Banks ponders classical path, Genesis reunion
Precious few rock musicians have managed to move into the classical world: Frank Zappa, Paul McCartney, Roger Waters.
Add to that list former Genesis member Tony Banks, who’s now writing for an orchestra instead of a band.
Banks’ new, third classical album, “Five” (following “Seven” and “Six,” all named for the number of tracks on the albums), is getting renewed attention for the reclusive keyboardist, who hasn’t set foot onstage since Genesis’ last tour in 2007.
Though there are no rock instruments — and only a bit of his own piano — it makes a quick fix for Genesis fans, especially the ones who miss the soaring instrumentals rather than the Phil Collins ballads.
“I don’t know who it’s for, really,” Banks said by phone from England. “Some people from the Genesis crowd are interested; they get it. And in the U.K., we have a channel called Classic FM, which is the lighter end of classical music, and it’s got a bit of an audience that way. It’s a difficult area, though — the truly classical people don’t want to know about what I do, and the people who want to hear drums and voice aren’t going to be happy either. And a lot of New Age music is simple and repetitive, so I don’t do that either. I like melody and harmony. I don’t want to be soothed; I want to be excited.”
He says he took some inspiration from British composers Britten and Elgar, and that he aimed for an uplifting mood.
“A piece like ‘Renais- sance’ on the album starts out very uneasy, but the end part is quite triumphant. It’s quite a contrast because I’ve written a lot of depressing music in my time,” he said.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the first Genesis single — “Silent Sun,” a Bee Geesstyled tune that went nowhere.
“It’s a good pop song really, one that Peter (Gabriel) and I wrote together. We were trying to have a hit, and we haven’t done that many times in our career. I think it could have been a hit, but I’m glad it wasn’t one. It would have gone to our heads, and we never would have made a career out of it. It took us another 10 years to break through in any kind of commercial manner, and by that time, we were a little older and wiser.”
He doesn’t deny rumors that Genesis are at least thinking about a reunion tour — the main problem being the back problems that keep Phil Collins from drumming.
“We always say, ‘Never say never.’ I wasn’t sure that Phil was capable of going back on the road again, but he’s in South America right now, and I’m sure he intends to do the States as well. We could have him sing and get a drummer, and right now his son is doing a good Phil Collins. I know I’m making it sound like we’re going to do it — the fact is that we haven’t talked about it, but it’s an option. I see that the Stones are going out again, and they’re 10 years older than me.”
‘The truly classical people don’t want to know about what I do, and the people who want to hear drums and voice aren’t going to be happy either.’
— TONY BANKS On finding an audience for his classical work