phil collins chester thompson falling out
He actually double-tracked all that stuff. I was thinking back to the clinic I saw in 84-85 at DRUMS in Crafton PA. So I continue quite off topic!Actually I havent heard Hacketts Genesis revisited - is it good? Phil Collins was always skittish about leaving the drum stool. In the latter years, he had a pretty clear picture. There was no getting around it. No mud slinging at all. It got awkward. It had been intense the whole time. He was brilliant. And so when he quit again at the end of that, I think there was a shock. Jeff Porcaro: a great drummer but not a main composer in Toto. I still remember that. Not even Peter made an album with all Genesis tracks, only Steve. Oh, boy. He spent 30 years in Genesis as a touring drummer, but he had a falling out with Phil Collins in 2010 and they haven't spoken since By Andy Greene February 4, 2021 "Culturally, we were on. All of the above. Right. An adult who lived in the projects where I grew up was named ODonel Levy. The 2021 tour is billed as "The Last Domino?" named after the song "Domino" which . This new thing Ive been working on with my friends in L.A., its [bassist] Pee Wee Hill and [keyboardist] Michiko Hill, his wife. Has Phil talked to you at all in the past 10 years? No. It really was. How were the Phil solo tours? Wed do eight-hour rehearsals. They assumed we were starting a new band like they did. They just edited in that other day of his recording. Collins was perfectly happy to exist behind his large collection of toms and cymbals during Genesis' Peter Gabriel-led . You didnt finish the tour, though. And then it got to be a little more honest. I am reminded of this Amazon review of "Dance Into the Light" (which, incidently, has the funniest Phil Collins album cover). I dont do gigs on it or anything. It was really disturbing because, for the first two weeks, I could not follow a single conversation, he admitted. Basically, he tried to come up with stuff the band couldnt play, and we always managed to pull it off. Part of that was no matter how well I prepared, he always made some pretty intense changes. He jokingly referred to it as a "selection of shows". Not at all. Thread starter Vistalite Black; Start date Feb 5, 2021; Prev. In the meantime, hed gotten a solo record deal. Im really grateful and Im just excited to see what comes next. The Australia leg got added later and they wound up doing a film of the tour. [1] Thompson has performed with his jazz group, the Chester Thompson Trio, since 2011. Man, it was fun. He wasnt a fan of the music. Ive crossed paths with Joe many times since and he even apologized at one point for the way it all went down, but I didnt have a problem with it. Breaks Down His Killer White House Correspondents Dinner Set, Bernie Sanders: Many GOP Leaders 'Don't Even Believe in Democracy'. None of the other members really knew how to communicate in a funny way with their audiences. The studio had tanks in the studio since they dealt with it all the time. But the opening fill, all of that, is me. In 2017, Collins revealed that he was a type-2 diabetic, undergoing treatment with a hyperbaric chamber after the condition caused obsesses on his foot which became infected. We were playing touch football one day and Napoleon had the ball and was running past Tom, and Tom reached out and tagged him. I didnt really know what was happening in the background. Bill knew that world. You guys have always done that. Im just really enjoying life. Mike, Tony and Peter seem to be working very well together composing and its hard for Phil and Stevein the beginning to contribute. With the exception of when he is doing his solo work, Collins is usuallythe one most in the background, going with the opinions of the rest of the group. I cant scroll fast enough to the good parts! And Caribou Ranch was magical. Well appreciated, keep up enjoying Phil Collins! He was happy. If you like it, get Tokyo Tapes, with live versions of various songs from this album, ITCOTCK and I Talk to the Wind by King Crimsonplus a semi acoustic version of Heat of the Moment and a lot of Hackett material. I did one of his solo albums and we had been pretty good friends. You guys did a drum duet at that first Genesis show in 1977 and it never left the set list after that. -Ballads in Prog Rock are underrated, because Prog Rock is not "romantic". That was every night. He ended up with a recording contract. I also think he made a very significant positive contribution to Genesis' heyday. [Laughs] If I could have him, Id be touring with him right now. Thiswent further,Steve wasn't even invited to the 1982 reunion in Milton Keynes (Only played the encores, because he was in audience). Well, probably. At one point, we discussed it and it was like, If we dont really need to be there, you guys are fine to go and do what youre doing. [Laughs]. