"Calling All Stations" | The Most Controversial Genesis Album…
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2023
- ▶ BECOME A PATRON: / everythingphilcollins
▶ VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.everythingphilcollins.com
-------------
**ORDER CUSTOM PHIL COLLINS PAINTING T-SHIRTS**
A friend of mine painted this amazing portrait of Phil Collins, and you can get it as a t-shirt or hoodie! everythingphilcollins.bigcarte...
-------------
Grab these great records (if you don't already have them)...
Genesis - The Last Domino (LP Boxset) - geni.us/thelastdomino
Phil Collins - No Jacket Required (Vinyl) - geni.us/nojacketrequired
Phil Collins - ...But Seriously (Vinyl) - geni.us/butseriously
Phil Collins - Tarzan Soundtrack (Green Vinyl) - geni.us/tarzanvinyl
Phil Collins - Face Value (Vinyl) - geni.us/facevalue
Phil Collins - Both Sides (Vinyl) - geni.us/bothsides
Genesis - Duke (Vinyl) - geni.us/genesisduke
Genesis - Invisible Touch (Vinyl) - geni.us/invisibletouch
Genesis - Selling England By The Pound (Clear Vinyl) - geni.us/sellingengland-clear
-------------
*My microphone: geni.us/sm7b-microphone
*My camera: geni.us/sonyzv-1
*My mic stand: geni.us/gator-stand
-------------
***Follow Me, Follow #EverythingPhilCollins on Instagram...
/ everythingphilcollins
***Subscribe to the Everything Phil Collins Podcast
open.spotify.com/show/3CnNla1... 
Видеоклипы
If Ray was given the chance with a second album I think people would have started coming around. I didn’t give it a fare shake when it first came out but have since watched that concert video and many of Rays solo concerts since and I really like him as a singer. A lot.
Agreed!
I agree too. Genesis were seen as dinosaurs. Not with the times
I also agree.
I think Ray could of been incredible with a second chance. Its such a shame we never got that.
in 97, waiting for this album to be released was a great experience. We used to share info with all genesis fans trough a mail list calles Paperlate, and all of us were so anxious fo the new album withouth phil.....something that made me love Calling All Stations in very different ways. To this day I consider it one of my favs of all time...
I bought it the day it came out. I was 16…I loved it. Wore the cd out to the point where I had to go buy it again. And was bummed that the American leg of the tour was canceled.
Amazing!
CAS is a top 5 Genesis album for me. Ray's darker voice gave the music a lot of character. Since that time I've followed him as a solo artist.
I bought this on cd the day it came back in 1998 at Tower Records. The second the song Calling All Stations came on, I was very into it. It was Genesis with new blood. Looking back, it's not their best album, but it's still very good. Congo, The Dividing Line, and There Must Be Some Other Way are my favorite songs on it. I also thought Not About US would be the next big single. Sadly, the album didn't take off at the time. Ray did a great job on the vocals on this record. I finally got this album on vinyl. I wish the Genesis fans wouldn't rip this album so much. There are some good moments on this album.
thoughtfully written. I agree with you. I hadnt heard it until years later. But when I did listen, I excepted it for what it was. A new chapter hopefully. Sadly didnt happen
they rip it becuase they're not really Genesis fans... ask most of them what they think of suppers ready and they'd think you were talking about something else... I've known a few of these in my time and they've never been able to quite appreciate Genesis for waht it was but saw it as something different.... Phil Collins... hence the ripping
I’ve always liked Calling All Stations. I got the album on CD when it first came out in 1997 and I played it continuously. I also saw the band play live on the Calling All Stations Tour in March 1998.
But it wasn’t until 30 years later, when I picked up the album on vinyl LP, that I formed the opinion that the original album would definitely have benefitted from dropping four songs. If Shipwrecked, Not About Us, Uncertain Weather and Smalltalk had been consigned to the cutting room floor, that would make it a seven song, 48 minute album instead of a 68 minute album. That would render this album a completely different listening experience. It would be much more cohesive and coherent.
Those four songs that I’ve listed could easily have been released as a separate bonus CD in a deluxe version of the original album, perhaps even with Papa He Said, Phret, Banjo Man and a few others in the track list. That would have caused the main seven song album to flow better in a more concise way, especially the vinyl edition.
I suppose that demonstrates the value of having a really good, strong willed and opinionated producer. Nick Davis isn’t that, though he is certainly technically very proficient.
If this had been a solo effort by Tony or Mike it would be held in high regard I think. With Genesis attached, it really never had a chance. There is some great material on this album.
This is not the most controversial Genesis record.
No one cares about this record enough to even generate a controversy.
Don´t worry about the hater, is like that old fans of Deep Purple that until today (more than 40 years) stills are attached to Machine Head and consider that ""they don´t have the right to do anything else"" WHAT A CLOWNS!!! 🤡🤡
In 1999, I heard this album for the first time. As I've always been a fan of Phil, I refused to listen. But, at the time, my best friend challenged me to listen to this album, but I only agreed if I heard Ray singing the song "Domino" (which I still like today). He found it and sent it to me singing "Domino" live and I immediately liked it. Nowadays, I'm a big fan of Ray Wilson and the album "Calling All Stations" and Wilson's important contribution to this project. Because he was already on the grunge wave in other bands and, later, in his excellent solo career.
Great thoughts. Thanks for sharing!!
One of my favorite drummers Nick D from Spock's Beard (Now in Mr. Big) played on a couple songs on this album. Awesome drummer!
