Watch Phil Collins in Lost Footage of Pre-Fame Band Flaming Youth
Lost footage of Phil Collins performing before he became famous was recently restored and released on YouTube. Shot in 1969, the year before he joined Genesis, the German TV special features Collins' band Flaming Youth performing part of their only album, Ark 2.
You can watch the video, which shows Collins playing drums and singing lead vocals, below.
The psychedelic pop of Ark 2 – a concept album about the evacuation of Earth – was acclaimed on its release but mostly forgotten over the years. The band also included singer John Walker of the Walker Brothers, guitarist Ronnie Caryl, keyboardist Brian Chatton and bassist “Flash” Gordon Smith. The record didn't sell well, partly because its songs were too long for commercial broadcast. Caryl also auditioned for Genesis in 1970, and played a single show with them before Steve Hackett was hired. Caryl later became a member of Collins’ solo band.
In 2018, Collins recalled how he had “cheated” during his audition for Genesis, after admitting he hadn’t heard any of their material before showing up.
“It was at Peter Gabriel’s parents’ farm,” he said. “It was a beautiful day; they were auditioning out on the patio. Peter said, ‘Why don’t you go and have a swim while we’re auditioning the guys before you?’ So I went and had a swim. … I could hear anything that was going down – I knew the tunes before I actually auditioned. So when I came up to play, of course I walked straight into it. I knew all the things, so I got the job!”