I was 9 years old when they were touring this album and my dad brought me to the concert they did in Barcelona. Few months before we had seen Phil Collins in a sold-out show with 20.000 people on their feet in the same venue (Palau Sant Jordi). For Genesis the promoter had to put an enormous horizontal curtain that divided the venue in two pretending not to show all the empty seats on the whole back part of the stadium...we were hardly 3.000 people. I still can hear my dad saying "Tony and Mike don't deserve this". Always thought the very same album with Collins on the vocals would have been a huge hit.
They assumed they could just carry on as if Collins was still there. They were quite arrogant and should have played smaller venues, but I heard this is how the US tour collapsed, they weren’t willing to downscale the tour.
@@TheDarrenLock Ego problems seems to be normal with rock stars...Roger Waters for example. Seen him 4 times and insane shows all of them but he had wrong attitudes back in the 80's. Thanks for responding Darren, take care.
I heard this story 20 years ago and have never been able to find it again, wondering if you had any knowledge about it. The Carpet Crawlers 1999 track on the greatest hits album has a missing verse. If I am remembering the story correctly, Ray Wilson didn't even know he was out of the band yet and came in to record that missing verse, giving all three lead singers a chance to be heard. He was never told his part was cut, never given a reason, and didn't even find out till he heard the track. This was on some very early Genesis fan site, and maybe it's all BS, but I can't think of why else that verse would be missing. Either way, I totally agree with you - Ray was treated appallingly. I heard he bought a house based off the idea of going on and doing two more albums with Tony and Mike, then lost the house when that didn't happen. He recorded a ton of b-sides with them and only a few were used in the box set. There is a bootleg album, Live From Poland, which they could release, maybe as a digital download. I don't know, I just always felt bad for Ray. Calling All Stations is a weak album but he deserved better.
It's a total BS story. Carpet Crawlers 1999 was actually recorded in 1995. It was originally supposed to appear on the archives 1967-1975 box set but the record company held it back and placed it on the Hits record instead.
@@TheDarrenLock Fair enough - I'll give Shipwrecked another listen. Maybe I missed something there - and I might do the same for Uncertain Weather. As for the other three tracks, we can safely take them to the kerb, leaving a great 50 minute album (before we add any B-sides - did someone say double album?).
I had a thought about this, and Shipwrecked is a decent enough ballad to be on the album. I would also add Anything Now, Sign Your Life Away, Phret and Run Out Of Time from the b-sides for a twelve track album.
I got the red box and just listened to Calling all stations for the first time ever. I'm honestly very conflicted. Some of it I dug. I really liked Congo, Not About Us, and The Dividing Line. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it. It just felt really strange. I really like Ray Wilson's singing, but it just felt weird, especially following an album like We Can't Dance.
I'm gonna give the surround a listen. I can't imagine it will change it drastically but hey I paid for it. The extra live material that was on the DVD was really interesting and I wonder what Wilson sounded like doing old Genesis. I also wonder why they didn't include all the b-sides on the box set. Now I'll have to seek them out.
Darren, Darren, Darren......... Darren. Hmmmm....... Hmmmmmm.......... you’re disappointment is, I very respectfully submit, not necessary. I understand and fully get where you’re coming from but can I suggest that you view Calling all Stations not so much as a Genesis album per se but more of an Experiment by some original members of Genesis. Note, I say Experiment with a capital E. On that basis., I think that the album works quite well. This is not Genesis Prog/Art Rock a la circa 1970’s/80’s and I suggest it was never intended to be. However, as a stand-alone piece of work by some artists that we just happen to recognise, it’s actually quite good. Yes there are one or two duff moments but I can’t quite agree with you that it’s appalling. I know that it’s been created and marketed as a “Genesis” album and I think that was a mistake, not so much by the artists themselves by probably more by management and record company people and promoters. If the two chaps had called the band by a different name and released the album on that basis, I suspect that it could have been received quite well. But we’ ll never know now. I do like the album for what it is. I have played it regularly for the last 23 years. I also still listen to and enjoy all the Genesis albums (particularly Nursery Cryme and Duke). Sorry for going on a bit here but I just don’t think you should be so downhearted by Calling all Stations but then again I suppose that one man’s hot is another man’s cool, one man’s Saint is another man”s Fool! 🙂
Darren Lock's Prog Review : For drumming and also for arranging all the bits that each band member brought in or that they all composed together, yes you are correct. I think once SH left the band, a bit of musical flamboyance went with him. When PC stood down another bit of musicality, lyricism and of course all of the above went with him. That left the two remaining Carthusians to start it all again. And with CAS, I think it was a decently respectable restart. I know it’s not to everybody’s taste.
I actually love the title track and hate Congo. But totally agree with everything else you said. An EP of the title track, Dividing Line, Not About Us and Must Be Some Other Way would have done for me. And yes, Alien Afternoon and Small Talk are utter bletch.
I still don't like this album. Maybe this is a contraversial statement but I'd prefer it to Pink Floyd The Final Cut. Not comparing the albums byt this sounds more like a Genesis album than Final Cut sounds like Floyd.
I was 9 years old when they were touring this album and my dad brought me to the concert they did in Barcelona. Few months before we had seen Phil Collins in a sold-out show with 20.000 people on their feet in the same venue (Palau Sant Jordi). For Genesis the promoter had to put an enormous horizontal curtain that divided the venue in two pretending not to show all the empty seats on the whole back part of the stadium...we were hardly 3.000 people. I still can hear my dad saying "Tony and Mike don't deserve this". Always thought the very same album with Collins on the vocals would have been a huge hit.
