Both Sides

Both Sides
Studio album by Phil Collins
Released	9 November 1993
Recorded	1990-1991
Genre	Pop, Ballad
Length	67:16
Label	Virgin (UK and Ireland) Atlantic (US and Canada) WEA (rest of the world)
Producer	Phil Collins
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Rolling Stone link
Phil Collins chronology
Serious Hits… Live! (1990) Both Sides (1993) Dance into the Light (1996)

Both Sides is the title of Phil Collins' fifth studio album, released in the autumn of 1993.

Development

Both Sides was notable for the fact that Collins made it entirely on his own, without his usual loyal collaborators, such as producer Hugh Padgham, guitarist Daryl Stuermer, bassist Leland Sklar and the Phenix Horns. Instead, Collins played and recorded at his home studio all the instruments himself as well as taking care of the production duties. This has been the only album upon which Phil Collins has played all the instruments himself with no collaboration from other musicians. For the first time, Collins wrote sleeve notes explaining the meaning of each of the songs on the album.

Collins claims this album to be the one of which he is most proud^{[citation needed]}. The sound of the album is different from most previous albums because most of the songs were recorded in Collins's house and taken to the studio for additional work. He touches on politics and "the daily cloud of terrorism Britain seems to live under" on "We Wait and We Wonder", but also on a maturing disenchantment with the youth culture on "We're Sons of Our Fathers". The melancholy style of the majority of the songs—as a return to the style of his early albums Face Value and Hello, I Must Be Going!—was because the songs chronicled the widely publicised breakup of his second marriage to Jill Tavelman.

Critical response

Both Sides was met with a lukewarm reception, especially in the Adult Contemporary radio, being criticised for its over reliance on slow, dark and downbeat songs. The album was preceded by the title track as the first single, reaching #7 in the UK and only #25 in the US (in a disappointing chart performance considering the lead singles from his two previous albums were #1 hits in America). The album itself was released weeks later surprisingly only going to #13 in the US, though it still went platinum there. Both Sides was a hit in other European countries such as the UK (where it was the 8th biggest-selling album of 1993, though it was only available for the final eight weeks of the year), Germany or Switzerland, reaching #1 all over Europe, but with a limited success, due to the lack of hit singles. The ballad "Everyday", released in early 1994, was another Top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at #15, and became the biggest hit single from the album in the US, reaching #24 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 in the Adult Contemporary chart. The third and last single, "We Wait and We Wonder"—a political anthem on which Collins plays bagpipes—reached only #45 in the UK.

Track listing

All songs written, performed and produced by Phil Collins.

1. "Both Sides of the Story" – 6:43
2. "Can't Turn Back the Years" – 4:40
3. "Everyday" – 5:43
4. "I've Forgotten Everything" – 5:15
5. "We're Sons of Our Fathers" – 6:24
6. "Can't Find My Way" – 5:08
7. "Survivors" – 6:05
8. "We Fly So Close" – 7:33
9. "There's a Place for Us" – 6:53
10. "We Wait and We Wonder" – 7:01
11. "Please Come Out Tonight" – 5:47

Unreleased Tracks

Several instrumental tracks were recorded and subsequently released as extra tracks on both singles for "Everyday", and "We Wait and We Wonder." These instrumental tracks include, "Rad Dudeski", and "Don't Call Me Ashley". In addition, there were other various B-Sides that were released from the Both Sides sessions ("For A Friend", "Take Me With You") and a few cover songs that made it on other various albums. There has been discussion about a song called "Deep Water Town," a demo/recording during Both Sides that has never been released or widely circulated amongst collectors. The existence of this demo was confirmed by Phil during a question and answer session from the Phil Collins web site forum.^[1]

Both Sides Of The World Tour

Although Both Sides failed to reach the same heights as ...But Seriously and No Jacket Required, the supporting tour was a huge success. A mammoth 13 month tour, which saw over 150 performances over 6 continents, the Both Sides Of The World Tour once again proved Collins to be one of the most popular artists in the World.

Production and technical contributions

• All instruments played by Phil Collins
• Apart from the drum machine, everything was played live.

• Written, produced & performed by Phil Collins
• All tracks published by © 1993 Philip Collins Ltd/ Hit & Run Music Publishing Ltd.

• Engineered by Paul Gomersall
• Assisted by Mark Robinson
• Continuous surveillance by Geoff Callingham & Mike Bowen

• Recorded at home on 12 tk, (PC engineering) with additional over dubs recorded at The Farm, Surrey, England. Mastered by Bob Ludwig, Gateway Studios, US
• Cover photography by Trevor Key
• Line artwork Hills Archer Ink

References