CALLING ALL STATIONS

If this album wasn't under the name of Genesis, then it would quite possibly have received a better review from many a critic. True, it hardly sounds like Genesis with Ray Wilson's vocals, perhaps the only thing defining it as Genesis being Tony Banks' omnipresent keyboard sound. However, as an album it is an excellent piece of work.

I discovered this one by accident pretty much, among a bunch of Genesis CDs that I'd decided to rifle through. I'd not heard of Calling All Stations before, but I thought I'd definitely check it out (the price was very agreeable). Looking at the booklet, I saw Ray Wilson as the vocalist, and the two drummers. Naturally I was very curious as to how it would sound.

It was a pleasant surprise in fact. There is a consistent display of moody atmosphere throughout, adding some depth to what are, doubtlessly in more than one instance, purely average songs. It was a return to better form though, at long last sacrificing the mindless torrent of weak pop tunes forced out under the Collins regime. Phil was great I thought; a quality drummer and a superb frontman with style and charisma, and a singer with a good, distinctive voice. Unfortunately, the songs written had proved to have no room for Phil's once-great drum skills as he churned out the constant stream of commercial love songs and the so-called Genesis "hits". Gone were the days of the atmospheric instrumental as we were bombarded with the weak chord sequences of songs such as In Too Deep. For me, Calling All Stations is the best album to bear Genesis' name since And Then There Were Three, albeit a considerable departure from sounding anything like Genesis (but then, as you listen to Invisible Touch do you see the magic of the Peter Gabriel era?).

Ray Wilson as far as I'm concerned gives a solid vocal performance with some great emotional delivery at times (though the closing track lacks any real interest from any of the musicians involved with the exception of perhaps the drums). Unfortunately, poor Ray was going to get a lot of flak for not being called Peter Gabriel or Phil Collins, and true his voice lacks the unique qualities of his predecessors. But it's not always about the voice, it's about what you do with it. Tony Banks' keyboard sound is stamped all over CAS, enriching it with its dark atmosphere and is the closest thing to defining anything as Genesis. Mike Rutherford could never be accused of overplaying and as always the guitar takes the back seat to allow the synth to blend so well with Wilson's voice, occasionally contributing some good stuff. Unfortunately, at no points in the album do we get quality progressive instrumental sections, we are instead treated to mediocre keyboard outings that just take the song along rather than taking it to new heights. Fortunately, none of the tracks can be described as "bad" in any way, some are simply dull and uninspired and it is clear which are the standout efforts.

To fully appreciate this work, I think it's sometimes necessary to forget that it's a Genesis album and let the prejudice against the new sound lie. It's a definite grower if you just put aside that this is no longer "glory days" Genesis. A stellar album, if not mind blowing. Consistent and atmospheric, often in sound reminding me of the band ARCHIVE. Best cuts: Alien Afternoon, Not About Us, The Dividing Line, Uncertain Weather, There Must Be Some Other Way and the title track, all of which I daresay surpass much of the more recent Genesis catalogue.