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. I imagine it was frustrating. Phil Collins offers health update ahead of Genesis reunion - MusicRadar Man, I still love to play. My opinion is that Phil is a nice person with a good sense of humour. Not too many of them sing even backing vocals. The band was really good. That is when we actually had soul music stations. I knew it was in the works. The guy was brilliant, amazing. The first album after Gabriel left was still very progressive sounding, and as the albums after came out, the change could be heard more and more. To be honest, the problem started with all the band specially because many people believe (I also do) that the relation between Tony and Steve wasn't good since he recorded Voyage (Tony was clear, no solo projects, and Steve didn't invited him but calling Mike and Phil), plus the fact that Tony was suposed to be the main songwritter, but Steve wanted to fight this position with him. First, a great interview. JENNINGS: Phil Collins-led Genesis returning to Buffalo Chester Thompson on His Years with Genesis, Frank Zappa, and Weather Report He spent 30 years in Genesis as a touring drummer, but he had a falling out with Phil Collins in 2010 and they haven't spoken since Don Henley: another drummer who is lead singer, and main writter with guitarist Glen Frey, and he also sings ballads without being "hated" as Collins is. It was this whole haunting thing that was really cool. He's also a competent singer, whether with prog., jazz, or pop. I dont know what they might have been going through behind the scenes, but our time together was just great. None of that. It was an incredibly difficult piece of music that we actually nailed in the studio. They were all good friends to the point where they said, Lets do this. So the vibe was great. They really enjoy life and love to laugh. most great drummers won't ever do that, because they live for their drums. In fact, we wound up doing a tour opening for them. You are using an out of date browser. It was a rare thing where the lead singer of a band is also the drummer. This is the live version of Inside Out, recorded in Berlin in 1990. But I understand a totally different thing from your quotes, but again it's only my opinion. Sorry man, but Steve is the only Genesis member that released a whole album with new version of Genesis songs, i can't understand how somebody can say he didn't liked the music. But Steve wa always a Genesis fan, even when he wanted to make some modifications, he only could achive that making it himself, and lets be honest, he used an expensive cast: LOL. And Phil and I had a lot of the same roots. But I was fortunate. Thompson believed he had landed a short-term job when Collins asked him to join Genesis without an audition in 1977, but he went on to take part in every road trip until 2007 and was also a. It was a much bigger band. It must have been interesting to watch them evolve from And Then There Were Three to Duke to Abacab and see them embrace New Wave to some degree and change up their sound. As it turned out, I wound up doing a little, brief drum-clinic tour down there in Australia. It was sort of weird, though. Do you recall first hearing In the Air Tonight? Good read! A couple of days later, he brought the whole band in. That's pretty much the zest of it. They limit the amount of times you can access their site. It lets me read for about 90 seconds before it yanks the article. [Ed. I always thought he was a pretty good friend to me. Basically, I literally transcribed everything Phil played on those early prog-rock albums. So I can understand he creates mixed emotions , the disappointment we all felt with the direction of music through the 80s but I think he has been turned intoa scapegoat for a much broader trend. They were doing Cloudburst and all that stuff. The way my life has gone down, I cant say that I planned any of it. I mean, as a matter of fact, the seed got planted on Phils tour at the end of 2005. It took me a while to get over it, but I really wish him well. Peter Criss (Even lead vocals), Keith Moon, Carmine Appice, Roger Taylor (Much better backing vocalist than anybody else and even lead a couple of times). I never went in under any pretense of thinking it was going to be anything other than what it was. His work ethic was just phenomenal. Phil was very shocked and surprised and annoyed that I didnt say that his stuff was more fun. [Laughs] Umm I didnt really think it was going to be the end. The whole interview is a really good read. I certainly wasnt surprised that he was successful. We went up to New York to record. Ralph and I had to watch each other like hawks and really listen carefully. All three members of the trio Genesis played a part in the decision to simplifiy their sound, with Banks being the most in charge. And he just totally shot down the idea of doing anything. I met him the night before at his house. Did they talk to you about being a part of that? They all put in something that made their music special. I guess he is as close as you can get being a Genesis member without being one. It was a lot. I grew up in Baltimore and it was back in the days of AM radio. By the time they reached out to me, they allowed 10 days for rehearsal and it was a two-and-a-halfhour show. Even though Daryl and I werent technically in the band [Genesis], we toured as the band. They are phenomenal musicians. So many songs, so many albums, so many concerts. Again, as humans, we adapt. Phil Collins lost ability to drum on 2007 Genesis reunion tour I go down there and jam with the band. Great drummer. Well appreciated, keep up enjoying Phil Collins! It was something called Kung Fu. Unfortunately, it never got released. But to a lot of the fans, I guess they feel like it is. How was it for you culturally? I don't think he's bnasty, seems a nice chap, but he said