He told me what he had in mind. World of Genesis - Chester Thompson Biography -Guitarists/vocalists/bassists/keyboardists "heroes" are the most important members in a band . Had they brought me, they would have had to pay another musician just to sit there. He was a great writer and arranger. When they did, theyd literally call each other up and go, Lets go do it. And so that never happened, basically. He hung out with the band after the shows and stuff. Its me in the beginning and then in the middle of the tune, when it goes into the bridge with the swing feel, you hear a completely different ambience, different drum sound, different everything. In the meantime, they had brought in [drummer] Narada Michael Walden. Im always looking for the new thing, the next thing to me. affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network, and I never really toured with an R&B band, but Id played it all my life. If I were to sum up my opinions of the five (actually leaving out Ant Phillips seems wrong since I think his guitarplaywas important to the early Genesissound and the fact that Mike calledhim the keymember at the time) members life after Genesis: I feel like Ive sort of left the point wether Phil is nasty or not Summary: I dont think Phil is a nasty man and he doesnt deserve all the critisicm he sometimes gets here at Progarchives. Im not 100 percent involved, but its really interesting, the stuff that happens here. I wasnt enough of a diplomat to just say, Oh, everything is wonderful. The Genesis stuff was more musically challenging and interesting to me. You couldnt take yourself that seriously. Soon after that, I wound up touring with [jazz organist] Jack McDuff. He made the comment at his press conference to announce his Not Dead Yet European comeback tour, which kicks off with a five-night residency at London's Royal Albert Hall in June 2017. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/llins-frank-zappa-weather-report-1122064/amp/, https://ultimateclassicrock.com/chester-thompson-phil-collins-solo-tour/. No. That was their first tour in 10 years. But after reading the (excellent) interview, I have to say I'm quite surprised at how Chester was treated by the guys through the years. Yes, please explain the secret to bypassing the RS paywall. [Laughs] Culturally, we were on opposite sides of the world. JavaScript is disabled. You must log in or register to reply here. Santana had actually asked me to play in his band right before the call came from Phil. From Jazz (Weather Report), to Rock (Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention), to Pop (Genesis/Phil Collins) to Gospel (Ron Kenoly), Chester Thompson has surpassed the boundaries of musical genres. I saw James Brown, an early Motown revue, Sam Cooke, Chuck Jackson, Jerry Butler, the Impressions, Sam and Dave, all the Stax artists. Alphonso and I had a real swing thing between us, real 16th, triplet bass feel, which is really the core of the whole funk thing. But Phil being Phil, he detailed every single fill, every single detail of every single song. There were all these conversations going back and forth that Id try to track. When I was 13 and able to go on my own, I pretty much went every other week. What a nice man, Don Van Vliet. We learned how to deal with it. I called Joe and was like, I just got this message from Wayne saying not to come to the studio. Well appreciated, keep up enjoying Phil Collins! They were in town and Alphonso said, The guys are in town. I was okay one-on-one, but they speak much, much faster than we do. How was the 2007 Genesis tour? I mean, there was mutual respect and stuff, but there was never, like, a friendship. Napoleon Murphy Brock was auditioning at the same time for vocals and saxophone. It made me realize that it really was a band. Carl Palmer: again great drummer but not a main composer in ELP or Asia. Why not? And I gotta tell you, man, Barry Gibb might have been one of the most professional people Ive worked with in my life. Hes just turned into this monster musician. It was not at all unusual for all the families to be on tour together. The first few stadiums, its like, Oh, my goodness! And then it starts feeling normal. Whats it like to walk onto that stage and see just an ocean of people going insane? And its fine. -Ballads in Prog Rock are underrated, because Prog Rock is not "romantic". This new thing Ive been working on with my friends in L.A., its [bassist] Pee Wee Hill and [keyboardist] Michiko Hill, his wife. That is the reason he left the drums to Chester and Bruford. George and Napoleon were from San Jose and were living in Hawaii when Frank offered them the audition. It wasnt his most intense stuff, but fortunately I knew who he was and that it was going to be good stuff. [Laughs] There was no way I could learn it by the next day. None of that. Id love to do my own tours. I recall someone asking Chester if he could swing with his snare tilted so steeply. Has Phil talked to you at all in the past 10 years? I wish I could afford my son. I was taking lessons from a friend of my brothers who was a jazz player by choice. So, youre a freelance drummer hoping to get re-upped for a gig with a guy who has hired you again and again over more than two decades, and you dont send a holiday card? 