Part II - December 4-31, 1997:
Here's the last opinions on this issue - and the thread is hereby closed. In my last round-up I wrote the following:
In my review of the 'Shipwrecked' single a couple of weeks ago I had some comments on the situation for the band in the States. I think it is very strange that an excellent album by a famous band doesn't get more attention over there. My questions were as follows: "Americans - has everything changed completely over there? Is it too much "noise" to struggle with - too much noise for a band playing more than three chords on songs lasting more than four minutes..? The response was overwhelming - and thanks to all of you who wanted to share your opinions.

From: Chris Gadbois [gadb6668@kutztown.edu]
Sent: 22. desember 1997 22:31
To: Thomas Holter
Subject: Genesis in the States

Thomas,

I'm another American fan of Genesis, writing in response to your question as to why "Calling All Stations" is not performing well in America. The answer to that is simple - no Phil! American audiences need an instantly identifiable frontman/performer to latch onto, otherwise the music doesn't have a chance. The American music scene is currently littered with the likes of generic rockers like Matchbox 20 and hip hop artists like Puff Daddy who try to pass sampling off as artistic achievement. I know many Genesis "fans" here in the States who won't take the time to listen to "Calling All Stations" because they believe that Genesis without Phil is not Genesis. I suppose the band went through a similar period in 75-76 after Peter left, but this is a much different situation, unfortunately. I, for one, was actually glad when Phil left, since it was painfully obvious he had no interest in putting any effort into Genesis after "We Can't Dance," and I was excited at the prospect of the band getting back to their darker 70's roots somewhat. "Calling All Stations" was not the album the band needed to keep their American fan level at what it was during the 80's, but that's probably just as well; the band needed to separate themselves from Phil as much as possible to have any chance at developing their own identity.

Another major reason why "CAS" is not performing well is MTV, which has been paralleling the sad state of American FM radio by forcing rap, hip-hop, and generic rock music down our throats. I have yet to actually see "Congo" played on MTV even once! Unfortunately, Phil's solo music is now considered "adult contemporary," and this has pretty much dragged the music of Genesis right along with it, killing any chance of getting substantial airplay for the new Genesis music.

I think the new album is great, but it remains to be seen whether or not Genesis can still be relevant heading into the 21st century, at least from the perspective of the American record buyer. Mike, Tony, and Ray definitely have their work cut out for them in America, and I wish them all the luck in the world. I can't wait to see the new road show! (Please guys, NO MEDLEYS!)

Chris Gadbois
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

From: Scott Middlebrook [Scott.Middlebrook@austrade.gov.au]
Sent: 22. desember 1997 04:20
To: Thomas Holter
Subject: What went wrong in the States...?

Dear Thomas,

First of all, let me just congratulate you on your work on The Path. A fine effort. [Thanks, Scott ;-]

As to CAS record sales in the States, I think everyone's making too much of a big deal out of it. Both Mike and Tony have said how much they enjoyed working on the album, and it has received a positive response from the fans, so I don't think low record sales in the US are going to end the group.

I don't listen to commercial FM radio over here (in Australia), so I don't know how much airplay 'Congo' has received (little to none I would imagine). As far as I know neither 'Shipwrecked' nor 'Not About Us' has been released thus far. However I do know that the promotion for the album over here has been non-existant. I picked up CAS in Singapore in October, then got back to Melbourne to find out it had just been released here. No promotion whatsoever.

I have to agree with Russell Hammond's point about 'try living here' though. I was really looking forward to Genesis touring Australia with WCD, but it just never eventuated (even with at least 2 Australian hit singles). I got into the group around 'Invisible Touch'. When WCD was released, I went out and picked up most of the back catalogue in anticipation of a tour, and loved all of it. Then no tour. Disappointing, but at least I was introduced to loads of great music.

We're force fed a lot of (mainly) American crap over here, and mainstream Australian music is nothing short of woeful, but fortunately we have a very healthy independent music scene (in Melbourne anyway). Most of the indy stuff as about as far away from Genesis as you could get, but at least it's interesting, and isn't that what it's all about?

I've gone off on a bit a tangent here, but to reiterate, I think people are making too much of a big deal out of the record sales. It doesn't detract from our enjoyment of the music, so why worry about it?

Kind regards
Scott Middlebrook

From: jeff wallace [wall@fuse.net]
Sent: 22. desember 1997 03:05
To: Thomas Holter
Subject: What went wrong

Sorry this may be a bit late but...

