Genesis reunion in 2020

Agree , the well is dry! Rutherford's last few M&tM's albums have been dire. Collin's last two albums before he retired were worse
Banks has released nothing of note. If they did record some new songs it would be mediocre and bland grandad rock.

 

I agree with the thrust of your sentiment and would hate to see them embarrass themselves either live or in the studio. However, Tony's last couple of orchestral albums are pretty good.

 

If you ignore Calling All Stations, then the conclusion to the band was near perfect. Fading Lights as the farewell track on their final album, followed by a massive tour and then a reunion / farewell tour 15 years later while they were still able to perform at a high level.

 

But when they made music together, what they produced was always greater than the sum of the parts.

 

Exactly. Personally I don’t care for Mike and the Mechanics or any Collins solo work, but with Genesis there is a magic.

 

So buy the front row tix for $20 if the shows happen and they allow an audience to attend rather than playing to an empty hall and streaming them

 

“Not About Us” was a single. It wouldn’t be replaced by a 7 minute b-side. “There Must Be Some Other Way” is definitely one of the highlights on the album with one of the few actual instrumental breaks.

 

I always felt CAS was an OK album; some strong moments offset by too many throwaways. But the b-sides are weak. Anything Now is the best of the bunch, but it wouldn’t have made the cut on WCD or IT. For CAS, it doesn’t really fit the mood of the rest of the album, so I would have left it off, too.

So my approach to improving it would simply be to shorten it (which is my view on WCD as well). Excise Small Talk and Alien Afternoon. And you don’t Need both Shipwrecked and If That’s What You Need).

 

Just uploaded on youtube ...

 

This

 

Based on how Ill Phil looks and sounds I question the reason behind all this.
Phil can barely stand, seems to have slurred speech, and can’t really hit any of the notes anymore.
While I am a huge Genesis fan I’d rather remember them how they were, with Phil belting the crap out of drums then running around the stage, not sitting in a chair or using a cane to perform Mama.
I’d rather a studio album than a tour.
Mike and Tony still have the ability to write decent music.
A bit of studio trickery could compensate for Phil’s register.
Would it be as good as Duke or Genesis? No but I’d still buy it.

 

You're basing his speech off the announcement interviews when he admittedly was getting over a cold. That's not how he normally sounds.

And he can stand. His problem has to do with moving more than standing.

 

CAS: Contains two of the very best post-Gabriel era Genesis songs - Not About Us and The Dividing Line.

CAS: Contains one of the absolute worst Genesis songs - Congo

IMO of course...!

 

The way things are looking I'll be delighted if these gigs go ahead at all. Fingers crossed.

As for CAS, been listening this week actually. It certainly is a 'grower' in that it can take months to get into.

Causes me no pain, it's a decent listen, just lacks spark. Ray's voice is very good but he's a little bit one-note (as is the songwriting to be fair). So it all feels like one mood, not so much light and shade as all shade.

It also misses the surprises of Phil's rhythmic creativity and arrangements. If they had jammed some embryonic tracks with Nir that might also have spiced the album up a bit.

 

Like this -

 

Pretty good, although: A) The lead singer's phrasing is a bit soft. Is English his native language (that would explain things); B) Not many closeups on Steve Hackett...It's almost as if he's not there.

 

True. For me the album really starts from Alien Afternoon.

 

The Mama Tour really needs a standalone release. Just outstanding front to back.
Best version of Abacab ever.

 

The little pot belly in black suit looks about right though.

 

The band is from Argentina, and they made 2 concerts with Steve. They're from Argentina.

I still don't have the DVD, but there're more shots of Steve playing, that's for sure. I think the production tried to show Steve as a part of the band those nights, rather than a "guest". And it works. It does sound like Steve was part of the band those nights

 

I think the Ray era b-sides make for a curiously listenable mini (41 minute!) album, obviously lacking cohesion/direction but lighter than CAS with some decent hooks. And two instrumentals!

I like to listen in this order and think of it as 2 sides on vinyl. Because I can.

Sign Your Life Away
Banjo Man
Run Out Of Time
Phret

Papa He Said
Nowhere Else To Turn
7/8
Anything Now

 

Good idea. Yes, I like you proposed mini album more than what we ended up with.

 

Yup...I didn't bother listening to that clip when it came out, but someone else forwarded it to me and insisted I listen.

Not my favorite Peter Gabriel song, but he and his band nail it. Nice job.