大象传媒

Phil Collins has sold millions of records worldwide, including a string of Top 40 hits as a solo artist, & achieved Number One album sales the world over.

But he's become used to fending off criticism from those who say his music is too mainstream - which he says came about through constant radio airplay of his biggest singles.

Speaking to 5 live's Phil Williams, he says that while he only wrote and recorded each of his hit singles once, the radio "played it to death, whether it be Sussudio, You Can't Hurry Love, Against All Odds, Separate Lives, or Another Day in Paradise."

As a result, he says, "I became the kicking boy for all that was mainstream" -- but he insists "the reason I was thought of as mainstream was because the songs that were played were pretty mainstream records."

And Phil Collins suggests those who took the time to listen to his albums had a greater understanding of his music. "For me I was making an album and 11 songs on every album, but some of these guys have never heard the other ten."

"I felt it got a little bit out of hand. I had nothing to do with this. I didn't dumb down my music to be on the radio, these songs were just part of an album and if people had dug deeper as fans have done, they would find lots of other things that weren't cheeky chappy."

The former Genesis frontman has just announced a series of dates on his Not Dead Yet live tour, after a gap of ten years without performing live -- including five nights at London's Royal Albert Hall next June.

This clip is originally from Phil Williams Tuesday 25 October.

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