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 Collins produced the album in collaboration with Hugh Padgham, with whom he had worked on Peter Gabriel's self-titled 1980 album. "Face Value" was an international success, reaching number one in seven countries worldwide and number seven in the U.S, where it went on to sell 5 million copies. "In the Air Tonight", the album's lead single, became a hit and reached number two in the UK charts. The song is known for the gated reverb effect used on Collins's drums, a technique developed by Padgham when he worked as an engineer on Gabriel's song "Intruder", on which Collins played drums.