#16: "Invisible Touch" by Genesis

#16—Phil Collins, not Phil Collen!

Favorite Song: Land of Confusion
Notable Tracks: Invisible Touch; Tonight, Tonight, Tonight; In Too Deep; Throwing It All Away; The Brazilian
Release Date: 1986
Chart Peak: #3 (U.S. Billboard 200)
Popularity: 15 million copies worldwide

Most young people today probably only know Phil Collins as "that guy who sang that song in Tarzan" (the Disney version), or maybe by his countless treacly, adult-contemporary songs on lite-FM radio stations and countless Muzak feeds. What many people may not realize is that in the late '70s and early '80s, Phil Collins was the lead singer of a really terrific rock band—Genesis—not to mention a really kick-ass drummer, as well.

I guess because I'm a drummer myself, I've got a soft spot for drummers who are also their band's lead singers—there haven't been many, and speaking as a drummer who has actually sang lead on a couple of songs in a live performance, it's not easy. Invisible Touch is the only Genesis album I own, but it's good enough to land at #16.

Consider just how good this album really is: there are only eight tracks on the entire album, and five of them were released as singles, with all five of them charting in the top five in the U.S., the title track eventually reaching #1, the only #1 single of their career. It's also hard to remember how good it was when it was released because so much of this music became almost ubiquitous, appearing in everything from TV and movie soundtracks to beer commercials.

What's really great about this album, though, is the song "Land of Confusion." These three mild-mannered, unassuming British guys made a scathing indictment of conservative politics both in their native U.K. as well as here in the U.S. at a time when the popular support for Britain's Margaret Thatcher and our own Ronald Reagan had only begun to wane.

The song is a fiery protest against the militaristic jingoism of conservative politics on both sides of the Atlantic that was made even more biting by the video, which features the British puppeteers "Spitting Image." Knowing what we know now about the eighties and the lies told and money spent in the twilight of the Cold War, the song seems especially prescient.

This video is really creepy—don't say you weren't warned!