Editing Phil Collins (section)

===1970–1978: Genesis, later role as lead singer, and Brand X===
In July 1970, the rock band [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] had signed with [[Charisma Records]] and recorded their second album ''[[Trespass (album)|Trespass]]'' (1970), but suffered a setback following the departure of guitarist [[Anthony Phillips]]. They decided that their drummer [[John Mayhew (musician)|John Mayhew]], though talented, was not of the high calibre they wanted,{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=72}} and placed an advert in the ''[[Melody Maker]]'' for a drummer "sensitive to acoustic music" and a 12-string acoustic guitarist.{{sfn|Coleman|1997|p=61}}<ref name="billbio">[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=genesis|bio=true}} "Genesis" Biography], ''Billboard''. Retrieved 16 January 2006.</ref> Collins recognised Charisma owner [[Tony Stratton Smith]]'s name on it, who he had been acquainted with for years, and he and Caryl went for the auditions.{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=74-75}} The group, who had been a full-time working band for less than a year, consisted of school friends from [[Charterhouse School]], a private boarding school: singer [[Peter Gabriel]], keyboardist [[Tony Banks (musician)|Tony Banks]], and bassist/guitarist [[Mike Rutherford]]. Collins and Caryl arrived early, so Collins took a swim in the pool at Gabriel's parents' house and memorised the pieces the drummers before him were playing.{{sfn|Coleman|1997|p=63}} He recalled: "They put on 'Trespass', and my initial impression was of a very soft and round music, not edgy, with vocal harmonies, and I came away thinking [[Crosby, Stills and Nash]]."{{sfn|Genesis|2007|p=94}} Gabriel, a former drummer, said he could tell just by the way Collins sat in front of the drum kit that he knew what he was doing, and was also impressed when Collins mentioned the session with George Harrison.{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=75}} On 8 August 1970, Collins became their fourth drummer. Genesis then took a two-week holiday, during which Collins earned money as an exterior decorator.{{sfn|Collins|2016|p=84}} Rutherford thought Caryl was not a good fit, and for over a month Genesis wrote songs, rehearsed, and toured as a four-piece.{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=76-78}} In January 1971, the band enlisted [[Steve Hackett]].{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=80-81}}

[[File:Genesis 1977-06-03 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Genesis on tour in 1977, their second with Collins as lead vocalist]]
From 1970 to 1975, Collins played drums, percussion, and backing vocals on Genesis albums and concerts. Rutherford commented that "on drums Phil was immediately a huge lift. We had never had that kind of energy from the engine room before; it was just a whole different level."{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=90}} Rutherford and Banks continued to contribute vocal harmonies to songs like "Harlequinn", but before long Collins became the group's primary backing vocalist, since they found multi-tracking Collins and Gabriel's vocals was faster and produced better results than all four of them singing.{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=104, 105, 107}} They also discovered that Collins and Gabriel's singing voices were so similar that when they sang a part together, it sounded like one exceptionally strong voice rather than two voices. This technique was employed on the band's first hit single, "[[I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)]]".{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=101, 177}}

During this period Collins participated in the songwriting jams which produced much of Genesis's material, but did little independent songwriting compared to the other four members.{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=111}} Collins's more notable songwriting contributions during 1970-75 include composing the [[staccato]] rhythm which acts as the main theme of the live favourite "[[Watcher of the Skies]]".{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=133-134}} His first album as a member, ''[[Nursery Cryme]]'', features the acoustic song "For Absent Friends" that has Collins singing lead vocal. He sang "More Fool Me" on their 1973 album ''[[Selling England by the Pound]]''{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=129}} and on the subsequent tour, marking the first time he assumed the role of Genesis lead vocalist in a live setting.{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=200}} In 1974, Collins played drums on [[Brian Eno]]'s second album ''[[Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)]]'' after Eno had contributed electronic effects to two songs on ''[[The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway]]''.{{sfn|Thompson|2004|p=117}}

In August 1975, Gabriel's departure from the band was publicly announced. Genesis advertised for a replacement in ''Melody Maker'' and received around 400 replies. After a lengthy auditioning process, during which he sang backup vocals for applicants, Collins became the band's lead vocalist during the recording of their album ''[[A Trick of the Tail]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/artists/phil-collins/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030095414/http://www.mtv.com/artists/phil-collins/|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 October 2012|title=Bio: Phil Collins|publisher=MTV Artists|access-date=30 September 2013}}</ref> The album was a commercial and critical success, reaching number 3 in the UK charts and 31 in the US.<ref name="Charts" /> ''Rolling Stone'' wrote that Genesis "has managed to turn the possible catastrophe of Gabriel's departure into their first broad-based American success."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/genesis/albums/album/215190/rid/5941181/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070312042713/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/genesis/albums/album/215190/rid/5941181/|title=Genesis – Album Reviews – A Trick of the Tail|first=Kris|last=Nicholson|date=20 May 1976|archive-date=12 March 2007|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=10 February 2006}}</ref> For the tour, former Yes and [[King Crimson]] drummer [[Bill Bruford]] played drums on sections where Collins sang. In 1976, Collins brought in American drummer [[Chester Thompson]], formerly of [[Frank Zappa]] and [[Weather Report]], who became a mainstay of Genesis's and Collins's backing bands until 2010. When Collins, Banks, and Rutherford decided to continue Genesis as a trio in 1977, they recorded ''[[...And Then There Were Three...]]''. This included the band's first UK Top 10 and US Top 40 single, "[[Follow You Follow Me]]".<ref name="UKCharts" />{{sfn|Whitburn|2000|pp=143–144}} The level of commercial success that Genesis had reached by this time allowed Collins and his wife to move into Old Croft, a home in [[Shalford, Surrey]], in the spring of 1978.{{sfn|Coleman|1997|p=4}}

Collins pursued various guest spots and solo projects from his time as Genesis's drummer. In 1973, he and Hackett performed on the solo debut of ex-[[Yes (band)|Yes]] guitarist [[Peter Banks]]. In 1975, Collins sang and played drums, [[vibraphone]], and percussion on Hackett's first solo album, ''[[Voyage of the Acolyte]]'';{{sfn|Coleman|1997|p=84}} performed on Eno's albums ''[[Another Green World]]'', ''[[Before and After Science]]'', and ''[[Music for Films]]'';{{sfn|Collins|2016|p=114}} and replaced drummer Phil Spinelli of the [[jazz fusion]] group [[Brand X]] before recording their first two albums, ''[[Unorthodox Behaviour]]'' and ''[[Moroccan Roll]]''. Collins played percussion on ''[[Johnny the Fox]]'' by [[Thin Lizzy]],<ref name="brooks">Ken Brooks, "Phil Lynott & Thin Lizzy: Rockin' Vagabond", Agenda, 2000, pp. 64–68</ref> and sang on [[Anthony Phillips]]' debut solo album, ''[[The Geese & the Ghost]]''.<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-geese-the-ghost-mw0000195691 "The Geese and the Ghost"]. Allmusic. Retrieved 22 December 2017</ref>