Genesis: Calling All Stations
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=124799
Printed Date: April 28 2024 at 10:41
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Topic: Genesis: Calling All Stations
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Subject: Genesis: Calling All Stations
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 10:14
A friend recommended this album to me recently, but this thread's Not About Us, it's about Genesis' much-derided Calling All Stations album, featuring Scottish singer Ray Wilson. I know There Must Be Some Other Way of saying this, but I'm actually beginning to like the album. I know the album's as dodgy as sailing down the Congo in a leaky boat during Uncertain Weather on an Alien Afternoon, but it's one of those strange albums that's on The Dividing Line between being good and bad, If That's What You Need to Hear. Call me an old fool, but One Man's Fool is another man's saviour, or so they say. Anyway, that's enough Small Talk for now, because it's time to feature my favourite track from the album, which is: Shipwrecked!   All songs in Blue highlights from the Calling All Stations album |
Replies:
Posted By: Mirakaze
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 11:30
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Oh no no
no; some albums by prog bands straying into a genre they can't tackle
convincingly at least have an unintentional comedic element to them, but to see
one of the greatest prog bands humiliating themselves by playing this
primitive, colourless and utterly lifeless watered-down grunge crap is depressing to the point where I’ve never
been able to get through this album in one sitting. To put this out under the
Genesis moniker should be a crime; avoid unless you’re a big Nickelback fan. |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 11:34
I can't stand Nickelback and their vocalist. Are you sure you listened to Ray Wilson? Had this album been released under another name, like maybe Banks, Rutherford & Wilson, or something else, it would have got less hate.
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Mirakaze wrote:Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 11:35
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Peter Gabriel = David Lee Roth. Phil Collins = Sammy Hagar. Ray Wilson = Gary Cherone. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 11:37
I agree, the album sounds nothing like the Genesis we all know and love, but if I judge the album on its own merits, without thinking of it as a Genesis album, then it's not bad at all, or at least, that's what I keep telling myself anyway.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 11:39
I disagree Hagar was a better singer than Roth I think the same with Gabriel being better for me than Collins. Both Wilson and Cherone are both great singers, and it's not their fault the albums they were on flopped.
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Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 11:42
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 11:43
I might agree with you if I knew who Gary Cherone is.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 11:54
Gary Cherone was the singer of Extreme and the third Van Halen singer, on the album strangely called Van Halen III in 1998. A rather weak album and poor Gary got the blame.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 12:17
...In just the same way as poor Ray Wilson got the blame for the Calling All Stations album.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 12:18
yes, kinda similar situation.
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Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 12:22
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Are you starting to see the connections? ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 12:27
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I noticed in the credits for Calling All Stations that Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford were named as Anthony Banks and Michael Rutherford. It's almost as if they didn't want to be associated with the album, in the same way as Mike Oldfield distanced himself from his inferior Heaven's Open album by naming himself Michael Oldfield on the album cover.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 12:34
just checked the CD and it says Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks. I don't know what you mean.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 12:38
If you take a look at the credits at the end of the Shipwrecked video above, it says Anthony Banks and Michael Rutherford.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 12:42
I don't watch videos so... They used their full names in the past, I don't think it because they want to detach themselves from the album.
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Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 12:49
| I only know the title track because I borrowed a Genesis triple CD from the library years ago and it was on it. I enjoy select post 1980 songs by Genesis and Calling all Stations is one of those |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 13:56
I don't suppose too many people are going to be fooled by that.  As others have said, if they hadn't brought it out under the Genesis name it would have had a better reaction. It's an ok album but it's not really Genesis. At least it's better than Love Bitch.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 14:01
Yes, it's more like a Ray Wilson album with two members of Genesis as his backing band.
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Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 14:04
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There's something comical about progarchives starting a thread on the worst, most bottom of the barrel, no semblance of prog, Genesis album rather than discussing some new and exciting prog releases. Anyways, anyone here check out the new Ocean Collective album? Pretty good stuff. ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 14:07
no way it's ray Wilson album. Banks and Rutherford barely let him get involved in the writing process. They picked Ray because he sounded a bit like Gabriel. And back then, Ray was in an alt-rock band Stiltskin. Totally different sound from Genesis. Also how do you think big egos like Mike and tony can be someone's back up band. I giggled... |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 14:19
^ First of all, Ray Wilson doesn't sound anything like Peter Gabriel, and secondly, Calling All Stations doesn't sound anything like Genesis, so it's a Ray Wilson album in all but name. 
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 14:30
His vocals sound a bit as Peter Gabriel's. Ray Wilson did not contribute much to the song-writing, how can it be a Ray Wilson album?! That's nonsense. Ray co-wrote three songs - Not About Us, Small Talk and There Must Be Some Other way. The rest of the songs are Banks/Rutherford. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 14:44
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^ Anthony Banks and Michael Rutherford are barely even evident on the Calling All Stations album, and I wouldn't have known it was a Genesis album if it didn't say "Genesis" on the cover. Maybe they should have gone the same way as Yes with their Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album and called it a Banks Rutherford Wilson album, but they obviously wanted to cash in on the Genesis name.
