Originally, there were plans for two
Genesis box sets -- one covering the classic
Peter Gabriel era, the other chronicling the band's development into hit-makers under the direction of
Phil Collins. The
Gabriel set was released in 1998, but instead of a second box following it in 1999, the single-disc Turn It on Again: The Hits appeared. Truth be told, it was a wise move, because even if the
Collins set appears, there will be a market for a concise collection of hits, which Turn It on Again more or less is. Since
Genesis had such a prolific career and had so many hits, it should come as no surprise that the compilation isn't complete, but it's a little disappointing to discover that such latter-day non-entities as "Hold on My Heart" (from the last
Collins album, We Can't Dance) and "Congo" (from the post-
Collins album,
Calling All Stations) are included in favor of such fine singles as "Paperlate" or "Man on the Corner." But that's nitpicking, since all the big hits are here: "Turn It on Again," "Invisible Touch," "Follow You, Follow Me," "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight," "In Too Deep," "That's All," "Misunderstanding," "Throwing It All Away," and the list goes on and on. True, the sublime
Gabriel number "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" sounds completely out of place sandwiched between "Abacab" and "No Son of Mine," but it's nice to have it here. Similarly, "The Carpet Crawlers 1999," reworked as a duet between
Collins and
Gabriel, is a surprisingly effective re-recording, and a nice inclusion. It may not be enough to convince hardcore fans that they need Turn It on Again, but this album is really for listeners who've thought of
Genesis as a singles act, and they're not going to be disappointed by this. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine