Nothing against Phil's son, I'm sure he's good, but why hasn't anyone said anything about Chester? If you werent busy enough with Genesis tours and Phil Collins tours, you joined Santana in 1984? And initially, that was so families could travel. Good read! But she once gave me a letter that I wrote in fourth grade that pretty much outlined my whole career. I absolutely loved this round table discussion of Zappa's drummers. He was happy. I have no idea where they would play. They said to me, Youre playing it wrong. But the manager had gone out of his way to call me before we took the Christmas break since they were so happy with the tracks wed done. Chester Thompson sheds some light on relationship with Phil Collins Ralph and I had to watch each other like hawks and really listen carefully. He was a member from the beginning, when they did there really masterful work, but no one seems to mention that. He told me what he had in mind. Just to mention a few key members that played drums. So, he had to be at the front of the stage. HE WAS RECRUITED BY PHIL COLLINS, TO REPLACE PHIL AS THE PRIMARY TOURING DRUMMER. As far as teaching, I only took that gig because my son was going to that school. In fact, most of the names of the drummers appear almost always at the end of the credits in the album covers. !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). Avatar: Photo of Solar Eclipse, Mexico City, July 1991. I started thinking, Now what did I do? And so I kind of froze. He got a film-editing machine and wanted to really dig in and learn how to use it, which he did. He made Frank laugh and a big part of those days was humor. And then it got to be a little more honest. Bill Graham and I could just never agree on the money. Wed do eight-hour rehearsals. He asked if Id consider coming in. Why did you leave? Well, lets see. It didnt surprise me. Oh, my goodness. most great drummers won't ever do that, because they live for their drums. Ive done a couple of jazz trio albums that I really enjoyed. He might have some fives and sevens instead of triplets, things like that. We wouldnt just play a song in five. . He canceled a tour and was honest about it. Several times we were on Phils tour in 2005 and they had meetings about how to put this tour together. 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) Phil Collins was always skittish about leaving the drum stool. It was kind of like asking your buddy to come cover your band because suddenly youre doing something different. He isn't the main cause of downfall for Genesis, so shut up about that. Phil helped survive Genesis. Can anyone speculate as to why Chester Thompson won't be - Reddit And of course, my mom loved music. I have no memory of that whatsoever. Die DVD-Version zeigt ein ganzes Konzert vom 15. They are phenomenal musicians. I cant do that.. Shed been on the road for three years straight and she got it. Basically, I literally transcribed everything Phil played on those early prog-rock albums. First of all, I arrived in California straight out of the hood in Baltimore. Yes, some of his ballads are cheesy. I watched it a couple of times, but Bob hung out with us the whole time. And so the horns would make a mistake and hed turn around and look at me. 155K views 1 year ago NASHVILLE CHESTER THOMPSON PLAYED DRUMS WITH GENESIS FROM 1976-2007 . Phil was not sure family-wise and he hasnt had the easiest of times there. He liked having a big band onstage, too. Serious Hits Live! - Wikipedia 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. He jokingly referred to it as a "selection of shows". Smart interviewer, letting an interesting subject just go. That stuff smokes. I had gone back to Baltimore. Even though he played with Brand X, he was not comfortable with soloing. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, Im always looking for the new thing, the next thing to me. [Laughs] There was no way I could learn it by the next day. I cant be gone that much at this point. Thats when Ricky [Lawson] wound up doing [the Phil solo tours of the mid-Nineties]. After 20 years, it was enough. Its not something he did. Its interesting to see peoples perception of what they think it is as opposed to the way it really was. But the next thing I know, they started having meetings. 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. It took me a while to get over it, but I really wish him well. We laughed a lot. Frank never stepped foot in there again, of course. He could really play. I was pretty well into music and so I started going to every single show. [Ed. No, I'm not a big fan of Collins, and no, I don't have any of his solo albums. Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Progatron, Feb 4, 2021. Yeah, apparently so. Affiliate programs and Oh, my goodness. So Phil did pop some good , some average and some contrived but all big selling. Frank was doing time within time. The only person I didnt see was probably Otis Redding. Playing that stuff from the Seventies was full of charge. He said, I just thought you should know that. So, of course, I went on doing what I did. Every night after the show wed hang out. Yeah. I still thought it would just be a couple of tours. They have a game plan that was a whole lot different scenario than anything Weather Report had experienced. So they took some time off. Has Phil talked to you at all in the past 10 years? Whens the tour? And Tony Smiths eye lighted up like Id rarely seen. I worked with him during a really happy period in his life. You can tell he is play acting. 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. Man, I still love to play. 