This whole situation reminds me of Supertramp, when Roger Hodgson left the band, such a charismatic member and crucial to the sound of the band, leading to the lukewarm reception of such a fantastic album like Brother Where You Bound
Interesting!!
Wow, the connection you made between the reverb and synth-scapes on this album and the cover artwork were a true eye-opener for me!! Thanks for this great review and also for telling about the context of the decade this album was released👍😃 I think a lot of the songs on this album grow on you the more you listen to them. That's how Alien Afternoon became one of my favourite Genesis songs :-) What do you think of the song 'Sign Your Life Away'? I always think of that song as something that in another dimension was featured on an early 2000's album, with more artistic input from Ray
Great point! Thanks for watching!
The loss of Phil was quite different (IMO) in comparison with the loss of the other members - even Peter. I think for many reasons but most especially is that Phil is such a prodigious talent. Song writer, singer, excellent lyricist in his own right, arranger, producer, and most especially a world class drummer and don't forget humble. I totally agree that Tony and Mike are the backbone of Genesis. But the three of them were together for so long and Phil brought so much that his loss was different to the others. Cheers, Ian
This was never more Genesis, I am sorry to say, no matter if Ray is a good singer or not. Genesis without Phil or Tony or Mike is not Genesis, never more, period !!
Don´t worry about the hater, is like that old fans of Deep Purple that until today (more than 40 years) stills are attached to Machine Head and consider that ""they don´t have the right to do anything else"" WHAT A CLOWNS!!! 🤡🤡
The Dividing Line is the most musically interesting song, and the live version is even better, IMHO. Great groove, and I feel Nir Z's playing is top notch. Poor Nick d'Virgilio - a huge, huge Genesis fan - didn't get that track to play on.
It a one-dimensional song to me. Pretty simple. It's just loud and pretends to be something bigger, but it really is not.
NDV is such a strange case of parallels. Had a similar drummer to lead singer path after the departure of an iconic frontman, ended up playing drums on an actual Genesis record, and not plays with Hackett. He's great
This is a really great video essay and defense of a severely misunderstood and underrated album. As a die-hard Genesis fan, there isn't a single album by the band I don't enjoy, and that includes Calling All Stations. While it's undeniably different from the rest of the band's output I think it represents a fresh new start to a new chapter of the band, and with that came a new sound. The DNA of Genesis is still very much there in the music-mostly in Mike and Tony's signature songwriting. Ray was brave for taking the project on and doing an excellent job, people just weren't ready for so much change in its time. The more time goes by and the more I sit and listen to the album, the more it continues to grow on me.
The late '90's Genesis and Phil Collins output showed what was missing with the split. I like CAS a lot but it shows what was missing with Phil's departure. The little bit of "light" or "levity" or something like that. Phil's ability to lighten what Tony brings. You also saw in "Dance Into the Light" and other Phil stuff after Genesis you see a need for a little weight and darkness that Tony brought. They all have incredible output and success outside Genesis but were never better than together IMHO.
Thanks for a new video. VERY entertaining! As I never listened to Genesis 😮 but just now discover them, theese videos are such great introductions. Now I really look forward to listening to the record. So thanks again!
Welcome aboard!
Scott, you hit the nail in the head 100% with this album and Ray singing the “Phil songs”. I can hear Peter on occasions in Ray’s vocals.
I love the sound of this album, and it’s one of my faves. I think It was Tony who said the theme of CAS was communication and the lack thereof.
I would have loved to have heard Phil sing “If That’s What You Need”, it was perfect for him.
Musically, it’s awesome. Tony’s and Mike’s sounds make the album, and Phil’s drumming sound is replicated, but not his style.
You're good! This is also one of my favourite records and I'm glad my thoughts are resonating with yours. Good review and point of view!
It's certainly not the terrible album that it has been accused of being, and Wilson has a fine voice. However - as you've reinforced with those apt, very late 90's points of comparison - it's one of the most dated sounding albums Genesis ever made. I'm not sure about the equivalence you've drawn between losing a singer and going on as a band after Peter left, and losing Phil as singer (and drummer) and going on. Peter's replacement came from within the band, and they maintained a key component of their sound with Phil still being on drums. Ray was an outsider and the band lost their drummer as well. He represents not one but two lineup changes (voice and drums) - when Phil took over from Pete, that was a lineup *shuffle*. Nice to see you talking about this album, and lending it some worthwhile love. Like you, I wonder how it might have fared if it was released under a different band name.
It sounds a lot better almost 30 years later, Ray has a great voice and the instrumentation is excellent. Saw Ray doing Carpet crawlers with Steve Hackett, very good. At the time of release I think we all missed phil collins, so it was hard warming up to Ray.
Understood!
The thing I hate most about this album and this chapter of the band's history is the shabby way Mike and Tony treated Ray Wilson. He had little input into the album, but still put on creditable performances in their European concerts.
The way they treated Daryl and Chester wasn't much better. The drummer they got was fine, but there wasn't anything on that album that Chester couldn't have done.
Regarding who was going to replace Phil: the rumor was always that they wanted Kevin Gilbert but he passed away (his performance of Lamb is incredible. His version of Back in NYC is actually my favorite version). Also, apparently years later Tony found out Nick D'Virgilio could sing and asked him why he never mentioned it!
