And they had great songs. note: Collins did a four-city tour in June and July 2010 to promote his Motown covers record Going Back.]. I was like, Man, when you turned around and looked, it threw me off.. It was kind of like asking your buddy to come cover your band because suddenly youre doing something different. Thompson believed hehad landed a short-term job when Collins asked him to join Genesis without an audition in 1977, but he went on to take part in every road trip until 2007 and was also a stalwart of Collinssolo group fromthe initial Hello, I Must Be Going tour in 1982. However he did turn Genesis into a pop group and laughed all the way to the bank. He passed away [in 2002]. They were really nice, cool people to work with. But what a great tour and what a great band. Let me remember: Leee Kerslake. But it got very political and it just got ugly. I watched it a couple of times, but Bob hung out with us the whole time. With that said, I love all of the Genesis albums from 1972-1977, including A Trick of the Tail and Seconds Out which both have Phil Collins on lead vocals. In recent years, hes taught at Belmont University in his adopted hometown of Nashville and toured with the Chester Thompson Trio. It was non-stop laughing every day. No, the frontman is the most important man in most of the cases and in live acts, but remember, there's rock without guitar or keyboards, but there's no rock without drums or Bass (Except in a few and veryrarecases). He said, I just thought you should know that. So, of course, I went on doing what I did. As some of the other guys have said, a really great read. The first couple of years, I pretty much put it together. He actually went over everything and duplicated it, put everything down twice. Phil was very shocked and surprised and annoyed that I didnt say that his stuff was more fun. It was about to move to Chicago and I was kind of wondering, Why havent I got my contract yet?. He figured it out pretty quickly. What I don't like is MUZAK (Elevator music), and that's Phil's field. Somebody would have their radio on the outside. We go way back. Phil and I locked way easier than Ralph Humphrey and I did. But Im over it now. We all knew he was going to be a great player. How was that? Jeff Porcaro: a great drummer but not a main composer in Toto. Genesis' The Last Domino? yet (see the forest thru the trees) don't miss the interesting and insightful drum life Chester has led. That must have been a very satisfying experience. [Weather Report bassist] Alphonso [Johnson] had been a friend for years. I cant scroll fast enough to the good parts! Feb 7, 2021 #34 . In my opinion, everyone has to sell out a little bit to survive. Phil Collins open to Genesis reunion with son, Nic, on drums Maybe once in a lifetime. Thompson believed he had landed a short-term job when Collins asked him to join Genesis without an audition in 1977, but he went on to take part in every road trip until 2007 and was also a. If you want the gig, its yours.. . I just love the adventure of life. For me, I thought it was fifth or sixth grade. He said they were going to be doing something totally different and they werent interested. Look At The Sussudio LP Cover. There was no leader. I grew up in the projects, so in the summer there would be people outside playing music. Well, lets see. That was incredible! I saw online that Phil said in some interview he was quitting the band. But I believe Steve won more, because he didn't took part in the POP Genesis (Something with what he clearly disagrees) and made a solid career. He was a different kind of guy, but what a nice, gentle kind of person. The new managers were like, Absolutely not. We were like 9,000 feet above sea level in Colorado. [Laughs] There was no way I could learn it by the next day. I guess I should. In the meantime, the few months before, they went with different management, the same people that managed Earth, Wind, and Fire. A Godly man a class act. . Phil Collins & Chester Thompson (Seconds Out 1977) - YouTube And I have to say, as much as I always felt separate and apart from the whole thing, seeing everyone together was an amazing and surprising feeling. Behind a login thing. Yes, please explain the secret to bypassing the RS paywall. First, a great interview. Oh, my goodness! Frank was doing time within time. Playing in bars must have really sharpened your skills. Goodness. The very first day of rehearsal he said to me, How do you play that lick? It was a thing that Ralph Humphrey and I did on the end of [Frank Zappas] Trouble Every