Genesis Vocalist Phil Collins Announces Retirement

[madinmaryland]

LONDON (Reuters) - British singer, drummer and actor Phil Collins, who has enjoyed international chart success both as a solo artist and with the band Genesis, announced on his website that he has retired.

Media reports in recent days have given conflicting accounts of Collins' intentions, with some saying he has retired and others denying it.

"Why they were printed at all is a mystery, as I haven't spoken to anybody in the press for a few months," wrote the 60-year-old from London.

In a bid to set the record straight, he said he was not quitting due to bad reviews, poor treatment by the press, because he did not fit in or because he felt unloved.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2011/03/08/arts/entertainment-us-philcollins-retirement.html?hp

I thought he had retired years ago.

:shrug:

[HopeHoops]

1. He had spine surgery that went horribly wrong and he can't play drums anymore.

That's a real tragedy. I saw him on stage many times and his drum work was amazing. Genesis has passed on to a new generation of musicians. I don't even know any of the names of the current members. My introduction to the band was circa '78 and I'm much more into the Gabriel-era music than the Collins-era music, but it was still good stuff. To be fair, "Duke" was a little lame.

If you're a Genesis fan, keep your eyes open for Musical Box, the only tribute band endorsed by all current and former members of Genesis. I saw them perform "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" tour and the "Selling England By The Pound" tour. Both concerts were amazing. They use, as best they can, all vintage equipment, reproductions of costumes and sets, and attempt to recreate the theatrical performances as closely as possible to the original band experience.

[WCGreen]

3. I saw them once with Peter Gabriel and once with Collins...

Two different bands, really, when you come down to it, that both played professionally and sounded great.

Phil was always a good musician and a great performer.

BTW, I saw the Lamb Tour in 73. I think...

[HopeHoops]

6. Remember the 3-screen slide show behind the band?

Genesis loaned all 1200 or so slides to Musical Box when they did the tour - and they used them the same way.

[WCGreen]

7. Wow... that is so cool....

[superduperfarleft]

12. Well that sucks. That's like Eric Clapton becoming paralyzed in his hands or something. n/t

[Amerigo Vespucci]

2. It's easy to forget how great he was during the "peak" years

I've been listening to a lot of Genesis lately, both the Gabriel-era tracks and the final three with Steve Hackett, "Trick of the Tail," "Wind and Wuthering," and "Seconds Out."

Even though I kept one reluctant ear on the band when Hackett left, I pretty much lost interest in Genesis (and Collins solo) after that.

But back in the day...when he was also a member of the red-hot fusion group "Brand X"...my God.

I saw the "Seconds Out" tour at Winterland. When he would climb up behind the drum kit and start flailing away alongside Chester Thompson, you knew you were witnessing one of the greatest drummers of all time in action...the power, the precision...he was also in fine voice that night.

I mourned the turn to highly commercial stuff, all of those Motown covers and such, but it's his life, his art, you know?

I hope that he finds something worthwhile and engaging to occupy his time in the years ahead. Few things are more tragic than one who is supremely gifted to no longer be able to use that gift.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

4. Nice.......

I love the live album that came out of the "Seconds Out" tour (recorded in Paris, IIRC). I remember seeing a video from that tour way back in the day, but have never been able to track anything down on it since then.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. Genesis and/or their attorneys like to scrub YouTube

I had the whole "Dance On A Volcano / Los Endos" sequence in my YouTube favorites, and then one day it was gone, with the obligatory copyright notice in its place.

Visually, that show was amazing. During "Supper's Ready" (around the "Gods of Magog, swarming around" section), Collins emerged from a backstage costume change in a white suit and sang that section. The cover of the album...



...is a pretty good representation except Collins isn't wearing the jacket. The white lights piped straight down, the fog machines were doing their thing, he was all in white, and they had a spotlight coming up from the stage under his face that gave it all a very trippy, ghostly feel, and the band played their ass off. I was particularly impressed with Hackett...seeing that show is the main reason why I wrote them off after his departure. He really did bring the heart and soul to the band, with and without Gabriel.

[Generic Brad]

8. He will be missed

I'm not a critic. Obviously.

I love Phil Collins unique voice and enjoyed all facets of his career (Except for the movie "Buster" I still want those 90 minutes of my life back). I, for one, will miss him.

Kudos on a great musical career and a well deserved retirement!

[superduperfarleft]

10. +1.

And I'd suggest maybe giving the Buster soundtrack another chance (I admit the movie was awful). I know everyone's humping the leg of his Genesis stuff in this thread, which was great, don't get me wrong, but his earlier solo stuff right around to when Buster was released good too.

[Orrex]

9. About 30 years too late IMO.

[madinmaryland]

13. Coming from a "rush fan" (the "band") your comment has no credibility around here.

:P

[Orrex]

14. Uh... What?

I haven't been a Rush fan in about 20 years. "Roll the Bones" was the final nail in a coffin that was already mostly nailed shut.

[superduperfarleft]

11. The Genesis stuff in the 70s was a little before my time

but I got into his solo stuff from watching Miami Vice with my dad. An amazing musician.

[HughBeaumont]

15. I always held out hope that I'd see the classic line up of Gabriel-era Genesis perform.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

I was a fan of Collins-era until Invisible Touch.