Genesis comments on their fifteenth album Calling All Stations. Genesis 1983-1998 Box Calling All Stations Shipwrecked Congo Link For Trespass • Genesis on Trespass
5:14 Love how Tony pats himself on the back throughout these and it's taken Mike up until the final video to do it, and he instantly calls himself on it 😂
Congo is an awesome song, the album version especially with the alternate outro. I enjoy it as much as any Genesis song really. Sounds great on the Greatest Hits album alongside all the Gabriel & Collins stuff.
Genesis chewed Ray Wilson up and spat him out, I feel so bad for him. The mistake they made was not befriending him. That's why it worked so well with Phil, they were all mates.
You may be right. The saddest thing for me is that he was great. There was no point looking for another Phil Collins and Ray brought something different. Not About Us is for me the best single Genesis ever did. I love this album.
Yeah, Mike and Tony seem to be kinda cold to people. When Phil and Steve Hackett joined Genesis, they were kinda looked down upon to the point that they almost left. It got better for Phil over time, but when Peter left, it got worse for Steve to the point where he left. (Steve was even almost left out of the Six of the Best reunion until Peter asked about him). So I am not supprised when I found out the same thing happened with Ray. I think that the two of them were the cold ones in the band, and through Anthony Phillips, then Peter, then Steve, and then Phil leaving, they became the band and as such, Ray didn’t have an ally in the band. Would be interesting to see what it would be like if any of the other ones worked with him (I know Steve has preformed with him live.
@Nelson Robert Willis Yeah, I get a kick out of poeple who claim to know people's personalities based on interviews. And thanks to TV or some weird cultural thing we're supposed to believe everybody in the world has to be best friends. From what I've seen, once bands hit a certain level, each member has their own set of friends. In the doc on Trespass Mike talks about not noticing that Anthony was basically having a nervous breakdown, but admits 'I often miss things" and when I think back to being that age, I was pretty self absorbed and idiotic moreso than any of these guys. But its called the music business. They made an offer, this guy accepted, the album wasn't all that great so they packed it in, nuff said. Tony gives him lots of compliments, as he does to almost everybody. The one weird thing I remember is that Darryl and Chester apparantly wanted to be considered full fledged members of the band, but never were, which sounds odd. But again, its a business and they'd come a long way from travelling to shows together in a shitty bus.
Dear Phil, Tony and Mike. Can you please write one more album to make us all happy. Id love it to be a mix of everything Genesis ever did, and a revival of those great keyboard sounds we know so well. Just imagine the possibilities. The swirling organ, the obscure chords, a drum machine beat and a nifty riff from Mike. Yay !
Calling All Stations for me shows why it is nonsense to pit Tony Banks against Phil Collins. They need each other. Tony Banks is always full of great ideas, but throughout his career the best music that he produced he has produced in opposition to other people. In the first decade of Genesis, this even lead to a lot of fighting. Sometimes he won (Firth of Fifth is the result of that), and sometimes he lost (which is why we have the 666-vocal section on the end of Supper's Ready). His style is, again, full of great ideas, but is also very stiff, and one can see where this stiffness leads without opposition on his solo output. Phil Collins has two things that benefit Banks' work: 1) the ability to play drums in such a way that Banks' stiffness is cracked open and lets it breathe, 2) a directness in his vocal approach, which has the same result. People always assume that songs like In Too Deep and Hold On My Heart are Phil Collins-songs, but really if you look at the chordal structure of these songs and if you compare them to what Banks was doing on his solo records at that time, you have to conclude they are very much Tony Banks-songs. It's just that Phil Collins took these weird, stiff chordal structures