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Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 15:05
------------- 
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Posted By: Spacegod87
Date Posted: December 08 2020 at 21:22
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Me: "You know what, I'm gonna listen to the entire album from start to finish. I'll be open-minded about this." After listening to the album: "Cool, so I just inflicted a large amount of pain and discomfort upon myself and my day is ruined. I'm fine with this." ------------- Levitating downwards, atomic feedback scream. |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 01:00
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It is a decent album, not outstanding, but the one and only problem is that it has been released under the Genesis moniker. ------------- 
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 01:30
Yes, that's it exactly! Calling All Stations is really a decent Ray Wilson album, which bears little relation to the sound of previous Genesis albums. Ray Wilson (featuring Anthony Banks & Michael Rutherford) - It's Not About Us |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 01:34
please stop with this nonsense, to use a kind word. Ray's contribution in songwriting to this album was minimal.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 01:48
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Ray Wilson - Congo |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 01:52
you are already rude, it seems you are in your trolling mood.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 03:25
Who's "trolling" who!?? Just because someone disagrees with you, it doesn't make them a "troll".    Aretha Franklin - Who's Zoomin' Who? |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 03:28
it's not even disagreeing, you wrote something that is totally wrong. I get it, jokingly, a few times, does not make it funnier, it feels like you want to annoy me or something.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 04:10
^ All I'm saying is Calling All Stations shouldn't have been released as a Genesis album. It should have been released as a Ray Wilson album, or a Wilson, Banks & Rutherford album, or whatever. Anything but calling it a Genesis album, when it doesn't sound even remotely like Genesis.  
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 04:16
no, you are not saying it shouldn't have been released as a Genesis album, you are saying, repeatedly it's Ray Wlson album which - FACT- it was not. It's not even funny anymore. You put Wilson ahead of Banks and Rutherford, I wonder how many times facts need to be presented to you. Then you are surprised I think you are trolling?! Ray being part of Genesis hurt his career more than helped him.
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Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 04:21
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The thing is, Banks and Rutherford had a hard act to follow as Collins was such an identifiable and charismatic singer. Perhaps they should have went whole hog and got a female like Annie Haslam to do the vocals. Regardless, the results would have been the same. The singer would just not be Phil and the album would never get a fair chance. Perhaps Banks and Rutherford should have just hung it up when Phil left and saved themselves the trouble. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 04:45
Wow! Annie Haslam & Genesis. Now that really WOULD be an album worth hearing. After all, who could forget Annie Haslam's awesome version of Ripples, which sounds even better than the original version to my ears.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 04:47
you might have to check your ears...
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 04:50
No, it's simply that I'm a much bigger fan of Annie Haslam than Phil Collins.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 04:52
that's a totally different thing.
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Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 04:57
Accurate AF. ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 07:47
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I think the biggest WTF moment of this album was using Nick D'Virgilio as a metronome. Did Banks or Rutherford even listen to what NDV had done with Spock's Beard up to that point? He was the closest thing they had to a potential Phil Collins replacement. ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 08:27
just 4 songs though, I guess they treated him like a session musician. There was a second session drummer. Why didn't they use Chester Thompson? I wonder. |
Posted By: geekfreak
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 08:34
Hmm could it be a Mr P Collins...Personnel its a huge NO WTF ALBUM ------------- Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake." Music Is Live Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Keep Calm And Listen To The Music… < |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 09:12
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You may be interested to know that all of the songs from the Calling All Stations album are listed as Ray Wilson songs on YouTube. |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 11:16
Well that's because this is him performing them as a solo artist. As opposed to this -
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 09 2020 at 11:36
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^ Yes, that's it exactly, although it's hard to tell the two versions of each CAS song apart.
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 11 2020 at 13:38
Indeed they should have used Chester Thompson for drums... and Daryl Stuermer for guitars. And gotten Fish for vocals (I once read he was considered for the position, but I don't remember what happened about it). |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: December 11 2020 at 14:56
I did the same thing with ABACAB, which I never could stand, but hadn't heard in years. Day ruined. I'm not going to gamble with Calling All Stations either. Life is too precious. These bands should have hired professional song writers/composers to help them. The US band "Cheap Trick" was floundering, and then someone wrote the song "The Flame" for them, which became a huge hit stateside & brought them back to life. ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: December 11 2020 at 15:24
| It's typically considered to be the worst Genesis album but I'm not so sure. I personally think it's rather underrated. I think the biggest problem with it is maybe the mixing and production but still I wouldn't call it a bad or even a mediocre album. It's good but not great. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 11 2020 at 15:38
I agree, Calling All Stations is a good album, but no great shakes, and after listening to all of Genesis' albums recently, it's probably a better album than We Can't Dance, although that's no great recommendation either.
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Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: December 11 2020 at 20:08
True, but we can't dance at least has "fading lights" which is possibly the last real Genesis epic. I don't really hear any epics on COS. Of course that by itself doesn't make WCD better than COS though.