Day. It was this double drum lick that Phil wanted to learn, and it did wind up in a Genesis song, a live version anyway. No one also seems to mention how great of a drummer he was (I am not sure if he still is). I think he got a little annoyed since I had done an interview and they asked which I enjoyed [Genesis or Collins solo] more. Not too many of them sing even backing vocals. Theyd add horn sections and stuff. Napoleon Murphy Brock was auditioning at the same time for vocals and saxophone. Ive done a couple of jazz trio albums that I really enjoyed. So many songs, so many albums, so many concerts. [Ed. The whole interview is a really good read. It was quite an adjustment for me. This version mainly shows the American drummer Chester Thompson playing on this amazing performance. I don't think he's bnasty, seems a nice chap, but he said too many stupid things and then contradicted himself depending in the way the market went, He said Prog is crap when Prog was unpopular and harrased by Punk, Discoor New Wave, but when his boring pop became part of the past he changed and said he always was a proghead. Bill knew that world. Id love to do my own tours. I had no idea. Theyve got a studio. [Laughs] That was fun. How was your experience in the Pointer Sisters touring band after that? I like ballads like Lucky Man, Still you Turn me On, Redezvous 6:02, Soon, Lonely Wind, July Morning, Carpet Crawlers, and a lot more. But with Phil, youre one of a cast of thousands. Since then, I was pretty upset. Yeah. He got it. When they did, theyd literally call each other up and go, Lets go do it. And so that never happened, basically. Basically, we rehearsed eight hours a day, 40 hours a week. I like Genesis lps up until the release of Abacab (grabascab) after that they really went down hill for me. I never liked the idea of re-recording old favourites but Im getting a little bit intrested now. How did you wind up touring with Ben E. King in 1969? But he deserves more respect. It was amazing. When Phil said that his 2004 tour was going to be his last one, did you believe him? When I was 13 and able to go on my own, I pretty much went every other week. The vocalist is the frontman, he/she has to move around face the audience, etc and a drummer is normally attached to his kit. He's probably one of the nicest, most down-to-earth guys in music (and that should be a good thing). It was going to be South America too. Just to mention a few key members that played drums. Its very rewarding and Im involved with an organization here called the Nashville Jazz Workshop. He asked if Id consider coming in. [Laughs] He figured it out pretty quickly. It's really weird how people attack Phil Collins. Several times we were on Phils tour in 2005 and they had meetings about how to put this tour together. And goodness, the emails I get! Like I said, it was never a band in that sense. There was no getting around it. Frank had a blackboard onstage with all the note names on it. You couldnt be less than what you were supposed to be. We wouldnt just play a song in five. Steve and I always stayed pretty good friends. Great drummer. Thats because it was getting close to time to go back out with Phil. They are phenomenal musicians. By then, I had heard a lot of the prog-rock stuff and was very interested to play with those guys. Chester Thompson - From Jazz to Genesis | FYIMusicNews You were there to see what he did with your own two eyes? I worked with him during a really happy period in his life. What are your goals over the next few years? Mike says that Phils drumming added a new dimension to Genesis. It was really cool. He also has composed good music, not only elevator music, as you say. I could track one guy, kind of, but then somebody else would jump in. Almost a tradition? Much of the show is just you playing drums, but during a lot of the instrumental breaks, Phil would come back and play along with you. Do you talk to Daryl still? Enjoy! Just like Dean Martin or Perry Como were passe by the 70s prog was out of fashion in the late 80s and I don't think anyone could really change that. I didnt really get it. Heres the crazy thing, man. Its one of those What Will You Be letters. I got back to L.A. and I called them up and said, When are we going back in the studio? They were like, Well, you dont need to go back in. I was like, Whats going on here?. And initially, that was so families could travel. Oh, yeah. And at the end of the show, he just went off. Hed come home and always put on some Billie Holiday. Always wondered what happened to Chester. First