Wiki
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Release Date
6 November 1989
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Length
12 tracks
...But Seriously is the fourth solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was recorded at The Farm, Surrey, England, and at A&M Studios, Los Angeles, United States. It was released on 20 November 1989, on Virgin in the UK and Ireland, Atlantic in the US and Canada, WEA Records (now Warner Music Group) for the rest of the world. It was the best-selling album of 1990 in the UK.
A 2-disc remastered version of the album was released on 10 June 2016 and contains live songs and demos.
Musical style:
While much of the album follows the same formula as Collins' previous album, No Jacket Required (1985), there was also a move towards more organic production as Collins chose to utilize live drums instead of the drum machines used heavily on No Jacket Required. He also prominently used keyboards and electric piano but fewer synthesizers. The album also features a solo instrumental track, "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning", which recalls the jazz-influenced instrumentals featured on his first two albums, Face Value and Hello, I Must Be Going.
Themes:
The tone of the album is serious, as the title suggests. Instead of focusing entirely on personal relationships, dark psychedelics, and fun, Collins expands his focus to the exploration of socio-economic and political themes. There is emotional turmoil underneath the polished studio production and many of the songs are unambiguous and unveiled in their melancholy.
"Another Day in Paradise", which was released as the lead single and became the album's biggest international hit, is a sympathetic look at the plight of the homeless. The song was inspired by Collins' visit to Washington, D.C. There, he was struck with the widespread poverty in which so many people live, and the struggles that homeless people face. He was equally struck by the perfect abandonment of these needy people, and the complacency of the city as a whole, despite being the nation's center of government (hence the sarcasm used in the title of the song).
Another politically themed song on the album is "Colors", which voices Collins' condemnation of the segregation and oppression of black and colored people in South Africa under apartheid. Arguably the song with the most progressive rock influence in this album (à la Genesis). But it did not see much commercial success as it is almost nine minutes long, and radio stations had no interest in playing it. The political theme is also evident in the second song on the album "That's Just the Way It Is", which deals with The Troubles of Northern Ireland. This was a minor chart hit in the summer of 1990 and in the lyrics Collins makes reference to the gridlock of Ulster's sectarian differences most notably in the line "If we'd agree that we can disagree, we could stop all of this today."
While incorporating political themes, ...But Seriously does not abandon the theme of relationships. But unlike some of his earlier work, Collins takes a more mature and reflective approach when looking at the relationships in his life.
The album also features a dramatic, gospel-influenced track, "I Wish It Would Rain Down", which features Eric Clapton prominently on guitar and became one of the album's biggest hit singles.
"Father to Son" is a song in which Collins explores his connection with his own son. The song has a positive, inspirational tone as he seeks to guide his son through some of the trials of life and love, and to reassure him that, "if you look behind you, I will be there".
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