CALLING ALL STATIONS

I must be losing my mind. I never thought I'd wish for the Collins-led Genesis. Calling All Stations deserves a mention simply because Rutherford and Banks mustered up the cajones to make an album without Collins. Sadly, that is all it deserves a mention for. Wilson's vocals are good, and Nick D'Virgilio's kit work is some of the best drumming on a Genesis album since Collins' golden days. However, Collins' bile summoning lyrics seem like Dylan-esque fits of brilliance when they rub up against these banal tunes. Rumors abounded that the band would take the lineup change as an excuse to return to their progressive roots. Instead, they venture further into pop territory than ever before, and set an all new low, which is in a way impressive.

Wilson's vocals do not match the lyrics or sound at all. As a member of the post-punk scene, he sounds woefully out of place on a pop album that teases fans with promises of prog. I wonder why he even accepted. I suppose the money was good. Rutherford's riffs and Banks' keyboards are excruciatingly mediocre. This album is so bad it makes Invisible touch and We Can't Dance look better by comparison. It is yet another blunder in the once proud band's career and should be avoided at all costs, because it rather hard to put an ice pack on your soul, which aches tremendously after listening to this.

Grade: F