But at this point in my life, Im not owed anything. The way my life has gone down, I cant say that I planned any of it. Its very rewarding and Im involved with an organization here called the Nashville Jazz Workshop. 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's probably one of the nicest, most down-to-earth guys in music (and that should be a good thing). The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time How did he know you? I wasnt enough of a diplomat to just say, Oh, everything is wonderful. The Genesis stuff was more musically challenging and interesting to me. Whats it like to walk onto that stage and see just an ocean of people going insane? They had presented him with this amazing gift. He passed away [in 2002]. Did you watch Bobs show a lot? After 1978, this must have felt like a long-term gig. What I don't like is MUZAK (Elevator music), and that's Phil's field. Even though he played with Brand X, he was not comfortable with soloing. Somebody would have their radio on the outside. He isn't the main cause of downfall for Genesis, so shut up about that. We picked what we wanted from them and made something new. What did you study? During this time, the drummer somehow also found time to tour with Santana and the Bee Gees and maintain a solo career. However he did turn Genesis into a pop group and laughed all the way to the bank. And so, we had met and played together on a few occasions. Its interesting to see peoples perception of what they think it is as opposed to the way it really was. Playing in bars must have really sharpened your skills. Genesis, as soon as they could afford it, started chartering planes for tours. He said, I double-track everything anyway, so it would be great if we could just do it together. But they all live very close together and they always had a set writing period where theyd be like, Okay, from blank to blank, were writing. They would each do that, come back with what they had and basically it was just too easy to go, OK, lets put this down. And thats what they did. Man, what a phenomenal singer and piano player. I was pretty well into music and so I started going to every single show. 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. Not sure what's up there? [Sighs] Thats a whole drama Im not crazy about. Mike, Tony and Peter seem to be working very well together composing and its hard for Phil and Stevein the beginning to contribute. No. It was a fun tour. 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. Hes sort of a quiet guy. It was the only way to work that stuff. He would be onstage. In San Francisco, they have a minimum on these shows. I saw everybody in those days. So many songs, so many albums, so many concerts. The new managers were like, Absolutely not. In fact, most of the names of the drummers appear almost always at the end of the credits in the album covers. Heres the crazy thing, man. With Weather Report, I had to learn which ones to leave out. I always thought he was a pretty good friend to me. -Ballads in Prog Rock are underrated, because Prog Rock is not "romantic". 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 certainly wasnt surprised that he was successful. They were starting rehearsals the next week for a new tour and that happened to be my favorite band at the time. 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. 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. . 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. Exactly. It`s not true. You could hear that it was something special. I was totally gasping for air. Absolutely. 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., Phil Collins and Genesis Sell Song Rights for Over $300 Million, Phil Collins Son Nic Joining Mike and the Mechanics Tour, Phil Collins Is Definitely Retired According to His Son, Jimmy Page Blasts Phil Collins Playing in Led Zep Live Aid Show, Phil Collins Sells Stunning $40 Million Miami Beach Estate, Watch Phil Collins in Lost Footage of Pre-Fame Band Flaming Youth, Phil Collins Sues Ex for Alleged Armed Occupation of Miami Home, Viral Video Sends Phil Collins In the Air Tonight Up the Chart. I had a conversation with Mike Rutherford, not knowing what they were going to be doing. Several times we were on Phils tour in 2005 and they had meetings about how to put this tour together. 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. [Laughs] That was fun. Still his guitarplay wasvery important to the music even if his composing didnt reach the albums. If you did your part, it was fun. 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 And of course, there was another drummer there and it was an audition. Thats where you started hearing Motown and stuff. Even the sax players who sometimes only play 3 notes or a solo in songs are more impotant than drummers in bands (it is the same in Jazz, not only in Rock bands). He was a different kind of guy, but what a nice, gentle kind of person. Exactly as described! I said, Man, I cant do that. I imagine it was frustrating. 