Calling All Stations...God created our all;we respond
GENESIS WITHOUT PHIL COLLINS OR PETER GABRIEL ? RAY WILSON IS A GREAT VOCALIST(HE HAS A VERY UNIQUE STYLE ALL HIS OWN!);THIS ALBUM JUST NEEDED AIRPLAY ON FM(AM?); BUT , OF COURSE, WE ALL KNOW THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN COMMERCIAL WISE ! WHAT MAKES CALLING ALL STATIONS A VERY GOOD LP(COULD BE GREAT MINUS A COUPLE OF SONGS WHERE TONY BANKS NEEDS TO STOP BEING STUCK IN A 'cliched' KEYBOARD PATTERN OF SOLO!); IS EXCELLENT SONGS THAT BEAR REPEATED LISTENING! "ALIEN AFTERNOON" IS VERY INTERESTING, AND DISTURBING, AS WELL(WOULD HAVE GREAT WITH "FISH" OF MARILLION ,I'M SURE TONY BANKS THOUGHT...)! THIS IS WHAT MAKES A GREAT LP: YOU WANT TO LISTEN TO IT AGAIN IN THE FUTURE .
IT SOUNDS(LYRIC WISE) LIKE SOMEONE IS SEARCHING THEIR SOUL FOR MEANING IN THEIR LIFE . GOD BLESS TONY AND MIKE&(RAY,I DO NOT KNOW WHO WROTE WHAT)!; I PRAY THEY KNOW OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST ; IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY WANT TO CHANGE REPEATED PATTERNS IN THEIR LIVES ; GOD BLESS THEM!, THEY CHOSE GENESIS AS THEIR NAME...
MUSIC WISE, THE LP STARTS OUT WITH THE TITLE TRACK "CALLING ALL STATIONS", THIS COULD BE A METAL SONG WITH A FEW CHANGES(IT IS SO CLOSE !) . THE MELODY ON "SHIPWRECKED" KEYBOARD,SYNTH PART, IS STUNNING!(AGAIN, MIKE'S?,TONY'S?, COMBO?... IS THIS WHAT PETER GABRIEL MEANT IN HIS SONG "SOLSBURY HILL" TALKING ABOUT ..."walking right out of the machinery"! WHEN YOU GET GOOSEBUMPS, NOT BY CHILLS, THIS IS WHAT MUSIC IS ALL ABOUT !! I SUPPOSE TONY AND MIKE WANT THEIR FANS TO CONTINUE GUESSING AT WHAT MELODY/RHYTHM PART IS WHICH,THIS IS OK, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW SOMETIMES!! "NOT ABOUT US" SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SINGLE, LIKE "YOUR OWN SPECIAL WAY" FROM "WIND AND WUTHERING" HAS RESURFACED IN THE MOVIE 'GENRE' . "IF THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED" HAS A VERY PRETTY MELODY/SYNTH PART THAT IS FUN TO PLAY!THIS SONG SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN A CHANCE ON CERTAIN RADIO FORMATS; MAYBE IT "STILL"CAN(GET IT?,TONY!).
OVERALL, 'CALLING ALL STATIONS', IS PRETTY DARN GOOD WITHOUT PHIL ON DRUMS/VOCALS(I'LL RATE IT AS 4 OUT OF FIVE STARS(BECAUSE OF WEAK SONG "SMALLTALK", WHICH MAY BE THE WORST GENESIS SONG EVER!); BUT WIIL THEY PLAY ANY SONGS ON TOUR NOW FROM THIS 1997 LP? WHY NOT ?! C'MON TONY, MIKE, BE UNPREDICTABLE!! LET DARYL STUERMER AND CHESTER THOMPSON IN THE STUDIO, AND COMPOSE SOME KICKING JAZZ-ROCK WEIRDNESS ! I DIGRESS, SORRY! IT IS SO SAD THAT THIS 97'LP WITH RAY WILSON, AND THE TWO DRUMMERS:NIR AND NICK(SORRY, LAST NAMES ARE NOT IN FRONT OF ME TO SPELL CORRECTLY!), GOT OVERLOOKED BY THE RADIO BORING PROGRAMMERS AND CORPORATE GREED DUDES,IT DID NOT GET THE RESPECT IT DESERVES! THERE IS NO REASON FOR JEALOUSY AMONG MEMBERS , I HOPE, A SOLUTION WOULD BE A BAND LIKE "GONG"; A FAMILY REUNION ALBUM LIKE "YES' "UNION" ?! SUMMING UP, "CALLING AL STATIONS " IS A VERY GOOD GENESIS LP WITHOUT PHIL, THE DRUMMING ON "DIVIDING LINE" ;IS THAT A POSSIBLE DIG AT PHIL?, SAYING : WHY DID YOU LEAVE? WELL, PHIL'S BACK IN "THE MACHINERY", SURE HOPE HE CAN ADD SOME BRAND X TO THE MIX, then Peter Gabriel sees a non - commercial future(a "NEW" BEGINNING!), ADDS SOME NEW TECHNOLOGY TO TIE IN WITH HIS(AND ENO'S) AMUSEMENT PARK IDEA...(A GENESIS THEME PARK?...), and Steve Hackett re-joins(REJOICES!) at this change, and, of course, Anthony Phillips comes back with his drum machines,GUITARS, KEYS,VOX? ; and they all do a grand GENESIS II THING !.... OH A FAN CAN DREAM, RIGHT ?! GOD BLESS,.......Read full review
