With a third box set of catalog upgrades looming, a reunion of Genesis’ revered 1971-75 lineup is still in the ether — but hardly in stone.
“We’ve never said never about it, you know,” keyboardist Tony Banks tells Billboard.com. “I know Phil (Collins) would be quite happy with the idea of just playing the drums; it would be quite fun for him. Mike (Rutherford) and I are certainly happy to do it. I know Steve (Hackett) is keen as well. I think it’d be down to Peter (Gabriel) more than anyone else.”
Gabriel was actually the first to broach the idea of reuniting that Genesis lineup, initially for a handful of performances of the 1974 concept piece “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” in 2004. He later pulled back in order to concentrate on a solo album he’s still making. It did lead to Banks, Collins and Rutherford reuniting for a tour in 2007, and there are still hopes that the older roster will eventually do something together.
“It would be fun to do something like that purely for the fun of working together again and seeing where it takes you,” Rutherford notes. Hackett adds that, “I think we should do this before one of us dies; we’re not getting any younger, to quote one of the songs, so maybe one day it’ll happen.” Banks, meanwhile, says that rather than merely “The Lamb…,” he’d like to see the group “do a sort of best-of from that era. You want to do things like ‘Supper’s Ready,’ I think, and ‘The Musical Box,’ definitely.”
All of that music is showcased on “Genesis: 1970-1975,” a seven-CD and six-DVD box set that includes upgraded editions of all five albums the group recorded between those years. Each has a DVD of time-appropriate performance footage and new interviews, as well as a set of rare “Extras.” It’s the third in a series of boxed reissues, saved for last even though they’re earlier recordings.
“I think they’re the ones there’s possibly more anticipation for,” Banks says. “These albums have a reputation but they probably didn’t sell as many in the first place, so there’s a feeling that they have a chance to do something now.”
Banks says Genesis is considering some further catalog reissues, including a possible boxed set of the group’s several live albums as well as issuing single shows for sale via band’s Web site. He’s also put together a remastered version of his 1979 solo album “A Curious Feeling” that he plans to release in 2009.
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