How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Unmemorable
Value for Money
Satisfactory
Advantages:
Some very good songs .
Disadvantages:
Some not very good songs .
Recommend to potential buyers:
no
Full review
Calling All Stations was the last album released by Genesis (aside from The Platinum Collection last year). It is also probably the album that is considered their worst by many critics and even some fans. I, myself, don’t mind it, as it’s different to their previous works, but some songs are a bit iffy.
Ray Wilson came in to replace the great Phil Collins, a task which I respect him for taking on as it can’t have been easy. Ray was in the band Scottish band, Stiltskin, and he has had previous success with the hit “Inside”.
For this album, Genesis are: Ray Wilson – Vocals Tony Banks – Keyboards Mike Rutherford – Guitars
with: Nir Zidkyahu – Drums (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 (second half), 5, 7, 10 and 11) Nick D’Virgilio – Drums (tracks 4 (first half), 6, 8 and 9)
I mentioned the drummers so that I can make an important point. One of the key aspects of the Phil Collins era of Genesis was the drumming. Phil’s trademark loud drumming was what made some songs a Genesis song and many people like it. With his departure, you’d be forgiven for thinking that his drumming style left with him and that Genesis turned to a more standard sound for the drums. Well, you’d be wrong for the most part, as these two new drummers are two of the best drummers I’ve ever heard and they have done exceedingly well in the task of following up Phil’s style. The fact that it’s not exactly like his style makes it all even better.
THE TRACKS
1 – Calling All Stations – One of the best tracks of the album, this song gives us a really nice guitar opener from Mike. Tony makes good use of his keyboards and here’s the first hearing of the Ray Wilson era of Genesis. The lyrics of this song are excellent and really do make you think. Ray delivers them with real feeling but a bluntness that only he can achieve. A really nice guitar solo about 3 and a half minutes in and the drums are excellent. If this song was anything to go by as far as the new Genesis was concerned, it sounds good… – 10/10
2 – Congo – …but then it starts to turn pear-shaped. This track has a strange intro but, luckily, the song does improve once it gets started. A dark, almost hellish, sounding keyboard synth provides the main instrumentation during the verse, before a more lighter, "airey" keyboard synth leads us through the chorus. The lyrics are strange, borderline concerning, but then - it’s Genesis! A nice interlude occurs just over halfway through the song with some nice guitar work and nicer lyrics. A Genesis style keyboard melody comes in and the song begins to improve. A new set of lyrics comes in and these are much better. A strange song, but not too bad. – 7/10
3 – Shipwrecked – This is a slow song which is quite nice. Keyboards and guitars fuse together to give us some great sounding music, while Ray provides us with some wonderful lyrics. All in all, a good song. – 9/10
4 – Alien Afternoon – This is the weirdest song on the album. The trouble is, unlike some of the other weird stuff Genesis has done (I refer thee to the Peter Gabriel era), this isn’t a good song. It’s just strange. The guitar and keyboard work isn’t bad. Ray sings well, but the lyrics aren’t the best due to their weird nature. Unfortunately, this is a long song, spanning just short of 8 minutes of play time. – 4/10
5 – Not About Us – This is much better song. The guitar is the main instrument used with the keyboards providing support. The lyrics are good and well delivered by Ray. In some places, this track sounds slightly reminiscent to the Gabriel era, but not enough for it to be influenced by that era. A pretty good song – 7/10
6 – If That’s What You Need – This song sounds slightly similar to the last track, with the same sort of chords being used. However, the keyboards take a more prominent role on this track. The lyrics are well written but Ray can’t really do credit to them due to the slight roughness in his voice. Some nice guitar work comes in for the chorus halfway through the song, followed by some great keyboard melodies just over minute afterwards. – 8/10
7 – The rhythm builds for a song that only Genesis can pull off. Some heavy guitar work in combination with good drumming sets us up for the song. The keyboards aid in the rhythm of the song. The lyrics are interesting and occasionally thought-provoking and they are well delivered by Ray. There is good guitar work done by Mike towards the end of the track. A pretty good song with good length to redeem Genesis for track 4. – 8/10
8 – Uncertain Weather – This song has some thoughtful lyrics in it and Ray sings them well. The keyboard work reminds me of another song but, luckily, that is a good song! This isn’t the best of the slow songs but it’s quite a good track. – 7/10
9 – Small Talk – Back to the realms of weirdness. Luckily, this song isn’t as weird as its predecessor, but it’s probably the second worst song on the album. The lyrics aren’t that bad, nor are the keyboards or instruments, but some weird sound effects at the end of the song really let this track down. – 5/10
10 – There Must Be Some Other Way – This is my favourite track of the album for one main reason. It’s a great song! The lyrics are great and musically, this song reminds me of some older Genesis songs. Clever drum and percussion work fuses with great keyboards and good guitar work. Four minutes into the song and we hear some superb keyboard work from Tony. This particular keyboard sound was also used on the “Fading Lights” track of the great “We Can’t Dance” album. I just love the way the notes “flang”. Great stuff. – 10/10
11 – One Man’s Fool – Another nice long track to listen to. This song isn’t as good as the earlier track, but it’s still a good listen. The drums sound great, along with the keyboards. Ray sings well and gives us some interesting lyrics. – 9/10
COVER/INLAY
The cover is nice and original. It has a combination of styles, being modern but slightly 80s based too.
OVERALL
This album doesn’t really live up to it’s predecessors but, to be frank, it’s not really that bad. There are normally some weak songs in most albums so this isn’t a particular worry. This is a good album, but not a good Genesis album. I'd, personally, wait for the price to drop to about £5 before buying this album.