and applied his breath of openness to them, to such an extent that they became way more approachable, while retaining their Banks-backbone. And vice versa. Phil Collins without Tony Banks eventually just lead to Disney-songs. He has made some great music on his own, but compared to Genesis his stuff tends to move into boringness musically: there's not a lot going on, especially on the later records. Banks complicates his work, makes it more challenging to listen to and therefore in the end more rewarding. On Calling All Stations, this opposition between Tony and Phil is the thing that is missing. Mike doesn't oppose: he collaborates. As he does with Mike & The Mechanics. This is why CAS sounds like a Tony Banks solo-record. Tony Banks making music without any opposition. Don't get me wrong: I like Tony's solo records. But let's face it: it's not as magical as the Genesis-output. His best one is Still, which is also the record where he faced the strongest opposition (particularly from Nik Kershaw). Ray Wilson, I don't like his voice, but he does what he can, and the best moments on CAS are the best moments because he shines through, because he delivers something of himself that can counter Tony's omnipresence, or at least stand up on its own in the face of it. The title track is the best example of a song that would have been worse if it would have been sung by just some singer. It's Ray's emotive vocal that lifts it up from what it would have been without him. The Dividing Line is another good example. But the album suffers from the absence of lightness, a lightness that both Phil ánd Peter brought to Tony Banks' stiffness and darkness, which made the music more layered: happy and sad, mysterious and direct, etc. For most of CAS, I have the feeling that Ray is just drowning in what Tony and Mike are doing. What they should of course have done, is bring in someone from the start of the composition process, someone that could stand on his own two feet against Tony Banks from the get go. Someone like Francis Dunnery (who was in the running, I know). Someone who would have pulled Genesis into new and unchartered directions. That, or they should have worked with a more dominant producer. Because that was the real strength of Phil in the band, as attested by the other members: he was an arranger from the get go, and you can see that from Nursery Cryme onwards the music suddenly had a lot more breathing room in it. To me, CAS sounds like Tresspass a bit: made by people with lots of great ideas, but without enough ability to forge these ideas into songs that actually work, into pieces of actual musicianship. It makes me think of Marillion too. They brought in Steve Hogarth as an equal member from the get go, because they realised: we don't just need a vocalist, we need someone that can compliment the creative unit that we are, we need someone to do the things that Fish used to do, and we need him to do it in his own particular way if he is going to feel at home within this band in the long run. Of course, it would have been totally impossible for Tony to do that, to bring in someone who would actually have an equal say in how the music would turn out. So they brought in Ray when the whole thing was almost finished. Which is why it just didn't work. Commercially, they would have gone downhill anyway. But the trick with these things is to forge a unit that can make music that is worth pursuing, even if it sells less. Genesis could have gained a third life doing that. Maybe even with Ray Wilson. But I guess this has never really been on the cards.
Really well put, Hogweed. I agree there's a certain chemistry between Tony & Phil and though i've been a life-long all-eras fan i hadn't even started considering that angle until just a few years ago. (As a keyboardist it can be hard to find your place within a rock or metal band. Was having struggles recently getting another of my own projects up and running, was getting kinda frustrated and started thinking "why don't the drummer and i just jam alone for a bit and build from *that*..?" -- and then it hit me: the dynamic between Phil & Tony being so essential to of their best moments. I think some of the medleys they put together for the various tours over the years are some of the best examples of this symbiosis.)