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Posted By: grantman
Date Posted: December 26 2020 at 14:55
| WE CAN,T DANCE a much worse album than calling all stations as far as im concerned. |
Posted By: UMUR
Date Posted: December 26 2020 at 14:59
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I´ve always liked it and play it on occasion. It´s not exactly a masterpiece like some of their other releases are, but it´s a decent pop/rock album. ------------- http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/" rel="nofollow - Metal Music Archives https://rateyourmusic.com/~UMUR" rel="nofollow - UMUR on RYM |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 26 2020 at 15:01
I Can Dance in tune with that point of view.
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Posted By: The Doctor
Date Posted: December 26 2020 at 15:12
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I liked the album for what it was. It seemed to me to be a cross between some of the stuff Mike had done with the Mechanics and Bankstatement. One thing I found disappointing on the album was the lack of some real keyboard solos (There Must Be Some Other Way had a brief solo), nothing like Fading Lights or Duke's Travels or Second Home By The Sea. But as a Mike & Tony 90s collaboration based on some of the stuff they had done solo, it was a pretty good album. I never saw it as a grunge album or even a pure pop album. Just 80s/90s AOR. ------------- I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you? |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: December 26 2020 at 17:13
| Congo was the only song I remember hearing on the radio when this album first came out. I still think that's a good tune but I don't think it's the only good one on the album. It's interesting that it's the only one that got much attention though and even wound up on one of the greatest hits albums. |
Posted By: SquonkHunter
Date Posted: January 01 2021 at 10:57
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I agree with the consensus here that it was a HUGE mistake releasing CAS as a Genesis album. By doing that, expectations were set way too high for what otherwise is not a bad album. Not great, but not bad. Had there been a second album with Ray Wilson FULLY involved in the writing and arranging of the songs from the beginning they might have stood a chance. As it is now though, we can only speculate on what might have been. Another missed chance. ------------- "You never had the things you thought you should have had and you'll not get them now..." |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: January 01 2021 at 11:16
You're right! Calling All Stations sounds much better if I don't think of it as a Genesis album.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 02:13
I'm hearing Calling All Stations in a whole new light after going out and buying the CD album for a grand total of £1 from a charity shop recently. Now, it sounds like a reasonably good 3-star album instead of a poor 2-star album, If That's What You Need to hear. |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 02:31
While I agree to what you say here, I still see no harm in us discussing Calling All Stations.
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Posted By: Necrotica
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 03:38
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Calling All Stations isn't even my least favorite Genesis album ------------- Take me down, to the underground Won't you take me down, to the underground Why oh why, there is no light And if I can't sleep, can you hold my life https://www.youtube.com/@CocoonMasterBrendan-wh3sd |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 03:55
I'm guessing We Can't Dance is your least favourite Genesis album, just as it is for me, where the album is only partially saved by the final 10-minute song, Fading Lights... |
Posted By: Necrotica
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 03:59
Nope! For me, it's From Genesis to Revelation. Sure, it has Peter on vocals, but to me that doesn't stop it from being a really half-baked album with way too much input from Jonathan King. Plus, it's aged horribly (though I suppose one could say the same about Stations as well...) ------------- Take me down, to the underground Won't you take me down, to the underground Why oh why, there is no light And if I can't sleep, can you hold my life https://www.youtube.com/@CocoonMasterBrendan-wh3sd |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 03:59
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^ Dreaming While you Sleep and Driving the Last Spike are both excellent. Also a few of the op songs on the album are pretty good to - No Son of Mine, Tell Me Why, Hold on My Heart. Not a bad album.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 04:02
^ I love From Genesis to Revelation! That was my favourite Genesis album at one time, mainly for the Poptastic orchestral production by Jonathan King.  |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 04:25
My answer was to you, but Brandan posted first. I'm talking about WCD, you
 about FGTR... |
Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 04:49
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If I had this album as a setlist to perform on stage, I think I would be sniffing my armpits and putting on five more pairs of pants. ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 05:37
...And my answer was to Necrotica, but you posted first.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 06:56
but my post was for you, a reaction to something you said.
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Posted By: Deadwing
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 08:21
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There's like 5 or 6 good songs in this album, which actually would be a nice 30~40 shorter one without all the fillers: Congo, Alien Afternoon, The Dividing Line, There must be some other way and One Man's Fool. The same goes for We Can't Dance album, IMO. My main criticism for CAS is how the drums are really devoid of life in most songs, with few exceptions such as The Dividing Line. Some of the b-sides of this album are interesting too.
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 08:29
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I think Rutherford and Banks only carried on because Genesis was being perceived as 'The Phil Collins Band' . Ironically carrying on only cemented that idea. Really they had enough money but their egos just made them carry on one album too far. For me the last proper Genesis album was Abacab. It was a very patchy effort but at least they were actually trying something and not totally stagnating. |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 08:31
true, but the s/t album from 1983 was also a proper Genesis album, a bit patchy as well, but to me a bit better put together than Abacab.
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Posted By: mellotronwave
Date Posted: June 23 2022 at 16:27
Right |
Posted By: projeKct
Date Posted: June 24 2022 at 07:04
I agree, too. Never thought of that before, even tough I'm a big fan of both bands. Does it mean that Peter Gabriel will come back and make one last album with Genesis (like DLR did with VH)?
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