‘It’s never been ruled out’: With Phil Collins un-retired, Peter Gabriel considers idea of Genesis reunion

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Peter Gabriel admits he’s thrilled that former bandmate Phil Collins is considering a return to musicmaking.

That doesn’t mean Gabriel has stopped hedging on the idea of a Genesis reunion, however.

In the midst of an anniversary tour celebrating the 1986 smash solo album So, Gabriel has been at work on as many as 20 new songs — hoping to follow up 2002’s Up. He also completed a two-album covers project that began with 2010’s Scratch My Back, and concluded with And I’ll Scratch Yours, released back in January.

Still, questions remain about Genesis, with whom he worked over a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stint between its founding in 1967 and 1975.

By then Collins, who joined in time for Genesis’ third album Nursery Cryme in 1971, was in ascension. The drummer would lead Genesis through 1996, returning for a reunion tour in 2007. Collins has been retired since releasing a 2010 Motown covers album, citing back problems. That is, until recently, when he hinted at a possible comeback — and even a Genesis reunion.

Any talk of getting the old band back together always leads back to its original frontman, no matter how busy he has remained in the ensuing years.

Gabriel tells Rolling Stone that getting back together has “never been ruled out,” but adds: “I’m trying to picture a time when it would top my priorities list though.” A return to that material would come with inevitable challenges too, Gabriel says: “I’m getting older. My voice has dropped a tone since the Genesis days. That’s a fact of life.”

Gabriel’s most notable return to the group was for a 1999 studio update of “Carpet Crawlers.” Genesis memorably reformed during Gabriel’s 1982 WOMAD concerts, as well.

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