62. Mike Lord and Tom Roche Discuss Phil Collins, Testify

Send us Fan MailMike Lord and Tom Roche — co-hosts of Tabletop Genesis — take a busman’s holiday from their own podcast to have a Genesis-adjacent conversation on this podcast. Mike, Tom and Al discuss Phil Collins’ seventh solo album, Testify — an album that Al had never explored despite being an ardent Genesis and Phil Collins fan. Mike explains why he recommended this album to Al, despite its less-than-glowing reviews, and Tom discusses his own journey with the album. The whole crew reveals where they would rank Testify among Phil’s albums.Some assorted notes:I criticized Phil for having a lyrical theme that was too close to that of a big hit by The Police. Then I referred to “Every Breath You Take” as “Every Step You Take,” which was a far greater offense than the thing I was criticizing.I could not find a link to the Toyota Avalon commercial with "Can’t Stop Loving You." In my searches I did, however, learn that Taylor Swift did her own cover version in 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6FXmdoGut8I recommended a couple of YouTube channels, so here are the links!Tim Pierce: https://www.youtube.com/c/timpierceguitarLeland Sklar: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs5yDeiOgkyRZGZGphlSbIwAnd here is the episode where Lee tells the story about playing on Leo Sayer’s version of “Can’t Stop Loving You.” It starts at 16:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I74es0kSFlw&t=1062sFollow Tom and Mike on Twitter!Tom Roche is @burningfirebushMike Lord is @zorknappTheir Tabletop Genesis podcast is on Twitter, too! Follow them at @GenesisTabletopThe show also has a Facebook page (Tabletop Genesis) and a website, http://tabletopgenesis.com/, where you can get the podcast, take their polls and learn more about the program.(To the tune of Follow You, Follow Me) You can follow them, will you follow me…Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com1:16 Mike and Tom join the show3:01 Al and Mike explain how this episode came to be6:47 Tom hadn’t listened to Testify much before preparing for this episode8:53 Al didn’t even know Testify existed until several years after its release9:49 Al wonders if he can evaluate Testify fairly and enlists Tom and MIke’s help16:40 Mike and Al consider whether they would have liked Testify 20 years ago17:54 Phil Collins’ albums often reflect his mood at the time he records them18:47 Testify has a different sound than Phil’s other albumsReactions to the album’s tracks (slightly out of order)20:14 Wake Up Call26:37 Testify30:38 Come with Me35:47 Don’t Get Me Started40:34 Swing Low44:28 It’s Not Too Late50:46 This Love This Heart53:08 Driving Me Crazy57:55 The Least You Can Do1:00:27 Can’t Stop Loving You1:06:58 Thru My Eyes1:09:31 You Touch My Heart1:11:36 Tom, Mike and Al consider how to re-sequence the album1:13:48 Tom, Mike and Al determine where they’d rank Testify among Phil’s albums1:22:24 Mike was pleasantly surprised at his Twitter feed’s reaction to us doing this podcastSupport the show