Phil Collins has long been overshadowed in critical reputation by his pop stardom, but his technical prowess as a drummer remains one of the most underappreciated aspects of his career with Genesis. In a 1987 interview, Collins named "Apocalypse In 9/8" – part of the 23-minute epic "Supper's Ready" from 1972's Foxtrot – as the recording he considered his finest drumming work with the band.

Collins described the piece as one of his all-time favourite Genesis compositions, recalling how playing it live allowed him to "go way out" and stretch beyond the constraints of the metre by singing the riff internally as he played. In a 2025 interview with Drumeo, he revisited the track, praising how naturally its parts fitted together, and candidly attributed much of its success to luck and inexperience rather than deliberate design, noting that a drummer's early takes – such as the one used on "Supper's Ready" – tend to be simpler than later, more experimental versions.