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. They sent over some cassettes. Chester Thompson on His Years With Genesis, Frank Zappa, and Weather Report, Northern California between Sac and SF, CA, (You must log in or sign up to reply here. In the book Tony says that Phil liked Yes and brought some of their playing ability to Genesis. I was like, Yeah. But to a lot of the fans, I guess they feel like it is. It had been years. and (apart fromthe bluesalbum)he hasstayed on the same ground, progrelated and close to classical guitarmusic. He had done all the R&B and soul stuff, but at that point in his life he just really dove into jazz. We were like 9,000 feet above sea level in Colorado. When I worked with him, the core of the group was Napoleon on saxophone and singing, Bruce Fowler on trombone, Tom Fowler on bass, [percussionist] Ruth Underwood, George ,and Frank. 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. Everybody had a say. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Right. Feb 7, 2021 #34 . The band stays like it is. Alphonso had been there three years. Phil Collins & Chester Thompson (Seconds Out 1977) - YouTube He's probably one of the nicest, most down-to-earth guys in music (and that should be a good thing). And theyd never had an American in their ranks. For lack of a better word, they are really, really British. It was really interesting because I never considered that I might learn to play other instruments. 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. 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. We crossed paths several times [after that] and there were never any weird vibes about it or anything. We had this other guy jump in. He would be onstage. Phil jokingly said, Well, were all together. Editors picks You couldnt take yourself that seriously. . Chester Thompson on Decade-Long Rift with Crab Apple Phil Collins He must have a contract for a hundred and one sappy stereotypical songs for Disney movies. Do you think if Genesis come to America, youd want to go see the show? Phil and I, from the very first rehearsal when he sat down and we started jamming together, we just locked, he said. As a matter of fact, we had already been told what dates to hold for 2008. He wasnt a fan of the music. It`s not true. Tell me about recording One Size Fits All. When I was 13 and able to go on my own, I pretty much went every other week. They were having a little congratulations party for Tony [Smith] to celebrate 30 years of management or something. Phil Collins - Take me Home (live 1990) - Chester Thompson Drum cam How much did you know about prog-rock bands like Yes, King Crimson [Weather Report bassist] Alphonso [Johnson] had been a friend for years. I never liked the idea of re-recording old favourites but Im getting a little bit intrested now. Chester Thompson was born on 11 December 1948 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. I was leaving straight from San Francisco. Im fine either way. Like I said, it was never a band in that sense. ", 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. They were all good friends to the point where they said, Lets do this. So the vibe was great. 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. Playing in bars must have really sharpened your skills. At one point on that show, I was supposed to play a backbeat to go into the last tune. And much less, a black American. And they had great songs. It was interesting because Tom Fowler, our bass player, had broken his hand on tour. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. But he just enjoyed being around us since we were so lively and fun. Thats where I started. Not the first day. When Phil said that his 2004 tour was going to be his last one, did you believe him? That is when we actually had soul music stations. In the meantime, the few months before, they went with different management, the same people that managed Earth, Wind, and Fire. "This album is dedicated to Richard MacPhail who left April, 1973.". I mean to be keep in the background in their importance in the bands. But the opening fill, all of that, is me. Yeah. I dont do gigs on it or anything. Ill get back to you. Sure enough, he got back and said, You were right. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 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. During that particular run, there was none, ever. It is an impressing line up. thxs VB; Black Market split in half drumwise; good stuff. Yes, please explain the secret to bypassing the RS paywall. I was like, Man, when you turned around and looked, it threw me off.. We always opened and usually left afterwards, though Carlos sometimes came out with Bob and I stayed to watch two or three times. What are you talking about?. But I was pretty surprised when he left. In my mind, these guys were almost hippies compared to what I was used to. There were all these conversations going back and forth that Id try to track. Goodness. I no longer teach at the university, but I have taken on some private students. It was really cool. Why didn't Chester Thompson get the drum gig after Collins quit Genesis It wasnt the same kind of luxury and stuff, which is fine. Phil Collins had to hire Chester Thompson and Bill Bruford. How did he know you? And to be honest, my whole career has been about playing different kinds of music. 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 go down there and jam with the band. And the tour was that way too. -Guitarists/vocalists/bassists/keyboardists "heroes" are the most important members in a band . Chester Thompson - IMDb Was it hard on your marriage that you were never home? But I did wind up coming back in 1999. They felt that was pretty interesting, but it was the only way we got through it. I was wide-eyed and paying attention and had no idea what was going on. I didnt see Phils tour. The five of us lined up for a picture. Phil Collins had to hire Chester Thompson and Bill Bruford. He was a phenomenal player oh, my goodness. We normally had a lot of eye contact at shows. The guy was brilliant, amazing. I think that he became popular with housewives, and that was his "guilt". She was with Michael Jackson and was actually working with Prince when he passed. Before one tour, we sat there and listened to all the previous tours and everything we did. Lee Kerslake: he sings backing vocals but again not the main composer in Uriah Heep. Phil Collins on lead vocals. Probably not. I was playing with adults. Why didnt it go well? Yeah. You are using an out of date browser. 