There's nothing wrong with the songs, they just weren't 'hits'. Thats more a timing thing. Tony liked seeing hits much too much to be like he was twenty years ago (forty now). CAS and Congo did get some radio play, which is surprising because they are mostly 'meh'. But styles were changing, Phil pretty much stopped having hits as well. Peter did that weird concept album that went nowhere. Having 'hits' is different from making good music. But their last couple of phil albums were like phil said, ones where he was getting himself out. And no doubt Tony is a smart enough man to know he can play his own music anywhere, but millions of dollars from hits is nice. He did that album or song with Fish, again, it was just 'meh'. Chemistry in a band is hard to replicate when people leave, unless those people are basically studio musicians who don't give a shit what gets played, which nobody in genesis ever was. And diehard fans were running out. I think they did half a tour and then cancelled because hardly any tickets were sold. I'm not THAT romantic to think that people should not make music just because of the narrative. It wasn't great, they packed it in, nuff said. I never heard of Ray Wilson before or since, I think he narrated a documentary about genesis, maybe they saw this and figured they'd throw him a bone for how things turned out, but you can't expect people to live their lives according to other's desires. There is something magical in a band setup where you have five songwriters all vying for attention. That competition has a way of producing real greatness, which is why The Magical Box was selling out shows in the nineties and 2000's. It lost a little something when Anthony and John left, but gained with Steve and Phil. It lost something when peter left but gained when phil started doing more, and again when steve left. I don't think three guys who like each other and are just 'jamming' with a drum machine are ever going to produce something better than five guys who all want to 'strive to go beyond stagnant musical forms'. In a way it would have been cool if Fish had been old enough to audition, because lyrically Marillion pretty much took over for Genesis, and when I heard fish I thought he sounded at various times like both phil and peter, particularly once he started solo work. Either way, as people age they lose that competitive edge, which is both sad but expected. Lyrically CAS really had nothing of interest to offer at all, maybe thats what you mean by Ray coming in at the beginning, because Genesis was good music but also had something to 'say', whether political, humourous, emotional, or just crazy. When you listen to CAS the lyrics really are not of interest at all.
I agree with you upto a point. "Can anybody tell me, tell me exactly where I am I've lost all sense of direction.... I remember all the moments that I've wasted in my life All the things I was always going to do Why is it now, when it's too late That I finally realize what's important to me To think everything that's dear to me And is always in my heart Could so easily be taken" When I 1st heard the above I was going through a dark place in my life. It resonated with me as I had just got in the car leaving the institution where my wife was battling with "demons" of depression and a cocktail of psycho-pharmaceuticals that made her worse. His voice drew something from within me to give me strength to keep going and be there for my 2 young boys. It would have been so easy to start drinking alcohol again but CAS giving me that strength
That’s the standout piece on this album. No doubt about that. The rest aren’t too shabby either. I think people need to remember that the people who made this album were also involved in W&W and Trick and Duke and Foxtrot etc etc....... No two albums are alike! That’s what talent looks like when it’s at work.
I agree. One man's fool shows some of the genesis magic for me after a whole album of desperately hoping it was elsewhere too. For me, Phil's drumming and arranging skills are the key missing ingredients. They try hard to plug the gap on songs like dividing line but for me it sounds contrived rather than natural. For example, I believe there's no way Phil would have played that boring plodding beat throughout the title track. He would have given it a solid pull, yes, but I think he would have developed it into something exciting and interesting. Who knows?
It’s a shame this album is overlooked. It really does have a distinct dark sound. You listen to this album it’s unlike anything genesis ever did. I would put this album against anything from the early years of genesis which I think gets the ‘I was there from the start and I loved it before it was cool’ feel. When CAS, Congo, shipwreck and dividing line are all amazing songs. I think it’s time we give this album a fair crack of the whip
It's such a shame that Genesis called it quits after Calling All Stations. I got the impression that limp critical reviews were what led to the decision to quit. But those reviews seemed to be from a lot of people who had the impression that genesis was Phil Collins, which was not true, although of course he was a big loss. But so was Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett and the band managed to move on. Genesis have had their ups and downs over the years (mainly ups) and for me 'Calling All Stations' is in the top half of all of their albums. I would love it if they got together and did another one.
Excellent album. Most of those who don't like it wouldn't have liked it no matter what was on the album simply because they didn't like the appearance of a new vocalist to replace Phil Collins. Ray brought a freshness to the line up and his voice lent itself beautifully to the whole album which is full of great songs. Hugely underrated album which I for one will take great pleasure listening to time and time again.
I tried, I really tried, but couldn’t get into it, I invested time to listen and it just didn’t do anything for me, I agree that it was lacking in atmosphere or cohesion. Nothing to do with Phil Collins not being on it, I usually love what mike and Tony brought to Genesis but not on this one.
I really love this album. "Selling England..." is my favourite, "A trick..." is the second one on the podium, but "Calling all stations" is the third one. Something like the Dark Side Of Genesis.
