Phil Collins: Take a Look at Him Now

Phil Collins will be releasing remastered versions of his back catalogue, with an additional CD of rare and previously unreleased material. The remastered albums will also be released on 180gram heavy weight vinyl, but they will not feature the additional demos and live versions.

The first two albums to get the full remastered treatment are Phil's first and fifth solo albums, 1981's Face Value and 1993's Both Sides. Both will be released November 6, 2015. There will also bea Limited Edition CD / Vinyl Box Set, that will include both Face Value & Both Sides on CD or Vinyl and space for the remaining studio albums to complete your collection.

But what is really clever and especially brave of Phil is that the covers have been updated. He famously always had his face in close-up (at least up until Dance Into Light), and it showed him maturing with his music. with his new covers, portraying him as he is now, the Box Set reveals that it is aptly titled: Take a Look at Me Now.

Order CDs through http://www.philcollins.co.uk/

Old cover & New cover

Face Value
CD1
1. In the Air Tonight
2. This Must Be Love
3. Behind the Lines
4. The Roof Is Leaking
5. Droned
6. Hand in Hand
7. I Missed Again
8. You Know What I Mean
9. Thunder and Lightning
10. I'm Not Moving
11. If Leaving Me Is Easy
12. Tomorrow Never Knows
CD2
1. Misunderstanding - Live
2. If Leaving Me Is Easy - Live*
3. In the Air Tonight - Live*
4. Behind the Lines - Live*
5. Roof Is Leaking - Demo*
6. Hand in Hand - Live*
7. I Missed Again - Live*
8. ....And So to F - Live*
9. This Must Be Love - Demo*
10. Please Don't Ask - Demo*
11. Misunderstanding - Demo *
12. Against All Odds - Demo
* Previously Unreleased on CD

Old cover & New cover

Both Sides
CD1
1. Both Sides of the Story
2. Can't Turn Back the Years
3. Everyday
4. I've Forgotten Everything
5. We're Sons of Our Fathers
6. Can't Find My Way
7. Survivors
8. We Fly So Close
9. There's a Place for Us
10. We Wait and We Wonder
11. Please Come Out Tonight
CD2
1. Take Me with You
2. Both Sides of The Story - Live*
3. Can't Turn Back the Years - Live*
4. Survivors - Live*
5. Everyday - Live*
6. We Wait and We Wonder - Live*
7. Can't Find My Way - Demo*
8. I've Been Trying
9. Both Sides of the Story
10. Hero - Demo
* Previously Unreleased on CD

Genesis R'Kive: Been There, Heard That

The big news yesterday on the intertubes was an announcement on the Genesis Facebook page asking us to: "stay tuned for some exciting Genesis news here tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s our new logo."

OK, so the new "logo", which is really a new record cover, is visually interesting in that the letters of the band's name are used to make a face appear in the shadows. Speculation abounded on what this great news would be: a new studio record? (could be), a new tour? (less likely), a series of shows with the classic line-up? (dream on!).

This morning when the news finally came to light, that the "exciting news" was the release of a 3-CD compilation titled R-Kive, the disappointment was palpable, and so was the sarcasm. What are we to make of this?

First off, the good news:

Spanning an incredible 42 years, R-Kive is a new 3-CD, 37-track set that documents the band’s history in the most comprehensive way yet. Compiled by the band themselves via a process of collaboration and elimination, R-Kive takes an in-depth, chronological journey through the catalogue and - for the first time ever for a Genesis collection - includes three personally chosen selections from the solo careers of Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, and Mike Rutherford / Mike + The Mechanics.

So, the songs were chosen by the band members themselves, which explains some interesting choices. Each member chose three songs from their solo career to add to this compilation. Peter Gabriel selected Solsbury Hill, Biko,... and Signal to Noise from Up, but not Sledgehammer. Phil Collins, who's had a lot of singles,  chose the obligatory In the Air Tonight, Easy Lover, and... Wake-Up Call from Testify, not his most successful album. As for Mike Rutherford, he eschewed his own solo work, especially the excellent Smallcreep's Day for songs from Mike + The Mechanics: Silent Running, The Living Years, and Over My Shoulder. Do you see a pattern?

Next up Tony Banks chose For a While from A Curious Feeling, Red Day on Blue Street from Still and Siren from Six. And last but not least, Steve Hackett, who is the only member who is still going strong both releasing new music and touring, chose A Tower Struck Down, for Voyage of the Acolyte, Every Day from Spectral Mornings, and Nomads from Out of the Tunnel's Mouth.

What these choices all have in common is that they all follow the same pattern: 1st song from 1st album, 2nd song from middle period or second hit, and 3rd song from last studio album of original material to come out.

In a sense it is their first career-spanning compilation ever, and is a perfect complement to the anticipated TV documentary that will be seen early next year.

But...

But it is completely useless to most fans, who already have all the albums including the other compilations (the die-hard fans), or have the important albums (most fans). The big let-down is that no new material (live or otherwise) is included. I know a lot of people, myself included, who would have bought it just to get Compression, the B-Side to Mike Rutherford's Working In Line single, on CD.

