Phil Collins second Brand X album, "Moroccan Roll". In December 1978, Genesis went on hiatus while Collins went to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to focus on his family; his marriage had become strained after his extensive touring. Having failed to save the relationship, Collins returned to the UK in April 1979, by which time Banks and Rutherford were recording their solo albums. With time to spare before recording a new Genesis album, Collins played on the Brand X album "Product" and its accompanying tour, played on John Martyn's album "Grace and Danger", and started writing his first solo album, "Face Value", at
Phil Collins the lesser-known London band the Action, whose drummer he would copy and whose work introduced him to the soul music of Motown and Stax Records. Collins was also influenced by the jazz and big band drummer Buddy Rich, whose opinion on the importance of the hi-hat prompted him to stop using two bass drums and start using the hi-hat. While attending Chiswick County School for Boys, Collins formed a band called the Real Thing, and later joined the Freehold, with whom he wrote his first song, "Lying Crying Dying". Collins began a career as a child actor while at the