I am a diehard fan of Genesis, Mike, Tony, Phil, and Peter. I was rather lukewarm at first when I listened to this album, because I was so used to Phil's vocals etc. This album grew on me. In the end, I really LOVED it, and I still do. Some really good songs on this one. I like Ray Wilson. He is a top singer, and "Calling all stations" really suited his voice. Would love to hear another Genesis album with him, allthough that would probably never happen again.
I too am a diehard fan and as such I ask you... How can you omit Steve (Ant too, to a lesser extent - He was the core of their formative years)? Hackett more than any other has continued the legacy into the 21st century despite seeming like the quiet one and definitely being undervalued. I am a pianist and as such have always been a fan of TB but he really comes across as a dictator figure, MR always seems too passive, PC, a great talent who outgrew the group.... and PG, well just a legend! Ray W never stood a chance and with hindsight perhaps this last offering of new material should not have been made in the name of Genesis. I am one of those who dreams of cloud cuckoo land where the fantastic five (f*k it 6, Ant's invited too), could get together and create something new, but we all know it's never gonna happen. The legacy all these talented guys created will outlive not just them but anyone reading this. Genesis suggests the beginning but it will never end.... Thank you
It was a truly beautiful album.. & Ray sang great. The public just couldn't accept Genesis without Phil Collins, as many older fans were stuck in the Peter Gabriel era! I myself loved them from beginning to end!!
Yes, it was time to give it up, with or without Phil. All they were doing was churning out pop songs, one after another, at that point. But what a long, great trip they took us on, all those years. Thanks for letting me go back to those days, Wann.
I think people forget that losing Phil was not only losing a singer, but losing one of the best drummers of all time, without him that authentic genesis drum sound was also gone.
This album is not bad at all. They had a new singer, Plus they were in the era where alternative rock ruled the radio stations, So, They sorta tried to fit there as well since ray's voice has that edge
Ah yes, "The Dividing Line" is easily my favorite track there! The only track I actually hate from there is "Small Talk". Weakest album to bear the Genesis name, but not so godawful that the band fully disowns it ("Van Halen III" and the Beach Boys' "Summer in Paradise" both come to mind).
I love this album but the fact that Phil is not singing has distorted perceptions. It might have been better if Mike and Tony had given themselves a new band name for the era with Ray Wilson, because it is really good stuff. It is a great shame that they didn't do anymore together.
Loving this album more than ever recently. Has a few weak moments, but overall very good. Real shame they didn't carry on, I would have loved to have heard a second album with Ray.
I think the best thing Genesis could have done was to continue as a duo, but invite famous singers - one for each track on the album - to be guest vocalists. Similarly to how the BBC handled “Have I Got News For You” after Angus left. That would have given the albums the star-power they lost after Phil left.
CAS wasn't exactly one of the best Genesis albums ever done, but it has some really great songs on it. It was a promising material. I think another album would had worth the try. And I think the only reason they called it a day was because the album wasn't successful in the US. To me, it was a mistake to call it a day because of that. They should have ignored the US and stick only to Asia and Europe where the album was a top 10 in several countries (not to mention No 2 in UK). For example, Deep Purple isn't successful anymore in the US for more than 20 years, but they kept making albums and touring elsewhere.
Editing may have something to do with it, but it's interesting reading and watching interviews from Ray over the last 15 years, just how he struggled with resenting how Genesis ended, and melding Genesis material with his own.
Near the 8:30 mark, Tony talks about how he would have liked using the whole touring band in the studio and writing for Ray's voice. I find this intriguing and I agree with him because the other guys in the band are very good and limiting yourselves to two writers may mean less great material. Still a good album though.
