The announcement that drum- belter Phil Collins is coming out of retirement has been welcomed by fans who, in a pre- Adele age, have been listening to break-up anthem Against All Odds on repeat for 10 years while crying "Why won't you love me?" at their exes. Lead singer of The Farm (remember them?) Peter Hooton tweeted this reaction from his glass house: "What a terrible day. Leak causes ceiling collapse – lost my debit card & now Phil Collins announces a comeback #Help".
And yet Collins’s return to music may have an unexpected silver lining. Because if he is to reprise his biggest hits again, he will need the help of heavenly helium-voiced Earth, Wind and Fire singer Phil Bailey.
Phil and Phil dueted on the 1984 cheeseball classic Easy Lover and if any 1980s tune deserves a revival then it's this rare mano-e-mano duet about a virile virago who brings men to their knees without the assistance of a Taser.
There have been precious few male/male pop duets in past decades, with David Bowie pretty much propping up the dying sub-genre singlehandedly. He sung on both Under Pressure (with Freddie Mercury) and Dancing in the Streets (with Mick Jagger).
Paul McCartney has done his bit too, singing with Stevie Wonder on the 1982 hit Ebony and Ivory, and later with Michael Jackson on 1983's Say, Say, Say.
And who could forget the 1987 bro-on-bro duet Senza Una Donna sung by Paul Young and Zucchero? Everyone it seems.