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. As some of the other guys have said, a really great read. Im always looking for the new thing, the next thing to me. We go way back. Smart interviewer, letting an interesting subject just go. I still thought it would just be a couple of tours. But you have read him saying that anything after Fragile is crap, and that was a literal quote. I kind of fell in love with the flute. Thanks guys and gals for more than one million views and almost 6000 likes. I interviewed Chester years ago for Percussive Notes, and he's a great guy, we actually spent an entire day together. I wish I could afford my son. That is when we actually had soul music stations. Hed then go off to a studio and work on whatever he had in the can. The 50 Worst Decisions in Music History When you heard he was going solo, did you think it would work out for him? Gabriel, Hackett, Rutherford and banks Are great composers. Oh, yeah. She was with Michael Jackson and was actually working with Prince when he passed. At the same time, there are artists Id love to play with as well. I agree, one weak album, because GTR was a multi members enterproce that involved even Steve Howe, but it wa a disaster. Not the first day. His work ethic was just phenomenal. Phil double-tracked all the drum parts. 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. How did you grow as a drummer during your time in Weather Report? I absolutely loved this round table discussion of Zappa's drummers. Its going very well. We started playing the whole deal, the real stuff in the book. Peter says that Stevewrote things they all liked but quite a lot that they didnt like. A couple of days later, he brought the whole band in. I think that he became popular with housewives, and that was his "guilt". Yeah. I just basically kept my mouth shut and my eyes open. But hed get more comfortable with it and be really involved with putting it together. It came up again [in 1984] and it was just great. Whens the tour? And Tony Smiths eye lighted up like Id rarely seen. 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!! 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. We went up to New York to record. I dont know how to describe it, but it was based on holograph technology. I wasnt aware of any of that. Yes, please explain the secret to bypassing the RS paywall. My audition consisted just of jamming. And to be honest, my whole career has been about playing different kinds of music. The Genesis so many of us like wouldnt have been without any of members. It really was. 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. And even though I listened to the cassettes, I didnt get a real feel for what was going on before I got there. [Alarza] Lee Collins was the bass player on the session. !11, Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation, Piano, Programming, Orchestration, Fender Rhodes, Fortepiano, Keyboards, Keyboards, Programming, Orchestration, Engineer, Keyboards, Mixing, Orchestration, Engineer, Programming, Guitar, Orchestration, ?, Main Performer, Harmonica, Percussion, Vocals, Producer, Vocals (Background). Hed then go off to a studio and work on whatever he had in the can. Jeff Porcaro: a great drummer but not a main composer in Toto. Prog Rock is melodic and can be romantic, there's a difference between romantic and cheesy, most Phil Collins songs are cheesy. He flew me out to L.A. and liked my playing and we immediately started rehearsing. Not at all. 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. Phil Collins is a top ten drummer, a good backing vocalistr, an average lead singer and a lousy songwritter, that's my opinion. It was really disturbing because for the first two weeks. I also think he made a very significant positive contribution to Genesis' heyday. But Phil being Phil, he detailed every single fill, every single detail of every single song. Well appreciated, keep up enjoying Phil Collins! But to a lot of the fans, I guess they feel like it is. I didnt see Phils tour. You were still able to pack stadiums. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, Are you still teaching? I dont do gigs on it or anything. His name was Birdlegs [James Youman]. The manager of Chicago [Jim Guercio] supposedly bought it as a tax write-off. I did most of my tracks like Inca Roads with George on piano. In fact, most of the names of the drummers appear almost always at the end of the credits in the album covers. I played every weekend from eighth grade until I graduated high school. That was incredible! 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. Getting the gig was no walk in the park. And at the end of the show, he just went off. This is the same time that Chicago and Elton John are recording there. No one also seems to mention how great of a drummer he was (I am not sure if he still is). They had some really nice material they were promoting at the time [from their album One]. The worst thing you could do in Weather Report was play the exact same thing you played the night before. Were drums your first love as an instrument? And again, if you werent busy enough, you joined the Bee Gees for a tour in 1989. most great drummers won't ever do that, because they live for their drums. Unfortunately, they never had enough of his clear vocals to release it, or anything. I was like, Man, when you turned around and looked, it threw me off.. He figured it out pretty quickly. Playing that stuff from the Seventies was full of charge. 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. 