I'm a diehard fan and don't care for this album at all. There's no chemistry in it. You dont have to like a band's entire catalog to be "diehard". I know more about this band than anyone I've ever met and haven't met anyone who thought it was that great. The songs are great because Mike/Tony wrote them, but Ray and Nir were like oil and water to this band and to those songs, IMO
@@TrebleForTheBass As a DIEHARD Genesis fan I couldn't agree more. I bought this album the day it came out. After listening to it I returned it the next day. It sounded like a Tony Banks solo album... one of the bad ones with a dull singer. I've never listened to any of Ray's music... but his voice is just devoid of energy and passion. If I'd known Genesis were auditioning singers, especially of this low ability, I would have tried out. Calling All Stations is just not Genesis. And while I feel bad for the guy, Mike and Tony should have tried to get Trevor Rabin or John Wetton who were both available at the time. If Ray was such a great vocalist why have we not heard anything in the 20+ years since Genesis???
@@TrebleForTheBass This album is terrible, we all know it. The album and ticket sales, including canceling the proposed North American tour TWICE (after choosing smaller venues), speak for themselves. At this point Genesis had become a tribute band with no musical cohesion or identity, trying to remain relevant in a world that didn't understand them. They should've ended it after Phil left. Love Genesis, just not Calling All Stations.
@@patricksnavely5850 What?! Mike and the mechanics was a great group. They were very successful because of the talent in the band. He had some great singles and some good songs that weren’t singles. I’m not sure how you don’t like it? Unless you hated the genesis 80s era and then that would explain it. I love all areas of Genesis aside from calling all stations
What irks me most about Calling All Stations is that this is the first Genesis album where they changed their sound because of what seemed to be outside pressures, the need to update their sound to something more modern. Before this album they just didn't care and did exactly their own thing. From leaders to followers I guess.
The only problem with this album is that the band's former vocalist was Phil Collins and no one can replace someone of this magnitude. Same record with Phil and would be a top 3 Genesis album inmediately. Amazing job by Ray Wilson, he did not deserve that. Uncertain weather, Not about us and Shipwrecked are wonderful pieces.
The music on the title track is great. How people consider it inferior to utter shit like Illegal Alien or Who Dunnit....give me a break. All of a sudden the pop enthusiasts of Collins led Genesis became too purists.....Wilson WAS used. As much as i respect Banks and Rutherford they screw him up and Chester Thompson who request a much deserved pay rise........they showed their true charter school colors.
Ray, I finaly discovery this album only in 2013, but I feel the magic in your voice since a first song I heard. You are a great singer and this is a great album because you ar in. You are one of a greatest singer in the world, and doesn't mater what they say.
Absolutely, this album is the most underrated album in Genesis, history, I love phil, but Ray Wilson just brought things to a whole new sprectrum. I would have loved to have seen another album from this line up.
I know its not every ones cuppa. But iIhappen to like it. Its unique, like ALL Genesis albums and material. I'm glad they changed through time, they had to; when you consider where they started and where the ended up, its quite impressive! All the albums are unique because of the changes; Ant Phillips guitar playing on Trespass is great for that album, the drums on trespass are pretty phenomenal. They were growing in that album. Peter Gabriel singing high notes kinda grated my teeth a little, but over all his voice is great, he was growing. Ant left because of panic attacks on stage, fair one, if you cant Hackett (hahahahaha) move over and let the others carry on. Steve Hacketts guitar playing was every bit as good as Ants, and excellent for Steve, it added more flavour and body to the music; he was very into the feel the band looked for, the "stagnant form", and contributed to that admirably! I particularly love his solos, especially in "Selling England...", brilliant! The band continued with their own lives all through the times of the many albums, they had feelings, experiences, and used some of them in the music they wrote, especially so, when Phil started singing. They were all very together. I love the earlier stuff, its essential to see what they were at that time, and where they went next. it was their evolution. Really classic stuff! Their sound changed completely when Peter Gabriel left after "the lamb..."; I loved Peters voice, it had a deep tone and was very much the genesis sound. I dont know if I'd agree to phil sounding "more like peter than Peter did" (in the Armando Gallo, Genesis; I know what I like", book). But, again they changed. I felt it changed allot more when Phil started singing and wondered if it should have been the Phil Collins band" at times, Songs like "some misunderstanding" brings this to me, because its Phil singing about parts of his life. I think my least fave album is "and then there