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. Whats it like to walk onto that stage and see just an ocean of people going insane? Chester Thompson sheds some light on relationship with Phil Collins He also has composed good music, not only elevator music, as you say. You must log in or register to reply here. I dont know when he slept. I wish him nothing but the best. Chester Thompson - DRUMMERWORLD In fact, I had called. It was the only way to work that stuff. I was leaving straight from San Francisco. I dont know details of what happened with that, but I think Peter was busy putting something else together. Say It Right, Aug 16, 2018 #152 The_Windmill likes this. Chester Thompson: Schlagzeug; Leland Sklar: Bass; Brad Cole: Keyboards; Produktion. Had they brought me, they would have had to pay another musician just to sit there. 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. Prog Rock is melodic and can be romantic, there's a difference between romantic and cheesy, most Phil Collins songs are cheesy. Were drums your first love as an instrument? Again, as humans, we adapt. 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. I was never in a teenage band. I knowsome people are not going to like my commentaries . Phil Collins and Chester Thompson Interview for Drummer in 1977 during the period of Seconds Out I guess they were never able to release it because Peter is pretty spontaneous and it drove the sound engineer crazy. He jokingly referred to it as a "selection of shows". Thanks for sharing. I read it and just wept because most of it had happened by that point. I didnt really know what was happening in the background. Not at all. I cant do that.. The difference being I wasnt so much into the English drummers, like Keith Moon, and he was. Drummer reacts to Phil Collins, Chester Thompson & Luis Conte - YouTube Chester Thompson on Decade-Long Rift with Crab Apple Phil Collins Beans and Corn Bread was probably my favorite Louis Jordan tune. [Laughs] Umm I didnt really think it was going to be the end. Oh, yeah. 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". Man, it was fun. Ralph Humphrey was very helpful that whole time because I had been getting into odd times, but not at the level Frank was doing it. Ginger Baker: mainly a composer as soloist. And to be honest, my whole career has been about playing different kinds of music. Basically, I had to jump right into the deep end. I know people were caravanning from here to see it, but it was still a little too raw at that point. Phil was very shocked and surprised and annoyed that I didnt say that his stuff was more fun. I just knew that he was a radically different person than Id ever known. I cant be gone the whole time. Drummers are not really "musicians", because they don`t play "musical notes", so let`s keep them in the background. I no longer teach at the university, but I have taken on some private students. There was a short tour coming up and he reached out to me. I have no memory of that whatsoever. "It was quite an adjustment for me. We did most of the tracking up at Caribou Ranch in Colorado. Not all his music is that way.With the exception of his Disney music albums and his "Testify" album, I have listened to most of his albums.I found some good songs there. Santana had actually asked me to play in his band right before the call came from Phil. Theyve got a studio. 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. At one point on that show, I was supposed to play a backbeat to go into the last tune. most great drummers won't ever do that, because they live for their drums. There was no getting around it. I said to those guys, I dont care if you use another drummer on parts of the album. Im constantly writing, constantly trying new stuff. 155K views 1 year ago NASHVILLE CHESTER THOMPSON PLAYED DRUMS WITH GENESIS FROM 1976-2007 . I think it's best to keep this stuff to yourself, don't air grievances in public., especially not the press. I still thought it would just be a couple of tours. Great drummer. Drummers and keyboard players don`t have the same status as them". It was just there. The last solo thing I did ventured a little outside that format. Watch Chester Thompson's blistering drumming for Phil Collins 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. Why didnt it go well? Yes, please explain the secret to bypassing the RS paywall. I recall someone asking Chester if he could swing with his snare tilted so steeply. Listen Renaissance, Marillion, Pendragon Barclay James Harvest, Moody Blues, Procol Harum, The Strawbs, etc are full of ballads, and nobody ever made a problem. It is an impressing line up. Avatar: Photo of Solar Eclipse, Mexico City, July 1991. What were your early impressions of Frank? 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. I knew it was in the works. That's pretty much the zest of it. It ended up being a little awkward since they were going to be down there for seven weeks. Phil Collins / Chester Thompson (Genesis) Drum Duet 1980 - 84 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? Carl Palmer: again great drummer but not a main composer in ELP or Asia. In my mind, these guys were almost hippies compared to what I was used to. Thats where you started hearing Motown and stuff. 1; 2; 3; . After a year with him, I spent some time in Boston with a keyboard player named Webster Lewis, who was phenomenal. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Turns out they had hired Jaco. I wasnt enough of a diplomat to just say, Oh, everything is wonderful. The Genesis stuff was more musically challenging and interesting to me. Like I said, it was never a band in that sense. Do you recall first hearing In the Air Tonight? Get out of here., Turns out, he went to the hospital and he really had broken his finger. 