This song gets much better live but it still is not to the level of classics like Fading Lights, One for the Vine or Dodo/Lurker. Nice guitar at the end though.:)
@tjrtherocksponge I think it's ABUNDANTLY clear (especially by modern standards) that you do not have to be a very good musical artist to sell out shows in the U.S. The CD's US flop wasn't due to the lack of Phil Collins, it was due to the lack of proper distribution, the fact that everyone was tired of Genesis (they were 31 years old when this came out, and had only put out 3 studio albums in 12 years as compared to year by year like they did when they were famous), no one knows music anymore.
@tjrtherocksponge I´m happy that they did CAS. It wasn´t a cool thing to do for the good name of Genesis
but it gave the hardcore fans one more album to enjoy although it wasn´t perfect. But if you check out Ray doing Phil songs on this tour you can understand why they didn´t continue. They were holding on to the past too much. Still this is very interesting part of the genesis story. RIP
@miestenmies The main contributing factor to Ray Wilson's departure from Genesis was Phil Collin's disapproval of the band continuing the way they did. I don't see where he gets off telling them what to do though, Banks and Rutherford are all that Genesis is. They played with many different people. I say they should've continued.
@sentihcn I´ve also read that Phil wasn´t too happy that Mike and Tony continued under the name of Genesis. But Mike explains in an interview you can find from the Calling all stations 2007 Remasters bonus dvd that in the end it was his decision to call it a day. Reasons were that both the album and the tour flopped in the America and Mike still had the Mechanicks. Mike didn´t want to play in small theaters with Genesis and loose a lot of money.
everyone has thier own valid opinions but i love this song, it reminds me of a time when i left home as i was dissilusioned with the uk at the time this was realeased and this song jumped out of the album and hit a cord, the lyrics make sense to me and tony's writing is fine with me, the whole album makes me think they were going back to the original story telling gabriel era enen rays raw voice. check out half the world away aswell
hmn, you know what? I really agree with all arguments, for example the "lame" ending, the silly effects, which I mostly dislike too, and stuff...but I still absolutely adore this song. it's not the worst, really. If you don't like it, you just didn't get trough it.
the lyrics are fine, by the way. just another alien afternoon...:) it's amazing. really, you need to listen more intense to it.
what ruins the song is the stupid reggae part,its start and ends very dramaic then kicks into some lame reggae riff,it takes you out of the feeling set by the intro... and its an awful verse/chrous anyway
this just doesnt work, maybe if they called themselves something other than Genesis yes, but this is NOT Genesis to me, they just used the brand name, bit like when i watched the movie BUTTERFLY EFFECT then having to sit through the next one lol
I love it, great example of Tony Banks' songwriting genius - the lyrics are reminiscent of the stuff he wrote in the 70's - One For The Vine, Mad Man Moon, Trick Of The Tail etc.
madrasgreg - I hear the lyrical similarities that you're talking about b/t CAS songs and the mid-70s tony banks epics.
where i part ways with you, i think, is that i never found tony banks to be particularly strong as a lyricist. even back in the 70s, some of his words are really kind of cheesy. i'm saying this, by the way, as a HUGE tony banks/genesis fan.
firth of fifth, one for the vine, afterglow, squonk: they're gr8 songs, but the lyrics really aren't in the same league as--say--gabriel's
This is probably the WORST Genesis song ever. It's a complete mockery of the great progressive rock of the 1970s. The silly "atmospheric" intro, the lame pseudo-reggae verse, the horrible lyrics, the stupid "alien" voices, the ending which is just one simplistic chord progression played ad infinitum...UGGH.
If this was supposed to be an example of Genesis returning to their progressive roots, then give me Hold On My Heart ANY day.
So the first half of the song sounds funky, so what? I love the opening- very Watcher of the Skies-like. And the second half of this song is purely atmospheric poetry. I would have loved to hear a second Wilson-era Genesis album, just to see what they would've done!
Calling all stations is similar to a Momentary Lapse of Reason from Pink Floyd. Both bands lost their key member and produced an album that seemed to be out of place. Both albums are dark and they have some great songs..but they just don´t feel right. This song is mostly pure crap..though it ends nicely..there must be some other way is a lot more better song and so is the title track.
I'm in the minority here, but I thought MLOR was a great album hindered by bad production. Songs like Sorrow and On The Turning Away were epic live, but didn't come off that great on the album. (keep in mind, it was recorded on a houseboat!) I think CAS had better production, but the songs were definitely given new life on tour.
anthony drennen seemed to do different solos at every show. he did one amazing one on the STRICTLY MECHANIC BOOTLEG. i forget what shoe it was from. i think stuttgart, germany. wow, what an amazing solo he did on that one. very atmospheric.
I say the Ray Wilson Genesis "set up" in February 1998 just before their tour. They appeared in a Danish radio show and I had won 2 tickets. And there we were - having breakfeast and listing to Genesis live. That was an unforgettable event. But getting to the point: The played Alien Afternoon as well and I thought - "oh, how borring" - but I was quite surprised by the live version and especially the end section with the guitar solo (by The Corr's guitarist - can't remember his name).