were three", but who knows? maybe I'll get to listen to it a bit more and let it grow on me?! While I like Phil Collins, I dont have HIS albums, I prefer him in Genesis, but I still think hes a far better drummer than a singer. Thats just MY opinion, but I wouldn't criticise him for that. Phil brought more change to Genesis than anyone when Peter left. It doesn't really matter what they were like at this time, because in the bigger Genesis picture, it was again part of their evolution. It was all still very good stuff in its own way.I wouldn't change a thing. Genesis were every bit as good on stage as they were in studio; because they had the right people helping them, Daryl l Stuermer on guitars, and Chester Thomson on drums, both Phenomenal! I always loved the "Mama" album because it was brilliant up LOUD in the car! Home by the sea, second home by the sea. "Boom.B B B boom boom, boom B B B boom boom" drum beat! fantastic especially when very loud! I really dont know why the top gear guys always make fun of Genesis; maybe they just have no taste! Genesis had imagination, mood, feeling, atmos, power, presence, emotion, sensitivity in all they did. I particularly like "a trick of the tail" and Wind and wuthering" for that, you could see what was going on, you could picture it; the same goes for "the lamb..." you can vividly imagine being there and experience the individual scenes, one of their best albums! Wasn't there a film to this album? Invisible touch, and Abacab, are good albums in their own way; at the time, I wasn't listening to them much, in fact I didn't have any of their albums at all; they were all nicked. But a few years after their releases, I got to like them. Again they're another era of the band, Phil Collins at the time was into fusion music, He made many notable songs and albums of his own around and after this time, like some of the music for Buster, and was also in the film, Band aid was happening about then, both of these albums are a bit like a form of jazz in my opinion, but still very good stuff, They really captured those albums in their unique Genesis way, and made them both, great albums, worthy enough to rub shoulders with all the other excellent albums they made. "We cant dance" was another album I liked very much. Phil had changed a bit building up to this one, during it, and not long after, he was out of Genesis, but i this is a later album I like. "Driving the last spike" fantastic song, very Genesis. I would say even, that its a very fitting finale, as a final album. "Fading distant light", POWWERRRR!!!! (and absolutely NO pun intended!). At first, I didn't really consider "calling all stations" as a Genesis album, per Se; yes it had some genesis sounding bits, Tonys keyboards are very prominent, but aren't they always?, I could hear bits of Mike with his guitar and style, Cant remember who dun the drums, but he was okay; not quite Phil, but, okay. I grew to like Rays sound, it was almost a post Genesis sound, I haven't heard him in any other band, but I felt he had a good presence in the band and in the album. Its still a good album, not quite the Genesis we all knew and love, but I still rate it well! This is just MY opinion of a fantastic band who are still very powerful even if they're not still together as a band, in my eyes, they will always be Genesis! The Genesis, all the way from the very early days; a Revelation! In the words of Forrest Gump; "Thats all ahh have to say about that"!
This shouldn't have been a "Genesis" album...it should have been like Smallcreep's Day...with Mike, Daryl, Chester, Tony and a different singer for every song. Lots of great playing and a proper way to say goodbye.
Damn good record from Genesis they sound different and the change was headed into a great direction too bad people wanted the POP Genesis. I listen to this record a lot.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:17 📞 Tony Smith called in 1996, inviting Ray Wilson to audition for Genesis after Phil Collins left the band. 01:00 🤔 Wilson reflects on the decision to join Genesis, which led to a shift in his career direction. 03:08 🎶 Wilson's favorite song on "Calling All Stations" is the title track, which he finds authentic and energetic. 04:20 🎤 Singing "Calling All Stations" live was a challenging experience, and it required a lot of effort. 06:10 🤝 Wilson appreciated working with Mike and Tony but found that the chemistry of the third person was lacking in their writing process. 07:19 📝 The timing of "Calling All Stations" release coincided with the soundbite culture, making it challenging to capture audience commitment. 08:59 🤷 Wilson and the band contemplated alternative approaches, such as collaborating with other musicians, but decided it was time to acknowledge the writing on the wall. Made with HARPA AI
i like what phils saying, sort of, but just didnt have it in him to say this albums sales performance spelled the artistic, provocative outcome which ray contributed to. i get why they cancelled the shows, given the disparity of what the production value was probably planned. at the 2007 show in toronto, i (and my dad) was actually shepherded to the mosh pit/orchestra before the show started, because one of the event managers overheard me say that this was my favourite album and 'it's gonna get better' was my favourite song (i was 9 years old!).