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. Mike Portnoy, Lars Ulrich: I don`t know nothing about them. He played beautifully on that ballad Cannon Ball. I had already tracked most of Black Market. 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. Zidkyahu was used on the tour.]. I cant do that.. Frank had a blackboard onstage with all the note names on it. He might have some fives and sevens instead of triplets, things like that. I know they are planning a European portion. It was really cool. You guys did a drum duet at that first Genesis show in 1977 and it never left the set list after that. If you were in Franks band, you had to be willing to be silly. It didnt surprise me. That stuff smokes. Shed been on the road for three years straight and she got it. 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. There were pictures taken and all that. Phil releases "My favourite Genesis tracks from the 70`s" - rerecorded with old friends. It's really weird how people attack Phil Collins. He actually double-tracked all that stuff. It made me realize that it really was a band. Let me remember: Leee Kerslake. Those early prog-rock records? And Phil and I had a lot of the same roots. the Amazon Associates Program via amazon.com. Too bad Vinnie couldn't make it. 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. Not at all. I dont know when he slept. Yeah. This was the European stadium tour with Bob Dylan. Just to mention a few key members that played drums. Im sure if you spent time with him one-on-one it would be different. 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. Do you think if Genesis come to America, youd want to go see the show? I had gone back to Baltimore. But Phil Collins still did great things with those two albums. Basically, we rehearsed eight hours a day, 40 hours a week. Every night after the show wed hang out. Almost a tradition? So they took some time off. Well, probably. He is just a great drummer. Chester Thompson and Phil Collins Chester Thompson - From Jazz to Genesis Aug 17, 2018 by Bill King Comments Its been 42 years since drummer Chester Thompson, bassist Jeff Breeh, and myself were the backing/touring piano jazz trio for the Pointer Sisters. 153K views, 2.9K likes, 787 loves, 221 comments, 2.6K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Genesis Reunion 2020: Phil Collins and Chester Thompson Genesis The Last Domino Tour . Not too many of them sing even backing vocals. I was kind of surprised that Daryl wasnt doing it, either. He canceled a tour and was honest about it. I think that Bruford said that in 1992-93 for the "Notes of the Edge" website. We played together a lot in L.A. between Genesis tours and stuff. Exactly. George shared with me that [violinist] Jean-Luc [Ponty] didnt enjoy it so much because he couldnt stand being silly. Thats what they did when they left their gigs with Miles [Davis] and Cannonball [Adderley] to start Weather Report. Unknown to me, he quit over the Christmas holidays. Yeah. You couldnt be less than what you were supposed to be. Phil wrote in his book that he had a major drinking problem in that time period. An adult who lived in the projects where I grew up was named ODonel Levy. The first Phil solo tour was kind of a drag. He said, I just thought you should know that. So, of course, I went on doing what I did. He hung out with the band after the shows and stuff. I was never in a teenage band. 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. So I continue quite off topic!Actually I havent heard Hacketts Genesis revisited - is it good? I was okay one-on-one, but they speak much, much faster than we do. Ive done tours of my own with my jazz trio. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Phil Collins was always skittish about leaving the drum stool. But he still had that American stuff; it was a big part of his background, and we just hit it off immediately. Editors picks 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. Its an interesting gig musically speaking. I knew it was in the works. Why did you leave? But he still had that American stuff. Id say we agree on his drummingskills. That's All. I thought, Why not? I had no idea I was going to fall in love with teaching. [Laughs] He figured it out pretty quickly. The very first one, and I had to beg my older brother to take me, was Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. Santana had actually asked me to play in his band right before the call came from Phil. [Ed. The five of us lined up for a picture. He turned around and stared at me. We did European tour in a van. Had they said, Were going to change the feel a bit, I would have been fine with that. It started with some frat parties. Probably not. Everyone had gotten over themselves by then and it was just really fun from top to bottom. Ill get back to you. Sure enough, he got back and said, You were right. I believe I saw him on that same clinic tour 84-85 in NJ. Theyre such great singers. They went over all the details in soundcheck and we rehearsed the day before. It was really disturbing because, for the first two weeks, I could not follow a single conversation, he admitted. Chester Thompson sheds some light on relationship with Phil Collins. most great drummers won't ever do that, because they live for their drums. Right. 2023 Rolling Stone, LLC. Was that fun? You must log in or register to reply here. Look At The Sussudio LP Cover. 