WE CAN'T DANCE

Something of a return to form after the disappointing Invisible Touch. Its main problem is that it is too long. I know the boys wanted to take advantage of the CD medium and use the full 70 plus minutes available. But what this means is that whilst there are some great moments, they have to share the billing with some weak sappy ballads. I think there are four great tracks here: No Son Of Mine, Driving The Last Spike, Dreaming While You Sleep and Fading Lights. The first is a strong opening single. Driving The Last Spike is a great story telling epic where the whole band are on top form, particularly Phil whose lyrics and vocals are superb. Dreaming While You Sleep is a very moving song about a hit 'n' run driver. Fading Lights harks back to former glories and would've been a great way for the band to sign off. Of the other tracks, Living Forever has some nice proggish moments and Way Of The World is a nice tune, though the lyrics are pretty naff. That leaves us with the (almost) title track and Jesus He Knows Me, which are the customary comic tracks. Tell Me Why, Hold On My Heart and Since I Lost You belong on Phil Collins solo albums. Had they restricted this album to the first six tracks I mentioned plus the excellent outtake "On The Shoreline" (the B-side of I Can't Dance), they would've had a 7 track album clocking in at just over 50 minutes that would have been very good, if not quite on a par with the 70s albums. As it is, I'm going to give We Can't Dance three stars, well really three and a half.