Oh man, you decided to comment all the songs? :-) I took a look at my e-mail and I see about 10 new video comments :-) Surprisingly all of them by one person :-)
@Mrstar123 Agreed with both parts... the "we are home" part is so dreamy.. i'd have loved to be there for that part.. this is one of the only songs i think they do better now than back in the day.. and he definitely owns this song, phil collins can't match him on it
@Mrstar123 I totally agree - all my respect for Daryl Sturmer but Anthony Drennen is a hell of a guitarist and was an interesting replacement for D.S.
Great version..... thanks for the uploads, was there no "dividing line" here???
jtlampsu 6 months ago
Its a crime that these guys didnt get to do more albums...
rainallday 7 months ago
This song gets much better live but it still is not to the level of classics like Fading Lights, One for the Vine or Dodo/Lurker. Nice guitar at the end though.:)
AldorleaGames 8 months ago
Cool performance, on my 22nd birthday!
analogueaddict 11 months ago
@tjrtherocksponge I think it's ABUNDANTLY clear (especially by modern standards) that you do not have to be a very good musical artist to sell out shows in the U.S. The CD's US flop wasn't due to the lack of Phil Collins, it was due to the lack of proper distribution, the fact that everyone was tired of Genesis (they were 31 years old when this came out, and had only put out 3 studio albums in 12 years as compared to year by year like they did when they were famous), no one knows music anymore.
sentihcn 1 year ago 2
@tjrtherocksponge I´m happy that they did CAS. It wasn´t a cool thing to do for the good name of Genesis
but it gave the hardcore fans one more album to enjoy although it wasn´t perfect. But if you check out Ray doing Phil songs on this tour you can understand why they didn´t continue. They were holding on to the past too much. Still this is very interesting part of the genesis story. RIP
miestenmies 1 year ago
@miestenmies The main contributing factor to Ray Wilson's departure from Genesis was Phil Collin's disapproval of the band continuing the way they did. I don't see where he gets off telling them what to do though, Banks and Rutherford are all that Genesis is. They played with many different people. I say they should've continued.
sentihcn 1 year ago
@sentihcn I´ve also read that Phil wasn´t too happy that Mike and Tony continued under the name of Genesis. But Mike explains in an interview you can find from the Calling all stations 2007 Remasters bonus dvd that in the end it was his decision to call it a day. Reasons were that both the album and the tour flopped in the America and Mike still had the Mechanicks. Mike didn´t want to play in small theaters with Genesis and loose a lot of money.
miestenmies 1 year ago
it seems to me this is a Tony Banks composition, I like it very much
Yogurt2345 1 year ago
the second half of this song is pretty much the only part of calling all stations I like!
lokifea05 1 year ago
Never noticed before how much the opening sounds like Watcher of the Skies.
angiecalabrese 2 years ago 2
everyone has thier own valid opinions but i love this song, it reminds me of a time when i left home as i was dissilusioned with the uk at the time this was realeased and this song jumped out of the album and hit a cord, the lyrics make sense to me and tony's writing is fine with me, the whole album makes me think they were going back to the original story telling gabriel era enen rays raw voice. check out half the world away aswell
chef79geoff 2 years ago 2
man, I don't like Calling All Stations, but I like the ending of this song. Although, the first half sucks! Lyrics are terrible.
deeh333 2 years ago
this song the porcupine tree's style seems
frelonful 2 years ago
This song proves genesis were moving in the right direction from we cant dance.
nintendo64isking 2 years ago 3
hmn, you know what? I really agree with all arguments, for example the "lame" ending, the silly effects, which I mostly dislike too, and stuff...but I still absolutely adore this song. it's not the worst, really. If you don't like it, you just didn't get trough it.
the lyrics are fine, by the way. just another alien afternoon...:) it's amazing. really, you need to listen more intense to it.
Tarotprincess 2 years ago
what ruins the song is the stupid reggae part,its start and ends very dramaic then kicks into some lame reggae riff,it takes you out of the feeling set by the intro... and its an awful verse/chrous anyway
knowur10sand18s 2 years ago
this just doesnt work, maybe if they called themselves something other than Genesis yes, but this is NOT Genesis to me, they just used the brand name, bit like when i watched the movie BUTTERFLY EFFECT then having to sit through the next one lol
GLICKTON 2 years ago
fantastic is the word for this performance i mean this song
grez14 2 years ago
This is the only song from CAS that I return to.
I love it, great example of Tony Banks' songwriting genius - the lyrics are reminiscent of the stuff he wrote in the 70's - One For The Vine, Mad Man Moon, Trick Of The Tail etc.
Tony Banks is hugely underrated as a songwriter.
Thanks for posting.
madrasgreg 2 years ago 2
Oh God, please tell me you're kidding.
Comparing this song to Banks's songs of the 70's is like comparing Norman Rockwell to Pablo Picasso.
jhillst 2 years ago
I meant lyrically. It's a story song in the same vein.