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. Feb 7, 2021 #34 . Frank never stepped foot in there again, of course. Turns out it was purely a union thing. Phil Collins / Chester Thompson (Genesis) Drum Duet 1980 - 84 Alan White studied a bit of piano, but he is mainly self-taught as a drummer. We basically tracked it with no bass. 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. And initially, that was so families could travel. I managed to get 11 songs tracked with my own band in L.A. because we decided a while back not to just sit around. I was playing in the San Francisco production of The Wiz back then. I didnt really get it. Goodness. Phil Collins and Chester Thompson Interview for Drummer in 1977 during the period of Seconds Out Phil jokingly said, Well, were all together. This is before they had their own studio. It sounds like ever thing thing is scripted and being read by a bad actor. Phil was very shocked and surprised and annoyed that I didnt say that his stuff was more fun. Frank had a blackboard onstage with all the note names on it. Who did you see after that? We did European tour in a van. After a year with him, I spent some time in Boston with a keyboard player named Webster Lewis, who was phenomenal. We were playing touch football one day and Napoleon had the ball and was running past Tom, and Tom reached out and tagged him. I could not follow a single conversation. A couple of days later, he brought the whole band in. Drummer reacts to Phil Collins, Chester Thompson & Luis Conte - YouTube 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. I could track one guy, kind of, but then somebody else would jump in. I was asked by Genesis's manager if I would go and photograph the band at a secret location in Surrey (which may have been Mike Rutherford's studio) and take some pictures while they rehearsed ahead of the Knebworth show in 1978. 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.. Theres a great jazz community, too. Well, immediately after McDuff, I spent about six months in Boston. Not at all. It just turned out to be a one-off, but fortunately we recorded and videotaped it. It was really brilliant. And Phil and I had a lot of the same roots. "It was quite an adjustment for me. Was that fun? I got to be friends with some guys that managed an audio store. And of course, my mom loved music. Not at all. Oh, my goodness. [Ed. And Ill never forget. Playing that stuff from the Seventies was full of charge. How did you manage to bridge that gap culturally? It was a weird, lonely feeling to be in the room with people that supposedly speak the same language and not be able to understand what was going on. Right. This was the European stadium tour with Bob Dylan. Ive never heard anything he did that had that particular feel to it. Not too many of them sing even backing vocals, not too many of them are composers, not too many of them become famous as soloists, not too many of them are very good lead singers. I found out I wasnt going to Chicago and then Phil [Collins] called me himself, basically offering the Genesis gig. He is an actor, known for The Who's Tommy, the Amazing Journey (1993), Genesis: Man on the Corner (1982) and Phil Collins: Sussudio (1985). They really enjoy life and love to laugh. At the same time, there are artists Id love to play with as well. I was never going to be a full partner, but theres no denying it was a band. As some of the other guys have said, a really great read. It was kind of like asking your buddy to come cover your band because suddenly youre doing something different. That was incredible! Wed just sit in a side room because all they really wanted was the three guys. It was a different situation in Chicago. I know they are planning a European portion. The problem is that after a couple of albums Tony lost xcontrol and Phil decided what path to take, making a parallel solo career that is comonly mistaken with Genesis later albums, that's what I blame him for.Actually I havent heard Hacketts Genesis revisited - is it good? Long story short: Collins turned up in a bad mood for the 2010 "Going Back" tour and griped at Thompson because Thompson hadn't prepared the Motown drum parts in enough detail. He actually double-tracked all that stuff. We had a bunch of 78s. IvanI think we have reached the end of our discussion wether Phil is nasty or not. Somebody would have their radio on the outside. In San Francisco, they have a minimum on these shows. I wonder something, this guy was never a Genesis member, he was describe as a "Musical friend of the band", what the hell is he doing here? Not even Peter made an album with all Genesis tracks, only Steve. Absolutely. He was very cool in a clinic I saw with him and saw Genesis a few times live with Chester boogaloon them through. 