Search - Genesis :: Calling All Stations (Bonus Dvd) (Hk) (Hybr)

It's a good time to revisit a hidden treasure.

spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 10/05/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, we all know Genesis didn't begin with Phil Collins (or at least I pity any music lover who doesn't). But it's still too easy to forget that they didn't end when he left either. Instead there was one album made without him in the late 90s, and it's head and shoulders above their hit-filled (but sometimes inconsistent) records of the 80s.



Don't get me wrong; I like the poppy stuff in addition to their early masterpieces. I don't consider Phil the devil. God help me, I even enjoy Invisible Touch. But! Not only is CAS a better offering than it'll ever get credit for, but to these ears - blasphemy alert - song for song, it's a stronger album overall than any individual release by the Phil-Mike-Tony trio.



That's right, folks. It was their finest since Wind & Wuthering.



This disc is significantly more dark & brooding than any of its predecessors since W&W (and lacks the usual level of humor), which might also partly explain its lukewarm reception, but it's the kind of dark & brooding that settles into your psyche and just won't let go. The masterful title track is a cold portrait of bleakness (though with no shortage of rocking energy there either), "Small Talk" and "Uncertain Weather" are anything but breezy, and "Congo" manages to blend something almost menacing in with the bouncy. The occasional poppy spirit is still felt in a couple straightforward radio-friendly ballads - there's no doubt in my mind that "Not About Us" would have been another ubiquitous smash if Phil had been the one to sing it - but it's when they stretched out that this group shone brightest. "Alien Afternoon" morphs from a semi-mundane shuffling groove to a breathtaking tapestry of psychedelic colors. "One Man's Fool" makes a nice closer, shifting between somber and lively (even though it does meander a smidge too long for its own good). And for the no-holds-barred high point, the hard driving "The Dividing Line" ranks with the greatest Genesis tunes of *any* era with its floor-shaking mix of sinuous keyboards and primal jungle rhythms. Through it all Ray Wilson acquits himself as an excellent vocalist. He's got a wonderfully textured voice with just the right amount of grit, which fits most of the material here to a T. (Onstage, that voice fit the old Gabriel/Collins songs outstandingly as well. Any chance of an official bootleg from the '98 tour? Hah. I can dream....)



CAS is the kind of disc that has to grow and sink in over time, but it's got plenty of staying power and almost ten years on (ye gods, has it really been that long?), it deserves a good reevaluation. And what better reason than this reissue, which sounds better than ever? True, it's not perfect; it has some weak spots and an inane lyric or two, and you can tell the new band hadn't been able to gel yet. However, warts and all, it's a solid work that still makes me wish this group had kept going, and it's still got a special place on my shelf."