Ray Wilson Resurfaces...with Steve Hackett???

[bill g]

I still can't believe what a bad rap CAS gets. I loved what Tony and Mike came up with sans Phil. A far better album then we Can't Dance. Put any other name on it and the naysayers would significantly be diminished... imho..
Comparing Genesis to Revelations is just silly, CAS sold pretty well considering the music industry was starting it's decline sales wise and the tour did very well in Europe in arenas! I think the theatre tour of the usa would have done well had they carried through with it.

Agreed on all accounts. The title track, 'Uncertain Weather', the b-side 'Run Out of Time', 'There Must Be Some Other Way', and 'One Mans Fool' are all stronger to my ears than anything on We Cant Dance. But radio stations refused to play it. My brother actually called 'The Mountain', a Seattle-area radio station and requested it, and the DJ asked if he was from the record company. Sheesh. I guess the album wasn't 'Invisible Touch' enough for the media. Nothing on the album remotely resembled songs like 'Invisible Touch', 'In Too Deep' and 'I Cant Dance'.

[Scott Bails]

Nothing on the album remotely resembled songs like 'Invisible Touch', 'In Too Deep' and 'I Cant Dance'.

Totally agree.

Although, I also agree with others who have commented over the years that this album just doesn't sound like it was finished. The songs don't sound complete, they sound more like demos.

I really would have liked to have heard another album from that lineup - with NDV on drums.

[rich]

Why did you quote me? My quote had nothing to do with your comment.

It was an accident!

[itserik]

I like the idea of Wilson playing some gigs w/ Hackett. I also like that Nad is touring with him. They are both solid vocalists with interesting timbres in their voices that add color to Genesis music.

That said, I'd love to see David Longdon of Big Big Train participate too!

[trurl]

Although, I also agree with others who have commented over the years that this album just doesn't sound like it was finished. The songs don't sound complete, they sound more like demos.

That was my take to a large extent. Which is odd, since Mike and Tony were the arrangers of the band anyway. It's like they wanted to streamline the sound to such a degree they shot themselves in the (collective) foot.

[Dodie]

The title track, 'Uncertain Weather', the b-side 'Run Out of Time', 'There Must Be Some Other Way', and 'One Mans Fool' are all stronger to my ears than anything on We Cant Dance.

Nah, not for me. I like 'Calling All Stations' well enough, and I believe it was unfairly under-rated when it came out, but it seems over-generous to me to praise it above 'We Can't Dance'. The best material is not as good as "Driving the Last Spike", "Fading Lights", "Dreaming While You Sleep" and "No Son of Mine". Not by a long distance. However, the worst songs on 'Calling All Stations' are not as bad as the worst songs on 'We Can't Dance'! ;-)

It's a shame Banks and Rutherford didn't stick it out and make another album with Ray Wilson; the line-up showed potential. But I agree with those who've suggested one or two of best songs on 'Calling All Stations' don't sound quite finished. They made an error of judgement in not bringing in NDV as permanent drummer. Perhaps they'd have weathered the storm better had they toured with Chester Thompson and Daryl Steurmer, which might have given the band more consistency. The Youtube footage I've seen of the 'Calling All Stations' tour is a bit painful to watch because it just doens't feel like the spark is there with anonymous players drafted in to fill the gaps, and Rutherford and Banks look like they're not enjoying it at all. (Mind you, Banks always looked like that on-stage!)

Anyway, it seems fine to me that Hackett asks Wilson to sing with him. He's got a good voice.

[JIF]

Nah, not for me. I like 'Calling All Stations' well enough, and I believe it was unfairly under-rated when it came out, but it seems over-generous to me to praise it above 'We Can't Dance'. The best material is not as good as "Driving the Last Spike", "Fading Lights", "Dreaming While You Sleep" and "No Son of Mine". Not by a long distance. However, the worst songs on 'Calling All Stations' are not as bad as the worst songs on 'We Can't Dance'! ;-)

It's a shame Banks and Rutherford didn't stick it out and make another album with Ray Wilson; the line-up showed potential. But I agree with those who've suggested one or two of best songs on 'Calling All Stations' don't sound quite finished. They made an error of judgement in not bringing in NDV as permanent drummer. Perhaps they'd have weathered the storm better had they toured with Chester Thompson and Daryl Steurmer, which might have given the band more consistency. The Youtube footage I've seen of the 'Calling All Stations' tour is a bit painful to watch because it just doens't feel like the spark is there with anonymous players drafted in to fill the gaps, and Rutherford and Banks look like they're not enjoying it at all. (Mind you, Banks always looked like that on-stage!)

Anyway, it seems fine to me that Hackett asks Wilson to sing with him. He's got a good voice.

Maybe Nick didn't want to be the full-time Genesis drummer, because Kevin Gilbert committed suicide(Kevin was considered to replace Phil). Maybe Tony looked bored when you saw him, because he always looks that way. For various interviews, I gather that a piece of Tony would've been just as happy if Genesis had made it as songwriters(that was their intention before becoming professional musicians). I did have We Can't Dance on cassette a long time ago(and have listened to the full album on YouTube), and I can tell you that I prefer CAS's darker atmosphere. Off WCD, I like the long songs, the title track, No Son Of Mine, Jesus He Knows Me, and Since I Lost You(The latter one for the music). I love CAS all the way through. Tony and Mike didn't gave Ray a fair shake. Seems like they half-assed it.

[Patelena396]

For the record, Ray Wilson hasn't "resurfaced". Over the years, since being in Genesis, he has continued to record and tour. I enjoy pretty much all of his albums. Though I wouldn't say that he has been at the top of the billboard charts, the guy has built a solid, consistent career with a good fanbase. I would love to see one of the Hackett shows he will be performing at.

[dpt3]

Based on what I've read of NDV's comments on his sessions with Genesis, it sounds like they wanted someone with a less busy style than he tended to go for. I seem to remember reading a comment by Tony or Mike to the effect that if they had realized Nick could sing as well as drum, they would've hired him for both jobs.

Anyway, I'd rank "Uncertain Weather" as better than anything on "We Can't Dance", though I might rank the top two or three WCD tracks above anything else on CAS. The difference for me is that I can consistently listen to CAS all the way through, whereas it's hard for me to make it through WCD without skipping the weaker tracks.

[Dodie]

I can consistently listen to CAS all the way through, whereas it's hard for me to make it through WCD without skipping the weaker tracks.

See, there's the difference - I can't listen to either album without skipping the weaker tracks. And that's true of every single album Genesis made after Hackett quit :-)