I have spent a great deal of time on your site reading about PC being gone and about the poor taste of American listeners etc. , but let's face it. Did anyone out there know that CAS was coming out?, that Genesis was touring the States? Hell the official web page didn't even list the American Tour Dates until after shows in the mid-west were already cancelled.

All the stuff about American audiences, bad radio and PC leaving are all in some part true, but I'd be willing to bet that millions of those "part-time" Genesis fans (who have no idea the Path even exists) may not even know about CAS.

Jeff

From: Gershom (Jan M.L.) Martin [comartin@wicc.weizmann.ac.il]
Sent: 21. desember 1997 23:43
To: Thomas Holter
Subject: The Path, and CAS's lack of success

Shalom uv'racha (peace and blessing),

I just got hold of CAS here in Israel (the first Genesis album I heard was Duke, which led to me buying all their other ones and several of the solo albums). A WWW search brought me to your nice website.

I was dumbfounded when I found out that the title track was not released as the first single! I mean, it's so self- evident that I just kind of automatically assumed that that was the one. It is direct, well-produced, has balls --- yet stands repeated listening well, and the intro has a great way of putting the listener's ear on the wrong foot for 10 seconds... The lyrics are darkly evocative in a way that sends shivers down the spine. And it could easily have been edited down to 4 minutes if need be. Nor is it any "weirder" than "Mama" or "No son of mine", both of which did well.

Being an eclectic listener whose record collection ranges from Bach pieces for solo violin to Metallica, I may be a tad unrepresentative. But I really think the single choices were unimaginative.

"Shipwrecked" and "Not about us" are at best good M&M in a lean year, and "Congo" isn't bad but doesn't stand out either. Others do that sort of stuff much better.

Be well,
Gershom

From: SESmatt [SESmatt@aol.com]
Sent: 13. desember 1997 00:13
To: Thomas Holter
Subject: What went wrong

This may be a little late but I do have some opinions as to why there has not been much interest in the state.

Although I do concur with most everybodys opinion on the state of radio and, to a lesser extent, the affect of Phil Collins leaving, I feel that these hurdles could have been over come. I got into the band as a freshman in highschool with ABACAB. Not because of the hits but because of the "sound" of the album. Since I love to know the origin and history of bands, I sought out past material and enjoyed it as well. I was really annoyed at the obvious drift to pop that started to occur after ABACAB and, after hearing the single Invisible Touch, swore I'd never buy another new Genesis album, although I saw the I Can't Dance tour and bought "The Longs" and CAS.

My opinion is that, because there is no identifiable voice and because the album tends to be more dense or lush in its arrangement, nothing jumps out at programmers. Six years between studio albums limits the automatic play that reputation alone can usually gain. The casual fan, who I dispised for making IT and WCA hits, have moved on or got too old. I'm sure the diehards, like me, have their copies, but with the lack of publicity, the semi-diehards probably don't know their is a new album.

Getting back to the arrangement, Phil may have left, but it sounds like he left his drum machine behind. I was hoping, that the drum sound was going to return to a more natural sound and position in the mix but, aside from a few tracks such as Dividing Line, their pretty mechanical sounding. I think that the guys fell into the same trap that many bands fall into when they only record periodically in that the used a "sound" that is dated. The drum sound says to me mid- late- eighties drum machine. And the remaining mix could have been less dense with more distinctive guitars and keyboards. On ABACAB, for instance, the tracks had a live-in-the-studio sound. Although I like CAS, I think it tends towards over-produced - too many layers, which takes away freshness and bogs is down. It becomes too lush or slow for "rock" stations but too complicated for "lite rock" or "adult contemporary", the last two not being were you want play anyway (where P.C. is a staple with his wimpy rock, by the way).

From: pathway@cris.com
Sent: 9. desember 1997 05:55
To: Thomas Holter
Subject: What went wrong

Hi Thomas,

I was just reading the opinions page about what went wrong in the states, and thought I'd throw in my two cents.

Like a lot of people, I feel that one reason that the states aren't paying attention is that the lead singer is no longer Phil Collins. Because of music videos "which I wish I could uninvent!)people have built up an image of Genesis with Phil at the helm. I live in Texas, and here, the stations are distinctly categorized, i.e. classic rock, soft rock, alternative rock, rap and hip-hop, and country. They rarely overlap. Bands like Genesis have been around so long that they are considered classic rock, and so it is hard to get their new stuff played. I just recently went to see Yes, which drew a large crowd, and I must say that )appart from the music, which is excellent), one of the reasons so many came is because Jon Anderson is still singing those songs. We like the familiar. I'm pretty sure that if Phil had still been in the band singing all the songs on CAS, there may have been more air play.

