I get a bit of stick for being a Genesis fan, mainly because people jumped on the anti Phil Collins bandwagon in the early-nineties and never got off!
Most people can’t tell the difference between Genesis music and Phil’s tracks, probably because it’s him singing. But there is! The last few albums have all been written through collaboration, Phil, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks simply jamming together and seeing what results.
Three Sides Live was the first album I ever bought back in 1986. It was a double album and aged 15 I was very pleased I was getting more for my well-earned pocket money 🙂
Since then I’ve followed their progress through the nineties to their tour last year. It was a real surprise that they’d decided to get back together. Cynics may think it was all about money but I couldn’t give a monkeys. I’d last seen Phil live in Phoenix, Arizona in 2004. He only played one gig in London on that tour and the tickets sold out in minutes. Going for £000’s on eBay I figured it’d be cheaper to stay with friends in Scottsdale and pay dollar prices for a ticket, than it would be to watch him on home ground.
One personal story happened in 1990. I found out where Phil’s management offices were in London and wrote to him asking for a summer job on the “We Can’t Dance” world tour. I was at Exeter University at the time doing a degree in Drama. His PA, Annie Callingham wrote back saying it wouldn’t be possible and that the band outsourced their crew to production companies.
Somehow I had the balls to write back to Annie and say I appreciated her response but wanted to hear back from the man himself.
So imagine my surprise when a letter turned up thanking me for my reply and explaining that although Phil was touring in America, he’d taken the time to write a handwritten note and faxed it thorough to his offices. The envelope contained the fax. It was his handwriting because he writes all his album covers by hand.
It said something like:
“Dear Mel, Thanks for your interest in working on the Genesis tour but we hire specialist production companies to help at our concerts so don’t actually employ anyone ourselves. I realise this isn’t exactly what you want to hear, but thanks for your interest in helping us and good luck with your course. Cheers Phil Collins”
Like an idiot, I lost the fax when I was taking it to show someone at a house party! But it was a nice touch.
Fast forward to last summer and I got a load of tickets to see them at Twickenham. Having seen them in 2002 at Knebworth along with 120k other people, I knew this would probably be the last time to catch them together again.
We weren’t disappointed!
Masters of the live show, they played for well over two hours including a ton of really old stuff from the Peter Gabriel days. Very cool actually, because they didn’t have a new album to promote they could play what they like.
I got to see “Carpet Crawlers“, “Firth of Fifth” and the “In The Cage Melody“. Tracks I’d heard a thousand times on CD but never seen live. Where was ABACAB though 🙁
Today Amazon just emailed me to say the Live DVD is on its way in the post!!!
It includes 3 discs. The Rome concert, some other stuff and the behind the scenes documentary “Come Rain or Shine“ that’s just been doing the rounds at Odeon cinemas.
I Can’t wait!
Last thing: I know what people type in to search engines to reach the pages on this blog. I hope to see Debra Craine from The Times Online checking her online reputation soon.
Check out her review of the Live Over Europe CD and you’ll see how people feel about her, the band and the gig.
Silly, silly woman!
My pictures from the Twickenham gig below…….enjoy!
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Hi from the Philadelphia, PA, USA suburbs!
I came across your blog while searching with “When In Rome 2007 DVD”. I just joined one of their fan sites last week; when I saw the above DVD. I was looking around for the best price.
I have been a fan of Genesis from probably before you were born. I saw them in 1973, with Peter Gabriel at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia. It was the “Selling England By The Pound” tour; and I was sold for life on the band at that moment. Later that year, I saw them at the Philly Civic Center for the “Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” tour. Gabriel was really into costumes, and the lights were incredible, even at that early date. Over the years, I’ve seen the “Duke” & “Invisible Touch” tours, with the final Reunion Tour in September 2007 in Philadelphia.
I have EVERY album, CD, along with the remastered versions of each.
As far as the Gabriel vs. Collins debate, each had their place. Gabriel always had a lot of effects on his voice, and when Collins first took over, they mixed his voice to sound a lot like Gabriel; I guess to appease the diehards. But the next album was all Phil. Different, but just as good, maybe better. I’ve also continued to follow Gabriel’s career too. I love & appreciate much of his solo work.
We can only hope that this last tour inspired the band to release a new album!
By the way, I am a performer musician, who also runs sound & lights for for a few local bands.
Feel free to check out my site; the music will be up shortly.
It’s been a pleasure meeting another fan! Sean Moran
Hey,
I saw your message about the new DVD… I didn’t read it all, but I wanted to see if we could get in touch and chat. I get a lot of crap for being a fan of Phil Collins. I love him as a solo artist more then Genesis, but I love Genesis too. I completely agree with you about the two being different. I would love to chat…. if you want to, please send me an email.
Hey Mel
I just came across your site and read about your love of Genesis, and just wanted to send you my respect! They may not be the ‘coolest’ band in the world, but they have many things that other ‘acts’ today don’t have.
The charts today are inundated with one-hit wonders, and very few proper ‘bands’ actually stay together and see out any bad times together.
Genesis went through many, many bad times, often being slated in the press, and that even happens today! But still, you cannot deny their musical integrity and diversity. You certainly cannot deny the size of their fan base.
You only have to see the first few minutes of their Rome gig in 2007 to see just how much support they have. Half a million people?!?!? Wow!!
It’s refreshing to read what you wrote about the band, and to know – for sure – that out there is real grounded support for one of this country’s most influential bands in musical history.
Oh, and I’m a musician too – a keyboard player in a new Genesis tribute band (called Genezis).
Take care
Andy Monk
Thanks Andy. Nice to meet a fellow fan. Good luck with the tribute band. I’m doing an acoustic gig next week in Seattle now I live here. “In the air tonight” is on the menu! 😉
Cool! Sounds great!! Is it a mix of G and PC music? …and will it be recorded in some form? There are plenty of fans out here who would appreciate seeing or hearing this… especially being acoustic!
Good luck with it 🙂