too many stupid things and then contradicted himself depending in the way the market went, He said Prog is crap when Prog was unpopular and harrased by Punk, Discoor New Wave, but when his boring pop became part of the past he changed and said he always was a proghead. [Laughs] There was no way I could learn it by the next day. Reading some of these commentaries in this threadI started to think that Phil Collins is really underrated because not too many drummers are key members in their bands. Phil is not one of those artists. I did not write this, but it always makes me laugh. We crossed paths several times [after that] and there were never any weird vibes about it or anything. But there was always a second kit near him, and. Did you get to meet him? Even the sax players who sometimes only play 3 notes or a solo in songs are more impotant than drummers in bands (it is the same in Jazz, not only in Rock bands). All rights reserved. Chester's performance and recording experiences have influenced over three decades of music and musicians. But he still had that American stuff; it was a big part of his background, and we just hit it off immediately. At least 50% of the already mentioned are composers also, and yes there are few drummers who are lead singers, because they would need to hire another musician to replace them while singing. Everybody had a say. Was that a challenge for you? Id come in and read it down the next day, which was pretty new to them because none of them read [music] at all. You have four guys with British accents [Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Steve Hackett], and there was tour management and a couple of other guys, all with British accents. He is an actor, known for The Who's Tommy, the Amazing Journey (1993), Genesis: Man on the Corner (1982) and Phil Collins: Sussudio (1985). A Godly man a class act. Unfortunately, they never had enough of his clear vocals to release it, or anything. That's pretty much the zest of it. In San Francisco, they have a minimum on these shows. That was fun, but it was a one-off. But I had let him know on the last Genesis tour that I was going to take a break from doing his tours since I thought he was going to keep doing the same every-year-in-between thing. I mean to be keep in the background in their importance in the bands. He was a great writer and arranger. This is before they had hits, but they did have Yes We Can Can. In those days, they were doing pretty much doing all Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross stuff. Rolling Stone suspended its policy on Genesis not being cool enough to report on for a long interview with Chester Thompson. You were still able to pack stadiums. It made me realize that it really was a band. The other guy called himself Sonship, Woody Theus. I wasnt enough of a diplomat to just say, Oh, everything is wonderful. The Genesis stuff was more musically challenging and interesting to me. It was going to be South America too. That blew me away. Chester Thompson sheds some light on relationship with Phil Collins He basically played us these tunes hed come up with. And I grew up with that Motown stuff, so I think maybe I took it for granted. In fact, most of the names of the drummers appear almost always at the end of the credits in the album covers. But not only did Thompson stick with Genesis all the way through their Turn It On Again reunion tour of 2007 Collins also brought him over to his solo career in 1981 and used him for nearly all of his tours between 1981 and 2010. [Laughs] That was fun. Still love to practice. And so the horns would make a mistake and hed turn around and look at me. And theyd never had an American in their ranks. It just turned out to be a one-off, but fortunately we recorded and videotaped it. Steve and I always stayed pretty good friends. Basically, Alphonso left during the Christmas break [of 1975]. Just like Dean Martin or Perry Como were passe by the 70s prog was out of fashion in the late 80s and I don't think anyone could really change that. Always wondered what happened to Chester. Phil Collins and Chester Thompson Interview for Drummer in 1977 during the period of Seconds Out . One tour, he bumped it up by bringing in this guy, Jeff Simmons. He knows what he likes Well Steve was recording a couple of other albums and he was wealthy by that moment, his dream was always to make Genesis sound as he wanted to listen them. For me, I thought it was fifth or sixth grade. Chester Thompson, who spent more than 30 years playing drums live with Genesis, recalled how Phil Collins targeted him every time things went wrong on the frontmans debut solo tour. Yeah. It was pretty profitable. It was quite an adjustment for me. When the audition came, I was absolutely up for it. IN THIS 2014 INTERVIEW, PHIL COLLINS DESCRIBES HOW HE RECRUITED THE AMERICAN DRUMMER CHESTER THOMPSON TO PLAY DRUMS WITH GENESIS, REPLACING PHIL AS THE PRIMA. Right. George shared with me that [violinist] Jean-Luc [Ponty] didnt enjoy it so much because he couldnt stand being silly. It was pretty valuable stuff. I think Onion Head's communication skills are obnoxious. The vibe just changed. Ive never heard anything he did that had that particular feel to it. Basically, Phil flipped at Chester during the Going Back tour, for not playing exactly what he wanted to play, and they haven't spoken since. Thompson