At least the press release had this good news:

The release of R-Kive will be followed by the accompanying reunion documentary Genesis: Together and Apart which will be broadcast by the BBC in early October. An accompanying DVD, Sum of the Parts will also be issued by Eagle Rock on November 17th (November 18th in North America).

Now THAT's the news I wanted to hear. But we'll have to wait for more about the Sum of the Parts DVD.

Simon Collins Questioned and Released on Bail

Simon Collins, drummer and leader of Sound of Contact, and son of famous Genesis frontman Phil Collins, was arrested July 5th on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs and of possession of a Class B drug. He was questioned by Wiltshire police then released on bail pending further inquiries.
 
For those interested, the UK legal status of Class A include: heroin, cocaine, crack, MDMA ("ecstasy"), methamphetamine, LSD and psilocybin mushrooms.
 
Class B drugs include: amphetamine, cannabis, codeine, ketamine, methoxetamine and methylphenidate Any class B drug that is prepared for injections becomes a class A substance.
 
Penalties for possession of Class A are 6 months to 7 years in detention depending whether it's a Magistrate or Crown court. Penalties for possession with intent to supply of Class A are 6 months to life in detention depending whether it's a Magistrate or Crown court.
 
Simon Collins denied the charges, stating:

I refute the allegations presented in the press today but due to the obvious legal implications at this time, I am unable to comment further.

Rare Brand X CDs To Be Released

Although typically considered an off-shoot band for Genesis legend Phil Collins, UK prog-fusion group Brand X was much more than that. Featuring several virtuosic musicians (as well as Collins), Brand X took the genre of fusion to a whole new level of expertise. Along with Collins on drums, the band featured Percy Jones (bass), John Goodsall (guitar) Robin Lumley (keyboards), and Morris Pert (percussion), with sometimes Mike Clark, Kenward Dennard (drums), and John Giblin (bass).

Active from 1975-1980, Brand X was another one of those bands who were beloved by other musicians, and the more discerning critics, but despite everything never had the commercial success they deserved. The band released several critically acclaimed albums on the Charisma label in the UK and Passport label in the US, including Unorthodox Behaviour, Moroccan Roll, Livestock and Product. Now much to the excitement of Brand X fans and fusion music fans worldwide, Gonzo Multimedia is releasing 3 rare Brand X titles on CD (Missing Period, Live at The Roxy LA 1979, Is There Anything About?), as well as bassist Percy Jones' hard to find solo offering from 1989 Cape Catastrophe.

Missing Period: This album represents the earliest known recordings of Brand X circa 1975-76. Recorded shortly before the group's debut album Unorthodox Behaviour, the source tapes for this material were recently recovered by John Goodsall from family members in England, who presented John with a box containing all sorts of Brand X memorabilia. At the bottom of the box were some old reels of tape of unknown origin. Upon review John and Percy realized that they had uncovered a long lost treasure – excellent quality recordings of Brand X's classic lineup performing previously unreleased material. This documents a period of the band's history which has been missing for over 20 years.

To purchase Missing Period CD.

Live at The Roxy LA 1979: Recorded at the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, September 23, 1979 shortly after the release of Product. This is a previously unreleased soundboard recording of Brand X captured live at the peak of the band's career.

To Purchase Live at The Roxy LA 1979

Is There Anything About?: Not long after Brand X released their 1980 album Do They Hurt?, the band members went their separate ways (until their comeback in 1992 which only featured Goodsall and Jones). However, they still owed their record label one more album. The solution? Release a rarities album! The problem was that there was very little unreleased material in the vaults – about three or four tracks at the most. But with a little doctoring and remixing of tapes, keyboardist Robin Lumley extended that number to six tracks and the label released Brand X's appropriately-titled collection Is There Anything About? in 1982.

To purchase Is There Anything About?

 

Cape Catastrophe: Several years after the release of Brand X's final album, bassist Percy Jones moved to New York City and began infiltrating the music scene there. He recorded Cape Catastrophe in 1988/89 at a studio in East Harlem. Using an array of hardware and instruments available at the time, including a Casio synthesizer, Roland sequencer. Yamaha drum machine and Korg digital delay, Percy recorded a several tracks ranging in length from 2-and-a half minute to 23minutes.

 

To purchase Cape Catastrophe

 

Says music writer Dave Lynch, “There is certainly a lot here for electric bass-aholics to enjoy: Jones' burbles, pops, and plonks are all here, and his tone on sustained notes is rich with harmonic overtones as expected. But the music through which the bass slips and slides is often more like twisted instrumental techno-funk than fusion, along with ominous electronic textures that sometimes sound like an ethereal chorus or gruff, agitated shouts distorted beyond recognition.” Gonzo Magazine's Jon Downes adds, “Jones composed everything on the album himself, except for the closing number. The album is a peculiar, though satisfying mix of jazz fusion and electronica, and is another one of those classic albums that slipped through the cracks at the time, which is just unfair.”