available on Amazon and iTunes were also available. Collins promoted the album with a seven-date tour in the summer of 2010. Although Collins said Going Back was to be his final project, and announced his retirement in 2011, he resumed his career in 2015.[4] However, it remains his most recent studio album to date. In 2016, Going Back was reissued as The Essential Going Back with fewer studio tracks, but additional live recordings and updated artwork.[5][6]
Background and recording[edit]
In October 2007, Collins finished commitments with Genesis with the Turn It On Again Tour. It was during the tour when Collins dislocated some vertebrae in his upper neck as a result from drumming, which affected his hands and the ability to play. In September 2009, Collins said that despite a successful subsequent operation on his neck, he did not regain full functionality of his hands, particularly his left, which made it "impossible for me to play drums or piano".[7] Despite this setback, in the following month Collins announced his next studio album which was to feature 1960s Motown and soul standards covers, with the aim of having the tracks sounding "exactly like the originals".[8] He asserted that the idea was not to "bring anything 'new' to these already great records, but to try to recreate the sounds and feelings that I had when I first heard them. My intention was to make an 'old' record, not a 'new' record".[9] Collins had wanted to do such an album for many years, and was greatly influenced by his time watching former London-based group The Action perform the same tunes at The Marquee club. Collins called the album "a special case" and "almost like not part of Phil Collins' career", but deliberately chose it as his final solo album, which made it "a perfect circle" and "a beautiful journey" to end with music that he started off listening to.[10] The album also marked the end of Collins's record deal with Atlantic Records.[11]
The album originated in 2008 when Collins selected lesser known and "darker" Motown songs that he liked best as a youngster, and produced demos of them at his home studio in Geneva, Switzerland, using Cubase software.[12] In late 2008, Collins approached Swiss audio engineer, producer, and mixer Yvan Bing, a former drummer who lived near Geneva, to help finalise the tracks and co-produce the album. The pair first met in New York City in 2006, when the two were working on the musical adaptation of Tarzan (1998).[13] The first recording session took place in January 2009, and involved Collins playing along to the drum parts on his demos with a real kit to see if he could handle recording all the drums live.[13] Collins brought in a kit that he had owned since 1964, and the session was the first time Collins sat at a kit since his operation, and had to tape his left hand to the drumstick to play. In addition to Geneva, the album was recorded at The Farm in Shalford, Surrey, and in New York City.[13] Bing realised early into the project that using digital audio workstation was the ideal platform to recreate all the individual parts to the songs, and opted for Pro Tools, with the sound enhanced by analogue equipment.[13]
The lead vocals on the album were taken from Collins's home demos, except a few re-recorded sections put down later.[13] Collins enlisted musicians Bob Babbitt, Eddie Willis, and Ray Monette, who were part of The Funk Brothers and played on several Motown recordings from 1959 until 1972. Collins said to be able to have the surviving members involved "was unbelievable", and felt "a wave of happiness and wonder that this was actually happening to me" as he was performing with them on "(Love Is Like A) Heatwave".[9][13] The overdubs for the 25 tracks were completed from 11 to 20 January 2010.[14] Collins had his two youngest sons, Nicholas and Matthew, stomp their feet on the recording of "Jimmy Mack".[13]
Artwork[edit]
Until early 2010, the album was going to be called 18 Good Reasons with the album cover stylised to recall the Motown era. But the chance discovery of a photograph of 13-year-old Collins playing drums in the Getty Images library caused a change in direction, resulting in the album being called Going Back.[15] Collins noted he actually had to pay for use of the picture of himself. The 2016 reissue of the album used a new photograph featuring a present-day Collins.
Release[edit]
On 10 April 2010 the first release of the recordings, "Too Many Fish in the Sea" was given free to new users who signed up to Collins's relaunched website. The title track, "Going Back" started to receive airplay in May and was streamed online on Collins's website soon after. "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" and "Going Back" were released as singles. On 31 July 2010, Atlantic Records unveiled the music video for "(Love Is Like a) Heatwave".[16] On 24 August 2010, a music video for "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)" was released on Collins's official YouTube channel.[17]
Going Back debuted at No. 1 in the Dutch Albums Chart for the week ending 18 September 2010.[18] The album also reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for the week ending 23 September 2010.[19] It was his first UK No. 1 in 12 years (...Hits) and his first UK No. 1 in 17 years (Both Sides) counting only albums with new material.