@@guitarplayer30001 The Turn it on Again Tour in 2007 was awesome and for a person who saw them from 1976-2007 this tour should of been their last cause they couldn't of topped it. Best live band up until 2007.
@@squonk86 yea, i am a bit unsold on the last shows they did. did you see them on the calling all stations tour? im not sure where youre from but if i remember they didnt even play in britain much, i think they played scotland once
@@guitarplayer30001 No I didn't see them when they did The Calling all Stations tour was not a fan of Ray Wilson or the album which was the only time I missed a Genesis concert
Calling all stations is a great album .... I like it even better than the last with Collins ... THey should get together and make a new album .... what are they waiting for?
Agreed "We Can't Dance" was almost a caricature of Genesis. I felt they were headed in a good direction with this record. Total shame they didn't do at least one follow up.
Ted Davidson I listen to it now and then. Congo is a great song, the only thing wrong with it is Tony's cheesy synth break in the middle, otherwise it has a cool intrigue to it and Ray's smoky vocals are perfect for Genesis. It's great to drive to. Such a shame they didn't jump right back in the studio and damn the torpedos, but in all fairness it was getting retirement age for Tony and the Mikester.
This video always depresses me. Seems like three guys who are all interviewed about an album that, in hindsight, they probably wish they hadn't been a part of.
If Phil isn't on this album, why is he part of this interview? Steve Hackett wasn't part of the And Then There Were Three interviews. Peter Gabriel wasn't part of the Trick of The Tail interview.
They should have just called this project Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Ray Wilson. The Genesis name should not have been used. The fans were never going to accept them as Genesis. They never replaced members of the band after 1970. Genesis had always been and equal partnership at least since 1978 when they became a trio. The fans knew that Wilson was only a hired gun and that's how it should have been promoted. Nothing wrong with two veteran rockers like Mike and Tony working with a younger talent to produce some new music. It was really members of Genesis working with Stiltskin.
This synth-drenched album was never going to reach a mass audience in 1997, and unfortunately with Tony/Mike it was “mass audience” or nothing. Tony has spoken a lot about his love of their more progressive output. If they had simply gone in that direction the hardcore Genesis fan base would have been there for them. But that also meant lower sales and smaller halls.
If they shortened the album by removing maybe 1/3rd then the what's left wasn't all that bad. I quite like the extended part of Alien Afternoon. Like they say, they worked as a pair and hired in a singer who was an outsider. It needed a third person, and they also said that Nick was an engineer rather than a producer, so they didn't have someone there either.
The thing was that the band needed to create an alternative album ( hence they got Ray from Stiltskin), because in the 90's everything was about punk, grunge, alternative The dudes didnt know to write a 90's record. They blame the singer, they wrote most off the stuff
Ray’s comments “I’m not really a big fan of Genesis” & “In hindsight a big part of me wishes I’d carried on with my career” are surprising. Thanks to his association with Genesis, more people have heard of him than ever would if he’d not joined and his solo sets are full of Genesis and Genesis-related material.
Ray breaks my heart in this video. Things could have been different if he hadn't essentially been called in to sing studio sessions and then tour a la Chester and Daryl. The mistake, I feel, was to not have him there at ground zero, even if only for one or two songs. A strong single or two from CAS would have made a lot of difference. Not saying he was a dead cert to help provide that, but it was always an uphill task in the scenario that actually happened.
