Ian Anderson’s opinion on Phil Collins

As the frontman and main songwriter of Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson became one of the most influential musicians of Progressive Rock over the past six decades. He was part of that successful British movement which, besides them, also had bands like Genesis, originally fronted by Peter Gabriel.

Over the years, Anderson has talked about many bands that emerged during that era and their members, giving his opinion on them, including the singer and drummer Phil Collins.

What is Ian Anderson’s opinion on Phil Collins

Ian Anderson wasn’t a huge fan of Genesis but he really liked Phil Collins, especially as a singer. “I never had the fortune to see Genesis in their early days. Because they began more or less around the same time as we did. We all seem to be on tour, I never crossed paths with them (but) we used to hear a lot about them, you know. (Especially) from promoters and sometimes from fans of the group who would appear to be fans of Genesis as well. I think perhaps there were some similarities between the bands in the early days. They obviously suffered their line-up changes, change of emphasis in the sort of focus of the group, just as Jethro Tull did in its way. But I think they’re probably a very important group.”

“They’re one that have survived through ultimately being good musicians doing a good performance. Obviously it’s a band, but you can’t escape the fact that Phil Collins, particularly as a vocalist is just really terrific. He’s great, a very talented singer apart from being a drummer, musician, writer, whatever else he might be. He’s a great singer and it’s great to be a great singer (laughs). So I mean, he’s always got that talent to fall back on even without original material, even without perhaps if Genesis… I’m not saying they are, but they were considered by critics to be no longer the front ranks of creative forwardgoing groups.”

He continued:

“At least there is a level of performance from all of the band but particularly Phil Collins. Even if the only material they had to work with was (some) Motown hits from 15 years ago, they would still be terrific, because they do it in a great way. It would sound terrific and they would put something special of their own into it. So they have a lasting place, but I don’t want to sound critical of them anymore than anybody else, but somehow bands like Pink Floyd for me, right up until the last (album – Final Cut) were still flying in the face everything that seemed sensible,” Ian Anderson said in an interview with MTV in 1984 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).

Although Anderson wasn’t a big fan of the band, he considered them to be part of the “Big Four” of Progressive Rock music, alongside King Crimson, Yes and ELP. “I was never a fan of Genesis. But their musicianship is amazing,” he told Stay Rock in 2021. One of the main reasons he did not enjoy their music that much, especially during the Peter Gabriel era, was that he felt it was becoming rather self-indulgent, as the songs were becoming increasingly complex and lengthy.

Ian Anderson performed with Phil Collins

Ian Anderson played with Phil Collins in 1982, when they were part of the Prince’s Trust Rock Gala charity. With Collins on drums, they performed the Jethro Tull songs “Pussy Willow” and “Jack-in-the-Green”.

Collins mentioned Ian, when asked by Spin magazine if Peter Gabriel had ever explained why he wore some costumes. Like for example, the one he was like a “giant stalk of broccoli onstage”. “No, but it was just Pete being Pete. I didn’t even think it was particularly weird. Ian Anderson was running around the stage on one leg, dressed up like a tramp. People were doing weird things,” he said in 2010.

Anderson also admired the Genesis frontman as a person, since although he became very successful in the 1980s, he remained humble and did not become a typical show business star. “(There is) a dilemma at work there as soon as you become monetarily successful as a musician, you immediately tread on very, very thin ice when it comes to the some of the subject material and some of the sentiments that you might have expressed when you were a poor, penniless, struggling musician. That’s one of the things you have to cope with. At that point it’s best to get rid of the limos and the dark glasses. It’s best to shed the trappings of show biz. You know, kind of just be one of the guys as much as you can.”

He continued:

“It’s easier to deal with Phil Collins making a lot of money, than with Michael Jackson or Madonna. Because Phil Collins doesn’t seem too show biz, that he’s gonna upset you. Whereas Madonna is sort of archetypal Hollywood show biz power crazy, sort of over the top. I mean I don’t think anybody really likes Madonna, that’s the sad thing. Yet there’s a lot of talent and, you know, character there. It’s just that, you can’t like this woman, you know. It’s so sad, isn’t it?” he told Marc Allen in 1993.

Like Jethro Tull, Genesis was also formed in 1967 but was less prolific than Anderson’s group. They released 7 studio albums with Peter Gabriel on vocals and the same amount with Phil Collins as the frontman. The only record without both was “Calling All Stations”, released in 1997 with Ray Wilson as the singer.