We can forgive him for the whole Miami vice thing. We can forgive him for a couple of gloopy ballads, as well. We can even forgive him for being so freakin' ubiquitous during the '80s.

Fact of the matter is, Phil Collins was firing on all cylinders during those years, enjoying a multi-dimensional career that saw him ruling the charts with Genesis and as a solo artist while producing, drumming for and singing with everybody under the sun.

The Phil Collins drum sound during the early '80s virtually defined the era. The cymbals-free wallop throughout Peter Gabrial's third solo album and the gated reverb explosion heard on In The Air Tonight were highly influential and widely copied. (And thanks to movies like The Hangover, the power of Phil's fills continues to find new audiences.)

Blessed with the kind of vocal chops that allowed him to handle prog-rock masterpieces like Supper's Ready, Collins' expressive, husky voice wrapped around an avalanche of pop hits like nobody's business. Throughout the years, his musical reach has been virtually limitless, encompassing art rock, pop, blues and even film soundtracks.