# What is Geddy Lee’s opinion on Phil Collins

Geddy Lee admires Phil Collins especially as a drummer and even said he was one of the greatest ones from Rock and Roll. “In his prime, [Phil Collins](https://rockandrollgarage.com/phil-collins-opinion-on-elp-and-carl-palmer/) was one of the greatest Rock drummers you could find. So he can do whatever the hell he likes, but with that brilliant and powerful gated drum sound he recorded for ‘In the Air Tonight,’ he inadvertently set a bad example for imitators to overuse! It was a sign of the times, for sure. Just like the twangy guitar was back in the day for Speedy West. Every period has a sound that becomes its signature cliché,” Geddy Lee said in his autobiography “My Effin’ Life”.

The [Rush](https://rockandrollgarage.com/what-is-kiss-gene-simmons-opinion-on-canadian-band-rush/) frontman also mentioned Collins as one of his heroes when asked by [That Metal Show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu7zKwerKCM) in 2015 which drummers he would like to jam with. “Phil Collins played drums in the early Genesis days, he was just one of my heroes. (He is one of the) guys who would be cool to jam with,” he said.

Although he likes Phil Collins, Geddy’s favorite era of Genesis is the one with Peter Gabriel on vocals, since it is the most Progressive Rock period, which inspired Rush tremendously. As he told [The Quietus](https://thequietus.com/articles/09210-rush-geddy-lee-interview-favourite-albums?page=5) in 2012, the album “Nursery Crime” (1971) is one of his favorites of all time. “Well I was a big fan of Genesis and Peter Gabriel. That was when I first discovered the notion of a ‘concept’ and that it could be an adventurous and lively place and not dull at all.”

# He continued:

“It is a very playful and compelling record. I fell in love with the sound of it. I was totally entranced by it and wanted to know how they had done it. This is part of the roots of Rush. The creation of a flexible concept. The parallels are obvious,” Geddy Lee said. That was the first album to feature Phil Collins as the band’s drummer and also the guitarist Steve Hackett. It had songs like “The Musical Box” and “Harlequin”.

Geddy Lee's opinion on Phil Collins