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. As far as I know he doesn't have the health Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Progatron, Feb 4, 2021. What was he like? Genesis' The Last Domino? They limit the amount of times you can access their site. It had been intense the whole time. 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. Phil was not sure family-wise and he hasnt had the easiest of times there. -Ballads in Prog Rock are underrated, because Prog Rock is not "romantic". And the best artists do it without you even realising it. Theyre just sitting there like, Impress me. It really annoyed them that they reached event status as opposed to just playing to fans. Obviously it's not definitive, but the Chester Thompson Wiki page does have some information on it. JavaScript is disabled. A great experience to see. At one point, we discussed it and it was like, If we dont really need to be there, you guys are fine to go and do what youre doing. [Laughs]. It didnt frustrate me so much that I didnt do it. He got a film-editing machine and wanted to really dig in and learn how to use it, which he did. The guy was brilliant, amazing. But they asked Daryl and I to come to this little room on the side. Chester Thompson Drum cam - Inside Out (live 1990) - YouTube Captain Beefheart plays harmonica on the album. And so when he quit again at the end of that, I think there was a shock. 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). 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. 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? We played songs and that was that. What did you study? I probably heard more Elvis than anything in the Fifties. I agree, one weak album, because GTR was a multi members enterproce that involved even Steve Howe, but it wa a disaster. And again, if you werent busy enough, you joined the Bee Gees for a tour in 1989. I thougfh the consensus was that Collins was not the only reason, but just a small part of Genesis's evolving intoa pop band? I was kind of surprised that Daryl wasnt doing it, either. And even though I listened to the cassettes, I didnt get a real feel for what was going on before I got there. You couldnt be less than what you were supposed to be. They have a game plan that was a whole lot different scenario than anything Weather Report had experienced. Ive crossed paths with Joe many times since and he even apologized at one point for the way it all went down, but I didnt have a problem with it. The reason we were doing it was to raise money for Peter since he went broke doing his first WOMAD show. How was that? Fortunately, the bass player [Bob Babbitt] stepped in and started the tune. Good read! Ive got a studio here. He flew me out to L.A. and liked my playing and we immediately started rehearsing. Somebody would have their radio on the outside. Heres the crazy thing, man. Ive done some teaching, not a lot, but at the moment I have a handful of private students at a school. I mean, there was mutual respect and stuff, but there was never, like, a friendship. And he just totally shot down the idea of doing anything. But at this point in life, if I could do my own stuff, Id really love that. 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. Im always very aware of whats going on. Yeah. Its an interesting gig musically speaking. Wed do eight-hour rehearsals. Chester Thompson sheds some light on relationship with Phil Collins. I mean, I know what I hoped for. Yeah. I dont know when he slept. And so we were doing Salt Peanuts at like 200 miles an hour. Apparently Phil and Bill grew up near each other and knew each other fairly well. We all knew he was going to be a great player. When I was about to transfer to a four-year school, I got the audition with [Frank] Zappa. But I did wind up coming back in 1999. How was Frank as a bandleader? The worst thing you could do in Weather Report was play the exact same thing you played the night before. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Phil Collins open to Genesis reunion with son, Nic, on drums It must have been interesting to watch them evolve from And Then There Were Three to Duke to Abacab and see them embrace New Wave to some degree and change up their sound. 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. 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). He is just a great drummer. I am a huge Genesis fan, but am only in high school so I never experienced Genesis when they were popular. Oh, yeah. "This album is dedicated to Richard MacPhail who left April, 1973.". How about pop music? I didnt know, but he did step back for quite a while. How was the 2007 Genesis tour? I felt like I needed to work on my playing. I have a big MS Word file with interviews about the "Union" album of YES. Phil Collins: A Nasty Man? - Progressive Rock Music Forum - Page 5 Hes gone., Were the dates in Australia and other markets you didnt hit the first time? By the time I was eight or so, maybe a little older, you started hearing some Motown. Steve and I always stayed pretty good friends. He played beautifully on that ballad Cannon Ball. I had already tracked most of Black Market. It's just horrible. In the meantime, hed gotten a solo record deal. I go down there and jam with the band. Well, lets see. That is the reason he left the drums to Chester and Bruford. I grew up in the projects, so in the summer there would be people outside playing music. No. Juli 1990 auf der Berliner Waldbhne, kurz nach dem Fall der Berliner Mauer. And then I ended up doing Phils Motown thing and that didnt go well. Its not something he did. All of the above. I kind of fell in love with the flute. What I can't still understand is the almost in memorian picture of him in Live 73. I got to be friends with some guys that managed an audio store. 