He might have been. Well appreciated, keep up enjoying Phil Collins! It was going to be South America too. Exactly. For me, I thought it was fifth or sixth grade. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. It was just there. Hed then go off to a studio and work on whatever he had in the can. No. That stood out more than anything. Everybody had a say. There was no getting around it. Not too many of them sing even backing vocals. Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Progatron, Feb 4, 2021. . I really admire his career, and his commitment to his FAMILY. They had presented him with this amazing gift. Basically, Alphonso left during the Christmas break [of 1975]. I cant do that.. Everything wasnt that, but a lot of the tunes went that way. That was just rhythm section, [keyboardist] George Duke, [bassist] Tom Fowler. Ive already played stuff for the guys. Was that fun? No. Ive done a couple of jazz trio albums that I really enjoyed. 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. His name was Birdlegs [James Youman]. They felt that was pretty interesting, but it was the only way we got through it. It was really interesting because I never considered that I might learn to play other instruments. How did he know you? Thats what they did when they left their gigs with Miles [Davis] and Cannonball [Adderley] to start Weather Report. [Weather Report bassist] Alphonso [Johnson] had been a friend for years. But he deserves more respect. What are your goals over the next few years? Still love to practice. It was kind of like asking your buddy to come cover your band because suddenly youre doing something different. When my mom showed me that letter I wrote in fourth grade where I had outlined I hadnt done everything in that letter, but so much of it had already happened it kind of blew me away. It was the RKO [Proctors Theatre] in Newark, the Arcada Theater in Chicago, the Royal Theatre in Baltimore, and the Howard Theatre in D.C. Wed just sit in a side room because all they really wanted was the three guys. That is when we actually had soul music stations. George and Napoleon were from San Jose and were living in Hawaii when Frank offered them the audition. He was a guitarist that was comic relief, almost. He had done all the R&B and soul stuff, but at that point in his life he just really dove into jazz. Well, he was a little different from me. Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Progatron, Feb 4, 2021. [Laughs] Its interesting, I probably absorbed more of their culture than they did anything I grew up with because I was really uncomfortable. Who were some of your drumming heroes as a teenager? We wouldnt just play a song in five. You must log in or register to reply here. I dont know when he slept. Wed do eight-hour rehearsals. Basically, he tried to come up with stuff the band couldnt play, and we always managed to pull it off. You didnt finish the tour, though. I dont know. We started playing the whole deal, the real stuff in the book. Bill Graham and I could just never agree on the money. And to be honest, my whole career has been about playing different kinds of music. 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. It was really awesome. 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. I was kind of surprised that Daryl wasnt doing it, either. Did you see any concerts in your younger years? Oh, my goodness. How were the Phil solo tours? I also had an older brother in the military. It came up again [in 1984] and it was just great. Ralph and I had to watch each other like hawks and really listen carefully. In fact, most of the names of the drummers appear almost always at the end of the credits in the album covers. He had proven to be really close friends with those guys and I never related culturally, so there was always this gap between us. Chester Thompson, who spent more than 30 years playing drums live with Genesis, recalled how Phil Collins targeted him every time things went wrong on the frontmans debut solo tour. They kind of assumed that he would. One tour, he bumped it up by bringing in this guy, Jeff Simmons. How much did you know about his music before the audition? Before one tour, we sat there and listened to all the previous tours and everything we did. 1; 2; 3; . It was this huge frame of all their albums. The guy had a great feel, but he wasnt a real reader. Yeah. Y'know, it's funny, but when I see the name Chester Thompson . Its very rewarding and Im involved with an organization here called the Nashville Jazz Workshop. Shed been on the road for three years straight and she got it. Most of the people i know think he is dead, even when the death man is healthier than ever. I dont think hes holding a grudge. The last solo thing I did ventured a little outside that format. If you were in Franks band, you had to be willing to be silly. It ended up being a little awkward since they were going to be down there for seven weeks. How about pop music? Not the first day. I interviewed Chester years ago for Percussive Notes, and he's a great guy, we actually spent an entire day together. How about if I come in and play some percussion along with Alex [Acua]? But it was uncomfortable. I don't think he was ever going to be on board with expanding it to additional legs. And so, we had met and played together on a few occasions. Phil jokingly said, Well, were all together. Come the day of the show, Peter was wherever he was at the moment, which wasnt where he said hed be the day before. The cool thing was my family came out on the road a lot. His disparaging remarks about prog was probably a case of being less than honest.Another point in his defense is that he was one of the later ones to "sell out". So I can understand he creates mixed emotions , the disappointment we all felt with the direction of music through the 80s but I think he has been turned intoa scapegoat for a much broader trend. Those two weeks, man, I dont think we ever laughed that much all the years wed