And... Why do you keep revisiting this song if you hate it with such venom?
madrasgreg 2 years ago 3
madrasgreg - I hear the lyrical similarities that you're talking about b/t CAS songs and the mid-70s tony banks epics.
where i part ways with you, i think, is that i never found tony banks to be particularly strong as a lyricist. even back in the 70s, some of his words are really kind of cheesy. i'm saying this, by the way, as a HUGE tony banks/genesis fan.
firth of fifth, one for the vine, afterglow, squonk: they're gr8 songs, but the lyrics really aren't in the same league as--say--gabriel's
idealtypical 2 years ago
This is probably the WORST Genesis song ever. It's a complete mockery of the great progressive rock of the 1970s. The silly "atmospheric" intro, the lame pseudo-reggae verse, the horrible lyrics, the stupid "alien" voices, the ending which is just one simplistic chord progression played ad infinitum...UGGH.
If this was supposed to be an example of Genesis returning to their progressive roots, then give me Hold On My Heart ANY day.
jhillst 2 years ago
So the first half of the song sounds funky, so what? I love the opening- very Watcher of the Skies-like. And the second half of this song is purely atmospheric poetry. I would have loved to hear a second Wilson-era Genesis album, just to see what they would've done!
mentorman 3 years ago 8
Calling all stations is similar to a Momentary Lapse of Reason from Pink Floyd. Both bands lost their key member and produced an album that seemed to be out of place. Both albums are dark and they have some great songs..but they just don´t feel right. This song is mostly pure crap..though it ends nicely..there must be some other way is a lot more better song and so is the title track.
miestenmies 3 years ago
Comment removed
dchasse12 3 years ago 2
I'm in the minority here, but I thought MLOR was a great album hindered by bad production. Songs like Sorrow and On The Turning Away were epic live, but didn't come off that great on the album. (keep in mind, it was recorded on a houseboat!) I think CAS had better production, but the songs were definitely given new life on tour.
dchasse12 2 years ago 5
Aonde estão os verdadeiros apreciadores do Rock Progressivo no Brasil ??
Sou o unico fã no Brasil de Ray Wilson ??
Esse line-up/1998 do Genesis só tem heróis...
O sideguitar e o baterista deram um show, junto com a voz poderosa de Wilson...
Alô, Brasil .. Acordem!!!
SPECTRE1961 3 years ago
Good Song.
MATTMUDORCK 3 years ago
anthony drennen seemed to do different solos at every show. he did one amazing one on the STRICTLY MECHANIC BOOTLEG. i forget what shoe it was from. i think stuttgart, germany. wow, what an amazing solo he did on that one. very atmospheric.
Mrstar123 3 years ago
My favorite song from "Calling All Stations."
sledgeinc2 3 years ago 2
Where the hell is Tony and Mike? OOH! YEAH! There you are! Sorry guys, I had thought the old Genesis memebers were not included in this song, SORRY!
trevizons 3 years ago
So Tony's chords during the bridge and Mike's guitar in the first half mean nothing huh?
dchasse12 3 years ago
great track and performance
nylerobin 3 years ago
Incredible. Drennan really made his guitar talk during this song!
dchasse12 3 years ago 2
The studio version seems very weak but they made it epic right here. It creates a very powerful atmosphere.
awesomedude1133 3 years ago 2
A future Genesis classic..sounds quite a bit like Abacab-era but ten times better.
adamgarcia34 3 years ago 2
Check out another version of Anthony's amazing solo in this song, played a few days before in Katowice (Poland). It's on my channel. Enjoy :)
secondtribe 3 years ago
I went to his concert in Barcelona but I was only 9!!!!!
Every song in Calling all stations is amazing!
Catalonia is not Spain
akusguanyu 3 years ago 2
Oh yea - Anthony Drennen ofcourse (saw Mrstar123's comment after writing my comment). I agree - it's an absolute killer solo!
gloggolyt 3 years ago
kozak! nir the best
JochuDrums 3 years ago
I like this song a lot and like rays voice
jasonba100 3 years ago 11
Not the best long song on the album, but still thorougly enjoyable; preferred this to the studio version.
BedlamBridge 3 years ago
I say the Ray Wilson Genesis "set up" in February 1998 just before their tour. They appeared in a Danish radio show and I had won 2 tickets. And there we were - having breakfeast and listing to Genesis live. That was an unforgettable event. But getting to the point: The played Alien Afternoon as well and I thought - "oh, how borring" - but I was quite surprised by the live version and especially the end section with the guitar solo (by The Corr's guitarist - can't remember his name).
gloggolyt 3 years ago
great live song. i like it better than the album version. anthony drennen does a killer solo.
Mrstar123 3 years ago 5
Oh man, you decided to comment all the songs? :-) I took a look at my e-mail and I see about 10 new video comments :-) Surprisingly all of them by one person :-)
SecretSociety1 3 years ago
@Mrstar123 Agreed with both parts... the "we are home" part is so dreamy.. i'd have loved to be there for that part.. this is one of the only songs i think they do better now than back in the day.. and he definitely owns this song, phil collins can't match him on it
Draco924 1 year ago
@Mrstar123 I totally agree - all my respect for Daryl Sturmer but Anthony Drennen is a hell of a guitarist and was an interesting replacement for D.S.
gloggolyt 1 year ago
Rare to see Tony doing backing vocals by himself.
dchasse12 3 years ago