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. Phil releases "My favourite Genesis tracks from the 70`s" - rerecorded with old friends. That is the reason he left the drums to Chester and Bruford. Weird. No one also seems to mention how great of a drummer he was (I am not sure if he still is). He kept trying to get me to take less than what I was already making. Part of me is not disappointed that Im not playing those same tunes again after 30 years. Chester Thompson. When I was about to transfer to a four-year school, I got the audition with [Frank] Zappa. And then I got into better clubs around Baltimore. We picked what we wanted from them and made something new. That must have been a very satisfying experience. 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). Early life [ edit] It scared the pants off me. And hes that good at them both. note: Collins did a four-city tour in June and July 2010 to promote his Motown covers record Going Back.]. [Laughs] Again, Im loving what Im doing with my band. And then it was Louis Hayes and Elvin Jones. Almost a tradition? most great drummers won't ever do that, because they live for their drums. IvanI think we have reached the end of our discussion wether Phil is nasty or not. It was really cool. It was a much bigger band. Im grateful. They were really nice, cool people to work with. Frank was playing guitar. When I was old enough to get my own transistor radio, that was huge. [Laughs] Culturally, we were on opposite sides of the world. You guys have always done that. It wasnt the same kind of luxury and stuff, which is fine., He added that Genesis was very balanced, instead of having a leader, and everybody had their say. But his first experience with Collins as boss was kind of a drag. He only truly related to drums," Thompson explained. It was really disturbing because, for the first two weeks, I could not follow a single conversation, he admitted. 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. But I was fortunate. George shared with me that [violinist] Jean-Luc [Ponty] didnt enjoy it so much because he couldnt stand being silly. But they set up mics around the stage where he said he was going to be. We played together a lot in L.A. between Genesis tours and stuff. There was no getting around it. You guys did a drum duet at that first Genesis show in 1977 and it never left the set list after that. He was a guitarist that was comic relief, almost. Unfortunately, they never had enough of his clear vocals to release it, or anything. Since then, I was pretty upset. I believe I saw him on that same clinic tour 84-85 in NJ. Phil Collins offers health update ahead of Genesis reunion - MusicRadar First, a great interview. However he did turn Genesis into a pop group and laughed all the way to the bank. Phil Collins: A Nasty Man? - Progressive Rock Music Forum - Page 5 But what a great tour and what a great band. Even Collins, Bruford (who only received a few musical lessons), Steve Howe, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, etc. Also note that Onion Head didn't do much writting on the good Genesis LPs like: Foxtrot, Trespass, Selling England, Lamb, Nursery, Trick of the tail, EWnd and Wuthering. Weve been healthy, fortunately. but it was some kind of fight for the power and Tony won. 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. It was not fun. Always wondered what happened to Chester. . The 2021 tour is billed as "The Last Domino?" named after the song "Domino" which . This is before they had their own studio. 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. Yeah. Zidkyahu was used on the tour.]. He also has composed good music, not only elevator music, as you say. Too bad Vinnie couldn't make it. We had a bunch of 78s. When they did, theyd literally call each other up and go, Lets go do it. And so that never happened, basically. Some do it more gracefully than others. My wife and I went down to see his big band in Birmingham. Its going very well. [Laughs] Umm I didnt really think it was going to be the end. Not at all. Really cold of Phil to not reach out after 10yrs. The guy had a great feel, but he wasnt a real reader. 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? In fact, I had called. Ginger Baker: mainly a composer as soloist. Chester Thompson sheds some light on relationship with Phil Collins 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. It ended up being a little awkward since they were going to be down there for seven weeks. None of that. Roger Taylor: good singer, good composer, good drummer, but he has never had the same success as Collins with his solo albums. We were playing London near the end and the guys all came down. Yeah. It was a fun tour. Im just really enjoying life. The first few stadiums, its like, Oh, my goodness! And then it starts feeling normal. I was okay one-on-one, but they speak much, much faster than we do. Their manager was someone I knew from L.A. We had worked on a couple of things together. Unfortunately, somehow Ike or his people lost the master tape. In 2017, Collins revealed that he was a type-2 diabetic, undergoing treatment with a hyperbaric chamber after the condition caused obsesses on his foot which became infected. On the We Cant Dance tour in 1992, did you sense that Phil wasnt going to continue with Genesis after it? At the same time, there are artists Id love to play with as well. We started playing the whole deal, the real stuff in the book. Duke lp is OK but Misunderstanding shoud not be on that LP that is more of Onion Head solo lp song. You could hear that it was something special. Id always wanted to teach myself. You did four sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium. We were playing touch football one day and Napoleon had the ball and was running past Tom, and Tom reached out and tagged him. Not even Peter made an album with all Genesis tracks, only Steve. Most of the people i know think he is dead, even when the death man is healthier than ever. Heres the crazy thing, man. That was amazing. Why? Alan White studied a bit of piano, but he is mainly self-taught as a drummer. 