Mike Portnoy comments on Phil Collins

I Love Phil – Mike Portnoy (Ex-Dream Theater)

“I first encountered Phil Collins with Genesis around ‘81 or ‘82, during the Duke and Abacab period. It was the early days of MTV, around the same time I was discovering Rush and, as I got more into progressive music, I then dug back into their catalogue to discover all of the classic early ‘70s stuff.

“Along with Bill Bruford and Carl Palmer, Phil was a classic prog rock drummer from that era. He paved the way for progressive drumming in rock with his ability to weave in and out of odd time signatures, while still grooving – and his groove had a real ‘swing’ to it. Phil also had a very distinctive drum sound. The fill in ‘In The Air Tonight’ is one of the most famous drum breaks of all time and it’s the sound that makes it so distinctive. Many times in the studio I have doubled a tom fill to give it that Phil Collins ‘Afterglow’/’Squonk’ effect!

“Phil is a prime example of a player who has stretched out beyond just the drums, and applied himself in a more overall musical capacity, and he’s also a rare lefty drummer, which is always unique to watch.

“I do feel that Phil is sorely underrated as a player; his drumming influence in the ‘70s has been overshadowed by his pop success in the ‘80s. I was recently asked who I think is missing from Modern Drummer’s Hall Of Fame, and I cited Phil as the most glaring omission. Top of the list for me in terms of tracks that epitomise Phil’s playing would be ‘The Colony of Slippermen’ – the grooves are so insane. Anything from Nursery Cryme to A Trick Of The Tail is mandatory listening...”