A New Beginning

This article appeared on US magazine, Entertainment Weekly's website last week and will published in it's March 23rd edition of the magazine.

Genesis say they aren't reuniting for the money. So is it the women or the drugs that led the pop-prog-rock trio — keyboardist Tony Banks, 55, drummer-turned-singer Phil Collins, 56, and guitarist Mike Rutherford, 56 — to hit the road this fall? ''We're still waiting for the women!'' laughs Banks, every inch the proper Englishman. ''It's for the pleasure of the music — sounds corny, doesn't it?'' Since forming in 1966, Genesis have sold an astonishing 130 million albums. By far, the bulk of those sales occurred during the lengthy frontman tenure of Collins, who replaced Peter Gabriel on vocals in 1976. 1986's Invisible Touch alone moved 6 million, and its title track was a No. 1 hit. Collins, who left the band in the mid-'90s after establishing his solo career, admits he's had trouble remembering some lyrics at rehearsals for the upcoming tour. ''I had a problem with the song 'Domino' [from Invisible Touch],'' he recalls. ''How to count it in was the first problem. Then I had no idea what I was going to sing. But it comes back.'' The original plan was to re-form the early Peter Gabriel-fronted lineup and perform Genesis' 1974 concept album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Collins says that at a November 2004 meeting, Gabriel promised to think about it and let them know before Christmas. They're still awaiting his reply. Smirks Collins, ''We foolishly assumed he meant that Christmas.''