Calling All Stations

Untitled

…Calling All Stations… is the fifteenth studio album by rock band Genesis. It was recorded following Phil Collins' departure from the band in 1996, and was released in 1997. The album was an attempt by bandmates Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks to continue the Genesis name while returning, to a certain degree, to Genesis' roots as an album-oriented band.

Vocalist Ray Wilson, who had fronted a short-lived but popular grunge-influenced outfit called Stiltskin, was brought on board after a lengthy auditioning period. Wilson's darker vocals were more reminiscent of Peter Gabriel than Collins. Because Wilson was not a drummer, both Nir Zidkyahu and Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard) were called in to supply the necessary percussion work.

But while …Calling All Stations… sold well throughout Europe, it failed to find an audience in the United States, despite an elaborate publicity launch at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Critics were derisive, and while ...Calling All Stations... was notable for attempting to bring Genesis' progressive rock roots more to the forefront, many found the results somber and lacking the dynamics of their 1970s work. As a result of the slim North American sales, the American leg of the tour was cancelled. Although a European tour was undertaken in 1998, Banks and Rutherford put Genesis on an extended hiatus, leaving ...Calling All Stations... as their last studio release to date. Ray Wilson was keen to continue and has continued to include all era Genesis songs on his solo tour including touring a World of Genesis set.

Since the album's release there has been, among some Genesis fans, a belated appreciation for Wilson's contribution to the band's history. There is agreement even among many fans who dislike this album that Wilson was a strong vocalist. Bootleg recordings of the 1998 European tour have been sought-after downloads on peer-to-peer networks, if only for the opportunity to hear Wilson's rendition of older Genesis songs like "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," "The Carpet Crawlers," and "Lover's Leap" (the opening section of "Supper's Ready").

The 1998 European tour had the songs from the Phil Collins era transposed to a lower key to accommodate to Ray Wilson's voice, something Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford had to work out during the rehearsals. Coincidentally, in the 2007 reunion tour this was done again, but with Phil Collins on vocals.

Of the three singles excerpted from the album, only "Congo" met with a limited measure of success.

Music videos were made for "Congo", "Shipwrecked" and "Not About Us." "Congo" was a favourite among MTV UK, however, it had been played on America's MTV once.

The music videos "Congo" and "Shipwrecked" featured Wilson and also Rutherford, Banks and Zidkyahu playing their respective instruments. "Not About Us," however featured just Banks, Rutherford and Wilson. Unlike "Congo" and "Shipwrecked", Banks and Rutherford were without the instruments.

...Calling All Stations..., which reached #2 in the UK where it remained in the charts for just 7 weeks. It was the only Genesis album to have been deleted in North America (until its 2007 re-release), having only reached #54 in the US in a brief chart stay. From a recent online interview, Calling All Stations has sold approximately 3 million copies world-wide to date (between 1997-2008).

A SACD / DVD double disc set (including new 5.1 and Stereo mixes) was released in September 2007 and was re-released as a CD/DVD double disc in the US and Canada in November 2007 in the US and Canada.

Track listing

All songs by Tony Banks/Mike Rutherford, except where noted.

CD

1. "Calling All Stations" – 5:43
2. "Congo" – 4:51
3. "Shipwrecked" – 4:23
4. "Alien Afternoon" – 7:51
5. "Not About Us" (Tony Banks/Mike Rutherford/Ray Wilson) – 4:38
6. "If That's What You Need" – 5:12
7. "The Dividing Line" – 7:45
8. "Uncertain Weather" – 5:29
9. "Small Talk" (Tony Banks/Mike Rutherford/Ray Wilson) – 5:02
10. "There Must Be Some Other Way" (Tony Banks/Mike Rutherford/Ray Wilson) – 7:54
11. "One Man's Fool" – 8:46

• Note: The CD liner notes state that track 7, "The Dividing Line", is 8:59.

Singles

• Congo Maxi-CD

1. "Congo" (Radio Edit)
2. "Papa He Said"
3. "Banjo Man"

• Congo Enhanced CD

1. "Congo"
2. "Second Home by the Sea" (Edit)
3. Enhanced feature with interviews, video of "Congo" and the upcoming Calling All Stations World Tour.