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. I learned some people don't like unpleasant realities like a great drummer describing a falling out with Phil Collins followed by a decade-long silence between them. And I dont want to ever only play one thing. Bill Graham and I could just never agree on the money. Let me remember: Leee Kerslake. The 2021 tour is billed as "The Last Domino?" named after the song "Domino" which . 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. and (apart fromthe bluesalbum)he hasstayed on the same ground, progrelated and close to classical guitarmusic. I could track one guy, kind of, but then somebody else would jump in. By the time they reached out to me, they allowed 10 days for rehearsal and it was a two-and-a-halfhour show. I cant be gone the whole time. Well, he was a little different from me. I didnt see it coming. 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. It took me a while to get over it, but I really wish him well. I dont think hes holding a grudge. My wife and I went down to see his big band in Birmingham. And I think its a fantastic opportunity that his son gets to play with him because his son drummed backstage when he was five. I saw James Brown, an early Motown revue, Sam Cooke, Chuck Jackson, Jerry Butler, the Impressions, Sam and Dave, all the Stax artists. He was smelling the money. After 20 years, it was enough. He also has composed good music, not only elevator music, as you say. I dont know if I had an expectation one way or the other. Oh, my goodness! Rolling Stone suspended its policy on Genesis not being cool enough to report on for a long interview with Chester Thompson. You didnt finish the tour, though. But the opening fill, all of that, is me. And theyd never had an American in their ranks. I read it and just wept because most of it had happened by that point. Yes, it`s true, but none of them became the permanent lead singer in their bands like Collins. It didnt frustrate me so much that I didnt do it. But at this point in life, if I could do my own stuff, Id really love that. Chester's performance and recording experiences have influenced over three decades of music and musicians. Oh, yeah. Phil Collins had to hire Chester Thompson and Bill Bruford. Mike says that Phils drumming added a new dimension to Genesis. As it turned out, I wound up doing a little, brief drum-clinic tour down there in Australia. I guess he is as close as you can get being a Genesis member without being one. After Invisible Touch, I remember their conversations where they agreed to take five years off. I still remember that. First of all, I arrived in California straight out of the hood in Baltimore. Yeah. I guess I had clarity of what I hoped to accomplish. We were playing London near the end and the guys all came down. Did you work remotely? And Id been doing it long enough at that point that I didnt have any expectations beyond knowing, Im here to do what he did [on the records]. When we played together, it was like he was the guy and Im there as the backup, to support him. Roger Taylor: good singer, good composer, good drummer, but he has never had the same success as Collins with his solo albums. What a nice man, Don Van Vliet. Theres a great jazz community, too. ", Chester Thompson on His Years With Genesis, Frank Zappa, and Weather Report, Watch Billy Joel Play Los Angelenos For First Time in 42 Years, U2 Announce Sphere Las Vegas Dates. Chester has a great attitude. 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. Its just that on tour, Daryl and I both would sometimes get dragged to a media thing. Unfortunately, they never really had to change drummers before. There was a lady with the band I kind of had a crush on and we were very much in touch. In the meantime, hed gotten a solo record deal. I was playing in the San Francisco production of The Wiz back then. 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. Even though Daryl and I werent technically in the band [Genesis], we toured as the band. And he put down some intense, complicated stuff. Has Phil talked to you at all in the past 10 years? I was playing with adults. Die DVD-Version zeigt ein ganzes Konzert vom 15. Do you talk to Daryl still? My first drum lessons were in jazz. yet (see the forest thru the trees) don't miss the interesting and insightful drum life Chester has led. We went back and forth. My opinion is that Phil is a nice person with a good sense of humour. One day, he got pretty frustrated with me and literally cussed me out in front of everybody. 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. I think it's best to keep this stuff to yourself, don't air grievances in public., especially not the press. I think Onion Head's communication skills are obnoxious. That happened because of ODonel Levy. "And so the horns would make a mistake and hed turn around and look at me! Phil Collins and Chester Thompson Interview for Drummer in 1977 during the period of Seconds Out We all knew he was going to be a great player. I could not follow a single conversation. All three members of the trio Genesis played a part in the decision to simplifiy their sound, with Banks being the most in charge. Phil Collins, Robert Colby . It was not at all unusual for all the families to be on tour together.