I was one of those die-hard Genesis and Phil fans that picked it up the day it came out in 1997. I loved the dark, aggressive, confident stride of the opening track but the more I listened to it...the more I realized how important Phil might have been as an *arranger*. Calling All Stations and Congo start off with power and promise...and just meander to non-endings. Shipwrecked is such a lovely groove but just treads water and the bridge doesn't elevate it as much as it could.
The rest of the album didn't really grab me musically apart from The Dividing Line (and that was entirely down to Nir Z).
Ray Wilson's voice was such a powerful revelation for Genesis (loved his take on No Son Of Mine) but it ultimately seemed like Tony and Mike didn't give him the time to learn how to write for him and move forward.
I was already a huge fan when this album dropped. It felt like my parents got divorced, and I resisted liking my really cool new step dad out of loyalty to my father. Out of the box, I hated this record but I begrudgingly liked "CAS". I shelved the record for years, but when I took it back out for a new spin somewhere around 2006, I had a new appreciation for it and actually started to like it a lot. One of the best things that came out of it was that I discovered Nick D'Virgilio and perhaps one of my top 5 favorite bands - Spock's Beard.
lol stepdad analogy is perfect. And after all these years we realize moms boyfriend was actually a pretty good guy.
I understand that what you describe is an emotional reaction and not a logical one, but it wasn't a divorce. Phil left. There were no (arguably) "creative differences" like with Peter or even (arguably) neglect like with Steve. It's just that Phil's solo career was in high gear, and he didn't want any expectations of working with Genesis to weigh on him. Tony and Mike didn't want him to go, but he had to anyway. All his decision. And when he could get back with Genesis, he did.
So even at the time, I never held it against either Phil or the band that CAS wasn't as stellar an effort as, for example, some of the early '80s Genesis that I loved. I just figured it was another first album with a new lineup like ATTWT. Like ATTWT, it was, for me, a good album with lots of great moments, but not a candidate to be one of my favorite albums. I was hoping they'd shore up some of the weaknesses of CAS and come back with a second, stronger album. Unfortunately, Mike didn't want to, so it never happened.
It IS my favorite Genesis album, I never understood all the negativity. The playing on it is fabulous, the drums, singing and song writing simply deserve lots of merit.
I love this album. The only thing I can say that is a negative is the fade outs.
Ray is a great singer, and hearing his solo work after Genesis, makes me believe that they would’ve had some real gems for years
For me it's the voice. In Peter Gabriel, we had, in my opinion one of the greatest voclists in rock. Still is going by the superb tracks being released for his upcoming album. Then we had Phil Collins. Again, just my opinion, a good voice, not great, but definitely suited to all that 80's and 90's balladry and soft rock. Then we finish it off with Ray Wilson. It's not a bad voice but its not very memorable. You could put him up front on any recording and I dont think you'd guess it was him, unlike a Gabriel, or Jagger, or Plant, or Daltrey etc etc.
Interesting thoughts.
I’ll defend Calling All Stations til the day I die. As much as I like the album as it is, I think had a couple of songs been swapped out for some of the b-sides, like Anything Now or Run Out Of Time, it could have been even better.
lol. Completely agree!
8:43 Oh man, someone needs to do that. 😂
What I felt they missed on this on this album was Phil as a drummer rather than a singer. Ray is is great singer and nice bloke.
I hear you!
This album gets so much undeserved hate. It is criminally underrated. As a consolation though, since leaving Genesis Ray Wilson has put out some superb solo and Stiltskin stuff. I'd highly recommend checking them out.
👍 agree!!
I bought this album on 9/1/97, the day it was released here in the US.
It's a good album. Ray's a great singer. The Dividing Line and One Man's Fool as complete songs stand out. Mike's rough, heavy guitar tone, too. Well done taking the time to go over this record.
The title track is magnificent- I loved it instantly and can play it over and over. Full of emotion and grit and I think they just nailed it. Overall I am a fan of this album and Ray was as good a choice as lead singer that could have been made. I like how this album was more of a return to prog rock styles.
I'm actually a defender of Calling All Stations and think that songs like the title track, Congo and Shipwrecked would have been hits if Phil was singing. Ray Wilson is a talented guy and I wish they would have given him one more album perhaps writing WITH him to see what it really could have been
You did a great setup with some of the mindset going through the band's (and record buying public) at the time. There are a few things that Mike/Tony should have considered though...
1 - Yes, Genesis got "bigger" when band members left, but did they get better? Many fans of Genesis stop when Peter left, others when Steve left. Each time band members left, Genesis became more diluted. And I agree with another commenter that said that it would have helped if Chester/Daryl could have been on the album.
2 - You made some great points about what was on the radio at the time, but Genesis is supposed to be "progressive" music. They are not supposed to follow trends, they are supposed to create them.
3 - When bands have replaced singers, they typically had more success going to the tribute bands and picking a singer that the public would love to see front the band, a singer who has paid their dues. Yes, Genesis did it before when Peter left, but Phil was in the band already. And the number of bands who have successfully replaced a big singer can maybe be counted on one hand. What Genesis did in 1975 was a very very rare feat.
4 - I am a fan of Ray Wilson, both as a singer and as a person. But unfortunately for him, Phil and Peter are 2 of the best male singing voices ever in music, and Ray is just not that. He's not up in that air...almost no one is. Paul Carrack is also on that list of greats and one of the reasons that Mike had so much success with The Mechanics.