thing out of his mouth was, Would you come back to the band? It was perfect timing. Man, what a wacky period. The drum instructor left and Id gotten to know the head of the department. And Phil and I had a lot of the same roots. Just trying to make the best use of the time. I also had an older brother in the military. But on that first tour Id be like, Come on, man. It was not at all unusual for all the families to be on tour together. Chester Thompson: Schlagzeug; Leland Sklar: Bass; Brad Cole: Keyboards; Produktion. We didnt do a lot of shows, but at the very last show [at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 1st, 2010], he wasnt the happiest hed ever been. Chester Cortez Thompson (born December 11, 1948) is an American drummer best known for his tenures with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Weather Report, Santana, the progressive rock band Genesis and Phil Collins as a solo artist. And to be honest, my whole career has been about playing different kinds of music. He turned around and stared at me. It had been intense the whole time. Sat 27th Nov 2021 20.00 GMT. Reading some of these commentaries in this threadI started to think that Phil Collins is really underrated because not too many drummers are key members in their bands. The Edge Calls it a Quantum Leap Forward, Neil Young and Stephen Stills Honor David Crosby, Revive Buffalo Springfield at Light Up The Blues, You Are Grimes Now: Inside Music's Weird AI Future, Pharrells Something in the Water Fest Cancels Final Day Due to Severe Weather, Stagecoach: Kane Brown Breaks Mental Health Stigma With 'Memory,' Talks Depression, Kiss Paul Stanley Has 'Thoughts' About Parents Who Support Kids Gender Identities, Kanye West Fallout Sparks Class Action Lawsuit Against Adidas, Roy Wood Jr. It was a big part of his background, and we just hit it off immediately., One of his biggest problems on his first Genesis tour was trying to understand his English bandmates speech. Basically, I had to jump right into the deep end. Chester Thompson - DRUMMERWORLD I think the first song that really stuck in my head was On the Sunny Side of the Street. I have no idea whose version it was. Its not as bad as its made to be , Havent exchanged cards since 2019 ?? He was already going on tour in summers between school. Ive never not played jazz. In the meantime, hed gotten a solo record deal. Was that fun? He would be onstage. There was a lady with the band I kind of had a crush on and we were very much in touch. Phil Collins is a top ten drummer, a good backing vocalistr, an average lead singer and a lousy songwritter, that's my opinion. At the same time, it was a little weird investing that much time in something you were never going to be a part of. Even though Daryl and I werent technically in the band [Genesis], we toured as the band. Well, yeah. But he still had that American stuff; it was a big part of his background, and we just hit it off immediately. The first Phil solo tour was kind of a drag. Were just dealing with Covid. Many of them are self-taught. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/llins-frank-zappa-weather-report-1122064/amp/, https://ultimateclassicrock.com/chester-thompson-phil-collins-solo-tour/. I mean, as a matter of fact, the seed got planted on Phils tour at the end of 2005. Early life [ edit] That stuff smokes. But I did wind up coming back in 1999. Chester has a great attitude. Yes, some of his ballads are cheesy. We did European tour in a van. I mean, there was mutual respect and stuff, but there was never, like, a friendship. Terry Bozio: good drummer but he didn`t compose anything for the band U.K. Was successful in the Missing Persons Pop band. And I grew up with that Motown stuff, so I think maybe I took it for granted. There was no getting around it. What was he like? None of the other members really knew how to communicate in a funny way with their audiences. I seem to recall Chester had a falling out with the post-Collins duo too, when they rejected his request to become a full member in the band. Several times. It was just different. Phil Collins / Chester Thompson (Genesis) Drum Duet 1980 - 84 - YouTube 0:00 / 6:04 Phil Collins / Chester Thompson (Genesis) Drum Duet 1980 - 84 Seven Stones 2.15K subscribers Subscribe 1.5K. He was a virtuoso, no question, but most of his stuff was straight 16ths. The 2021 tour is billed as "The Last Domino?" named after the song "Domino" which . Weve been swapping ideas back and forth, writing and tracking. It was not fun. He isn't the main cause of downfall