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). Phil and I, from the very first rehearsal when he sat down and we started jamming together, we just locked. He put everything into it. I never liked the idea of re-recording old favourites but Im getting a little bit intrested now. As of late though, I think Phil Collins has sold out, but not the with Genesis. Exactly. They kind of assumed that he would. Thats where I met my wife. Steve and I always stayed pretty good friends. I kind of fell in love with the flute. It was amazing stuff, absolutely. Shed been on the road for three years straight and she got it. Mick Fleetwood: owner of the band`s name, thier main founder, but not a composer in the band. Chester just says 'maybe' he wouldn't want to play the same Genesis songs yet again on a new tour, but IMO he doesn't give a definite no. Chester Thompson on Decade-Long Rift with Crab Apple Phil Collins Affiliate programs and This means nothing at all, it's almost a tradition. If you did your part, it was fun. [Laughs] They were like, How could you be down here doing this and not our tour? I was like, Im just here a few days. But I was really trying to be mindful of family time. Chester Thompson on His Years With Genesis, Frank Zappa, and Weather Report 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. Its very rewarding and Im involved with an organization here called the Nashville Jazz Workshop. I dont know how to describe it, but it was based on holograph technology. Do you think if Genesis come to America, youd want to go see the show? I might. Duke lp is OK but Misunderstanding shoud not be on that LP that is more of Onion Head solo lp song. An adult who lived in the projects where I grew up was named ODonel Levy. I was like, Man, Ive got to have some time with my family. Before one tour, we sat there and listened to all the previous tours and everything we did. I don't think Phil Collins can be fully blamed for the change of direction. The 50 Worst Decisions in Music History Yes, it`s true, but none of them became the permanent lead singer in their bands like Collins. It really was. I had to use oxygen tanks after every take. But doing it was really fun. It was definitely different musically since the band was much bigger with horns and backup singers. Peter says that Stevewrote things they all liked but quite a lot that they didnt like. I knew it was in the works. Yeah. most great drummers won't ever do that, because they live for their drums. I saw everybody in those days. Well, yeah. They were great writers. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, I dont know what they might have been going through behind the scenes, but our time together was just great. Not every Rock musician has musical studies. Drummers and keyboard players don`t have the same status as them". In fact, we wound up doing a tour opening for them. Im always very aware of whats going on. I have no memory of that whatsoever. He was brilliant. So I am a huge fan of the bearded Collins in the 70's, especially that dance he did with the tamborine when they performed I Know What I Like live. I didnt really know what was happening in the background. I was seriously intimidated. You guys did a drum duet at that first Genesis show in 1977 and it never left the set list after that. Always wondered what happened to Chester. Unfortunately, they never really had to change drummers before. I worked with him during a really happy period in his life. I grew up in Baltimore and it was back in the days of AM radio. The drum instructor left and Id gotten to know the head of the department. But to a lot of the fans, I guess they feel like it is. I just knew that he was a radically different person than Id ever known. Phil is not one of those artists. They were doing Cloudburst and all that stuff. Ive already played stuff for the guys. This is before they had hits, but they did have Yes We Can Can. In those days, they were doing pretty much doing all Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross stuff. Frank was playing guitar. If you know the history, Joe [Zawinul] and Wayne [Shorter] were real good friends. That aint me. But basically, for 14 years hed tour every other year and Genesis would tour in the off years. Y'know, it's funny, but when I see the name Chester Thompson . It was pretty profitable. How did you grow as a drummer during your time in Weather Report? Some of it was Frank. I mean, as a matter of fact, the seed got planted on Phils tour at the end of 2005. She scored one of Spike Lees movie. He was a drummer deep down in his very soul, one that would take on occasional backing vocal or songwriting duties only if he had to. The difference being I wasnt so much into the English drummers, like Keith Moon, and he was. PHIL COLLINS: ON AMERICAN DRUMMER CHESTER THOMPSON DRUMMING - YouTube Genesis' Reunion Tour: 8 Questions We Have - Rolling Stone I didnt see Phils tour. ), Forum Policies, Rules, and Terms of Service. In the meantime, hed gotten a solo record deal. Tom Fowler would stand onstage with a pointer and would point to the notes he was supposed to play. Well, basically, I hadnt prepared in as much detail as I usually did. And even though I listened to the cassettes, I didnt get a real feel for what was going on before I got there. What happened when Jaco Pastorius came in on bass and Alphonso Johnson left? He isn't the main cause of downfall for Genesis, so shut up about that. I did one of his solo albums and we had been pretty good friends. With the exception of when he is doing his solo work, Collins is usuallythe one most in the background, going with the opinions of the rest of the group. Bands always change, and poor Phil just happened to headline the band as it started turning away from it's roots, and he gets branded as the bands destructor. 