believed hehad landed a short-term job when Collins asked him to join Genesis without an audition in 1977, but he went on to take part in every road trip until 2007 and was also a stalwart of Collinssolo group fromthe initial Hello, I Must Be Going tour in 1982. And of course, there was another drummer there and it was an audition. After that, I went back to Baltimore to a community college for a couple of years. I was kind of surprised that Daryl wasnt doing it, either. Really cold of Phil to not reach out after 10yrs. Whens the tour? And Tony Smiths eye lighted up like Id rarely seen. So, youre a freelance drummer hoping to get re-upped for a gig with a guy who has hired you again and again over more than two decades, and you dont send a holiday card? Well, basically, I hadnt prepared in as much detail as I usually did. As far as teaching, I only took that gig because my son was going to that school. At one point, they were talking about going out with Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett. It`s not true. This means nothing at all, it's almost a tradition. And again, if you werent busy enough, you joined the Bee Gees for a tour in 1989. Long story short: Collins turned up in a bad mood for the 2010 "Going Back" tour and griped at Thompson because Thompson hadn't prepared the Motown drum parts in enough detail. Im sure if you spent time with him one-on-one it would be different. But she once gave me a letter that I wrote in fourth grade that pretty much outlined my whole career. The problem is that after a couple of albums Tony lost xcontrol and Phil decided what path to take, making a parallel solo career that is comonly mistaken with Genesis later albums, that's what I blame him for.Actually I havent heard Hacketts Genesis revisited - is it good? Do you talk to Daryl still? I guess I had clarity of what I hoped to accomplish. I didnt see Phils tour. Chester Thompson on His Years With Genesis, Frank Zappa, and Weather Report He spent 30 years in Genesis as a touring drummer, but he had a falling out with Phil Collins in 2010 and they haven't spoken since. Frank had a blackboard onstage with all the note names on it. HE WAS RECRUITED BY PHIL COLLINS, TO REPLACE PHIL AS THE PRIMARY TOURING DRUMMER. In the book Tony says that Phil liked Yes and brought some of their playing ability to Genesis. I found Richard Mc'Phaill here, at that point and due to the 1973 in memorian, I thought McPhaill was dead, later I found an interview by him (2001) and new he was alive and healthybutonlytoday found he made backing vocals in Genesis Revisited. We played together a lot in L.A. between Genesis tours and stuff. This is why I don't think they sold out or did it for any other reason than that is what they wanted to do. What were your early impressions of Frank? Frank was playing guitar. Phil Collins & Genesis Studio Rehearsals for Knebworth in 1978 !-REACTION RisbyDaCreator 10K views 2. I could not follow a single conversation. Phil was not sure family-wise and he hasnt had the easiest of times there. It was a different situation in Chicago. Its not something he did. IvanI think we have reached the end of our discussion wether Phil is nasty or not. Part of me is not disappointed that Im not playing those same tunes again after 30 years. Wed do eight-hour rehearsals. I dont think hes holding a grudge. And then he added the drums and it was like, Forget about it. We were all in the car going to the first show in Japan. Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Progatron, Feb 4, 2021. Who knows what thats going to look like at this point. Had they said, Were going to change the feel a bit, I would have been fine with that. Boy, we got in rehearsal and it was like oil and water. We did European tour in a van. He would have subdivisions within a bar. And much less, a black American. [Laughs] Culturally, we were on opposite sides of the world. That was my introduction to that. Lee Kerslake: he sings backing vocals but again not the main composer in Uriah Heep. They went over all the details in soundcheck and we rehearsed the day before. But on that first tour Id be like, Come on, man. Did you see any concerts in your younger years? And that was the end of that. Tell me about recording One Size Fits All. Carl Palmer: again great drummer but not a main composer in ELP or Asia. It was this huge frame of all their albums. Had they brought me, they would have had to pay another musician just to sit there. How did you grow as a drummer during your time in Weather Report? He is just a great drummer. The manager of Chicago [Jim Guercio] supposedly bought it as a tax write-off. He might have some fives and sevens instead of triplets, things like that. Chester just says 'maybe' he wouldn't want to play the same Genesis songs yet again on a new tour, but IMO he doesn't give a definite no. Listen Renaissance, Marillion, Pendragon Barclay James Harvest, Moody Blues, Procol Harum, The Strawbs, etc are full of ballads, and nobody ever made a problem. We go way back. In the meantime, the few months before, they went with different management, the same people that managed Earth, Wind, and Fire. Let me remember: Leee Kerslake. I called Joe and was like, I just got this message from Wayne saying not to come to the studio. He played us the demo on the way to a gig before it had drums on it. They had promised him membership