Phil Collins success as a solo artist had made him more popular than Genesis. Before the release of "No Jacket Required", Collins insisted that he would not leave the band. "The next one to leave the band will finish it," Collins told "Rolling Stone" magazine in May 1985. "I feel happier with what we're doing now, because I feel it's closer to me. I won't be the one." Collins added, "Poor old Genesis does get in the way sometimes. I still won't leave the group, but I imagine it will end by mutual consent." In October 1985, Collins reunited with Banks and
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