The writing was on the wall for Phil Collins fans long before he officially announced his retirement in 2011. 2002's Testify was the pop star's last album of original tunes, and he sang his hits on tour for the last time a few years later. As omnipresent in the '80s as Madonna and Prince, the actor-turned-drummer-turned-reluctant frontman had begun extricating himself from the spotlight with the cheekily named "Finally" farewell tour. Eventually holed away in his Swiss chalet, he drank, watched cricket, and focused his attention and royalties from 150+ million album sales on acquiring the world's largest collection of Alamo memorabilia. But there was a good explanation for the retreat. A spinal cord injury resulting from decades of performing, and the fallout from unsuccessful reparative surgeries, left him unable to write his name much less drum duet with Chester Thompson. Couple that with hearing loss in his left ear and the dissolution of his third marriage, and it's apparent how
www.stereogum.com