Another reason that Cas seems not to be doing so well over here is simply that Genesis waited too long between albums. It is simply hard to compete with new young bands who are willing to tour constantly and put out an album every two years. I think CAS is a good album, but it should perhaps have come out three years ago. Because of video television, we have become very fad-oriented. We must be ENTERTAINED! and our attention span is dwindling to the length of the average video.

Thirdly, I think that Genesis fans are still here. If Tony, Mike and Ray were willing to come over here and play small clubs, they'd have appreciative audiences. They've been around so long, that you just can't expect to be at the top all the time, but if they were willing to just hit the road in a small way, they would find that they are still very much loved.

I've been a fan since about '79, so i'm familiar with just about all their stuff. I like music in all their incarnations, and I definitely dislike music in all their incarnations, so I've never enjoyed arguments about which period was better. I simply like what I like and don't like what I don't like. My favorite song from CAS is Calling all Stations, and I wish it'd been released as a single. They just never consult us do they? (g(

Well, this has been rather long. Thanks for taking the time to read ramblings. Put it down to being close to midnight. By the way, I really appreciate the work you put in to this site. I really loved your heartfelt write-up about your meeting with Mike Rutherford. Keep it up.

Debra

From: John W. Higley [jwhigley@bellatlantic.net]
Sent: 7. desember 1997 00:12
To: th@geelmuyden-kiese.no
Subject: What went wrong redux

Thanks for posting the "what went wrong in the States" letters (mine included). It was interesting to see how similar the opinions are from different, isolated people, united only by their love for this band. After exhaustive repeated listening to CAS, I now think that it is the best work since Trick. It doesn't matter to me as a fan that the album isn't a mega-seller as long as they continue onward, for their own artistic purposes, rather than trying to cater to a "popular" audience. Even Phil's popularity has fallen off here (I imagine from casual observation). As many respondents have noted, there is a societal change driven by (or driving) the deterioration of music in general. (I sound like my parents!)

John Higley

From: Jamie 'Duke' Howse [jhowse@octonline.com]
Sent: 7. desember 1997 01:42
To: Thomas Holter
Subject: 2 More Cents on CAS lack of success...

I know this is late, but this is to support some of those who wrote about CAS, specifically those who blamed the rather bad music that is being force fed through the major radio/TV stations. I live in Ottawa where 2 of the big radio stations have taken in CAS with open arms. These would be The Bear, 106.9 FM and Chez 106 (106.1 FM). The Bear broadcasted the US launch and played Congo heavily, it even reached #2 on the Bear's top 20. Chez played Congo a lot too, and Congo reached #1 on Chez! As for the album, it hit #6 on the Ottawa HMV charts. What is my point? It prooves that if all stations across the world decided to take out some of the junk they're playing right now and give other GOOD bands a chance, then the GOOD bands would be getting the sales/respect they deserve! Ottawa is a very good example, population of 1,000,000 people that were actually exposed to Genesis this year, and Genesis got the respect and attention they deserved!

Now, also, Genesis got a lot of bad reviews from a bunch of magazine idiots who were probably told what to push and what not to push. One that comes to mind is E NOW!'s review of CAS, a 18 year old bum they got off the street who's only actual thoughts of the album where "It's bad", then he went on to mention the good ol' days of Genesis for the next minute and a half. I know he didn't even listen to the album, cause he never mentioned anything else about the album!

Oh well, I dunno if you will add this or what you'll do with it, but its my 2 cents and I hope you found it interesting.

Visit Calling All Stations!

From: Jan Stampehl [Jan.Stampehl@Helsinki.fi]
Sent: 6. desember 1997 01:49
To: Thomas Holter
Subject: Genesis is underground!

I can't say anything about the situation in the U.S., but as for Genesis in Europe and in general.

When Congo was released in summer, it got some airplay in Germany, and I still remember the DJ's comment on the day of release, that he missed Phil's distinctive voice...CAS hasn't sold that well in Finland either, where I'm staying as an exchange student at the time. I've been thinking about Genesis' low media profile for a while, and I can say to you:

Give a damn fuck about [sic :-] Genesis' sales and media attention ! I'm glad that Genesis have dared to take a step into the unknown, and except a few weaker tracks, they have recorded a great album with wonderful real Genesis music. Funny enough - I've become a Genesis fan in 1986, having heard Tonight, Tonight, Tonight on the radio (I hummed it for weeks until I found out what was the band's name !). But I have explored all of Genesis' history and it has become my favorite band.

