Notice
This Phil Collins tune opens with Eric Clapton playing slow phrases over the chord progression Ab-Ebadd9/G-Fm7, primarily incorporating the notes Ab,Bb,C,Eb,F, which are the notes found in both Ab pentatonic major and F pentatonic minor (F is the relative minor of Ab). As usual, Eric displays a great sense of melody, phrasing, and dynamics, as well as his signature one-of-a-kind vibrato. During the second verse, Eric adds little phrases in the gaps between Phil's vocal, and again, his masterful approach is apparent, utilizing space along with fast phrases, ending with a chilling vibrato going into the chorus. Over, the bridge, Eric plays sixths (double-stops a sixth apart) to augment the chord movement, and this simple idea adds a lot to the overall sound. This song has no guitar solo section, so Eric builds up the guitar's role from this point on, playing more aggressively over the third verse and literally tearing it up on the outro. This is some of the best guitar playing I've heard Eric do in recent years, especially the phrases at 4:16-4:22 and 4:32-4:40. These phrases are fast, accurate, and full of soul, which are qualities you should strive for when playing through his part.
The bass player on this tune is Pino Palladino, who gained notoriety for his great fretless playing on Paul Young's "Every Time You Go Away." Here he's playing fretless with an octave effect doubling the notes one octave lower, and as usual, he plays some incredible phrases.