Face Value (album)

Face Value is the debut solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins, released on 13 February 1981 by Virgin Records. After his first wife filed for divorce in 1979, Collins began to write songs during a break in activity from Genesis with much of the material concerning his personal life. The album was recorded from mid-1980 to early 1981 with Collins and Hugh Padgham as producers. Additional musicians include the Phenix Horns, Alphonso Johnson, and Eric Clapton.

Face Value
Studio album by
Phil Collins
Released13 February 1981 (1981-02-13)
Recorded1979 (demos)
August–December 1980 (overdubs and mix)
Studio
  • The Town House, London
  • Old Croft, Shalford, Surrey
  • The Village Recorder, Los Angeles
Genre
Length47:49
LabelVirgin (UK)
Atlantic (North America)
WEA (elsewhere)
Producer
Phil Collins chronology
Face Value
(1981)
Hello, I Must Be Going!
(1982)
Singles from Face Value
  1. "In the Air Tonight"
    Released: 9 January 1981 (UK)
  2. "I Missed Again"
    Released: 27 February 1981 (UK)
  3. "If Leaving Me Is Easy"
    Released: May 1981
  4. "Thunder and Lightning"
    Released: November 1981 (Germany)
Alternative cover
2016 reissue cover

Face Value was an instant commercial success and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for three weeks and No. 7 on the US Billboard 200. It has since sold over 5 million copies in the US and over 1.5 million in the UK. The album received widespread praise from critics and launched Collins' solo career whose commercial success would ultimately outstrip that of Genesis. Its lead single "In the Air Tonight", released in January 1981, reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and became known for its drum arrangement and use of gated reverb. In January 2016, Face Value was reissued with bonus tracks and new photography in the style of the original but featuring a present-day Collins.

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