been together. He ended up with a recording contract. Im just really enjoying life. "This album is dedicated to Richard MacPhail who left April, 1973.". Basically, I want to keep putting things out. Its an interesting gig musically speaking. But the next thing I know, they started having meetings. He also has composed good music, not only elevator music, as you say. But at this point Id be curious to see it. Some do it more gracefully than others. Yeah. I know people were caravanning from here to see it, but it was still a little too raw at that point. I still remember that. Basically, we rehearsed eight hours a day, 40 hours a week. And at the end of the show, he just went off. I am reminded of this Amazon review of "Dance Into the Light" (which, incidently, has the funniest Phil Collins album cover). I was okay one-on-one, but they speak much, much faster than we do. If you werent busy enough with Genesis tours and Phil Collins tours, you joined Santana in 1984? I think Onion Head's communication skills are obnoxious. But I was fortunate. Man, what a phenomenal singer and piano player. The way my life has gone down, I cant say that I planned any of it. If you listen to the title track, there are two different drummers on two different days of recording. I was playing in the San Francisco production of The Wiz back then. It was fun. Are you still teaching? We all knew he was going to be a great player. I know they are planning a European portion. They are phenomenal musicians. And Caribou Ranch was magical. And so the horns would make a mistake and hed turn around and look at me. I could track one guy, kind of, but then somebody else would jump in. You have four guys with British accents [Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Steve Hackett], and there was tour management and a couple of other guys, all with British accents. Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. We had a bunch of 78s. You couldnt take yourself that seriously. What was the first music you remember hearing as a child that really struck you? 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. This means nothing at all, it's almost a tradition. The peak of Genesis on a commercial level was the Invisible Touch period. Thanks guys and gals for more than one million views and almost 6000 likes. He asked me if I read [music] and he showed me a chart and asked me if I could learn it by the next day. I guess life had happened in between. There was a lady with the band I kind of had a crush on and we were very much in touch. When I was old enough to get my own transistor radio, that was huge. So I continue quite off topic! They were really nice, cool people to work with. In the meantime, hed gotten a solo record deal. This is the same time that Chicago and Elton John are recording there. I did most of my tracks like Inca Roads with George on piano. The keyboard player, Brad Cole, lives in Nashville. [Laughs] But Ive really been enjoying my life. The band stays like it is. Alphonso had been there three years. When I was about to transfer to a four-year school, I got the audition with [Frank] Zappa. I didnt see it coming. And Maurice too, actually. Show more 8:40. 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. None of that. Well, its been quiet. Not every Rock musician has musical studies. He told me that I sounded like crap and all that. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Chester Thompson took to the drums at an early age.James Harris, a family friend and jazz drummer, first introduced Chester to the drum kit at age 11, and by the time he was 13, Thompson was already doing club gigs in the greater Baltimore area. I enjoyed it though. Not sure what's up there? It was non-stop laughing every day. It was sort of weird, though. The worst thing you could do in Weather Report was play the exact same thing you played the night before. Zidkyahu was used on the tour.]. By the time I was eight or so, maybe a little older, you started hearing some Motown. During this time, the drummer somehow also found time to tour with Santana and the Bee Gees and maintain a solo career. He flew me out to L.A. and liked my playing and we immediately started rehearsing. Im always very aware of whats going on. Chester was very cool in this article. He would have subdivisions within a bar. It lets me read for about 90 seconds before it yanks the article. Basically, Phil flipped at Chester during the Going Back tour, for not playing exactly what he wanted to play, and they haven't spoken since. I like them and respect them, even when i disagree. The vocalist is the frontman, he/she has to move around face the audience, etc and a drummer is normally attached to his kit. I got to be friends with some guys that managed an audio store. Why didnt it go well? I was wide-eyed and paying attention and had no idea what was going on. 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. All rights reserved. That wasnt going to work. Well, I didnt sleep. 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). Oh, yeah. In my opinion, everyone has to sell out a little bit to survive. It is an impressing line up. 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. 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. I have no idea where they would play. Phil was very shocked and surprised and annoyed that I didnt say that his stuff was more fun. No. I cant be gone that much at this point. Thats when Ricky [Lawson] wound up doing [the Phil solo tours of the mid-Nineties]. You knew it at five years old. The difference being I wasnt so much into the English drummers, like Keith Moon, and he was. The very first one, and I had to beg my older brother to take me, was Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. As it turned out, I wound up doing a little, brief drum-clinic tour down there in Australia. Too bad Vinnie couldn't make it. He was pretty disappointed. But on that first tour Id be like, Come on, man. All three members of the trio Genesis played a part in the decision to simplifiy their sound, with Banks being the most in charge. I could not follow a single conversation. The first couple of years, I pretty much put it together. 