How important was Phil to Genesis? It's sad to say...but an ailing Phil, sitting on a chair, not drumming, not even singing near his best...fans filled arenas in 2021/22 that Ray's Genesis could never hope to fill. Parts of me wishes that Mike/Tony could have just not cared about the commercial success, and stood behind the work, and played to the audiences they could draw, rather than say "you're right" and give up.
It’s funny considering Paul Carrack is allegedly one of the candidates for Genesis auditions, but vetoed out because it would overlap lots of things at the time. He was on Steve’s Revisited record singing Your Own Special Way and Beggar on the Beach is only two years old at the time.
1. I would suggest that Mike and Tony would thought they got better as they got bigger and vice versa. Despite what some fans thought.
2. I would also suggest that they were trying to get hits and be favourable to radio, both the band and the label.
3. Never thought of this - wish I mentioned it.
4. This is true. I think you’re right.
When Collins crept back into the band he should have said "SORRY... I made a mistake, thank you to Ray Wilson, Calling All Stations is a great album". Then the band should have included at least the title track in all their live performances and at the very last concert Ray should have been invited on stage to sing the song. That would have been the RIGHT thing to do. But he didn't. They didn't. Big mistake. Bottom line... Calling All Stations is a fine Genesis album and the title track is EASILY in the top 20 Genesis songs of all time and that is really saying something.
Title track is indeed a really nice tune!!
I was a huge Genesis fan by 1997. I was 20 years old. I loved both the Gabriel and Collins eras. For some strange reason though, despite that, l didn't get phased or felt jarred by Ray Wilson taking over. Collins left on his own accord and l was just grateful that my favourite band carried on with a great new singer and some still brilliant tunes. To this day l still rank CAS and the Wilson era very highly. The bonus non album material from this period is great too.
Yah a lot of those bsides are really great!
Fish (Marillion) & Francis Dunnary (It Bites) were also auditioned for the role in Genesis.
Some of the B-sides from this Album were better than some of the songs from what ended up on the album!
Tony and Mike should have brought in Fish from Marillion on this album - he sounded more like Peter Gabriel, and Tony had already worked with Fish on his solo tracks "Another Murder of a Day" and "Angel Face" from 1991's Still. Ray Wilson was a bit of a stretch, though filled in admirably IMO. Calling All Stations is a decent album with a handful of classic Genesis tracks -"Calling All Stations", "Congo", "There's Must Be Some Other Way", "The Dividing Line" and "One Man's Fool". They should have given it one more chance with Ray. I like your idea of a splinter band from Genesis like Mike + The Mechanics. The critics would probably have been less harsh and they could have navigated alongside all the rock bands you mentioned. Nice analysis, I can't wait to watch more. Cheers, Ian.
Another note that when CAS came out, the music industry in the late nineties was dominated by Alternative Rock, Boy Bands and also the slow rise of Nu Metal. Genesis was trying to follow the trend of alternative rock as Ray Wilson was involved in the aforementioned genre and the grunge scene with Guaranteed Pure and Stiltskin earlier on, yet both the Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins fans critically slaughtered the album since they thought Wilson didn’t fit the Genesis mold, but I do praise Wilson for sounding similar to Gabriel in most of the songs as he would later cover “Solsbury Hill” and “Don’t Give Up” at his live gigs.
I'm around your age too. I bought it the day it came out and didn't dislike it. The gap between that and the We Can't Dance era to me felt like a decade had passed. From my POV, after or maybe a little before the Both Sides tour was over, Phil and Genesis's limelights weren't the same as they once were as things were changing in the 90's and I didn't cope with it very well, so I'd embrace anything new of Phil or Genesis. Not just with Calling All Stations. Dance Into the Light, one of his worse selling albums, I was over the moon when that came out.
I agree with the review here. It's an underrated album - but not too underrated. There's a few good songs and lot good bits in songs, but it's rarely great. The single edit of Congo is best track and it's not even on the album. Ray's vocals and Nir Z's drumming are fantastic.
And Ray got a raw deal.
Thanks for watching!!
Lol you mentioned the 90s synth and it reminds me I’m in the middle of making a covers project and I mostly use some of the same stuff Tony & Phil used in the 90s like the Roland D50 and the Wavestation. A lot of great sounds on those things. And yes the solo in Some Other Way is the same sound as Fading Lights - came from the Wavestation.
I’m not really warm to this record but I like a few songs like the title track, Congo, Not About Us and I agree about having Ray on board. He’s perfect for that grunge sound. He’s got that Eddie Vedder yarling type of sound and it’s a match for the darker music.
Overall not a perfect Genesis era but I welcome it in the canon.
I’m think this album really showed how much the guys really needed Phil’s input in the songwriting. It does have some good songs (Congo, Alien Afternoon and One Man’s Fool) the rest didn’t really care for.
Okay Scott, I listened to you talk for 8:10 and here’s my response to you before you even ask us to tell what do you think of CAS Album. So here’s my take: ( this might be an not popular response) I have every Genesis album, Boxset you name it. I treat every album I get as “the album” at the time I get it. I must say I enjoyed the album front to back yes, there were some drum style like Phil but that was it. I was happy with that. I even was going to see Genesis on their 1997 tour but it got cancelled by management. Due to of lack of ticket sales I suppose. They never even got a chance to preform for the USA. But I really enjoy the last ever album. Keep up the great work Scott. - Bill -
I appreciate both your positivity and your honesty. I've always really enjoyed this, Even though it.has some weak moments. I think it's solid. I think the biggest missed opportunity was they should Have Had station channel changing sounds in between every song.. I think it would have given the album A concept album theme without a true concept.
