Welcome to The Waiting Room - the Genesis web-fanzine featuring all the news, reviews, interviews and more concerning Genesis and related projects - first, a word from the creators of TWR...
Click here for the full press release (PDF)
For more info and pre-ordering, please visit Wymer Publishing.
DON'T FORGET THAT STEVE HACKETT'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE IS NOW AT WWW.HACKETTSONGS.COM.
Genesis Revisited, the latest book
from TWR editor Alan Hewitt is now available to order online at Record
Corner's Amazon webshop
According to their profile, they will post internationally.
Save on postage...!
Genesis Revisited is now available over the counter at:
Record Corner
Pound Lane
Godalming
Surrey
GU7 1BX
Tel: 01483 422006
Paperback edition only at the moment!
Also, in an exclusive deal with Willow Farm Publishing, Genesis tribute band Los Endos are selling brand new copies of both versions of the book at their gigs, at heavily discounted prices!
WORDS FROM THE EDITING SUITE….
Hello and welcome to #77 of TWR - our 24th anniversary edition
no less! Who would have thought it back in 1987 eh? Certainly not yours truly!
Wonder what we shall do to celebrate? Oh, I know… let’s go to a few more gigs!
As you will all have heard or read, Phil announced his “retirement” from the
music business in March of this year. His recent health problems have been well
known but his reasons for quitting the industry are much more practical; he
wants to be a father to his two young children - good enough reason if ever
you needed one! Whatever his reasons, I am sure that you will all join with
us in wishing Phil all the very best for the future.
Tony Banks continues to work on his new orchestral project which he has been
recording in Prague. We hope to have an exclusive interview with him about it
in our next edition.
By the time you read this, you will no doubt have seen Mike & The Mechanics
at a venue near you on their Hit The Road tour. If not, why not?! The new album;
The Road was released on 18th April and a review of it can be found elsewhere
in this edition. TWR also managed to catch up with Mike and the guys for a chat
about the new album and you can read the results in this issue.
Peter Gabriel has revisited some of his own material and given it the same orchestral
treatment that he did on the Scratch My Back project. An album of this material
is scheduled for release in September. In the meantime, Peter takes the New
Blood Orchestra to the USA and Canada for a string of shows in the summer. The
two shows at London’s Hammersmith Odeon (I refuse to call it “the Apollo”) were
filmed for release as a live DVD later this year.
Anthony Phillips continues to contribute to numerous library projects and hopes
to start work on a brand new solo album later this year and we hope to have
a chat with him about all of his recent activities for our next edition.
Steve Hackett has been very busy lately. He announced his engagement to Joanna
Lehmann on 14th February and the happy couple were married on 4th June. Yours
truly was in attendance and it was a lovely day for all concerned, as the feature
later this issue shows. The Squackett project is ready and waiting for a record
company/release date. Steve also continues to collaborate with a variety of
other musicians on a multitude of projects as you will read in our exclusive
interview with him which appears elsewhere in this issue. Steve’s new solo album;
Beyond The Clouded Horizon, is now complete and TWR recently had a sneak listen
to the album and conducted an interview with Steve about it which will also
appear in our next edition.
Nick Beggs has a new album in the pipeline too, which he has described to TWR
as “total prog”. With guests such as Steve and Andy Latimer on it, and from
the demos which Nick has kindly let me listen to, I can assure you, it will
be a belter!
Ray Wilson has continued to tour throughout mainland Europe with shows either
under the Ray Wilson moniker, Stiltskin, or his most recent orchestral project:
Genesis Klassik. Hopefully he will manage to fit in some UK shows soon and we
hope to catch up with him for a long overdue interview in the near future.
Unusually for TWR, we even feature reviews of gigs by some of the UK’s tribute
bands who all seem to have been in the vicinity of TWR HQ recently - makes a
change for these old bones not to have to travel the length and breadth of England
to see ‘em I can tell ya!
Before I go, with 24 years behind us, I think it’s time for
a thank you to the various TWR inhabitants who have helped keep this lumbering
beast going over the years, so will the following individuals please take a
well deserved bow….
Ted Sayers, Peter Morton, Iain Buckle, Jonathan Dann, Matthew Skelland, Martin
Dean, Tony Burton and especially Stuart Barnes - couldn’t have done it without
you!
 Steve and Brian Josh at the CRS Awards |
 Steve and Pete Nicholls at the CRS Awards |
That’s about it for now folks, enjoy the rest of this issue.
Alan Hewitt
Liverpool
September 2011
"Words from the Engine Room" by Stuart Barnes
s This edition I have mostly been travelling. I managed to catch three Mechanics gigs in two cities as well as a Face Value gig. I travelled to Liverpool for the Mechanics, but strangely enough, Face Value came to me (Surrey). If you haven't seen Face Value yet, go now. Time is short. It will be sad to see them wrap things up in December. I can't say that I've seen them do a bad gig. They've had moments, but so does everyone. No bad gigs though. They won't so much leave a gap in the market; it'll be more of a chasm. I haven't heard any of the other tribs out there venture too much past 1980 and certainly not into the 90's. And where else could you hear Phil Collins solo material? Still, we all have to move on.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Rutherford a few times during The Road tour. Who wouldn't given the opportunity? Despite a heavy cold, he gave an informative interview that can be found elsewhere in this edition. I also got to meet Andrew Roachford. I've lost count of the number of times I've played 'Cuddly Toy' in a covers band. To meet the man that wrote and sang it was brilliant. After all this time, I never realised he was a keyboard player as well; and a damn good one to boot. And let me just say that the Liverpool Empire is a great venue. The sound at the Mechanics gig there was excellent; best indoor sound I've heard in a long time. Much better than the bathroom that is the Royal Albert Hall. Prestige is all that place has going for it. I've never heard good sound in there. The Empire was large, yet cosy, and the design allowed me to stand at the back (wearing my photopass), and snap away all gig. Having seen the concert twice previously, I was able to concentrate on taking photos whilst listening to the excellent music. And in case anyone decides to call me on it, no, there was no-one behind me to be put off by me taking photos. I was out of the way at the back. Mind you, the soundcheck was much more fun... :-)
Stuart
Barnes
London
October 2011