who is better: paul mccartney or phil collins?

stelfox

Beast of Burden
ok, you tell me. rules are that you are not allowed to include their work in either the beatles or genesis, only their solo output (talking about wings is totally permissable, though, i think).
anyway, on the basis of their careers as artists in their own right, i really reckon collins wins it.
1) honestly - in the air tonight versus temporary secretary? (gutterbreaks, i feel you every step of the way, blud!) - absolutely no competition for collins here.
2) in fact, half of face value, the album in the air tonight was on, is pretty decent and no jacket required is actually *good* (albeit in a 1980s, espadrilles-with-no-socks kinda way), but i can't even remember the name of a single mccartney album.
3) urban love - loads of rappers and r&b stars love the collins. this is because he knows his way around a tune. mccartney... well, let's just say that you won't be hearing the game making a version of mull of kintyre any time soon.
4) looking at their collaborative ventures really answers this for me, though. mccartney = ebony and ivory and the frog chorus. collins = easy lover. yup, phil's a clear winner.
 
Last edited:

bun-u

Trumpet Police
Can I have some better options? …that’s worse than the choice at the last (UK) election
 

3underscore

Well-known member
It has to be Phil Collins.

1. He didn't do the Frog Chorus
2. See one. It is a point worth re-iterating
3. My step-dad looked a bit like him from about 1986-1993.
 

k-punk

Spectres of Mark
stelfox said:
loads of rappers and r&b stars love the collins..

Yes, well that's one more reason to distrust THEM in my book.... not a feather in Phil's cap... :)

Brandy doing Another Day in Paradise.... puhleeze....

I don't think McCartney's done anything to compete with 'In the Air Tonight', which is - though Woebot derided me years ago for saying it - a fabulous single, a masterpiece of New-Wave-inflected angst-Pop ----

But what else has Collins done that isn't execrable? All those ordinary bloke does blue eyed soul rentabrass numbers that are useful only as soundtracks to Patrick Bateman's slayings in American Psycho....

At the same time, though, Collins didn't do 'Mull of Kintyre', a song whose 6 months at number one (or so it seemed then) blighted my childhood....

BUT... McCartney didn't threaten to flounce out of the country if a Lab govt were elected.... (The only remaining reason for voting Labour might be to keep Phil living in Switzerland)....

A tough one...

But, 'In the Air Tonight' apart, I'd much rather listen to Wings than Phil, I must say...
 

stelfox

Beast of Burden
yeah, i LOVE brandy, with a capital love, but including another day in paradise on full moon ruined what was a very strong album till that point - quite barfsome, really.
i'm not saying "rappers like collins, ergo he must be good", though.
i'm just saying "people like him".
nobody really likes mccartney.
yeah, i know temporary secretary is always called up as a reason why he's "actually really a bit of a genius" by people.
this would be alright if it wasn't a really fucking shitty record.
the "phil's a tory and paul's a leftie, therefore paul is much less detestable" is a real red herring, it also has nothing to do with music.
 
Last edited:

ladyboygrimsby

Active member
You lot are demented cloth-eared fools. In The Air Tonight is a great pop song. As is Sussudio (and a great dancefloor mix of it by John Potoker). However...

McCartney has done a stack of brilliant songs, aside from the Beatles. Oo You from his first solo album is a great bit of swamp-funk. From the same album, there's also Maybe I'm Amazed, a fantastic love song. Wings' first LP contains the off the wall latin-soul Love Is Strange. There's his (not very good, but very worthy) protest song Give Ireland Back To The Irish. Loads of great singles, like C Moon, Let 'Em In, Coming Up, Goodnight Tonight, Say Say Say. Band On The Wall is a classic pop album, and Live And Let Die is one of th best Bond themes ever. Then there's his leftfield stuff like the amazing Secret Friend, and Check My Machine, both from the same sessions as the excellent McCartney II LP. In fact, i think the CD of the album contains both of those as well as Goodnight Tonight.

Yes, he's done some turkeys, but surely the sheer weight of the good stuff outweighs this, no?

The tragedy of Paul McCartney is that he wants to be liked so much it makes otherwise neutral people dislike him.

Listen to these two and then tell me Phil Collins is better than Paul McCartney.... ;)

Regular link (for all web browsers):
http://s51.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2N2NC7GMMKKZ004DYZOVSEVX6N


Regular link (for all web browsers):
http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=04ID6Y6W6PYOY0USHO4S4EOYR7
 

stelfox

Beast of Burden
i am going to prove my point by downloading no jacket required (i don't own it) and band on the run to see which i like best after a back-to-back listen.
 
S

simon silverdollar

Guest
as a friend of mine once said, there's no answer to such a question: it's like comparing cat shit and dog shit and trying to decide which is better.
 

Grievous Angel

Beast of Burden
Stelfox, you're a fucking mentalist :)

For Mcartney:
1. Waterfalls is a solid gold classic, better than Imagine. The TLC cover (pace K-Punk) just makes it better.

2. Band on the run and Jet are both good.

3. I insist that Mull of Kintyre is not that bad OR AT LEAST IT IS ONCE YOU'VE BEEN THERE. Obviously it's execrable until that point but, I went to Kintyre on holiday a few weeks back and couldn't help thinking he'd really nailed some of the magic of that place.

4. I have a Wings compo CD which seems very good and I am sure that one day I will be able to remember what tunes are on it ten minutes after playing it.

For Collins:
1. Sussudio and ITA as mentioned -- the former is marvellous, vertiginous pop music

2. I think we can include Genesis when he took over. In particular, I insist on including Abacab -- an irresistible bit of banging 7/8 (or something) pop-prog which Gabriel-era Genesis struggles to equal (though they succeed with Carpet Crawlers etc.). Go on admit it, you're singing along to it now, aren't you? "All I need is a TV show, that and my radio..."

3. I am given to understand that Brand X (his 70s spin off band) produced some very acceptable jazz fusion. (Note to readers: I like Sting. Caveat lector.)

On that basis it looks like a draw to me, but Mcartney loses on points for inventing techno.
 
Last edited:

mms

sometimes
there is always something about the production and sound of collins
that encapsulates a sound and time that is only collins
mcartney you can't say the same
about. :eek:
 
C

captain easychord

Guest
mms said:
there is always something about the production and sound of collins
that encapsulates a sound and time that is only collins
mcartney you can't say the same
about. :eek:

when he's on net he only spits trooth.
 

k-punk

Spectres of Mark
The definitive statement

Patrick Bateman: Do you like Phil Collins? I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where, uh, Phil Collins' presence became more apparent. I think Invisible Touch was the group's undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. ... Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. .... In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism. Sabrina, why don't you, uh, dance a little. Take the lyrics to Land of Confusion. In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as, uh, anything I've heard in rock. ... Phil Collins' solo career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially songs like In the Air Tonight and, uh, Against All Odds. .... But I also think Phil Collins works best within the confines of the group, than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. This is Sussudio, a great, great song, a personal favorite.
 

Grievous Angel

Beast of Burden
No sign of Stelfox. Search teams are pushing through the wastelands of east London in a rescue mission, but it is thought that by now his exposure to mid-period Phil Collins albums may have damaged his immune system beyond repair.
 
Top