for Genesis, so shut up about that. It was a huge deal. That's All. I didnt see Phils tour. [Laughs] Its interesting, I probably absorbed more of their culture than they did anything I grew up with because I was really uncomfortable. Still his guitarplay wasvery important to the music even if his composing didnt reach the albums. Yeah. (I am totally serious, the tamborine dance is amazing), Phil Colinskilled my friends younger brother, I saw him do it i swear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is the reason he left the drums to Chester and Bruford. Was it hard on your marriage that you were never home? Theyre just sitting there like, Impress me. It really annoyed them that they reached event status as opposed to just playing to fans. I was the second drummer. That was that. How did you grow as a drummer during your time in Weather Report? This is the same time that Chicago and Elton John are recording there. But they had so many new tunes they were promoting. I also think he made a very significant positive contribution to Genesis' heyday. By then, radio was getting pretty segregated. -Drummers who are lead singers "better should stay behind the drum kit and not to sing". It was a lot. Oh, my goodness. But he just enjoyed being around us since we were so lively and fun. [Laughs] Umm I didnt really think it was going to be the end. They assumed we were starting a new band like they did. Phil Collins Takes The Drum Quiz | The Jonathan Ross Show 4.1M views 6 years ago IN THE AIR TONIGHT-PHIL COLLINS-THIS SONG MADE ME JUMP OFF THE COUCH!! Captain Beefheart plays harmonica on the album. In fact, most of the names of the drummers appear almost always at the end of the credits in the album covers. I know my reaction to Hacketts "Genesis revisited" was- Hmm, I guess hes running out of money As I wrote, I find Hacketts soloalbums uneven but on the other handhis music is solid (apart from that GTR-thing, didnt like it!) Id say we agree on his drummingskills. An adult who lived in the projects where I grew up was named ODonel Levy. Are you still teaching? Im always very aware of whats going on. It didnt surprise me. Keith Moon, John Bonham: great drummers, yes, key members, because their band never sounded the same without them, butthey weren`tthe main composers in their bands. So I continue quite off topic! He was a member from the beginning, when they did there really masterful work, but no one seems to mention that. I dont think hes holding a grudge. Phil and I, from the very first rehearsal when he sat down and we started jamming together, we just locked, he said. Wed do eight-hour rehearsals. Ive done some teaching, not a lot, but at the moment I have a handful of private students at a school. According to what Chester said in an interview, he had offered his services as a drummer, but Mike and Tony were looking to make a fresh start and looked for different musicians to play with the band. It was a vocal version. Later that year, he also cancelled two gigs after falling in his hotel room and hitting his head, a result of the drop foot mentioned above. Reading the book I get the feeling that he only felt really involved in Selling EnglandFirst he says he had a slight inferior complex as a composer, his ideas were not well recieved, his marriage ended etc. He called up and said, Would you be up for doing a tour with these guys? He explained what was going on and stuff. I didnt find out any of this until later, but the timing was amazing. I think try get hold of the album. When you heard he was going solo, did you think it would work out for him? I still thought it would just be a couple of tours. Chester Thompson - Wikipedia Did you get to meet him? It was a much bigger band, Thompson told Rolling Stone in a new interview. Does Phil Collins seem a Christmas card kind of guy to you? They have a game plan that was a whole lot different scenario than anything Weather Report had experienced. Id always wanted to teach myself. It was the biggest adjustment Ive ever had to make, musically and culturally. That aint me., Despite thoseearly troubles, Thompson recalled that he hit it off immediately with Collins, which made their regular drum duets easy to perform. Genesis' Reunion Tour: 8 Questions We Have - Rolling Stone Hes just turned into this monster musician. I mean to be keep in the background in their importance in the bands. Chester Thompson sheds some light on relationship with Phil Collins Phil Collins had to hire Chester Thompson and Bill Bruford. Chester Thompson on Decade-Long Rift with Crab