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. Thiswent further,Steve wasn't even invited to the 1982 reunion in Milton Keynes (Only played the encores, because he was in audience). I had a conversation with Mike Rutherford, not knowing what they were going to be doing. Maybe once in a lifetime. Phil double-tracked all the drum parts. There were all these conversations going back and forth that Id try to track. Theyd add horn sections and stuff. Terry Bozio: good drummer but he didn`t compose anything for the band U.K. Was successful in the Missing Persons Pop band. 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. Ginger Baker: mainly a composer as soloist. And of course, there was another drummer there and it was an audition. And so we were doing Salt Peanuts at like 200 miles an hour. Gabriel, Hackett, Rutherford and banks Are great composers. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, We were playing touch football one day and Napoleon had the ball and was running past Tom, and Tom reached out and tagged him. Frank never stepped foot in there again, of course. Chester has a great attitude. Unfortunately, they never had enough of his clear vocals to release it, or anything. [Laughs] Again, Im loving what Im doing with my band. Somebody would have their radio on the outside. He had seen what turned out to be my last Weather Report concert, but he was very familiar with the Zappa stuff. No. Neal Peart: great drummer, lyricist, and sometimes composer of the music in Rush. By then, radio was getting pretty segregated. In the meantime, the few months before, they went with different management, the same people that managed Earth, Wind, and Fire. I also think that he is underrated, because he likes ballads, and not many people who likes Prog Music likes ballads. And he just totally shot down the idea of doing anything. Did they talk to you about being a part of that? This was the European stadium tour with Bob Dylan. So Phil did pop some good , some average and some contrived but all big selling. 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). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7_vNpVXubA, What happened from there? I dont think that far ahead. 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. He played us the demo on the way to a gig before it had drums on it. Im sure if you spent time with him one-on-one it would be different. Im still pretty good friends with the only two that are left, Ruth and Anita. It was something called Kung Fu. Unfortunately, it never got released. In this 2014. After rehearsal, Id go back to the hotel, go to sleep, wake up at 3 a.m., practice for a couple of hours, go back to sleep, wake up, have breakfast, and do it again. 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. But she once gave me a letter that I wrote in fourth grade that pretty much outlined my whole career. Hed mentioned that theyd been through a few drummers that year. Like I said, it was never a band in that sense. Some of it was Frank. What I can't still understand is the almost in memorian picture of him in Live 73. The first Phil solo tour was kind of a drag. 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!) 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. That was my introduction to that. He only truly related to drums. They were all good friends to the point where they said, Lets do this. So the vibe was great. Avatar: Photo of Solar Eclipse, Mexico City, July 1991. He wasnt a fan of the music. 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. I hadnt done that. I dont know if I had an expectation one way or the other. Boy, we got in rehearsal and it was like oil and water. If you know the history, Joe [Zawinul] and Wayne [Shorter] were real good friends. I love the Tokyo Tapes show you did with Steve Hackett and all the prog guys in 1996. Phil Collins, Robert Colby . Then it got weird because they got comfortable with two drummers playing. Napoleon Murphy Brock was auditioning at the same time for vocals and saxophone. Im constantly writing, constantly trying new stuff. One day, he got pretty frustrated with me and literally cussed me out in front of everybody. Obviously it's not definitive, but the Chester Thompson Wiki page does have some information on it. What happened with the Calling All Stations period with Genesis? They all put in something that made their music special. The guy's a pro, and he plays his ass off. Absolutely. A lot of well-known names. But he still had that American stuff; it was a big part of his background, and we just hit it off immediately. Steve saw it as a compromise joining the band. If you like it, get Tokyo Tapes, with live versions of various songs from this album, ITCOTCK and I Talk to the Wind by King Crimsonplus a semi acoustic version of Heat of the Moment and a lot of Hackett material. Most surely he didn't made s much money as Phil Tony and Mike, but he has a wealthy positiobn and artistic respect, something that Genesis lost. He told me what he had in mind. I also think he made a very significant positive contribution to Genesis' heyday. They assumed we were starting a new band like they did. I still thought it would just be a couple of tours. She scored one of Spike Lees movie. Genesis, as soon as they could afford it, started chartering planes for tours. After that, I went back to Baltimore to a community college for a couple of years. But doing it was really fun. He was very cool in a clinic I saw with him and saw Genesis a few times live with Chester boogaloon them through. Mick Fleetwood: owner of the band`s name, thier main founder, but not a composer in the band. 