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). Carl Palmer: again great drummer but not a main composer in ELP or Asia. How was it for you culturally? Exactly. I don't think he was ever going to be on board with expanding it to additional legs. Genesis' Reunion Tour: 8 Questions We Have - Rolling Stone The Cover Looks Like An portrait Onion. Im still pretty good friends with the only two that are left, Ruth and Anita. And then I ended up doing Phils Motown thing and that didnt go well. Several times. this can result in this site earning a commission. Other than that, Id go back to the hotel. It wasnt his most intense stuff, but fortunately I knew who he was and that it was going to be good stuff. The vocalist is the frontman, he/she has to move around face the audience, etc and a drummer is normally attached to his kit. Phil Collins - Gesang, Piano, Schlagzeug; Daryl Stuermer - Gitarre; How were the Phil solo tours? And so when he quit again at the end of that, I think there was a shock. It just turned out to be a one-off, but fortunately we recorded and videotaped it. He's a good drummer. Was that fun? Oh, my goodness! Chester has a great attitude. Hes passed away now, but we were in about 10 or 12 bands together growing up. I guess I had clarity of what I hoped to accomplish. 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 played beautifully on that ballad Cannon Ball. I had already tracked most of Black Market. There were pictures taken and all that. If you listen to the title track, there are two different drummers on two different days of recording. Billy Cobham: a very good drummer who shimnes mostly as soloist. They had some really nice material they were promoting at the time [from their album One]. 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. I remember doing an arena after doing stadiums and it felt like an intimate club. Frank had a blackboard onstage with all the note names on it. He hung out with the band after the shows and stuff. The Genesis so many of us like wouldnt have been without any of members. All rights reserved. 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. 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. Hed come home and always put on some Billie Holiday. If you want the gig, its yours.. 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.. Phil was very shocked and surprised and annoyed that I didnt say that his stuff was more fun. 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. Still his guitarplay wasvery important to the music even if his composing didnt reach the albums. He was brilliant. Theyre just sitting there like, Impress me. It really annoyed them that they reached event status as opposed to just playing to fans. This is the live version of Inside Out, recorded in Berlin in 1990. I found Richard Mc'Phaill here, at that point and due to the 1973 in memorian, I thought McPhaill was dead, later I found an interview by him (2001) and new he was alive and healthybutonlytoday found he made backing vocals in Genesis Revisited. Id hang out with these guys and theyd play all sorts of crazy stuff Id never heard before. It was a different situation in Chicago. In San Francisco, they have a minimum on these shows. Discover what he did to anger Thompson so much they haven't exchanged holiday cards since 2019. They were amazing. That's pretty much the zest of it. Basically, Alphonso left during the Christmas break [of 1975]. I said, Man, I cant do that. Chester Thompson Unfiltered:On Drumming With Genesis & Phil Collins Everyone had gotten over themselves by then and it was just really fun from top to bottom. It was definitely different musically since the band was much bigger with horns and backup singers. Hed then go off to a studio and work on whatever he had in the can. Maybe once in a lifetime. He told me that I sounded like crap and all that. Chester's performance and recording experiences have influenced over three decades of music and musicians. I grew up in the projects, so in the summer there would be people outside playing music. After a year with him, I spent some time in Boston with a keyboard player named Webster Lewis, who was phenomenal. -Ballads in Prog Rock are underrated, because Prog Rock is not "romantic". They went over all the details in soundcheck and we rehearsed the day before. My audition consisted just of jamming. I dont know what they might have been going through behind the scenes, but our time together was just great. It was just there. A lot of well-known names. 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. Again, Ive got no grudge. Behind a login thing. My first drum lessons were in jazz. [1] Thompson has performed with his jazz group, the Chester Thompson Trio, since 2011. And at the end of the show, he just went off. Do you recall much from the reunion show with Peter Gabriel in 1982 at Milton Keynes Bowl? All three members of the trio Genesis played a part in the decision to simplifiy their sound, with Banks being the most in charge.