Here's some reunion debunking from the official site:
3. Will there be a reunion? Classic Rock seems to think so!
Since about 1998 and the time of the first Archive Box Set, many hints have been dropped, primarily by Phil, about the band getting back together in various incarnations.
Sadly, since Phil's First Final Farewell solo tour finished in 2004, the hints have given way to some furious backpedalling, and now it seems that, after talking with Mike and Tony, a reunion is not currently on the cards.
Here are some recent quotes from various ex-band members which shed some light on the current situation:
Phil Collins, 7th November, 2004 ('Messages from Phil' at
http://www.philcollins.co.uk/cgi-bin/ya ... PCmessages)
Quote:
I'm returning now from a trip to Germany where amongst other things I spent a day or so with "the lads" doing interviews for the Genesis new offerings. We discussed the inevitable questions of reunions and such, and we came to no conclusions at all I'm afraid. In fact if I was a betting man I'd put money against the possibility. We all have an affection for each other, that's not an issue. It just seems a little unlikely for some reason. I think talking all day about the possibility of it almost burnt the idea out. Anyway, never say never.....
A previous communication from Phil, on the 30th of September, expressed concern about the fact that a lot of fans would not want to see the band which he would envisage reuniting (i.e. Phil, Mike, Tony, Daryl and Chester), having read some negative comments on this forum:
Quote:
However, having said that...it leads me to something I'd like to share with you....between you and me (!!!) I went on the Genesis site the other day, and I was quite surprised at the amount of negative feelings I encountered towards me, and the apparent adverse effect musically I had on the band. I mention this here because I imagine SOME of you are Genesis fans as well as PC fans and may even know what I'm talking about.... Of course there were some very good points and some nice things said about a variety of subjects, but some posts fly off the screen and smack you in the mouth !! There were lots of... "it was alright till he mucked it up".... kind of posts.
It seems a lot of Genesis fans HATE "We Can't Dance" for example....I don't know if they think I had more to do with that record than the other guys, 'cos that's not the case. I won't/can't take the glory or the blame for what Genesis did musically. We wrote as a band and we lived with that music for 4/5 months working on it together. I'd like to see someone try to push Tony Banks into doing something he doesn't want to do ! Just doesn't happen. Same with all the records actually.....all responsible for everything broadly speaking.
Another topic was "the reunion" and I was told off very sharply for "titillating, speculative, non committal waffle" about the possibility. Now it seems a "yes" means it's on...a "no" means it won't happen, so a "maybe" means it's possible....right ?? I don't think "maybe" is "non committal waffle", it shows a willingness to be open to the possibility...... but there's no pleasing some folk.
Anyway the upshot of all that negativity , whether people realise it or not, is the thought that maybe a Reunion is not such a good idea. The energy and enthusiasm it would require from all concerned, may end up not pleasing a large amount of Genesis fans that I/we'd be doing it for. I don't think we should enter into a debate on this subject either, as it will run and run.
Peter Gabriel also seems to have ruled out the idea of getting involved with the Genesis name again, as revealed at a press conference for the 'PLAY' DVD.
Quote:
PG: Ahh, we get on fine and that and well, as I said, I’ve been enjoying some of the old stuff more than I expected, but its not... right...
Would you want to live in your school for a few months? You might want to visit and see some old friends and checkout where they were and sort of re-live a few memories but I’m not sure .. cos there were -I had a few whispers in my ears ... big money mentioned, and I did think about it, but - as much as I like some of the stuff, I’m not sure its where I want to be at the moment and maybe... Well, it's one of those things.
Actually, I learnt at Milton Keynes that to do it properly takes a lot of work, because I don’t think ... we worked hard for the week that we had in rehearsal but it wasn’t enough. I think it should have been a month's rehearsal and a few gigs prior to that ... to do it justice and then once you’re in it you gotta to go for it, then it's probably months rather than weeks and you think 'Is that really what I want to do at the moment?' and currently the answer is, though there’s a fondness there, 'No'.
(Read the whole interview here:
http://www.getreadytorock.com/reviews/p ... eview1.htm)
The final word must be left to Phil Collins again, whose latest stance seems to be a categorical 'No' to a tour. However, he doesn't seem to rule out any potential music making or even one-off shows.
Online News Sources - 29th November 2004:
Quote:
PHIL COLLINS: 'GENESIS WON'T REUNITE'
GENESIS frontman PHIL COLLINS has rubbished rumours the band plan to reunite - despite their new record release. The group - who officially split in 1998 - are now temporarily back together to promote new record THE PLATINUM COLLECTION. But Collins dashes fans hopes of a proper comeback, he's too busy spending time with his family. He says, "With most bands the cliche is they split up because they hate each other. Whereas we get on great. There's no reason why we can't see each other and remain friends. "There's no reason why we shouldn't write songs together. But something in me resists it. "Once you do an album, there's an inevitable tour. I'm trying to dig my heels in, and the idea of a Genesis tour is out of the question."
The biggest stumbling block, to my mind, is the fact that the Genesis name encompasses an enormously wide range of music, from Prog to Pop and everything in between, with each era having its fans and its detractors. Sadly, Genesis fans' inability to "know what we like" might have been the final nail in the reunion coffin!
