Calling All Stations

…Calling All Stations…
Studio album by Genesis
Released 1 September 1997
Recorded January–June 1997 at The Farm, Surrey
Genre
Length 67:42
Label Virgin (UK)
Atlantic (US)
Producer Nick Davis, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford
Genesis chronology
The Way We Walk, Volume Two: The Longs
(1993)		 …Calling All Stations…
(1997)		 Genesis Archive 1967–75
(1998)
Singles from Calling All Stations
  1. "Congo"
    Released: 15 September 1997
  2. "Shipwrecked"
    Released: 1 December 1997
  3. "Not About Us"
    Released: 23 February 1998

Calling All Stations (stylised as …Calling All Stations…) is the fifteenth and final studio album by English rock band Genesis. Released on 1 September 1997, the album was recorded following the departure of longtime drummer/vocalist Phil Collins from the band in 1996, leaving only keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford from earlier incarnations of the band. Ray Wilson joined the band as lead vocalist for this album.

Of the three singles excerpted from the album, only "Congo" broke the top 40 in the UK.[2] It achieved a top 40 placing in at least three other European countries.[3][4] Calling All Stations reached No. 2 in the UK[2], and reached No. 54 on the Billboard 200 and remained 5 weeks on the chart.[5] The album received negative reviews from critics, who chastised its lack of direction.

Background and recording

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, theatrical vocals were more reminiscent of former Genesis singer Peter Gabriel than Collins's more pop/rock vocals. Nir Zidkyahu and Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard) played drums on the album.

The music videos for "Congo" and "Shipwrecked" featured Banks, Rutherford, Wilson, and session drummer Zidkyahu surrounded by extensive use of water imagery. "Not About Us", however featured just Banks, Rutherford, and Wilson.

Release

Commercial performance

Calling All Stations became the first Genesis studio album not to hit number 1 since …And Then There Were Three… (number 3 in 1978) in the UK[2] and was the first Genesis album since Selling England by the Pound (number 73 in 1974) to not crack the US Top 50.

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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Blender[7]
Chicago Tribune[8]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[11]

Steve Knopper reviewed the album in the Chicago Tribune, calling it "a formless blob of synth sounds" and asserting that new singer Ray Wilson has "no confidence or personality, let alone the vision to stave off his bandmates' meandering ideas".[8] Both AllMusic and Rolling Stone commented that Ray Wilson was a fitting vocal replacement for Collins, but that the album is wholly lacking in good material. Both also commented on the album's odd mix of art rock and pop, saying that it failed to capture any of the likeable elements of either genre; Rolling Stone summarised it as "a Mike and the Mechanics artrock album".[6][10] In 2014, Stevie Chick of The Guardian dismissed the album as "inexplicable".[12]

2007 reissue

An 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.

Track listing

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

No.TitleLength
1."Calling All Stations"5:43
2."Congo"4:51
3."Shipwrecked"4:23
4."Alien Afternoon"7:51
5."Not About Us" (Banks, 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" (Banks, Rutherford, Wilson)5:02
10."There Must Be Some Other Way" (Banks, Rutherford, Wilson)7:54
11."One Man's Fool"8:58
Total length:67:42
  • Note: The CD liner notes state that track 7, "The Dividing Line", is 8:59.

B-sides

No.TitleLength
1."Papa He Said"4:09
2."Banjo Man" (Banks, Rutherford, Wilson)4:22
3."Phret"4:05
4."7/8"5:13
5."Anything Now"7:03
6."Sign Your Life Away"4:45
7."Run Out of Time"6:36
8."Nowhere Else to Turn" (Banks, Rutherford, Wilson)4:35
Total length:40:48

"Papa He Said" and "Banjo Man" are from the single "Congo". "Phret" and "7/8" are from the single "Shipwrecked". "Anything Now", "Sign Your Life Away" and "Run Out of Time" are from the single "Not About Us". "Nowhere Else to Turn" is an unreleased track from the sessions.

Personnel

Singles

  • Congo Maxi-CD
  1. "Congo" (single version)
  2. "Papa He Said"
  3. "Banjo Man"
  • Congo Enhanced CD
  1. "Congo"
  2. "Second Home by the Sea" (instrumental version)
  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" (acoustic)
  4. "Turn It On Again" (acoustic)
  • Shipwrecked CD2
  1. "Shipwrecked"
  2. "Phret"
  3. "7/8"
  • Not About Us CD1
  1. "Not About Us" (single version)
  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. "Follow You Follow Me" (acoustic)
  4. "Not About Us" (acoustic)

Certifications

Year-end charts

Chart (1997) Position
German Albums Chart[13] 33
Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
France (SNEP)[14] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[15] Gold 250,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[16] Gold 50,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[17] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Gold 100,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Tour

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

As a result of the slim North American sales, the American leg of the tour was cancelled. Following the conclusion of the European tour 1998, Banks and Rutherford put Genesis on an extended hiatus, leaving Calling All Stations as the band's last studio release. Ray Wilson was keen to continue and has continued to include Genesis songs from all eras on his solo tour, including touring a "World of Genesis" set.

Dates

Calling All Stations Tour
Tour by Genesis
Associated album Calling All Stations
Start date 29 January 1998
End date 31 May 1998
Legs 2 (1 cancelled)
No. of shows 47 (49 scheduled)
Genesis concert chronology

Rehearsals for the 47 date European tour took place at Bray Film Studios in Windsor, England between 5 and 25 January 1998.

