Phil Collins: No Ticket Required (1985)

By the time he released his third solo album, Phil Collins had become a near-ubiquitous presence on the radio, thanks to his increasingly mainstream work with Genesis, his own chart hits, and his indelible production stamp on other artists' albums. No Jacket Required did nothing to stem the tide of all-Phil-all-the-time playlists--which is fine, considering that overall, it's likely his best solo effort, ranging from the engaging rockers "I Don't Wanna Know," "Don't Lose My Number," and the silly Prince rewrite "Sussudio" to heartfelt ballads such as "One More Night" and "Long Long Way to Go," which features a vocal cameo by the (at the time) equally omnipresent Sting. --Daniel Durchholz