Apple Phil Collins If you were in Franks band, you had to be willing to be silly. It pretty much broke me up. Did you take a crash course in Genesis before you went in? I certainly never dreamed it would go on and on like it did. Oh, my goodness! The peak of Genesis on a commercial level was the Invisible Touch period. No. Im sure if you spent time with him one-on-one it would be different. He actually double-tracked all that stuff. Its an interesting gig musically speaking. But to a lot of the fans, I guess they feel like it is. Man, it was fun. I dont know details of what happened with that, but I think Peter was busy putting something else together. My problem is not even Phil the singer (Even when I like Pete's voice and singing more), my problem is wiyth Phil the songwritter. O.K.! I was never going to be a full partner, but theres no denying it was a band. I said, Man, I cant do that. . We learned how to deal with it. I had gone back to Baltimore. We did it at Ike Turners studio, Bolic Sound. A lot of well-known names. I still remember that. What were your early impressions of Frank? It was a real wake-up call. [Sighs] Thats a whole drama Im not crazy about. The rhythm sections at several of the gigs had big bands. I was leaving straight from San Francisco. Some info from Hugh Fielders book:In 1965 Ant Phillips formed the band Anon with Richard Macphail, Rivers Job, Rob Tyrrell & Mike Rutherford. You are using an out of date browser. And that was the end of that. Lee Kerslake: he sings backing vocals but again not the main composer in Uriah Heep. In the meantime, they had brought in [drummer] Narada Michael Walden. I guess I had clarity of what I hoped to accomplish. I started with those frat parties, bars, and little dives. They just edited in that other day of his recording. I didnt really know what was happening in the background. It didnt frustrate me so much that I didnt do it. The first album after Gabriel left was still very progressive sounding, and as the albums after came out, the change could be heard more and more. Phil Collins Blamed His Drummer for Everything on Debut Solo Tour Drummers and keyboard players don`t have the same status as them". This means nothing at all, it's almost a tradition. Somehow, they offered me the gig. Well, I didnt sleep. Was that a challenge for you? Basically, after the first day, I was like, The only way this is going to work is if you give me a list of which tunes you want to go over the next day Ill have them ready.. They were amazing. It was amazing stuff, absolutely. I started thinking, Now what did I do? And so I kind of froze. He wasn't the only member of the band, and it wasn't a chnage that happened overnight. He spent 30 years in Genesis as a touring drummer, but he had a falling out with Phil Collins in 2010 and they haven't spoken since, "Culturally, we were on opposite sides of the world," says Chester Thompson of touring with Genesis. A couple of the Drum Duets were released as singles in several places in South America and some countries in Europe, which is kind of cool. It just turned out to be a one-off, but fortunately we recorded and videotaped it. No. I called Frank immediately and he wasnt happy about it, but he knew that my background was more jazz and stuff. He was very cool in a clinic I saw with him and saw Genesis a few times live with Chester boogaloon them through. The very first live concert I saw was Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. We played together a lot in L.A. between Genesis tours and stuff. I saw everybody in those days. Had they said, Were going to change the feel a bit, I would have been fine with that. "And so the horns would make a mistake and hed turn around and look at me! I said, Tony, in view of what Phil said in this interview, I guess I dont need to hold these dates any more? He said, What are you talking about? Phil was not sure family-wise and he hasnt had the easiest of times there. Why didn't Chester Thompson get the drum gig after Collins quit Genesis And then it got to be a little more honest. It was this whole haunting thing that was really cool. I was okay one-on-one, but they speak much, much faster than we do. Thompson called up Rolling Stone to explain how he rose out of the Baltimore housing projects, his early days with Frank Zappa and Weather Report, the ups and downs of life as a Genesis member who never played on the studio albums, and why he hasnt spoken to Phil Collins once in the past 10 years. They said to me, Youre playing it wrong. But the manager had gone out of his way to