Decades after their commercial peak, Genesis fans are still discussing the relative merits of the band’s Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins eras. Yet seldom discussed is Genesis’ Ray Wilson Era. You may even be asking yourself, “Who is Ray Wilson?” The diehard fans who continued to follow Genesis after their last hit album, We Can’t Dance, could tell you that Wilson was the band’s third lead singer, joining them when Collins went solo full-time.
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Genesis did not receive the same degree of critical acclaim with Wilson as they did with Gabriel, and the Wilson-fronted version of the group came nowhere close to the level of commercial success achieved after Collins added lead vocals to his drumming duties. With Gabriel and Collins having achieved massive popularity as solo artists as well, Wilson is light years away from his predecessors in terms of name recognition.
When Collins quit Genesis in 1996, remaining members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford decided to keep the band going. Given how many fans associated Genesis with Collins, it may have seemed like a surprising move to some. From another perspective, though, it made sense. Banks and Rutherford were founding members, whereas Collins joined Genesis prior to their third album, Nursery Cryme. They had more of a claim to using the Genesis name than anyone. Banks and Rutherford had a long history of writing songs for Genesis, and both played a strong role in shaping the band’s catalog. Also, Genesis had already replaced one dynamic frontman and did so with great success.
Moving Forward with Wilson
There may have been a moment after Collins’ departure where the future of Genesis was in question. Banks told Ultimate Classic Rock in a 2015 interview that he “wasn’t particularly keen” to record a Genesis album without Collins, but Rutherford made the case for giving it a try with a new lead vocalist. Wilson, who had been the lead singer of the Scottish band Stiltskin, was one of several candidates to audition. Others included Nick van Eede (Cutting Crew), Francis Dunnery (It Bites), Kevin Gilbert (Toy Matinee, Sheryl Crow), and David Longdon (subsequently of Big Big Train).
Banks and Rutherford had been writing songs for what would become Calling All Stations while they were auditioning vocalists. They brought Wilson aboard late enough in the process that he was only able to make songwriting contributions to three of the tunes that would appear on the album. Banks and Rutherford chose not to find a permanent replacement for Collins on drums, opting instead to use Nir Zidkyahu and Nick D’Virgilio of Spock’s Beard as studio musicians.
Limited Commercial Success
Genesis released Calling All Stations in September 1997, and two weeks later, they put out the lead single “Congo.” The album would reach No. 2 in the UK and make the Top 10 in Germany, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and Norway, but it would only get as high as No. 54 during a five-week stay on the Billboard 200. “Congo” missed the Hot 100 altogether and peaked at No. 25 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. The follow-up singles, “Shipwrecked” and “Not About Us,” only charted in the UK and Germany.
Even if Collins had remained in Genesis, there is a good chance that their follow-up to the quadruple-Platinum We Can’t Dance (1991) would have been a major commercial disappointment. Collins’ 1996 solo album, Dance into the Light, missed the Top 20, failed to gain Platinum certification, and didn’t place a single on the Top 40. After Collins and Genesis saturated the airwaves in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, listeners were starting to move on—even some of their more engaged ones.
Something Different, Something Familiar
When Genesis brought Wilson on as their lead singer, they were essentially asking their fans to accept this new iteration of the band on its own terms. While Collins’ voice shares some similarities with Gabriel’s, Wilson’s deeper tones were something completely different. Also, the brand of pop song that populated much of Calling All Stations was darker, smoother, and more atmospheric than the typical Collins-era fare.
Then again, listeners who were inclined to find the throughlines between Calling All Stations and earlier Genesis albums could have still found them. The first part of “Alien Afternoon” has a guitar riff that is similar to one Rutherford played in “Dodo” from Abacab, and the second part of the song would have fit right in on Duke. “Uncertain Weather” also sounds like Duke-era Genesis. Zidkyahu’s playing on “There Must Be Some Other Way,” particularly during Banks’ keyboard solo, sounds awfully Collinsesque.
One and Done
Maybe if Genesis had persisted with the new lineup, they would have gained more acceptance in the U.S. In an interview with Anil Prasad for Innerviews, Banks said he was looking forward to recording a second album with Wilson, and also with Zidkyahu and touring guitarist/bassist Anthony Drennan as members of the band. Ultimately, concerns about Calling All Stations’ relatively poor commercial performance and general lack of interest in the U.S.—which caused Genesis to abort two different attempts at a North American tour—led to their decision to no longer record or tour. Calling All Stations is still Genesis’ last studio album, and they would not tour again until Collins rejoined the band for their 2007 Turn It On Again Tour.
For those who decided not to give Calling All Stations a try when it came out or missed its release altogether, it’s worth checking out. If nothing else, it’s a fun exercise to find the commonalities with other Genesis albums, and to see how Banks and Rutherford continued to develop their sound. You can imagine how the songs might have sounded if Collins sang them, or appreciate what Wilson brought to Genesis in his one and only opportunity. While Calling All Stations didn’t find many friends among critics, if you enjoyed what Banks and Rutherford contributed to Genesis over the years, you just might enjoy this underrated album.
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Photo by Andrew Putler/Redferns