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. I mean, how many damn sings can one guywrite for Disney? I could track one guy, kind of, but then somebody else would jump in. After that, I went back to Baltimore to a community college for a couple of years. Basically, he tried to come up with stuff the band couldnt play, and we always managed to pull it off. At the same time, there are artists Id love to play with as well. It was great. But he still had that American stuff. And I grew up with that Motown stuff, so I think maybe I took it for granted. We had a theater like the Apollo. 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!! It was really cool. I have no idea where they would play. He was a different kind of guy, but what a nice, gentle kind of person. [Laughs] Not very much. Absolutely. [Laughs]. Phil wrote in his book that he had a major drinking problem in that time period. I found out I wasnt going to Chicago and then Phil [Collins] called me himself, basically offering the Genesis gig. This is the same time that Chicago and Elton John are recording there. During that same conversation, I said to him, As a matter of fact, I need to take a break from doing both. Chester Thompson on Decade-Long Rift with Crab Apple Phil Collins. You could hear that it was something special. Phil double-tracked all the drum parts. Hed come home and always put on some Billie Holiday. It had been years. If you listen to the title track, there are two different drummers on two different days of recording. affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network, and 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. His work ethic was just phenomenal. 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. Thats what they did when they left their gigs with Miles [Davis] and Cannonball [Adderley] to start Weather Report. It was this huge frame of all their albums. Even though Daryl and I werent technically in the band [Genesis], we toured as the band. Yeah. Chester Thompson - IMDb I didnt see Phils tour. Its very rewarding and Im involved with an organization here called the Nashville Jazz Workshop. But with Phil, youre one of a cast of thousands. They were starting rehearsals the next week for a new tour and that happened to be my favorite band at the time. It became my second instrument, but its still for my pleasure. Yeah. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Well, I didnt sleep. The peak of Genesis on a commercial level was the Invisible Touch period. Suddenly, Im there with no income. I thought, Why not? I had no idea I was going to fall in love with teaching. He might have been. If you know the history, Joe [Zawinul] and Wayne [Shorter] were real good friends. Everybody had a say. It was not at all unusual for all the families to be on tour together. They had promised him membership in the band. All rights reserved. How did you wind up touring with Ben E. King in 1969? His guys werent fun, so he hung out in our tent the whole time before the show. Theyre such great singers. At least 50% of the already mentioned are composers also, and yes there are few drummers who are lead singers, because they would need to hire another musician to replace them while singing. 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. Look At The Sussudio LP Cover. I don't think Phil Collins can be fully blamed for the change of direction. Did you take a crash course in Genesis before you went in? Exactly as described! 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. The whole band took Tony's side (There's no Genesis without Tony) instead of compromising, giving more songs to Steve, It's ridiculous that Your Own Special Way was in W&W instead of Steve's superior material. Influenced by the likes of Max Roach, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, and Tony Williams along with the popular music . Serious Hits Live! - Wikipedia 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. But she once gave me a letter that I wrote in fourth grade that pretty much outlined my whole career. Was it hard on your marriage that you were never home? Phil Collins (onion head) <-nickname), is a great drummer and that is where i believed he should have stayed. [Laughs] Culturally, we were on opposite sides of the world. I cant scroll fast enough to the good parts! Almost a tradition? But Phil Collins still did great things with those two albums. It's really weird how people attack Phil Collins. Phil and I locked way easier than Ralph Humphrey and I did. No. Discover what he did to anger Thompson so much they haven't exchanged holiday cards since 2019. A little bit later he goes, Man, I think I broke my finger. We all went, Come on. I agree 100% it0s absurd to consider him nasty, the guy made a solid contribution with his drumming and backing vocals during Gabriel years and a pretty decent job as lead vocalist in ATOTT and specially on W&W. This means nothing at all, it's almost a tradition. I started thinking, Now what did I do? And so I kind of froze. Chester was very cool in this article. Playing that stuff from the Seventies was full of charge. Yeah. He actually went over everything and duplicated it, put everything down twice. Some do it more gracefully than others. They had presented him with this amazing gift. It was fun. But on that first tour, Id be like, Come on, man. George shared with me that [violinist] Jean-Luc [Ponty] didnt enjoy it so much because he couldnt stand being silly. 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. They didnt find out until pretty late in the game that Bill wasnt going to do the next tour.