in the band. Also note that Onion Head didn't do much writting on the good Genesis LPs like: Foxtrot, Trespass, Selling England, Lamb, Nursery, Trick of the tail, EWnd and Wuthering. And the best artists do it without you even realising it. Whats it like to walk onto that stage and see just an ocean of people going insane? Well, I didnt sleep. Mike Portnoy, Lars Ulrich: I don`t know nothing about them. Pat Mastelotto: I don`t know about his status with King Crimson. Neal Peart: great drummer, lyricist, and sometimes composer of the music in Rush. In fact, I had called. He was a different kind of guy, but what a nice, gentle kind of person. It was really interesting because I never considered that I might learn to play other instruments. We were playing London near the end and the guys all came down. Phil wrote in his book that he had a major drinking problem in that time period. The Genesis so many of us like wouldnt have been without any of members. It was a real wake-up call. Drummers are kept in the background because DRUMS CAN'T MOVE AROUND THE SCENARIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I only wonder what your reaction would be if (a big if!) Weve been healthy, fortunately. Sat 27th Nov 2021 20.00 GMT. But back to the point, the investment in this album was big, Bruford, Levin, Wetton, Ian Mc'Donnald, Julian Colbeck, etc are not cheap, and he knew from thestartthis album would never be a hit. We arent, like, chums, but we stay in touch. He might have been. What I don't like is MUZAK (Elevator music), and that's Phil's field. Chester Thompson on Decade-Long Rift with Crab Apple Phil Collins [Weather Report bassist] Alphonso [Johnson] had been a friend for years. Maybe once in a lifetime. I found out I wasnt going to Chicago and then Phil [Collins] called me himself, basically offering the Genesis gig. Mike says that Phils drumming added a new dimension to Genesis. The very first live concert I saw was Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. Apparently he was a close friend of the band because in 1969 Genesis moved to cottage owned by Richard Macphail's parents to concentrate on writing. We picked what we wanted from them and made something new. In recent years, hes taught at Belmont University in his adopted hometown of Nashville and toured with the Chester Thompson Trio. At one point on that show, I was supposed to play a backbeat to go into the last tune. most great drummers won't ever do that, because they live for their drums. 155K views 1 year ago NASHVILLE CHESTER THOMPSON PLAYED DRUMS WITH GENESIS FROM 1976-2007 . If you know the history, Joe [Zawinul] and Wayne [Shorter] were real good friends. He was a member from the beginning, when they did there really masterful work, but no one seems to mention that. I was like, Man, when you turned around and looked, it threw me off.. They were starting rehearsals the next week for a new tour and that happened to be my favorite band at the time. My audition consisted just of jamming. Whats going on? He said, Didnt you quit the band? I said, No, what are you talking about? Didnt you quit with Alphonso? I go, Alphonso quit? Discover what he did to anger Thompson so much they haven't exchanged holiday cards since 2019. "It was quite an adjustment for me. Hed recently wrapped up stints with Frank Zappa and Weather Report that lasted about two years each, and Genesis previous touring drummer, Bill Bruford, bailed after just four months on the road. Did it surprise you that they called you back? And Phil and I had a lot of the same roots. I dont know if I had an expectation one way or the other. Chester Thompson on Decade-Long Rift with Crab Apple Phil Collins. A couple of the Drum Duets were released as singles in several places in South America and some countries in Europe, which is kind of cool. I actually kind of felt bad for him, he was trying to impart what it takes to be a working drummer (discussing things like getting no sleep with Zappa, his approach to odd times, prepping for touring, being versed in many styles, reading etc..) part of the audience was peppering him with Genesis questions like "what is Phil Collins like?," and the other half just wanted to hear some blazing solo.. odd crowd. I cant be gone that much at this point. Thats when Ricky [Lawson] wound up doing [the Phil solo tours of the mid-Nineties]. Man, it was wonderful. Let me remember: Leee Kerslake. I think the first song that really stuck in my head was On the Sunny Side of the Street. I have no idea whose version it was. Chester Thompson - Wikipedia At one point, he toured with us. Watcher of the skies is very good and solid vocals by John Wetton, Fountain of Salmacis is great with an acoustic guitar intro and Steve singing ections with vocodsr , but my favorite is the Orchestral version of Firth of Fifth, very beautiful. Why? The worst thing you could do in Weather Report was play the exact same thing you played the night before. Id say we agree on his drummingskills. Were you intimidated when you walked into that rehearsal space? That happened because of ODonel Levy. Phil Collins had to hire Chester Thompson and Bill Bruford. Was that fun? Not every Rock musician has musical studies. Bruno Primas Forum Resident Location: Wisconsin That is the reason he left the drums to Chester and Bruford. It wasnt the same kind of luxury and stuff, which is fine.