Regardless, I wish they had done at least a second album.
agree! Thanks for watching!
This album shows what glue Phil brought to Genesis. I don't mind Calling All Stations though. There was definitely a period in my life I had that album heavy in my rotation. It sounded Like Genesis but it was missing Phil. Your right. Phil doing a couple drum tracks would've been Awesome.
I Really Like this Video. You already know how I feel about This whole Chapter of Genesis. There were Mistakes Made By Management. The Gamble Just Didn't Pay Off this Time.
:)
It got to number 2 in the UK and l saw a show on the 1998 tour. In America the album sunk and the tour was cancelled due to lack of interest. Sadly it would seem in the USA that people thought Phil Collins WAS Genesis. We seemed to be a bit more open minded to change here in the UK and Europe. I don't mean to offend American fans but it just seems that way.
Good point!
CAS was a great album imho and the B-sides were really wonderful too! The Genesis brand name might have been too big to live up to!
Bsides are pretty cool… a few of them. :)
Gerald, they did have tons of B sides. Some of which I thought should have been on the official release. Could you guys imagine what it might have been like if they continued to work together? Imagine if they they released CAS but didnt tour then release an album a year later with Rays complete contribution and then go for it.
I had high hopes for this album. It didn't live up to my hope of a great return to classic prog, but it has a few good songs and is a lot better than the last two albums with Phil. Fans should not hate on Calling All Stations, they should give it another listen.
15:18 A whole new song starts! I try to listen, and it's fading... like sands through the hourglass.😅 Excuse the commemt bombing but it's good for the algorithm at least🤙
This album doesn’t have Phil or Peter on it, however it’s different and I don’t really mind it too much. My favourite tracks are “Calling All Stations” and “Congo”, both are great tracks and Ray Wilson is a good singer in my opinion!! 😙👍
I rejected this album back then because I've had enough of pop Genesis but I must admit after all these years that this is one of their best album of the "pop era" at the same level of Duke.
100% agree on everything you said about “Alien Afternoon”
It starts off really great (dare I say it’s the best opening on the entire album) but holy crap is it hard to sit through after that, the ending is very uplifting.
Worst epic they ever did.
I like this record a lot. Maybe the best sounding of their career. Great production. Quite Prog. A pleasure to listen. Part of Genesis history in its own right. The concert they played in Barcelona, Catalonia in 1998 was one of the best I have ever witnessed. Amazing sound.
So nice to hear!!
I do really like this album and only got familiar with it like 15 years ago. I do wish some of the B sides were used instead. I think if this was the track listing it may have done better.
1. Calling All Stations
2. Congo
3. Not About Us
4. There Must Be Some Other Way
5. Anything Now
6. Shipwrecked
7. Nowhere Else To Turn
8. Dividing Line
9. Phrett
10. One Mans Fool
Whats your thoughts? This kind of follows the story line Ryan is suggesting CAS is about, which I validate for sure. I never took into the consideration the alienation theme that runs throughout.
Ref Ray singing the hits. When I saw the gig he sang the old stuff really well. I think him singing some of the PG stuff would have been better.
What did not work for me was songs that relied on Phil’s humour .. so I can’t dance being a good example.
Maybe an unpopular take, but I’ve often felt that some of the lyrics on this album were directed at Phil’s departure especially on “There must be some other way” and “Not about us”.
Could it have been Tony having a stab?
I never saw it that way. Very interesting take.👍
Yah interesting but I haven’t heard that… maybe I’ll listen for it.
Tony has said that his lyric on “TMBSOW” was about various friends of his going through divorces, and how he would feel if he had to go through such a thing. “Not About Us” lyrics are Ray on the verses, and Mike on the chorus. Nothing to do with Phil’s departure.
@@AdamDeanMusic thanks Adam. Glad to hear that is the case.
Good video. i've never stopped to think about the record in the context of what music sounded like at the time. I agree with your statement about the asterisk. It's not an album I revisit often, but there is some good stuff on it. I was 28 when it came out. I never blamed Ray for anything, it's not his fault Phil left. What I found interesting is it still sound like a Genesis record to me. Before it came out I was of the mind, "You can have Genesis without Phil Collins!"
Title track reminds me a lot of "Down and Out" from ATTWT. I really think that should have been a single. I can understand perhaps it might be a tad bit confusing to release a title track as a single, but it's something Genesis already did multiple times to that point.
Congo is good, I prefer the radio edit. My favorite song on the album is Shipwrecked. I don't like "Not About Us." "One Man's Fool" is also an amazing track, though I don't like the lyrics. The rest of the album is OK, definitely listenable. I think "Anything Now" is better than any song I haven't listed or "Not About Us", and should have made the album.
I really wish they tried for one more album with Ray. One of the worst things about CAS is how Chester Thompson asked to be on the album but was rejected with the reasoning of "We're looking to do something different", just for them to ask for him to play live and proving that was a bit of a lie. I think just adding Chester could have helped fans see the band still had a lot of continuity with Phil leaving. Anthony Drennan was a good addition to the live band and he's even with Mike and the Mechanics now.
Also, I do like Rays takes on a lot of those pop songs, but I think the rest of the compositions should have changed to suit his voice. "Invisible Touch" could have been perfect for Ray if it were acoustic like "Follow You, Follow Me" was done, or at least sans the keyboard.
