Tag Archive for: biggest selling albums 1983

Between 1980 and 1986, the British trio Genesis released a series of four consecutive hit albums, each more successful than its predecessor by as many as five times. Because drummer/singer/songwriter Phil Collins had a parallel solo career take off during that time, reading the critical reviews from many respected music writers in this period imply that Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks unwittingly, if not unwillingly, were somehow led by Collins in a more mainstream pop direction. However, the simple facts just don't bear out that assumption.

And yes, the series of clever, campy videos on the upstart MTV video channel in America undoubtedly had much to do with that staggering (15 million just in US) level of popularity for "Eliminator" (truly ironic, since manager Bill Ham had steadfastly kept ZZ Top off of U.S. television until then). But the songwriting, musicianship, modern arranging, and state-of-the-art recording on "Eliminator" which I heard that day was truly extraordinary. Billy Gibbons, Frank Bread, & the late Dusty Hill are my guests In the Studio.