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. Can anyone speculate as to why Chester Thompson won't be - Reddit Man, it was wonderful. I still remember that. Phil Collins had to hire Chester Thompson and Bill Bruford. Avatar: Photo of Solar Eclipse, Mexico City, July 1991. 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. Don't judge you, by the contrary, I'm happy to have an intelligent debate woith people well informed and not with some blind fans from other site that say everything Genesis did is perfect becausee it's Genesis. Neal Peart: great drummer, lyricist, and sometimes composer of the music in Rush. They went over all the details in soundcheck and we rehearsed the day before. The amount of music he made in that time is just remarkable. Great drummer. He had proven to be really close friends with those guys and I never related culturally, so there was always this gap between us. But on that first tour, Id be like, Come on, man. Jeff Porcaro: a great drummer but not a main composer in Toto. Its very nice to get that stuff, but at the same time, because Ive moved on, its taking me back and forcing me to deal with it again. It was quite an adjustment for me. His work ethic was just phenomenal. My opinion is that Phil is a nice person with a good sense of humour. I mean to be keep in the background in their importance in the bands. He only truly related to drums. Even though he played with Brand X, he was not comfortable with soloing. Early life [ edit] Everybody had a say. I probably heard more Elvis than anything in the Fifties. It was never a competition where I thought it should be me. But at this point in life, if I could do my own stuff, Id really love that. Ive got a studio here. Yeah, apparently so. Thiswent further,Steve wasn't even invited to the 1982 reunion in Milton Keynes (Only played the encores, because he was in audience). One day, he got pretty frustrated with me and literally cussed me out in front of everybody. Mike says that Phils drumming added a new dimension to Genesis. It was a much bigger band, Thompson told Rolling Stone in a new interview. Man, what a wacky period. Not sure what's up there? Were you intimidated when you walked into that rehearsal space? Among other things, in one interview Bruford said: "In YES, the most important members are the singer, the bassist and guitarists like Rabin and Howe. Watcher of the skies is very good and solid vocals by John Wetton, Fountain of Salmacis is great with an acoustic guitar intro and Steve singing ections with vocodsr , but my favorite is the Orchestral version of Firth of Fifth, very beautiful. At the very beginning, did they make it clear that youd be playing on the tours but not the albums, because Phil does all his own drumming? His guys werent fun, so he hung out in our tent the whole time before the show. Thats where you started hearing Motown and stuff. I just basically kept my mouth shut and my eyes open. Theyre such great singers. In recent years, hes taught at Belmont University in his adopted hometown of Nashville and toured with the Chester Thompson Trio. I cant scroll fast enough to the good parts! Music education. My audition consisted just of jamming. Peter Criss (Even lead vocals), Keith Moon, Carmine Appice, Roger Taylor (Much better backing vocalist than anybody else and even lead a couple of times). They were really nice, cool people to work with. 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. The new managers were like, Absolutely not. Apparently he was a close friend of the band because in 1969 Genesis moved to cottage owned by Richard Macphail's parents to concentrate on writing. It was sort of weird, though. Thank you, I agree with you about the intelligent debate and even if we disagree about somethings in the end its down to a matter of opinons. He liked having a big band onstage, too. I dont think hes holding a grudge. In fact, most of the names of the drummers appear almost always at the end of the credits in the album covers. Im still pretty good friends with the only two that are left, Ruth and Anita. First thing out of his mouth was, Would you come back to the band? It was perfect timing. Since then, I was pretty upset. And the best artists do it without you even realising it. He asked if Id consider coming in. We wouldnt just play a song in five. It was really interesting because I never considered that I might learn to play other instruments. One tour, he bumped it up by bringing in this guy, Jeff Simmons. Well, lets see. The last solo thing I did ventured a little outside that format. At one point on that show, I was supposed to play a backbeat to go into the last tune. [Laughs] Its interesting, I probably absorbed more of their culture than they did anything I grew up with because I was really uncomfortable. You could hear that it was something special.