Genesis - Steve Hackett, Ray Wilson, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks
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#Genesis #Genesis band #Phil Collins #Mike Rutherford #Tony Banks #Genesis the band #I can't dance #gif #my gifMore you might like
Phil Collins announced reunion with Genesis
Despite being in the photo Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett seem not to be involved.
“The Dividing Line” - Ray Wilson live // Genesis
Sometimes we believe if we close our eyes
The rain might wash it away
That’s why we stumble and we fall
Not the words that you wanted to hear
Not the things that you wanted to see
“Calling all stations” is surely the most underrated Genesis album. It was an album of a band trying to re-invent itself.
After Genesis lost their second front-man with Phil Collins leaving, they made a bold move to hire young Scottish singer/songwriter Ray Wilson, who had his “15 minutes of fame” with the one-hit wonder “Stiltskin” and their chart-breaker “Inside”.
Funnily enough (and this story is true), when I first heard this song on the radio back in 1994, I instantly had to think about Genesis. I have no clue why. Stiltskin was the epitome of Euro-grunge, and had nothing whatsoever in common with “battleship” Genesis. Maybe it was the underlying drama this song holds, I can’t say. Or maybe it was just the sheer fact that back then my (real) obsession with Genesis started, and so I compared everyone and everything to this band.
Can you imagine my surprise when Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford announced Ray Wilson to be the replacement for Phil Collins?
Well… nobody can replace Phil Collins. Just as nobody can replace Peter Gabriel. Genesis tried a new start. And they failed. In many ways because they tried to *replace* Phil instead of trying something new.
You cannot produce “success” in art. Not in the long run. Success is work, dedication, passion, and persistence. Not giving up. Re-inventing yourself over and over, while keeping the “spirit” alive. And that spirit was there in “Calling all stations”. Sure, CAS is not their strongest album. Anything but. But there are some gems on it. Like “The Dividing Line”. To me it channels the spirit of ABACAB, the probably biggest cut in Genesis’ career. A tight and powerful piece of music that stands in direct opposition to the many (some might call them) over-produced and super-polished records they made before and after. Many fans showed Genesis the cold shoulder after that. But many others realized that what Genesis did there was the exact opposite of what some self-righteous morons accused them of. They did what THEY wanted. And not what people expected them to do. And that is what Genesis always did. Like… seriously… would anyone have guessed that “I can’t dance” would become a hit? Seriously? Come ON! I always had deepest respect for Genesis’ “not giving a shit” attitude, if it comes to music. And their way of making people listen. First by Peter Gabriel’s on stage theatrics. Later by the craziest light-shows you can imagine (Genesis was the first band to use Varilights) and Phil Collins’ unique way of engaging the audience.
And then… well… then… then came Ray. And never got the chance to develop his own unique way to *be* Genesis. Not with the band. Yet I love the Ray Wilson “era”.
“WHAAAAT?!”, some die-hard Genesis fans scream loudly, “HOW DARE YOU?!”
Funnily enough, even many of the otherwise so strongly opposed “Peter vs. Phil”-dimwits agree: “Calling All Stations” and the 1998 tour was the low-point of Genesis. Some even call it the “death of a band”.
It always amused me to see these “Peter vs. Phil” fan-fights. “Peter Gabriel was Genesis” - yeah… sure… why did he need a band then? Well… he didn’t. And he proved that with his amazing solo career and some of the most phenomenal songs ever written in music history. But what he did by himself was very different to what he did with Genesis. And what Genesis did without him. And what Phil Collins did was also different. And what Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett, Anthony Philips… did was different… A band is more than the sum of its parts.
And… just for me to understand: Who the fuck are you to tell a band what to do or not to do? If you like their stuff, buy their music, go to the shows. If you don’t… well… then don’t. Simple.
Genesis tried a new start with the new “part” Ray Wilson. And they failed. So, yes, I agree… the death of band. But not because of Ray.
I saw Ray live twice. And he is different. He is a singer through and through. A storyteller. A calm, and almost introverted person with an amazing voice (surely one of the best voices in rock history), and massive charisma. But he needs space. And he would have needed time. And that is not what he was allowed to have. Because Genesis lost “being Genesis” after the 1998 CAS tour when they (and allegedly it was Mike Rutherford) decided to kill the legacy of “not giving a damn what people want”. THAT was when Genesis sold out. And that is the real shame.
Nevertheless… I love Genesis’ Ray Wilson “era” and the way Ray Wilson still plays and re-interprets the old songs. Because it shows what Genesis could have been: A *living* legend.
Oooops… I still had them in the drafts ^^ I guess, this is simply the way they walk ;P
What where did Steve come from !?
Must be from the “Archive Box-Set” presentation time… or from the “Platinum Collection” time. It is said, that with “Carpet Crawlers ‘99” Ray originally sang some lines too, but they cut it…
Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford talking about the “A Trick Of The Tail” tour
Listening to Genesis at work.
- Me: *passionately singing along*
- Colleague: *puts on his "Oh God she's singing again" face*
- Me: Oh don't you look at me like that. It's my favourite band, I need to sing!
- Colleague: Band?
- Me: Yeah?!
- Colleague: Isn't that Phil Collins?
- Me: Yeah well that's right, it's Phil Collins singing but with Genesis.
- Colleague: ....
- Me: Genesis?! The band?!
- Colleague: Phil Collins has a band?
- Me: Oh God, someone kill me, please!!!!
elementoftheeye asked:
I think you did a podcast with Billy Monday some time ago... just wanted you to know he recently passed away. He was a wonderful mentor and will be missed.
Oh, wow! This is sad news. I am lost for words.
Thank you for letting me know. This is really very sad news, indeed.
Yes, Fern @allthingsfern and I had Billy as a guest in one of our inConversations. Billy was an amazingly insightful and intelligent person. Other than in our “show”, I had some occasional really wonderful little chats with him, and I learned a tremendous deal from him. He was so very generous with advice, and I got to know him as a very smart, down-to-earth person, and a terrific artist.
He will definitely be missed