All in all, I like CAS as an album and wish Ray got a second album.
Agree with lots of this!! :)
This whole album reminds me of ATTWT in a lot of ways.
Calling All Stations on vinyl!?! Thats bad ass.
I got lucky!
@EverythingPhilCollins I actually enjoyed that album. It had some good moments. Like "One Man's Fool" describing September 11th in 1997.
My thoughts are that 1997 was the apex of rock & pop music innovation. You had so many bands bringing out interstellar albums that truly broke ground - Ok Computer, The Fat Of The Land (in 1997 this was considered a musical revelation, in so much that Prodigy could headline at that time what was called "electronics" music festivals and "traditional rock festivals). The Verve's Urban Hymns, Oasis, Chemical Brothers, Trip Hop, Rap, Trainspotting the movie, Dance Rave music culture, Pantera, Stone Temple Pilots .. the list is endless. World Class albums were released that year.
Every 1980s band was on its uppers, Iron Maiden & Judas Priest vocalists left their respective bands as they were seen as "uncool" - the old guard were generally shaken to their core and had zero idea what 21 year old kids were listening to. U2 wanted Liam Howlett to produce the "Pop" album and Howlett turned them down seeing them as "the old guard". It can't be overstated how hard it was for any 70 or 80's in 1997 - they were literally yesterday's men.
Within this framework, Calling all stations just didn't stand a chance and got lost amongst all the amazing new music that was happening in 1997. I was there and signed as an artist myself in NYC. U2, Iron Maiden, Simple Minds, Squeeze, XTC .. they weren't mocked or laughed at .. worse than that, they were ignored. Iron Maiden were playing in 700 capacity clubs in Europe in 1997. That's how much people forgot them. It's wasn't malicious, it's just there was tidal wave of youth culture that involved wonderful innovative music with amazing songwriting.
I saw Genesis at the hometown "Calling All Stations" show in London at Earls Court. It was sold out (12,000 people) and very well received. Ray was young and definitely pulled off the Gabriel material. The crowd was definitely into it.
Obviously it was never going to be stadium selling stuff in 1997. Too much competition as I've mentioned. The album is wonderfully dark and better than "We Can't Dance". Had they done a second album in say, 2004 (post Napster), I think they would have stayed an Arena Act.
Ironically, the only person who continues to perform the legacy of all periods is Ray Wilson. Ray is a stand up guy and I think when Phil dies, Ray will have his Indian Summer and end up being successful as he will be the last man standing.
I enjoy Shipwrecked and love The Dividing Line. Yeah, it wasn’t Phil there, but Ray would’ve had a better stance with the band if they did a second album with Wilson.
I think it's a shame that there wasn't a second album with Ray Wilson. It would be my biggest dream if Tony and Mike would go on tour with Ray again and take Phil's son Nic with them as drummer. Ray's voice has such a lovely darkness and he can replace Phil's voice perfectly.
That’d be so cool!!
This is a great album, but they should have incorporated Phil Collins and Chester Thompson for the tour and added some old stuff classics songs sang by both vocalist, then they should have done an ""UNION"" tour with Ray singing most of the songs and 4 o 5 songs sang by both. Domino for example, with the firts part sang by Phil and the last part sang by Ray would have been awesome and would have helped Ray a lot for being accepted by the old Genesis fans.
For me, CAS is the best Genesis-album since Steve Hackett left
Wow!
I wish the song “ nowhere else to turn” was released.
I remeber going to the record store every week back in the summer of 1997 to see if the new Genesis album was out already. Gongo was already a radio single, which I found very interesting and kind of Genesis sounding at the time. I also really liked some of the tracks on the album, but I agree with a lot of the comments that this album shouldn’t have been brouht out under the name Genesis. I don’t resent Ray Wilson, but I think they should have chosen the late Dave Longdon as a singer. For some reason they didn’t chose him after auditing him. Eventually he was in Big Big Train together with Nick d’Virgilio who indeed playd the drums on a few tracks of CAS. Those two guys added to a more permanent Genesis linup may have established new convincing band. Nick does a fair bit of singing too. There’s a Spocks Beard live performance where he sings Squonk. Would have been great to hear the Musical Box with Longdon on vocals (and flute) and Nick on drums and backing vocals. Thanks anyway for discussing this album. It really deserves a listening!
Wow. So cool! Nick would be a fun guest to have on here.
I remember. When they rebooted the carpet crawlers . Ray was not included on the 97 reboot. Which is a bit bad
That would’ve been cool.
@@EverythingPhilCollins thanks for your response 👍
I enjoyed this lp and the tour. Seeng the curtain half way up the arena at the NEC because shallow minded former fans couldn’t be bothered to go was a crying shame. It was a great show.
Too bad it didn’t come to North America!
In avoidance of a fan reaction similar to "what the hell is this?", my opinion is that Genesis should have dissipated Into The Ether and Tony Banks replacing Adrian Lee in Mike + the Mechanics. If you look at what happened, Genesis went down the route of box sets and greatest hits collections and Mike and the Mechanics ended up not returning to America until 2014. CAS did not tour America from lack of interest and I believe that it affected M&M as well. It's worthy of mention that Paul Young did a fantastic job in my opinion on the first tour in 1986 of breathing new life into the songs that were presented from the 1982 Acting Very Strange" solo album. It is my belief that the familiar vocal of Paul Young and Paul Carrack would have been enough to bring Genesis music of the CAS era to more people. Imagine CAS if Mike had his Mechanics turn the wrenches on it. Lastly, i want to remind everyone that Genesis is an autumnal band. If their music isnt presented at the right time of year, the fans dont respond to it the same as they always had.
