NEWS IN THE WORLD OF GENESIS - MAY  2004

May 22, 2004
Hackett Announces Archive 04

June 28th will see the release of Steve Hackett's Archive 04, a new 2-CD chronicle from the last night of Steve's 2004 European tour recorded on April 3, 2004 at Petofi Csarnok, in Budapest, Hungary. The title is available for pre-order now! The track listing is as follows:

As you can see from the tracks above, the set list has changed quite a bit which is a refreshing change from the last Archive title. Get yours today!

May 15, 2004
Official Genesis Site Confirms Status Of North American Mechanics Release

According to the webmaster of the official Genesis site, there is no record deal in place for the release of the Mike & The Mechanics album, Rewired, in North America. Hence, the Mechanics will not be opening up for Phil Collins on the North American leg of his tour. Fortunately, you can still purchase the European import version of Rewired here.

May 15, 2004
Genesis Attempt To Halt Release of Unsanctioned DVD

According to posts on the Forum section of the official Genesis website, a new DVD that was set to be released, Genesis: A Critical Review 1975 to 1980, may not see the light of day. The DVD has not been sanctioned by the band or their management, and the group is attempting to prevent the release and/or distribution of the product. The DVD was to include live snippets of a few songs (used without permission) along with analysis and opinion by critics and old band interviews. I am sure it goes without saying that Genesis and their management encourage people not to support this product should it get released.

May 14, 2004
TheMusic.com Sets The Record Straight On Phil Collins' Encore CDs

Several places across the Internet are citing an interview on the Stereophile website that claims that TheMusic.com will be releasing 60 Phil Collins 2004 live shows on CD as part of their Encore Series. According to a direct source at TheMusic.com this is NOT confirmed at this time. So, while there may be discussions about their release, nothing is officially planned at this time.

May 14, 2004
New Chester Thompson DVD Available

According to the official Chester Thompson site, a new DVD called On The Fly will be available at the merchandise stand at the Phil Collins 2004 tour. As of right now, it does not appear to be available in stores.

May 14, 2004
New Single Announced For Ray Wilson Album

The first single from Ray's new album, The Next Best Thing, will be "These Are The Changes" and the CD single will be released on June 28th (the same day as the album).

May 14, 2004
Special Edition Version of Anna Gabriel Documentary DVD Being Considered

According to the official Peter Gabriel site, a deluxe version of the Anna Gabriel documentary DVD is being considered for release. Check out the official site for details.

May 9, 2004
Phil Collins Ballads CD Due In July

On July 6th in North America, Phil Collins will release a new collection titled Ballads on Rhino Records (a division of WEA). No track listing is available at this time, but as the title suggests it will focus on Phil's love songs.

May 9, 2004
Live Aid DVD Set Expected To Be Released By December 

As most Phil Collins fans know, Collins made music history at the Live Aid concerts in England and Philadelphia in July 1985 when he flew the Concorde making appearances at both locations in a single day. Collins also found time to perform with a lesser known band called Led Zeppelin that day, replacing the late John Bonham. The 16-hour event also featured many of the days biggest musical acts like Madonna, U2, Queen, Bob Dylan, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Sting, and countless others. Sadly, the concert has never been officially released on DVD or compact disc... Until now!

According to BBC News, organizers of the event will be auctioning the rights of the video for a DVD release that could hit the stores by Christmas. Proceeds from the DVD release will go to the Band Aid Trust, which still exists to relieve poverty and hunger in Ethiopia and the surrounding area. The article states that they expect to raise "a few million pounds" for charity through this endeavor. However, there may be cause for delay, as this release will require authorization from all those who participated. Organizer Bob Geldof does not believe that this will be an issue since proceeds will go to charity. 

May 9, 2004
Steve Hackett Announces Italian Tour Dates

According to the official Steve Hackett site, Steve will be playing a couple of dates in Italy
this summer:

- Monday, July 26th, in Rome at Stadio Centrale del Tennis - Foro Italico
(For information call: +39 (06) 807 4560
- Wednesday, July 28th, in Palermo at Teatro di Verdura 
(For information call: +39 (091) 605 3111). 

Tickets are not available for sale yet.

May 9, 2004
Ray Wilson's New Album Available For Pre-Order!

You can now pre-order Ray Wilson's forthcoming album, The Next Best Thing. The album will be released on June 28th on Inside Out Records.

The track listing is as follows:

Audio snippets from the album can be heard on the official Ray Wilson site.

May 9, 2004
Ray Wilson Joins Forces With DJ Shah

Ray Wilson has written a new song with DJ Shah called "Nobody Else." The song is due for release later this year. For more information on DJ Shah click here.

May 9, 2004
Information on Mechanics Bonus DVD

As posted last month, the limited edition version of the new Mechanics album, Rewired, features a bonus DVD. Here is the actual track listing for the bonus DVD:

1. One Left Standing 
2. If I Were You 
3. Perfect Child 
4. Rewired 
5. I Don't Want It All 
6. How Can I 
7. Falling 
8. Somewhere Along The Line 
9. Underscore 
10. One Left Standing - 'Rabbit'

May 9, 2004
Phil Collins Adds Additional U.S. Dates To Fall Tour

According to the official Phil Collins site, Phil will be playing the following cities as part of his North American Tour: Friday, September 3rd, in Oklahoma City at the Ford Center and Tuesday, September 7th, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Bradley Center. Tickets for both shows go on sale on On sale Saturday 15th May 15th at 10 a.m.

May 9, 2004
Gabriel Announces Supporting Acts For His 2004 Tour

According to the official Peter Gabriel site, Gabriel has selected two opening acts with each reflecting his own musical tastes. "Inspired by the unique song-writing talents of a new band from Liverpool Peter did not hesitate to pursue Sizer Barker and sign the band to his new record label imprint Pre Records. Daby Toure, who will perform solo, is one of a new generation of young talented African artists who draw on traditional roots transforming them with European-influenced pop sounds."

May 9, 2004
Gabriel Documentary Now Available On WOMAD Shop

For those of you who won't be able to see Peter Gabriel on his Still Growing Up 2004 Tour, you can purchase his daughter Anna's DVD documentary on the 2003 tour at the WOMAD Shop. For those who will see Gabriel this summer, you can buy the DVD at the concert (both NTSC and PAL versions are available). 

May 9, 2004
New Genesis Biography Released

Mario Giammetti, of the respected Italian Genesis fanzine Dusk, has written a new biography on the band. The Italian language text is available now and information on the book can be found through the Dusk website. Mario has been a respected force in the Genesis fan community for years, so the book should be a great read! I hope someday we will see an English translation edition!

May 9, 2004
The Music.com To Release 60 Phil Collins Concerts As Part of Encore Series

According to Stereophile, TheMusic.com will be releasing 60 Phil Collins concerts on his First Final Farewell Tour for release as part of their Encore series. This is still not acknowledged on TheMusic.com site, so I'm not sure if this is 100% credible yet. Once more is known, it will be posted here. TheMusic.com did not respond to my inquiry about their possible involvement at the time of this post.