Date City Country Venue
European Leg
29 January 1998 Budapest Hungary László Papp Budapest Sports Arena
31 January 1998KatowicePolandSpodek
2 February 1998PragueCzech RepublicSportovní Hala
4 February 1998MannheimGermanyMaimarktgelände
5 February 1998LeipzigMessehalle
6 February 1998BerlinVelodrom
8 February 1998AmnévilleFranceGalaxie Amnéville
10 February 1998DortmundGermanyWestfalenhallen
12 February 1998StuttgartHanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
13 February 1998ZürichSwitzerlandHallenstadion
15 February 1998ViennaAustriaWiener Stadthalle
17 February 1998BolognaItalyPalasport Casalecchio
18 February 1998RomePalazzo dello Sport
19 February 1998MilanFilaForum
20 February 1998LyonFranceHalle Tony Garnier
23 February 1998ParisPalais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
25 February 1998BirminghamEnglandNational Exhibition Centre
26 February 1998
27 February 1998LondonEarls Court Exhibition Centre
1 March 1998GlasgowScotlandScottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
2 March 1998NewcastleEnglandTelewest Arena
4 March 1998CardiffWalesCardiff International Arena
5 March 1998
6 March 1998ManchesterEnglandNYNEX Arena
8 March 1998DublinIrelandPoint Theatre
10 March 1998BrusselsBelgiumForest National
11 March 1998RotterdamNetherlandsAhoy Rotterdam
13 March 1998LilleFranceZénith de Lille
15 March 1998AngersAmphitheatre 4000
16 March 1998BordeauxPatinoire de Mériadeck
18 March 1998PauZénith de Pau
19 March 1998MadridSpainPalacio de los Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid
20 March 1998BarcelonaPalau Sant Jordi
22 March 1998MarseilleFranceLe Dôme de Marseille
23 March 1998Clermont-FerrandMaison des Sports
24 March 1998CaenZénith de Caen
26 March 1998StrasbourgRhénus Sport
27 March 1998MunichGermanyOlympiahalle
28 March 1998ErfurtMessehalle
30 March 1998HamburgAlsterdorfer Sporthalle
31 March 1998 Bielefeld Seidensticker Halle
1 April 1998 Copenhagen Denmark Forum Copenhagen
2 April 1998OsloNorwayOslo Spektrum
3 April 1998StockholmSwedenStockholm Globe Arena
5 April 1998HelsinkiFinlandHartwall Areena
Rock am Ring and Rock im Park Festival
30 May 1998NürburgGermanyNürburgring
31 May 1998 Nuremberg Zeppelinfeld

Set list

Part 1:

  1. "No Son of Mine"
  2. "Land of Confusion"
  3. "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway"
  4. "Calling All Stations"
  5. "The Carpet Crawlers"
  6. "There Must Be Some Other Way" (sometimes alternated with "Alien Afternoon")
  7. "Domino"
  8. "Shipwrecked"
  9. "Firth of Fifth"
  10. "Congo"
  11. "Home by the Sea/Second Home by the Sea"

Acoustic medley:

  1. "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight"
  2. "Follow You Follow Me"
  3. "Supper's Ready: Lover's Leap"
  4. "Not About Us"

Part 2:

  1. "Mama"
  2. "The Dividing Line"
  3. "Invisible Touch"
  4. "Turn It On Again"

Encore:

  1. "Throwing It All Away"
  2. "I Can't Dance"

In addition, "Hold on My Heart", "That's All", and "Small Talk" were rehearsed for the tour but were not played. "Shipwrecked" was dropped in favour of "Not About Us" in Mid-February.

Tour band

with

  • Anthony Drennan – guitar, bass, backing vocals on No Son Of Mine, Land of Confusion, and Congo
  • Nir Zidkyahu – drums, percussion, backing vocals on Follow You Follow Me

References

  1. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/calling-all-stations-mw0000026641
  2. 1 2 3 Genesis UK chart history, The Official Charts. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  3. ↑ "Chartverfolgung / Genesis / Single". Music Line (in German). Germany: Media Control Charts. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  4. ↑ "Congo" chart history, Dutch Charts.nl. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  5. ↑ Calling All Stations USA chart history, Billboard.com. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  6. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Album review, AllMusic. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  7. ↑ Blender magazine Archived 19 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. 1 2 Knopper, Steve (26 September 1997). "Calling All Stations review". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  9. ↑ Schinder, Scott (5 September 1997). "Calling All Stations review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  10. 1 2 Wild, David (10 December 1997). "Genesis: Calling All Stations : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 May 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  11. ↑ Nathan Brackett; Christian David Hoard (2004). The new Rolling Stone album guide. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 328. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ↑ Chick, Stevie (3 September 2014). "Genesis: 10 of the best". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  14. ↑ "French album certifications – Genesis – Calling All Stations" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  15. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Genesis; 'Calling All Stations')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  16. ↑ "Polish album certifications – Genesis – Calling All Stations" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  17. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Genesis; 'Calling All Stations')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  18. ↑ "British album certifications – Genesis – Calling All Stations". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Enter Calling All Stations in the search field and then press Enter.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.