I was one of the fans who bought it the day it came out, I was 26 at the time. I really wanted to like it, but it just sounded tired, like their hearts weren't in it.
I get what you say about the US rock scene, however in the UK there was still a lot of BritPop about, there was a lot of optimism in the air, 18 years of RightWing governance had come to an end and there were hopes for the incoming administration (who, amazingly, had around a four year honeymoon period - basically unheard of). There were still plenty of difficulties in our society, but even so, this album felt very out of step with what was going on.
After listening to it probably at most about 5 times, I tucked it away, and in various house moves it disappeared. I didn't hear it again until a couple of months ago when I bought the CD in a charity shop. After 2 1/2 decades would it sound different?
Alas no. Again, I really hoped there were things in it I'd missed, but it still felt like there was no spark, like it was an afterthought.
Ray had been an interesting choice. Stiltskin as a band felt very derivative, but he had a voice that carried. Perhaps an outing with him involved creatively could have produced something different, but we'll never know.
Hey ho, we're all different - but I really enjoyed your insights, and glad you like it :-)
I think trespass-we cant dance is masterpeace
revalation and stations is okay
That’s a good take!
@@EverythingPhilCollins 😄
it was a return to the Genesis sound we knew before the pop era, the first time I listened I liked it but after repeated playing, it just doesn't quite get there...
That’s fair!!
Was Ray the only one beeing asked to do the singing, or did they ask anyone else also? I bought the album when it came out, not had been listening to any of the songs. It was different but i liked it! Somehow strange not to have Phil though..
CAS has many tunes that are similar to Banks, Strictly Inc record which is really good. After many more critical listening this is a good record but they didn't go weird enough, too much pressure to make every interesting sonic piece into a song
Need to pick that record up!!
Mike and Tony could have embraced their past and leaned back on the prog roots. When they saw they weren’t going to sell out arenas anymore, they could be selling out theaters like Hackett is doing. Prog fans would never think those guys playing their old stuff are behind the times.
Okay, how many tried to listen to the band's live RealMedia livestream from Kennedy Space Center back in 1997? Early internet "dial-up" days didn't help for sure! The US album launch tried to push Ray as the new Peter-sound. Having Ray singing recent Phil songs didn't work. Totally agree that it would have been fun to dig deep and update a hardly-played song with Ray on vocals. Or release it under a new band/project name, "from the minds of Genesis" or something. That would have been fun. Some of the early concert favorites they switched around, some acoustic. Eek. For me, the big thing lacking was the drums, and Phil's fills, his sense of rhythm and syncopation. Sometimes I feel Tony's projects would benefits from some that, and that's coming from someone who love's Tony's solo work. Dividing Lines drums were....a pause? a stutter? Felt like Mike & Tony turned and said, " Okay, now its your turn" and the poor guy had the deer in the headlights stare! But the middle part of There Must Be Some Other Way, I've must have played just that part alone dozens of times.
Under a new name, like a spinoff? Like the Black Sabbath spinoff of Heaven and Hell?
I purchased this the day it was released, which, sadly, was the day after Princess Diana passed away. I liked the album from the get go, and Ray gave the songs an excellent different quality. However, its not a "great" Genesis album or indeed a "great" album, but there are tracks to like and even weird tracks like Alien Afternoon are pretty good.
Love this album
IMHO it was a totally underrated record
Hey Scott. Great balanced view on such a dividing album. My issue was right album wrong time BUT they didn’t give it chance to build. Rome wasn’t built in a day and perhaps the band were churlish in not allowing day a three album trial to take place before making a decision. In a small way it was rude to offer this one and give up as the going got tough. It was always going to be difficult as TOTT & ATTWT proved and that for me was the bad decision. Who knows what Ray could eventually have added to the band. It just felt like let’s do this and if it doesn’t work we will stop. I love Genesis and I think there is some really good music on here and I think they should have done more writing and songs rather than just short change the fans.
Really enjoyed this one. Well done and keep up the good work
So true. Agree big time.
I liked it when they released it. I still do. Take out the vocals and it has the Genesis sound. Put the vocals back in, and it sounds great.
First thing I wanna say: Yes, as a Genesis Album it almost had to fail because of the exception! Would it have been released under a different name, the reactions would have been less negative. But when it comes to me personally the biggest problem I have is, that the songs aren't really memorable and almost boring. Don't get me wrong, there are some fine moments on the album but if you would ask me to sing something, I could only do the choruses of Congo and Not About Us.
Fair enough!
13:04 100% All this. Also, using Phil's stage raps is weird (the radio station skipping thing). And they DIDN'T have to do I Can't Dance. (Whyyyyÿ?😅)
its a great album! absolutely love this album! as genesis fan from begining to latest i enjoyed it regardless! and it's a shame they didnt do more with ray wilson
I actually really love this album, at least 6-7 great tracks
With the exception of Trick of the Tail, the second album after a lineup change tends to be a huge advance over the first one after a change. Nursery Crime is the second album after FGTR and it was a big jump above FGTR and Trespass (IMHO). Foxtrot was a big jump above Trespass and Nursery Crime. And I think that Duke was a big jump up up from ATTWT.
