More ramblings:
'Shipwrecked' is the second single to be released from the latest Genesis album, 'Calling All Stations' - in Europe. Atlantic Records chose 'Not About Us' as 'Congo's follow-up in the States - included two tracks from the Cape Canaveral album launch, 'No Son Of Mine' and 'Turn It On Again'. These two acoustic live tracks are also included on some European versions of the 'Shipwrecked' single. Quite difficult to be a completist these days. Anyway - this information is based on the version released in Norway.

The track list is as follows:

1. 'Shipwrecked' [4:23]
2. 'Phret' (instrumental) [4:02]
3. '7/8' (instrumental) [5:08]

A lot has happened since I wrote my review of the 'Congo' single early September. I wrote something about the successful promotion of the new album - but I can't say the same thing now, two months later. Something went totally wrong! Armando Gallo told me that it was like in the days of 'Foxtrot' - with the band struggling to be played on the radio. I must admit that 'Calling All Stations' is not the band's best effort, but it deserves a lot more attention that it has received so far. It's

CAS's second single in the US - 'Not About Us'.

a pure and honest Genesis album - and neither Ray's entre or new drummers do change this fact. Although there are some weak moments, the album includes some of the best tracks since 'Duke'. Right now I'm listening to the title track - and it's probably the most powerful album opener since 'Behind The Lines', or maybe 'Mama'. So - what went wrong? The choice of the first single? I don't think so. 'Congo' is - in my opinion - a very radio-friendly song which should have been played a lot more.

Europe has't been too bad for the band. The problem seems to be located in the States - where the Genesis' pre-Christmas tour also had to be cancelled. 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..? Thanks to all of you who have responded to these rhetorical questions - check out the Opinion page.

BTW - Gary Best and Dan Felder have made a list of Radio Stations in the States - and they suggest that you write an e-mail to "your" radio station and ask them to play the singles from the new album.

'Not About Us' - the back cover.

I don't know if CAS's second single will make any difference. Again, I'm optimistic - I think Atlantic's choice of 'Not About Us' is interesting. The song has a timeless feel, and could have been released by American rockers as well. What if Bryan Adams had sung it..? And for Europe - personally I can't understand the choice of 'Shipwrecked' as a second single - or a single at all. I've always thought that this track is CAS's weakest. It's not a touchy ballad, it's not an up-tempo song which chears me up - it's just a drum machine driven mid-tempo song without much atmosphere. And for the first time Tony's keyboard sound is quite annoying. The reason for not selecting 'Not About Us' as a European single as well seems quite strange to me.

But what about the second track, 'Phret'? I don't know if it originally was intended as an instrumental - but it obviously ended up as one. And I like it that way. This is a track combining old and new - and my first two reactions was a nice, little instrumental from 'The Lamb' - and midi-files! The mood and structure has something in common with 'Hairless Heart', with quiet - almost ambient - verses, and a more melodic and powerful chorus. At the same time, it is not a very typical Genesis song in terms of instrumentation. The verses - played twice - is based on a new keyboard sound by Tony, played together with some strange and spacy noises more familiar to new age enthusiasts. And when I am in the right mood, I can also sense a Christmas feeling in it. Then, at 1:00, the chorus kicks off in another mood - and now we get the explanation for the track's title: Mike plays a fretless bass - and it is even determining the melody! He also makes the chorus sounding great by adding his acoustic guitar - together with Tony's atmospheric keyboards. Then the second verse and a fading chorus follow. This is a very nostalgic track - and probably the most typical post-Phil effort so far. I think it would have fitted well on 'Calling All Stations' if I was the one in charge. The three last tracks would then have been: 10) 'One Man's Fool', 11) 'Phret', and 12) 'The Dividing Line'. I was not in charge...

The second instrumental, '7/8', has a rougher edge - including real drums all the way through. It doesn't sound too interesting in the opening verse - but the song lifts at 1:20 into a more dramatic Genesis feel with nice chord changes and layers - and edgy guitars by Mike. Tony is even adding some choir-like notes at the top of it. One thing I think is a bit strange, is the structure. It is built up by the following structure: A (verse x 2), B (dramatic build-up), C (drama!), A and B. After C, nothing new really happens - quite unlike Genesis, isn't it? What about A+B+A+B+C..? I think too much is revealed too early in the song. Maybe, if '7/8' was twice as long we could have expected an A+B+A+B+C+A+B structure - more like 'The Lady Lies'. Anyway - while writing this small review the 'Shipwrecked' single - i.e. the two B-sides - grew into my mind as another must-have. Get it if you can!

If you missed it - check out the responses on What Went Wrong in the States.
Check also my ramblings on the 'Congo' single - released in Europe mid September.