• Shipwrecked CD1

1. "Shipwrecked"
2. "No Son of Mine" (Acoustic)
3. "Lover's Leap" (from Supper's Ready) (Acoustic)
4. "Turn It On Again" (Acoustic)

• Shipwrecked CD2

1. "Shipwrecked"
2. "Phret"
3. "7/8"

• Not About Us CD1

1. "Not About Us" (Radio Edit)
2. "Anything Now"
3. "Sign Your Life Away"
4. "Run Out of Time"

• Not About Us CD2

1. "Not About Us"
2. "Dancing with the Moonlight Knight" (Acoustic)
3. "Not About Us" (extended) (Acoustic)
4. "Turn It On Again" (Acoustic)

A total of seven previously unreleased songs were included on the single releases as B-sides. Fans have noted that the B-sides were probably the strongest songs recorded with Wilson and some fans have suggested that Calling All Stations could have been made into a well put double album set. One other song recorded at the time, "Nowhere Else to Turn", was never officially released anywhere.

Personnel

• Ray Wilson – lead vocals, backing vocals
• Tony Banks – keyboards, backing vocals
• Mike Rutherford – bass guitar, lead guitar, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Nir Zidkyahu – drums on all tracks except those mentioned below
• Nick D'Virgilio – drums on tracks 4 (first half), 6, 8 and 9

Production

• Producers: Nick Davis, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford
• Engineers: Nick Davis, Assisted by Ian Huffam
• Recorded at The Farm, Surrey, England
• Technical Assistance: Geoff Callingham, Mike Bowen
• General Assistance: Dale Newman
• Sleeve Design: Wherefore ART?
• Photography: Kevin Westernberg, Peter Robathan

The Tour

Dates

• Bray Film Studios (Production rehearsals) Windsor England 5.1.98-25.1.98
• Bray Film Studios (Pre-tour warm-up gig) Windsor England 23.1.98
• Sportshall (Warm-up gig) Budapest Hungary 28.1.98
• Sportshall Budapest Hungary 29.1.98
• Spodek Katowice Poland 31.1.98
• Sportovinhala Prague Czech Republic 2.2.98
• Maimarktgelande Mannheim Germany 4.2.98
• Messehalle 7 Leipzig Germany 5.2.98
• Velodrom Berlin Germany 6.2.98
• La Galaxie Metz France 8.2.98
• Westfalenhalle Dortmund Germany 10.2.98
• Schleyerhalle Stuttgart Germany 12.2.98
• Hallenstadion Zurich Switzerland 13.2.98
• Stadthalle Vienna Austria 15.2.98
• Palasport Casalecchio Bologna Italy 17.2.98
• Palasport Rome Italy 18.2.98
• Filaforum Milan Italy 19.2.98
• Halle Tony Garnier Lyon France 20.2.98
• Palais Omnisports de Bercy Paris France 23.2.98
• National Exhibition Centre Birmingham England 25-26.2.98
• Earls Court Arena London England 27.2.98
• Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre Glasgow Scotland 1.3.98
• Telewest Arena Newcastle England 2.3.98
• International Arena Cardiff Wales 4-5.3.98
• NYNEX Arena Manchester England 6.3.98
• The Point Theatre Dublin Éire 8.3.98
• Vorst Nationale Brussels Belgium 10.3.98
• Ahoy Sportpaleis Rotterdam Holland 11.3.98
• Zenith Lille France 13.3.98
• Amphitheatre 4000 Angers France 15.3.98
• Patinoire de Malley Bordeaux France 16.3.98
• Zenith Pau France 18.3.98
• Pabellon dos Desportos Madrid Spain 19.3.98
• Palau St Jordi Barcelona Spain 20.3.98
• Le Dome Marseilles France 22.3.98
• Maison des Sports Clermont Ferrand France 23.3.98
• Zenith Caen France 24.3.98
• Halle Rhenus Strasbourg France 26.3.98
• Olympiahalle Munich Germany 27.3.98
• Messehalle Erfurt Germany 28.3.98
• Sporthalle Hamburg Germany 30.3.98
• Spektrum Oslo Norway 2.4.98
• Globe Stockholm Sweden 3.4.98
• Hartwall Arena Helsinki Finland 5.4.98
• Rock am Ring Festival Nurburgring Germany 30.5.98
• Rock im Park Festival Frankenstadion Nurnberg Germany 31.5.98

Personnel

• Ray Wilson—lead vocals
• Tony Banks—keyboards, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
• Mike Rutherford—lead guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
• Anthony Drennan—bass & lead guitar, backing vocals
• Nir Zidkyahu—drums & percussion