Music: Phil Collins – 'No Jacket Required (Fully Tailored)'

A 40th anniversary edition remastered and expanded, because we definitely need more Phil in our lives

1985 was Phil Collins time. From top to bottom – a new album, a solo tour, the release of Eric Clapton’s Behind The Sun (with Phil as songwriter, co-producer and contributing musician), transcontinental performances at Live Aid, the theme song “Separate Lives” for the film White Nights, and guest starring on an episode of Miami Vice – it was a complete immersion of Phil-A-Delic delight. And to the jubilation of the people of planet Earth (and I AM SERIOUS), we are rewarded with a 2025 variant of Phil’s 1985 global pop music takeover No Jacket Required.

The paranthetical (Fully Tailored) is not meant to align with our current omnipresent music icon, whose last name is Swift. Rather, this is the second version of NJR with a substantial upgrade and extra-good stuff included, if you recall the 2016 upgrade that contained a number of live tracks and demos.

For 2025, the deluxe 4LP collection comprises the original album, remastered at half speed, while the remaining three vinyls feature B-sides, live and rare performances, captured on vinyl for the first time, including Phil’s Live Aid performance of “Long, Long Way To Go” with Sting.

Phil Collins & Sting - Long, Long Way To Go (Live Aid 1985)/℗© 1985 WEA International/Essex Music/YouTube

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It’s not hard to see the impact Phil was having at that moment in time. His popularity sparked equal parts admiration and animosity, even as Phil acknowledged it as a bit of overkill. While not intentionally appearing to rule the charts or the airwaves, NJR nonetheless walloped a punch that began appropriately enough with a smack of synthesized drums and keyboards.

Phil Collins - Sussudio (Official Music Video) [HD Upgrade]/℗© 1985 WEA International/Essex Music/YouTube

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Admittedly, it can be hard to take seriously (but… seriously) another investment in 40-year-old versions of iconic material you’ve no doubt listened to a thousand times. What’s here for audiophiles is the technology that allows a fuller, all-around sound to the familiar (an additional separate disc is a Dolby ATMOS, 5.1 surround sound and stereo mix), an appreciation for performances that weren’t given their due, and perhaps more importantly, this collection makes clear no matter how you cut it, Phil gave his all and a willing public appreciated his tenancity and gift for song, whether it has sold 25 million copies, won Grammys or remains an undiscovered treasure trove for a new generation.

Phil Collins - Take Me Home (Official Music Video) [HD Upgrade]/℗© 1985 WEA International/Essex Music/YouTube

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“Phil always wanted to have the latest stuff,” co-producer Hugh Padgham says in a new interview. “He was always sat next to me and wanted to know what this knob did or that knob. He was into the technical side of it.” And with the advent of smarter software, a Phil tune from that time holds more appreciation as an immersive art form than it did when you had foam-muffled headphones plugged into your Sony Walkman.

Phil Collins - Don't Lose My Number (Official Music Video) [HD Upgrade]/℗© 1985 WEA International/Essex Music/YouTube

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But it wouldn’t be NJR without the complement of musicians that originally worked with Phil on this album, among others, guitarist Daryl Stuermer, bassist Leland Sklar, keyboardist David Frank, and of course, the backing vocals of Sting, Peter Gabriel, and Helen Terry.

In recent years, Phil has sidelined NJR, telling Rolling Stone in 2016, “At the time, I wasn't being me.” Granted, Phil was living the Phil life, whichever way the circumstances dictated back then. But it certainly can’t stop anyone from delving back in and giving thanks to the one and only Mal Craggs.

No Jacket Required (Fully Tailored) releases September 12. You can pre-order from Rhino here.