I think the very fact that this short docu is on an official Genesis piece of product acknowledges both the successes and failures of CAS. 1997 was always gonna be a tough sell for them - even 1978 was easier. 1997, as Phil says, was the start of sound bite time. Short attention span. Still in “Britpop” bull**** days where any journo involved in that had a lb of powder up their nose and a seething hatred for anything pre-1993. I think they could’ve weathered it into the nostalgic noughties tbh. But hey. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
"Uncertain Weather" is one of my top 5 Genesis tracks. Fantastic lyrics, fantastic story, and the music is sort of haunting. Releasing "Congo" in the USA first was a huge blunder -- it was easily the worst song of the lot.
Pretty good album on the whole by itself, but what galls me is to see this recording as a Genesis album Two things: Either a Banks' bust, or a Mike in the Mechanic solo album Mike and Tony were wreckless and ruthless Surely taken down several notches the integrity of my heroes Not about us: not about Genesis Leave it alone
There's some really decent tracks in there mixed in with some weak ones. Title track, dividing line, Congo, one man's fool, brilliant stuff. And if you listen to the song about the faded photograph, can't remember it's title, that could be on foxtrot. It's got a similar vide to Timetable.
They should have rode out the storm of the lineup change with fans and at least given themselves a second album to develop their next new sound I mean, They have their own studio after all. This sounds like an apology.
When Ray said "the Genesis... Job" you could tell he was still hurt and rightly so. Such a shame Tony and Mike just gave up and dumped Ray because America wanted Phil Collins (even though Phil was happy to retire from the band).
I love genesis. At the beginning i was more about phil collins area...but i learnt to like the pete gab area too. I had the chance to go to a concert in france in 1998. With Ray wilson...at this moment i didn't know what to think about this singer. In france we didn't hear about a tour or concert on radio....A friend of mine brought me to see them. I was septical. For me at this moment no one could replace phil collins...UNTIL i saw them with Ray...And i felt that this singer could bring a touch of Younger, Darkest more rock sound...Dividing lines, calling all stations were pure jowel in live! I was afraid about mama and the "ah ah" of phil collins but ray did it well...it was not the same as phil but it was good...And the accoustic versions of follow you follow me, and some other old songs was very well sang... I heard that a contract for 2 albums were originally planned. I bought calling all stations album (one of my favorite from genesis) few days after the concert and was waiting for the second album...that we know will never arrived...what a shame! BUT...i discovered ray wilson band : Cut_ with their album millionearhead. and started to follow his solo carreer. I had the chance to see him this year, just before the covid 19 makes concerts not allowed anymore...it was the only date in france...a small concert room, very private concert...but what a show ! His voice is the same...And very kind person. just after the concert he signed autographes, accept pictures with him etc...very simple, very respectfull for his fans... A lot of big stars or groups don't stake that much time for fans...i spend a great evening that day...and hope to see him again in france! (some videos from the concert are in my youtube)
The b sides to the CAS singles are very interesting and if included or substituted for some tracks would have given a much different spin to the album. It's an album that I'm persevering with but I keep going back to the b'sides
Interesting reading everyone's "inside" knowledge on the band and it's workings (note sarcasm). Here's the deal: It's a business and genesis or anyone else aren't going to bring over a tour from Europe with all of the inherent expenses involved to play for empty halls. If banks and Rutherford are cold to others, whatever. I'm not a fan to meet them personally or analyze behaviors of men I'll never know. I do know what it's like to be in a band and how delicate the personalities can be. And that's with bands that never went far - not a band that was filling stadiums. The album itself was fair to good. I wouldn't have minded hearing another album, but these were guys who didn't have that hunger anymore. Success can sometimes breed complacency and Tony and MIke I think were complacent or satisfied with the legacy of the band.
9 лет назад
This album really isn't THAT bad! I've always liked it, and never felt it deserved the flak it got. Too bad the majority of Genesis fans didn't give it a chance. On a side note, is it just me, or does Ray kind of sound like David Gilmour (when he sings, that is)?