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. IMO, he is a good composer, a funny showman, a very good lead & backing singer, and one of the best drummers in Rock music. I didnt really know what was happening in the background. note: Collins did a four-city tour in June and July 2010 to promote his Motown covers record Going Back.]. He knows what he likes Well Steve was recording a couple of other albums and he was wealthy by that moment, his dream was always to make Genesis sound as he wanted to listen them. Weve been swapping ideas back and forth, writing and tracking. Chester Thompson sheds some light on relationship with Phil Collins. Drummers and keyboard players don`t have the same status as them". I believe I saw him on that same clinic tour 84-85 in NJ. I never liked the idea of re-recording old favourites but Im getting a little bit intrested now. HE WAS RECRUITED BY PHIL COLLINS, TO REPLACE PHIL AS THE PRIMARY TOURING DRUMMER. Did they audition you? The first few stadiums, its like, Oh, my goodness! And then it starts feeling normal. But you have read him saying that anything after Fragile is crap, and that was a literal quote. Drummers are not really "musicians", because they don`t play "musical notes", so let`s keep them in the background. It is an impressing line up. I only wonder what your reaction would be if (a big if!) Great drummer. This was so clear that inSeconfsOutduring the mixture they recorded guitar parts withan incredibly low volume. But they set up mics around the stage where he said he was going to be. Bill Bruford, Neil Peart, Phil Ehart (even producer), Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, Jeff Porcaro, Carl Palmer, Mike Portnoy, Mick Fleetwood (The band uses his name ), John Bonham, Carmine Appice, Stewart Copeland, Cozzy Powell, Lars Ulrich, Lee Kerslake, Don Henley, Pat Mastelotto, Terry Bozzio, Roger Taylor, Billy Cobham. Roger Taylor: good singer, good composer, good drummer, but he has never had the same success as Collins with his solo albums. Duke lp is OK but Misunderstanding shoud not be on that LP that is more of Onion Head solo lp song. They had some really nice material they were promoting at the time [from their album One]. Id say we agree on his drummingskills. We crossed paths several times [after that] and there were never any weird vibes about it or anything. And goodness, the emails I get! It was about to move to Chicago and I was kind of wondering, Why havent I got my contract yet?. 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? Phil Collins and Chester Thompson Interview for Drummer in 1977 during the period of Seconds Out No mud slinging at all. I thought, Why not? I had no idea I was going to fall in love with teaching. most great drummers won't ever do that, because they live for their drums. How was the 2007 Genesis tour? What a nice man, Don Van Vliet. 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 Send us a tip using our anonymous form. And its fine. Phil Collins on lead vocals. My wife had her own career when we met. Whats going on? He said, Didnt you quit the band? I said, No, what are you talking about? Didnt you quit with Alphonso? I go, Alphonso quit? Yeah. He's also a competent singer, whether with prog., jazz, or pop. It was definitely different musically since the band was much bigger with horns and backup singers. They did some concerts and demos and then the real story started with Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel joining Ant and Mike 1967. We laughed a lot. It's really weird how people attack Phil Collins. I just knew that he was a radically different person than Id ever known. Beans and Corn Bread was probably my favorite Louis Jordan tune. Basically, I literally transcribed everything Phil played on those early prog-rock albums. Still his guitarplay wasvery important to the music even if his composing didnt reach the albums. How was it for you culturally? As a matter of fact, we had already been told what dates to hold for 2008. I have no idea. I played every weekend from eighth grade until I graduated high school. What I don't like is MUZAK (Elevator music), and that's Phil's field. But Im over it now. Im grateful. My audition consisted just of jamming. 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 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 By Andy Greene February 4, 2021 "Culturally, we were on. You taught for years at the college level. What was he like? Even Collins, Bruford (who only received a few musical lessons), Steve Howe, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, etc. 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. Phil is not one of those artists. It was Phils gig, obviously. No. Man, it was fun. 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. He was a virtuoso, no question, but most of his stuff was straight 16ths. Behind a login thing. We picked what we wanted from them and made something new. They were having a little congratulations party for Tony [Smith] to celebrate 30 years of management or something. That's pretty much the zest of it. Well, probably. We played together a lot in L.A. between Genesis tours and stuff. 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 www.yahoo.com 1975 Slingerland Stage Band, Poplar/Mahogany, White Marine Pearl (20,12,13,14, plus 16 Premier) Its not something he did. But not only did Thompson stick with Genesis all the way through their Turn It On Again reunion tour of 2007 Collins also brought him over to his solo career in 1981 and used him for nearly all of his tours between 1981 and 2010. I wish him nothing but the best. Yes, some of his ballads are cheesy. This is before they had their own studio. Man, it was wonderful. Man, what an education to see all those people in their prime. I imagine it was frustrating. He was a phenomenal player oh, my goodness. He kept trying to get me to take less than what I was already making. It`s not true. [Laughs]. Frank had a blackboard onstage with all the note names on it. After Invisible Touch, I remember their conversations where they agreed to take five years off.
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