call me before we took the Christmas break since they were so happy with the tracks wed done. Basically, I want to keep putting things out. It was another situation of me not getting any sleep since I was up all night writing charts. I knowsome people are not going to like my commentaries . And so we were doing Salt Peanuts at like 200 miles an hour. Phil is not one of those artists. Can anyone speculate as to why Chester Thompson won't be - Reddit Basically, he tried to come up with stuff the band couldnt play, and we always managed to pull it off. He got a film-editing machine and wanted to really dig in and learn how to use it, which he did. George shared with me that [violinist] Jean-Luc [Ponty] didnt enjoy it so much because he couldnt stand being silly. During this time, the drummer somehow also found time to tour with Santana and the Bee Gees and maintain a solo career. Discover what he did to anger Thompson so much they haven't exchanged holiday cards since 2019. The 50 Worst Decisions in Music History Id come in and read it down the next day, which was pretty new to them because none of them read [music] at all. Unfortunately, they gave him the credit and didnt put my name on there. None of the other members really knew how to communicate in a funny way with their audiences. They sent over some cassettes. That aint me. But basically, for 14 years hed tour every other year and Genesis would tour in the off years. Are you hoping to be back onstage soon? Id always be checking out the rhythm section because some of them brought their own rhythm section. It was something called Kung Fu. Unfortunately, it never got released. Some of his hits are cheesy. Don Henley: another drummer who is lead singer, and main writter with guitarist Glen Frey, and he also sings ballads without being "hated" as Collins is. I didnt know, but he did step back for quite a while. You could hear that it was something special. What a nice man, Don Van Vliet. It is an impressing line up. Absolutely. And then he added the drums and it was like, Forget about it. We were all in the car going to the first show in Japan. I wasnt enough of a diplomat to just say, Oh, everything is wonderful. The Genesis stuff was more musically challenging and interesting to me. He hung out with the band after the shows and stuff. When I was about to transfer to a four-year school, I got the audition with [Frank] Zappa. They kind of assumed that he would. I guess they were never able to release it because Peter is pretty spontaneous and it drove the sound engineer crazy. I dont know. He was a phenomenal player oh, my goodness. He was a great writer and arranger. The cool thing was my family came out on the road a lot. We want to hear it. I didnt see it coming. Phil Collins / Chester Thompson (Genesis) Drum Duet 1980 - 84 Except the horrible version of Your Own Special Way (Already horrible) because Paul Carrack sounds as Elmer Fudd , the mediocre Bossa Nova version of I Know What I like and the hard to swallow Waiting Room Only, the rest of the album (8 more tracks) is outstanding. Ralph and I had to watch each other like hawks and really listen carefully. You can tell he is play acting. A great experience to see. Thiswent further,Steve wasn't even invited to the 1982 reunion in Milton Keynes (Only played the encores, because he was in audience). You must log in or register to reply here. Influenced by the likes of Max Roach, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, and Tony Williams along with the popular music . As of late though, I think Phil Collins has sold out, but not the with Genesis. But if youre a music-ed student, you need to learn a different instrument group every semester. And even though I listened to the cassettes, I didnt get a real feel for what was going on before I got there. According to my mother, even before I can remember, she mentioned getting a toy drum and me standing on the front steps and playing as people listened. I want to go back here and talk about your life. I met him the night before at his house. I think that Bruford said that in 1992-93 for the "Notes of the Edge" website. Hed mentioned that theyd been through a few drummers that year. Let me remember: Leee Kerslake. Just listen to Brand X andlive Genesis. If hedidn't have considerable good qualities the band would not have stayed together for sixteen years which is like an epic length.As for him selling out I think what everyone underestimates is that the taste of the public had changed by the 80s. Avatar: Photo of Solar Eclipse, Mexico City, July 1991.