They assumed they could just carry on as if Collins was still there. They were quite arrogant and should have played smaller venues, but I heard this is how the US tour collapsed, they weren’t willing to downscale the tour.
@@TheDarrenLock Ego problems seems to be normal with rock stars...Roger Waters for example. Seen him 4 times and insane shows all of them but he had wrong attitudes back in the 80's. Thanks for responding Darren, take care.
I actually love this album
Even the ugliest child is loved by its mother...
I found one of those tour posters online. 2 pictures of Phil and one of Pete, yeah that's uh... C'mon Tony Smith...
Oh good, I didn’t imagine it…
Now the real question is, which one is worse? Calling All Stations or Open Your Eyes (Yes)? Would love to see a vs video lol.
Not going to happen, but OYE is the stinker.
I heard this story 20 years ago and have never been able to find it again, wondering if you had any knowledge about it. The Carpet Crawlers 1999 track on the greatest hits album has a missing verse. If I am remembering the story correctly, Ray Wilson didn't even know he was out of the band yet and came in to record that missing verse, giving all three lead singers a chance to be heard. He was never told his part was cut, never given a reason, and didn't even find out till he heard the track. This was on some very early Genesis fan site, and maybe it's all BS, but I can't think of why else that verse would be missing. Either way, I totally agree with you - Ray was treated appallingly. I heard he bought a house based off the idea of going on and doing two more albums with Tony and Mike, then lost the house when that didn't happen. He recorded a ton of b-sides with them and only a few were used in the box set. There is a bootleg album, Live From Poland, which they could release, maybe as a digital download. I don't know, I just always felt bad for Ray. Calling All Stations is a weak album but he deserved better.
Title Track and Dividing Line are great in my opinion, though.🤔
i heard that he was supposed to be involved, not necessarily there being a verse or part he sang being missing.
It's a total BS story. Carpet Crawlers 1999 was actually recorded in 1995. It was originally supposed to appear on the archives 1967-1975 box set but the record company held it back and placed it on the Hits record instead.
I never bought this. Probably never will. No I never say never but I never will.
Toss Shipwrecked, Alien Afternoon, Uncertain Weather, If That's What You Need and Small Talk in the rubbish and replace them with all the B-sides.
@@TheDarrenLock
Fair enough - I'll give Shipwrecked another listen. Maybe I missed something there - and I might do the same for Uncertain Weather.
As for the other three tracks, we can safely take them to the kerb, leaving a great 50 minute album (before we add any B-sides - did someone say double album?).
I had a thought about this, and Shipwrecked is a decent enough ballad to be on the album.
I would also add Anything Now, Sign Your Life Away, Phret and Run Out Of Time from the b-sides for a twelve track album.
I got the red box and just listened to Calling all stations for the first time ever. I'm honestly very conflicted. Some of it I dug. I really liked Congo, Not About Us, and The Dividing Line. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it. It just felt really strange. I really like Ray Wilson's singing, but it just felt weird, especially following an album like We Can't Dance.
I'm gonna give the surround a listen. I can't imagine it will change it drastically but hey I paid for it. The extra live material that was on the DVD was really interesting and I wonder what Wilson sounded like doing old Genesis. I also wonder why they didn't include all the b-sides on the box set. Now I'll have to seek them out.
It's a decent album and didn't deserve the insultingly poor review scores....I'd give it a 6/10
Yeah, they needed a second album with Wilson to settle down.
Darren, Darren, Darren......... Darren. Hmmmm....... Hmmmmmm.......... you’re disappointment is, I very respectfully submit, not necessary. I understand and fully get where you’re coming from but can I suggest that you view Calling all Stations not so much as a Genesis album per se but more of an Experiment by some original members of Genesis. Note, I say Experiment with a capital E. On that basis., I think that the album works quite well. This is not Genesis Prog/Art Rock a la circa 1970’s/80’s and I suggest it was never intended to be. However, as a stand-alone piece of work by some artists that we just happen to recognise, it’s actually quite good. Yes there are one or two duff moments but I can’t quite agree with you that it’s appalling. I know that it’s been created and marketed as a “Genesis” album and I think that was a mistake, not so much by the artists themselves by probably more by management and record company people and promoters. If the two chaps had called the band by a different name and released the album on that basis, I suspect that it could have been received quite well. But we’ ll never know now. I do like the album for what it is. I have played it regularly for the last 23 years. I also still listen to and enjoy all the Genesis albums (particularly Nursery Cryme and Duke). Sorry for going on a bit here but I just don’t think you should be so downhearted by Calling all Stations but then again I suppose that one man’s hot is another man’s cool, one man’s Saint is another man”s Fool! 🙂
Darren Lock's Prog Review : For drumming and also for arranging all the bits that each band member brought in or that they all composed together, yes you are correct. I think once SH left the band, a bit of musical flamboyance went with him. When PC stood down another bit of musicality, lyricism and of course all of the above went with him. That left the two remaining Carthusians to start it all again. And with CAS, I think it was a decently respectable restart. I know it’s not to everybody’s taste.
I actually love the title track and hate Congo. But totally agree with everything else you said.
An EP of the title track, Dividing Line, Not About Us and Must Be Some Other Way would have done for me.
And yes, Alien Afternoon and Small Talk are utter bletch.
1MB PDF I second that. Pretty much the only song I keep going back to is the title track. I love it. If that is what misery sounds like, I’m in.
I still don't like this album. Maybe this is a contraversial statement but I'd prefer it to Pink Floyd The Final Cut. Not comparing the albums byt this sounds more like a Genesis album than Final Cut sounds like Floyd.
I like to think of it as Genesis Dark...