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NO REPLY AT ALL

Genesis

Symphonic Prog


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Genesis No reply at all album cover
2.83 | 41 ratings | 1 reviews | 22% 5 stars

Good, but non-essential

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Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, released in 1981

Songs / Tracks Listing


1. No reply at all (4:09)
2. Naminanu (3:50)

Total Time 7:59


Line-up / Musicians


- Tony Banks /keyboards
- Phil Collins / drums, vocals
- Mike Rutherford / basses, guitars

- With the EWF Horns arranged by Tom Tom 84 on "Not Reply at All"



Releases information

Atlantic 3858 (U.S.)
Vertigo 6000 748 (Netherlands)

Thanks to Luogotenente for the addition
and to Guillermo for the last updates
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GENESIS No reply at all ratings distribution


2.83
(41 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(22%)
22%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(22%)
22%
Good, but non-essential (24%)
24%
Collectors/fans only (20%)
20%
Poor. Only for completionists (12%)
12%

GENESIS No reply at all reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Guillermo
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars In early 1981, Phil Collins released his first solo album titled "Face Value", an album which became very successful in several countries and gave to him a lot of confidence as a solo musician and as composer. For several of the songs from that album Collins employed the PHENIX HORNS, a horn section which worked a lot with the band "EARTH, WIND AND FIRE". The combination of his new musical style as soloist (a lot influenced by Pop Rock, Rhythm and Blues and Motown Music) with the sound of the PHENIX HORNS became an integral part of his identity as a solo musician for several years. But at the same time many fans of GENESIS did not like his solo music and this with the change of musical style of the band to more commercial music really "infuriated" them a lot and the band maybe lost a lot of the old fans due to this perceived "betrayal". Collins became the "scapegoat" due to the perception that many people had that he really became the leader of the band since the late seventies and that the band then became his backing band and agreed to change their musical style to more Pop Rock commercial music. Collins`s success as a solo musician really helped to increase this perception among some of the old fans of the band. But maybe the decision to change their musical style was more influenced by some record label executives who really dictated the new musical trends for the new decade, and maybe some of the Prog Rock bands like GENESIS had to agree with these record label executives if they wanted to keep their record contracts with them. Another reason could have been that maybe all the members of the band were a bit tired of the old Prog Rock musical style and they also wanted a change to "update" their sound for the decade of the eighties (Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford as soloists also released some Pop Rock music albums ). So, after the success of "Face Value", Collins did not tour as a soloist. Instead, it was time for a new album with GENESIS so he now was in a different situation in his role in the band. Maybe the record labels wanted GENESIS to sound a bit like the successful music of Collins, so maybe the record labels (maybe mainly Atlantic) suggested the use of the PHENIX HORNS in "No Reply at All" and in "Paperlate", a song which was released as a single until 1982. If Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford did not like and approve this, maybe both songs could have been not released. But maybe they also agreed to the change.

So, the PHENIX HORNS (credited as "the EWF Horns arranged by Tom Tom 84", with Tom Tom 84 being arranger Thomas Washington and who also worked with Collins in some of his solo albums) appeared in "No Reply at All" in the "A" side of this single. And surprisingly the results are good (and this also happened with "Paperlate"). The song is played with an electric piano, bass and drums plus Collins on vocals and the horns duplicating some of the bass guitar lines. A very Pop Rock song with some influences from Motown Music and some very good arrangements. And compared to most of the music from their "Genesis" album from 1983, this song and most of the other songs from their "abacab" album from 1981 were still good, but really showed a drastic change in their musical style.

"Naminanu", in the "B" side, is a simple and mostly instrumental fast song (without horns) which has as "lyrics" the word "Naminanu" repeated several times. It is not a bad song but it also reflects the musical style changes of the band.

Yesterday, I was reading in one website ("The Genesis Movement") about a concert they played in late 1981 in Europe, and the reviewer said that the band was booed during that concert after they played their new songs from their "abacab" album (more particularly after playing "Who Dunnit"). This concert is mainly remembered by that booing and by the fact that Collins really replied to the audience in a very angry way. But that really was a demonstration by some of the old fans of the band about their dislike to the new musical style they were playing then. I could listen to some parts of that concert in youtube, and I could listen to that booing, which really was not very heavy and at least the audience liked the song "Me and Sarah Jane" from the same album.

The PHENIX HORNS appeared with GENESIS in two concerts of their "Three Sides Live Encore Tour" in the U.S. in 1982, playing "No Reply at All" and "Paperlate". Maybe their U.S. fans liked more their new musical style and there was not booing then.

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