Even though they had already reached the top of popularity when I had become a fan, I was always "accused" of bad taste by mates for adoring Genesis, and I felt that most of the people who talked about Genesis to me, deeply misunderstood the band and their musical concept (now, that I've read all the mails that were sent to The Path, I know there are a lot of people out there who *do* understand them in quite the same way as I do). A few years after the release of We Can't Dance, Tony Banks said in an interview he felt that Genesis somehow were nothing but a huge underground band. Sounds odd to you ? I think this illustrates in a funny way, that at least Tony was aware of how much Genesis have always been misinterpreted and underrated, and that only the pop singles of the '80s have attracted a large number of new fans, who didn't know about the band's biography.

Actually, now that Genesis have produced some really cool rock-music, the press accuse them of playing sentimental cinemascope-pop, that they either sell out the good old Genesis of the '70s or the '80s pop Genesis. As I have read all the e-mails here, I feel that somehow the fans are the only ones who really understand their music, or what?

So, dear other Genesis fans, once again: what is so wrong about Genesis having become a bit more "underground" and unfashioned? Do Genesis have to sell millions of CDs and cassettes and appear on MTV to make you really happy ? As long as they earn enough so they can also tour the States and can produce the next album and I can get it from the stores - what else do you want (provided the music still coming keeps the standard ... well, I think it will!!!)?

As for me, I'm actually really happy that the music has become more exciting again, that Ray is such a mature vocalist, that I'm looking forward to the tour, and that the next album won't perhaps take that long, and that Genesis are no more everybody's darling!

Cheers and hopefully Genesis can tour the U.S. - all the best for the fans over there who are waiting ! I'm looking forward to Genesis playin' Finland in April for the first time in their whole career!!!

Jan

From: Chloe Lev [ipvstudio@mindspring.com]
Sent: 5. desember 1997 15:24
To: Thomas Holter
Subject: Americans etc.

Hi Thomas,

[ ... ]

As far as Genesis' poor sales in America, it's rather offensive that people (Americans no less!) feel comfortable laying the blame at the feet of Americans, as if all 200,000,000 of us are a monolithic entity who only like to listen to Fingernails on a Blackboard in the Key of C. I didn't hear too many complaints when Genesis did arena tours here to support Wind and Wuthering and their subsequent releases. American audiences are having no difficulty filling theatres and clubs for Yes, Pat Metheny, Radiohead, Paula Cole and Bjork these days. They are filling arenas for Sarah McLachlan ... so much for our tastes in noise. This portrayal of us as tasteless apes who eat anything that is fed to us and who do anything we're told is simply inaccurate. Don't for one moment believe that CAS is just too far over our heads for us to appreciate it.

From my perspective CAS was released, there was precious little publicity done for it and the little publicity that was done was poorly placed. I can not fathom how Genesis expected to do an arena tour here by simply placing their CDs in the racks and doing next to nothing to let people know it was there. Cancelling the tour so unceremoniously is not exactly serving to help their cause either. In America many of us buy our tickets via Ticketmaster who extract a sizable and non-refundable fee for their service. So it's cold comfort to know that for supporting Genesis and buying a ticket to see their show, fans were compensated by losing their fees and being fed some lame excuse about Jumbotrons, the necessity of which in 4000 seat theatres is beyond me.

There are bands of Genesis' vintage who are experiencing slower sales than Genesis but are still touring theatres in the States successfully. It makes me question Genesis' motivation at this point in time. If they can't return to America as Genesis the Big, are they interested in returning at all? And how did they expect to maintain being Genesis the Big knowing full well that in America in the late 80's and early 90's the casual American fan identified Phil as the focus of the band? Genesis in their new line up didn't see fit to put in any more than the most minimal appearance for themselves here to promote their new line up. They didn't attempt to create the slightest bit of excitement. How come? The answer to these questions lies within Genesis, not within America.

I wouldn't feel this way if I thought that Genesis had put in the proper effort to get word out about CAS. From where I sit, they did next to nothing to support their album. And they haven't exactly done much to endear themselves to the American fans who stuck around to support them either. I understand that launching an album and a tour requires an abundance of painstaking work, scheduling and coordination but Genesis are not novices at this game. They gave up on America way too quickly and with way too little effort having been expended for their cause.

So that's how I see it. I'm sorry to sound so intolerant and cynical. I was a big champion of this album when it was first released. I love my video tape of the Berlin launch, I loved seeing Ray and Nir Z playing with Mike and Tony, I thought it was the most exciting thing to happen to Genesis in longer than I care to admit. I was greatly disappointed when the American tour was cancelled, still I don't see Genesis putting up the slightest struggle in the face of this defeat.

[ ... ]

Best,
Chloe

Ira's Peripheral Visions