That's why I really lament that there wasn't a followup album to CAS. Ray came in after a good bunch of the songs were finished, and they never really were able to fully include him or even write to his voice. I think they could have corrected that for a followup album.
There were things I loved from the start like Dividing Line and songs that really grew on me over time like Uncertain Weather. But it was the first album after a member change, and like, ATTWT, although I love some moments on it and certain songs, it doesn't rank all that high on my list of favorite Genesis albums. But I think a followup with Ray would have improved on the good stuff from CAS.
Loved this album from the get go, wish they would have put the extra tracks that didn't make the album on the blank side four.
Agree!
Please review the cut millionairhead album by Ray Wilson
loved this album and the tour show. If I remember right, it was also overshadowed by a lame U2 album release.
Interesting!
The bit they cut from Congo was the catchiest section; this should’ve been the verse.
So true!
I bought this the day it came out after hearing an acoustic show online at Cape Kennedy (yes, early internet adopter here) with Ray singing "Turn It On Again", and I liked his voice. Got the album and was surprised and underwhelmed at the same time. Title track, "Congo", and "Shipwrecked" I liked, but i loved "Not About Us" and "There Must Be Some Other Way". And personally I find myself listening to this album more than "From Genesis To Revelation", "Tresspass" or "Nursery Cryme".
Part of the problem was the anti-Phil backlash at the time, because we have to rememeber Dance Into The Light came out the same year, and it flopped.
The other part was the anti-80s sentiment at that time. Grunge and alternative at that time ended all of those 80s artists, they were all passe. Even though Genesis goes back to the 60s, people didnt see them as "The Lamb" or "Selling England". They were "Phil Collins' band". This is what hurt them, the A&R people at the labels and radio just didnt care about an 80s band with a new singer.
From Montreal. I love what you do!
Personne n'a laisser de chance à Wilson en 1997 après 20 ans de Phil Collins. Je suis sûres que les fans se serait habitué après un deuxième album avec Wilson. RAY a une super voix! Les chansons Dividing Line, Not About Us, Congo, Shipwrecked et Calling All Stations sont les meilleurs moments pour moi. Je suis triste que Mike et Tony n'ont pas de considération pour cette époque - j'attends encore des enregistrements Live de leurs tournées en 1998! Les B-sides sont pratiquemment introuvable si tu n'as pas les Box Sets. J'adore tout de Genesis. Par contre, Phil Collins apportait vraiment sa touche dans Genesis. Pour Calling All Stations, Wilson est pratiquement arrivé a la fin lorsque Mike et Tony avaient écrit les chansons. Avec un deuxième album, Mike et Tony aurait partagé leur place avec Wilson et les musiciens additionnels. Honnêtement sans Phil, l'album sonnait comme un Mike and The Mechanics ou un album solo de Tony. Pourtant sans le piano de Tony ou les jeux subtile de guitare de Mike ce n'est plus du Genesis. Le trio des années 80 avait créé un son unique pour Genesis. Il y a personne comme eux. Donc, quand tu perds un des membres qui avait un son et une voix aussi reconnaissable - cest dur de repartir avec autant de succès!
Ce qui est drôle là-dedans c'est qu'en 1997, Mike et Tony ont avouéz se sentir vieux et dépasser par la nouvelle génération et la nouvelle musique. Ils sentaient que leur musique était passé de mode. Dans un certain sens, oui, mais s'ils avaient donné une chance a plus jeune qu'eux : Ray Wilson et d'autres, ils auraient peut-être pu continuer. Mais on le sait, Mike a tenté d'aller vers le son électro des années 2000, pis ça n'a vraiment pas bien marché. Tony, lui, s'est dirigé vers la musique classique. Ce n'est qu'en 2010 que Mike a ressuscité M+M en collaborant avec des musiciens plus jeunes que lui- réussissant à garder le son retro des année 80-90, mais une touche plus actuelle.
Aujourd'hui, Mike and the Mechanics est un groupe de " jeunes " avec Mike Rutherford - étant le plus vieux.
Great to have you my friend!! Bonjour!!
@@EverythingPhilCollins Thank You. Sprry I couldnt write all this in english. But you could always translate.
the B-sides from this album are really good. if they would have released CAS under a different band name, threw some of those B-sides and leaving some of the weaker album material off, i think it would have done decently well.
great video
Thanks!
With Phil on the drums, the band would have kept their unique rhythmical sensibility and Ray would easily have been accepted. Before Phil, Genesis were a band in progress, but without that perfect touch.
Def missed Phil on the drums.
I remember hearing Congo on Canadian radio a month or 2 before the album release ... bought it the day it came out ... My first opinion was the fading of every song except TDL .... the fading on CAS during a verse is very cringy.. lol ... its like if the producer faded the song way too early ... weird . The guitar and keyboard sound is great . I like Ray's voice , it fits better with the Gabriel material . Too bad the tour was a flop, mainly because of the era where grunge/alternative was popular (which I always disliked, I was into death metal at the time ) . CAS is better than no album at all . I wish Mike and Tony would've made more music together after .
This album when it dropped, I liked it, and was hyped for it. It got some radio play in the US when it came out, but it shortly vanished. Atlantic pulled support fairly early after it came out. Over the years it gets fewer and fewer plays. Most of it I don't even want to hear anymore. It is full of skippable tracks. B-sides are a mix of good and bad. I don't really have anything bad to say about Ray or the other musicians on this record. They did their best.