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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Genesis

  • Hippies Of The World Rejoice: Phish is Back (…and the Band Reunion Theory)

    Phish. Photo by Joe Goldberg.
    Phish. Photo by Joe Goldberg.

    So, here’s a thought musicians.

    Say you’re in a band, right? You’ve been together for a period of time. You don’t especially like one another anymore. You decide to take a break, as your guitarist is about to crush your lead singer like a pancake in between two Marshall amps. You guys hate each other so much that you don’t think you’re ever going to get back together.

    Hold off on actually saying that shit.

    In the past two years alone, Phil Collins has reunited with Genesis after a decade and a half apart. The Police returned to action after twenty years. New Kids on the Block got back together after a 1 year absence. Scott Weiland returned to Stone Temple Pilots after taking off the entire 21st century so far. Even A Tribe Called Quest have gotten back together for a handful of tour dates. Now, there’s the news that Phish (who, to be fair, never ruled out a reunion at some point in the future) are headed out on a tour, their first since their breakup four years ago. Somewhere, a barefoot longhair is smiling (no disrespect to you, Rock Dad. I don’t figure you for a Phish fan! 🙂 )

    What gives?

    I mean, you could very easily say it’s the promise of a big payday. It’s easy to think that both Collins and NKOTB’s Wahlberg looked at pending alimony payments and realized they needed a quick infusion of cash. However, does anyone think any of the three Police-men needed money? What about Phish? Has pot become that expensive that the band members need to reunite to keep themselves rolling in that sticky icky?

    So here’s my proposal. This is for The Talking Heads, The Jackson 5 and any other band that might have preliminary discussions about getting together, but it’s more for bands who may be contemplating the idea of splitting up and think that the breakup will be permanent. Don’t do it to yourselves! 10 years from now, there’s going to be a tearful reunion (or someone is going to hold up dollar signs that will be just too impossible to resist) and you’re gonna end up eating crow. Even though the fans that are cursing you for going back on your word are probably gonna shell out top dollar to see you anyway.

  • The Infatueighties Countdown: #103: “Easy Lover”

    I would imagine that back in the Seventies, if you’d have told the average rock music fan that the heavily falsetto-ed lead singer of Earth Wind & Fire would be recording music with the drummer from Genesis, you would get a ton of quizzical stares. By 1984, the idea of that happening didn’t seem so farfetched-especially since EWF’s Philip Bailey had already launched a solo career with 1983’s “Continuation” and Genesis’s Phil Collins had moved from behind the drum stool to become the band’s lead singer. Oh, and there’s also the fact that Collins borrowed EWF’s horn section for portions of his first solo record, 1981’s “Face Value”. In the vein of other ebony/ivory duets like “Say, Say, Say”, “Yah Mo B There” and…uh, “Ebony & Ivory” came “Easy Lover”, a song that trumps (almost) all of the aforementioned superstar pairings.

    The cover of Philip Bailey\'s \"Easy Lover\" 45 (featuring Phil Collins)

    Turns out Bailey’s voice is pretty well-suited for punchier, rock-etched tunes in addition to his band’s sumptuous ballads and slick funk jams. Some guys have all the luck. Collins-who was mere months away from becoming ubiquitous thanks to “No Jacket Required”-pulls out a legitimately soulful vocal here. Plus, that huge drum sound that marks just about everything Collins produces had yet to become boring yet.

    And you’ve gotta love the silly video. Makes you wonder why Collins never made it as an actor. Hey, if Bob Hoskins and Kevin Spacey can score roles…

    Lyrically, the song is just one bro looking out for another bro. “Dude, that chick is dangerous, watch out!”. I figure one Phil was just checking for the other Phil’s best interests. It’s doubtful that Bailey would want Collins for himself. Although, with that falsetto…

    The song peaked at #2 in early 1985, giving Bailey his last Top 10 hit either with his band or as a solo artist, while reaching #3 on the R&B charts, giving Collins the first of two Top 10 R&B hits (“Sussudio” peaked at #8 the following summer).

  • Madonna, Mellencamp And The Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame

    Want to know about something people care about even less than the Grammy Awards?

    How about the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame?

    Over the past couple of years, the HOF has been sort of excitement-deficient. Or more accurately, the excitement and attention has been given for the wrong reasons. Most of the attention centers on Jann Wenner’s political pull at the event (rumor has it that Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five did not meet the required votes to properly be inducted last year, but were grandfathered in by Wenner…which is nice from a politically correct standpoint but also turns the HOF into “Wenner’s Faves” rather than an actual listing of rock’s most important figures).

    More attention centers on who *isn’t* in the hall of fame, a list that includes Rush, Kiss, Genesis, Hall & Oates, Tina Turner (as a solo artist), Chaka Khan/Rufus and many other artists of deserving stature, and the MOST attention centers on what exactly is “rock & roll” and what kind of artists deserve placement in the somewhat hallowed halls.

    Of course, *I* understand that the term “rock & roll” is a fairly loose term, used to describe just about any popular music made over the past fifty years, but there are some folks out there who look at certain artists with the mindset that “rock & roll” means some dude with long hair and tattoos wielding an electric guitar. Of course, folks like that seem to forget about the guys who started rock ‘n roll, like Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and guys who wouldn’t be considered “rock” by the mookheads that listen to Linkin Park nowadays (or the snobbish hipsters who are too busy wearing tight tee shirts and listening to Spoon).

    At any rate, this year’s class is fairly underwhelming, with acts like The Ventures and the Dave Clark Five (I’ll let you guys argue over whether they are deserving of their honors or not) getting inducted over passed-over artists like The Beastie Boys, Donna Summer and Chic (two of the three are absolutely deserving).

    In addition, this year sees the induction of heartland rocker John Mellencamp (who’s work is about even with fellow inductee Tom Petty and way above fellow inductee Bob Seger-who just might be the most overrated popular rock musician in history). Mellencamp’s albums have always been interesting, and the trio of albums that marked his most successful period (“American Fool”, “Uh-Huh” and “Scarecrow”) are all close to (if not) excellent. Not only has his music been steadfastly political, but he’s also championed many young (particularly black) artists over the course of his career, working with Tony Toni Tone’s Raphael Saadiq, india.arie, Meshell Ndegeocello and Junior Vasquez.

    Of course, the most boldface name on this year’s list is Madonna. Most folks would say that Madge’s music is not true rock ‘n roll, and it isn’t. Madonna has always been a pop/dance/R&B artist. However, she brings true rock ‘n roll attitude into everything she does, and as the most important and influential female artist of the past 25 years, she absolutely does belong here.

    (However, I would say that Pat Benatar and Joan Jett, at least, also belong here)

    Another question is who are the gimmes for the future? As we move further into the MTV generation, the list of must-haves grows much thinner. Of course, there’ll be room for Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Radiohead and Soundgarden, Guns ‘n Roses, The White Stripes…The Beasties, Run-DMC, LL Cool J, NWA, Public Enemy, Sonic Youth…but what about Janet Jackson (who is eligible, as her first record was released in 1982)? What about Motley Crue? Bon Jovi? Def Leppard? Biggie and Tupac? Jay-Z? It would seem like there’ll be more artists on the bubble as we move into the future and the selection becomes less immediately iconic…

    …The plot thickens…