I just noticed this interview earlier, and figured it may be worth passing on. While a reunion with Genesis, is kind of the fantasy/pipe-dream, I think the more SIGNIFICANT and REALISTIC piece of news in this story is his comments about I/O.
I/O, I don't recall the EXACT time it 1st was talked about, but personally, I remember some of my friends talking about it as early as 2001. I know it was at least that long ago, because when I went to Nearfest in 2001, Tony Levin made an appearance with the California Guitar Trio, and afterwards was part of their Meet-and-Greet/Signing. And my friend said he talked to Tony Levin about I/O (or asked him about it). And that was late June of 2001.
So, even before Up was released (or even recorded), I/O was already brought up if not mostly written.
But the gap between Us and Up was what, 10 years? (a quick Google shows 1992 for Us, 2002 for Up). So if I/O came out in 2014 or 2015, the long gap between Up and it wouldn't seem so unusual for Peter Gabriel.
Lol, I also was just remembering a conversation my friend Creighton and likely John and maybe another friend Downtown Tom had on KFAI when I did the monthly+fill-in show back in 2002. I recall a comment Creighton made saying "Well it's not like Peter Gabriel is just sitting around doing nothing. He has done soundtrack work, collaborations, etc."
Things like Ovo, Afro Celt Sound System and all the political stuff he had been doing even around that time.
But I guess even if he reworks/rewrites many of the songs, I and so many fans will be intrigued. Although given how good Up was, and the stuff he's released since which has been pretty forgettable (New Blood, Scratch My Back, And I'll Scratch Yours), which are covers and rearranged versions of older music of his.
Like Transatlantic's 3rd LP. I can't help but wonder if I/O, had it come out around 2003 or 2004, would have been somewhat like Up, but maybe even better. But so be it, I hope it just finally comes out in any form/arrangements. It reminds me of among others, the many Jon Anderson projects that have been talked about, even samples shared, but nothing actually came out (The Big If, the California Guitar Trio collaboration, and even the possibly Jimmy Gnecco collaboration that maybe is more fanboy-in-me after reading about their email exchanges, rather than anything very realistic).
But also as far as the Genesis reunion, still nothing to get hopes up about, but he does sort of have a point about the members being dead thing. But THE LAMB thing, it sounds like Peter may be more up for a movie, than performing it live. Trey Anastasio of Phish has asked Peter to join Phish for a Halloween show, and I guess Trey says the band will not play The Lamb without Peter. But Peter was quoted in a story I read when rumors were coming out this year about it again, saying he can't sing a lot of the material from The Lamb anymore. Even when the band wrote it, it wasn't exactly ideal for his voice/range BACK THEN. Although Gabriel did tour for The Lamb, but why the issues in the writing/recording of The Lamb were as such, the band wrote a lot of the vocal parts without Peter there, and not regarding his interest 100% I guess.
For those unfamiliar, during that period, Gabriel's wife was going through a difficult pregnancy, and he didn't have the necessary time to give to the band as he had in the past.
But perhaps even if Gabriel did reunite to play live, it would be to perform some of the pre-Lamb music (and the stuff he still can sing from The Lamb), instead. Supper's Ready or something like Cinema Show? I'd love to be wrong, but be skeptical as well. Who knows.
But also maybe it would be to write and record new music, in some fashion with those guys? for some reason, that almost sounds like something Peter would be more intrigued by.
But, I'm just dreaming/brainstorming. Just thinking about Gabriel and Genesis is nice regardless. I suppose more could happen next week if he ends up being announced to have been voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/genesis-peter-gabriel-welcomes-phil-collins-back-from-retirement/
Peter Gabriel is glad that former Genesis bandmate Phil Collins is considering coming out of retirement.
But while he won’t rule out a classic lineup reunion of the influential prog band, he’s not fully convinced it will ever happen.
Collins retired in 2011 but last month suggested he was reconsidering the decision, saying: “I have started thinking about doing new stuff. Some shows again, even with Genesis. Everything is possible.”
Asked what he thinks of his former colleague’s comments, Gabriel tells Rolling Stone: “Good! I think he got himself into a bit of a hole, and that’s great news he’s coming out of it. It doesn’t have to involve work – but if it does, that’s a great indicator.”
His reaction leads to the inevitable question about a Genesis reunion, with the possibility having been raised on several occasions over the last decade. Gabriel replies: “It’s never been ruled out. I’m trying to picture a time when it would top my priorities list though.”
But he adds: “If you’re gonna do it, you gotta do it before you’re all dead, right? I was thinking about that the other day. We’re quite lucky – looking back at other bands of our generation, there’s usually one or two missing now. So you do get a sense of the clock.”
And he thinks the chances of staging a live performance of classic album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway are slipping away. “I’m getting older,” he says. “My voice has dropped a tone since the Genesis days. That’s a fact of life. I still sort of think through film ideas for The Lamb.”
Meanwhile, he’s aiming to complete the solo album he began in 2005, to be entitled I/O. “I really need to stop doing other things and lock myself away for a while,” he reflects. “It probably hasn’t moved nearly as much as I would have liked to in the intervening time. The songs are still there, but some of them I would redo now; and there’s some new stuff as well.”