Hits (CD - 1998)

Personnel includes: Phil Collins (vocals, keyboards, drums, tambourine, drum programming); Philip Bailey, David Crosby, Marilyn Martin, Amy Keys, Arnold McCuller (vocals); Dominic Miller, Daryl Stuermer, Michael Thompson, Michael Landau, Ronnie Caryl, Eric Clapton (guitar); L. Shankar (violin); Eric Rigler (Uileann pipes); Greg Phillinganes (piano, Wurlitzer piano); Peter Robinson

(piano, vibraphone, glockenspiel); David Frank (keyboards, Mini-Moog synthesizer, bass, DMX); Babyface (keyboards, drum programming, background vocals); Nick Glennie-Smith, Rob Mousney, Lesette Wilson (keyboards); Nathan

East, Leland Sklar, Cornelius Mims, John Giblin, Freddie Washington (bass); Sheila E.(percussion); Peter Gabriel, Sting, Marva King (background vocals).

The Phoenix Horns: Don Myrick (saxophone); Michael Harris, Rhamlee Michael Davis (trumpet); Louis Satterfield (trombone).

The Vine Street Horns: Andrew Woolfolk (saxophone); Harry Kim, Daniel Fornero (trumpet); Arturo Velasco (trombone).

Producers include: Phil Collins, Hugh Padgham, Babyface, Lamont Dozier, Arif Mardin.

Personnel: Phil Collins (vocals, keyboards, drums, drum machine, tambourine, background vocals); David Crosby, Amy Keyes, Amy Keys, Philip Bailey, Arnold McCuller (vocals); Daryl Stuermer, Dominic Miller, Eric Clapton, Michael Hart Thompson , Michael Landau, Michael Thompson (guitar); Lakshminarayana Shankar (violin); Eric Rigler (Uilleann pipe); Don Myrick, Andrew Woolfolk (saxophone); Daniel Fornero, Harry Kim, Rahmlee Michael Davis (trumpet); Arturo Velasco, Louis Satterfield (trombone); Vine Street Horns (horns); Greg Phillinganes (piano, Wurlitzer organ); Peter Robinson (piano, vibraphone, glockenspiel); David Frank (keyboards, mini-Moog synthesizer); Babyface (keyboards, drum programming, background vocals); Lesette Wilson, Rob Mounsey, Brad Cole (keyboards); Paulinho Da Costa, Sheila E. (percussion); Lynn Fiddmont, Helen Terry, Alex Brown, Marva King, Peter Gabriel, Sting (background vocals).

Illustrator: Janfranco Caro.

Arrangers: Tom Tom 84; Harry Kim; Phil Collins.

In the early '80s, Collins took a break from the helm of Genesis to inaugurate a solo career that abandoned his group's art-rock agenda for a mainstream pop approach. In the ensuing years, the king of Nice Guy Pop established himself as one of the world's premier top 40 balladeers, as evidenced by the wall-to-wall hits that make up the balance of this appropriately titled collection. HITS walks the listener through the smooth, well-produced Collins hits that have worked their way into the collective consciousness of radio listeners (even casual ones) over the years. There are majestic power ballads ("I Wish It Would Rain") to light-hearted, infectious pop-funk ("Sussudio") and moody atmospheric pieces ("In the Air Tonight") HITS represents the full range of material this prolific performer has turned out over the course of his wildly successful career. minimize