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Calling All Stations

...Calling All Stations... is the fifteenth album by veteran progressive rockband Genesis. It was recorded following Phil Collins' departure from the band in 1996, and was released in 1997. The album was an attempt by bandmates Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks to continue the Genesis name while returning, to a certain degree, to Genesis' roots as an album-oriented band.

Vocalist Ray Wilson, who had fronted a brief but popular grunge-influenced outfit called Stiltskin, was brought on board after a lengthy auditioning period. Wilson's darker vocals were more reminiscent of Peter Gabriel than Collins. Because Wilson was not a drummer, both Nir Zidkyahu and Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard) were called in to supply the necessary percussion work.

But while ...Calling All Stations... sold well throughout Europe, it failed to find an audience in the United States, despite an elaborate publicity launch at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Critics were derisive, and while ...Calling All Stations... was notable for attempting to bring Genesis' progressive rock roots more to the forefront, many found the results somber and lacking the dynamics of their 1970s work, let alone the fact pop and hip hop were in vogue at the time—genres far removed from progressive rock. As a result of the slim North American sales, the American leg of the tour was cancelled. Although a European tour was undertaken in 1998, Banks and Rutherford ultimately decided to relieve Wilson of his vocal duties and put Genesis on an extended hiatus, leaving ...Calling All Stations... as Genesis' last studio release to date.

Since the album's release there has been, among some Genesis fans, a belated appreciation for Wilson's contribution to the band's history. There is agreement even among many fans who dislike this album that Wilson was a strong vocalist. Bootleg recordings of the 1998 European tour have been sought-after downloads on peer-to-peer networks, if only for the opportunity to hear Wilson's rendition of older Genesis songs like "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," "The Carpet Crawlers," and "Lover's Leap" (the opening section of "Supper's Ready").

Of the three singles excerpted from the album, only "Congo" met with a limited measure of success.

Music videos were made for "Congo", "Shipwrecked" and "Not About Us." "Congo" was a favourite among MTV UK, however, it had been played on America's MTV once.

The music videos "Congo" and "Shipwrecked" featured Wilson and also Rutherford, Banks and Zidkyahu playing their respective instruments. "Not About Us," however featured just Banks, Rutherford and Wilson. Unlike "Congo" and "Shipwrecked", Banks and Rutherford were without the instruments.

...Calling All Stations..., which reached #2 in the UK, and was the only Genesis album to have been deleted in North America (until its 2007 re-release), having only reached #54 in the US in a brief chart stay. From a recent online interview, Calling All Stations has sold approximately 3 million copies world-wide to date (between 1997-2008).

A SACD / DVD double disc set (including new 5.1 and Stereo mixes) was released in September 2007 and was re-released as a CD/DVD double disc in the US and Canada in November 2007 in the US and Canada.

Track listing

All songs by Tony Banks/Mike Rutherford, except where noted.

"Calling All Stations" – 5:43
"Congo" – 4:51
"Shipwrecked" – 4:23
"Alien Afternoon" – 7:51
"Not About Us" (Tony Banks/Mike Rutherford/Ray Wilson) – 4:38
"If That's What You Need" – 5:12
"The Dividing Line" – 7:45
"Uncertain Weather" – 5:29
"Small Talk" (Tony Banks/Mike Rutherford/Ray Wilson) – 5:02
"There Must Be Some Other Way" (Tony Banks/Mike Rutherford/Ray Wilson) – 7:54
"One Man's Fool" – 8:46

Singles

Congo Maxi-CD
"Congo" (Radio Edit)
"Papa He Said"
"Banjo Man"

Congo Enhanced CD
"Congo"
"Second Home by the Sea" (Edit)
Enhanced feature with interviews, video of "Congo" and the upcoming Calling All Stations World Tour.

Shipwrecked CD1
"Shipwrecked"
"No Son of Mine" (Acoustic)
"Lover's Leap" (from Supper's Ready) (Acoustic)
"Turn It On Again" (Acoustic)

Shipwrecked CD2
"Shipwrecked"
"Phret"
"7/8"

Not About Us CD1
"Not About Us" (Radio Edit)
"Anything Now"
"Sign Your Life Away"
"Run Out of Time"

Not About Us CD2
"Not About Us"
"Dancing with the Moonlight Knight" (Acoustic)
"Not About Us" (extended) (Acoustic)
"Turn It On Again" (Acoustic)

A total of seven previously unreleased songs were included on the single releases as B-sides. Fans have noted that the B-sides were probably the strongest songs recorded with Wilson and some fans have suggested that Calling All Stations could have been made into a well put double album set. One other song recorded at the time, "Nowhere Else to Turn", was never officially released anywhere.