This past year has been a big one for Genesis. After reuniting nearly a decade after Phil Collins left the group, the threesome of Phil, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks had still proven they haven't lost their touch. that has proven also this past year, with the re-releases of several of their classic albums from the 70's, 80's and 90's. It has proven to be so amazing that the songs sound even better than ever, and the testiment of time that great music still comes from the heart. While all the hype has been more around recent releases from former American Idol winners Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks, Genesis still proves that they can dance, and that can even be said with this re-release.

The 2007 re-release of the Genesis album We can't Dance, the final album with singer Phil Collins as the lead, still is just as fun to listen to, as it was when it was released over 15 years ago. The album sounds better than ever, and feel just as delightful to listen to now, as it did then. The album includes their big hits from that album including the somber and intimate Hold On My Heart, the down to Earth and meaningful No Son Of Mine, the bass driven dance classic I Can't Dance, which has been the unoffical anthem of wallflowers and bachelors, as well as other songs that capture the light like the overlooked Never A Time and Since I Lost You, which was originally written in regards to the death of Eric Clapton's son Connor who tragically died after falling out of a window back in 1991.

The extra DVD also brings in the fun as well, with the classic videos for their big hits like Jesus He Knows Me, and I Can't Dance among the smash singles, as well as the lesser-known track Tell Me Why. The disc also includes a behind the scenes documentary No Admittance, which looked at their Live: The Way We Walk Tour for We Can't Dance, as well as new interviews with regards to the classic pop album.

All in all, We Can't Dance still sounds as good as it did when it came out years ago, and the re-released album is a great treat for any classic Genesis, or for anyone who just has been recently re-introduced to Genesis over their recent 2007 reunion tour. Even though Genesis claimed they can't dance, they are still dancing out loud with this album. I absolutely recommend it a whole lot.

Album Cover: B

Songs: B 1/2+

Price: B

Remastering: B+

DVD Extras: B 1/2+

Overall: B

Somehow when this album first came out it totally escaped my attention. It's likely I wasn't hearing it because it's time had passed for most local radio stations near me.This album did after all arrive right along with grunge and gangsta rap,neither of which held any interest whatsoever to me at the time. But I am not here to make judgements on music-just review this album.What I find interesting about this album is that it does sound more like something from 1988-89 then it does something from the early 90's-it's every bit as glossy as Invisible Touch in fact. The main differences are that there aren't as many electronics and none of the songs are nearly as catchy as the ones on the previous album. But seven years between albums does change things and here Genesis are generally in a more somber mood. "No Son Of Mine" is a very angrily motivated look at domestic abuse and rather a sad tune to open the album."Jesus He Knows Me" is peppier for sure and an interesting contrast. "I Can't Dance" was the big hit,rather a bluesy Rolling Stones-style tune very atypical of Genesis but that was part of the charm of Phil Collins lead Genesis;you could expect those albums to have plenty of variety.Some other tracks on this are interesting too;"Dreaming While You Sleep" sounds almost like something Genesis would've done a decade before while "Driving The Last Spike" and "Fading Lights" are even more in that style-longish prog-rock instrumentals that (I feel) are here to fill out the 71+ minutes of space everyone in this era seemed to have to fill.Yeah so....this isn't a bad album at all. It just is not as singles oriented as the last two but no less good.

Genesis' last studio album with Phil Collins to date called We Can't Dance was released in November of 1991.
The album was the band's first album in five years since the monster smash Invisible Touch. In between that album and its tour, singer/drummer Phil Collins appeared in the movie Buster (which its soundtrack spawned two #1 hits for Phil out of "A Groovy Kind of Love" and "Two Hearts") and released his fourth solo album But Seriously (which hit #1 and sold millions Stateside) and went on the Serious Tour. Guitarist/bass player Mike Rutherford released two more Mike and the Mechanics albums The Living Years (which its title track was a US #1 hit) and Word of Mouth and also pursued his interest in polo. Keyboard player Tony Banks recorded his third solo album Bankstatement and was recording his solo disc Still (which would not be released until 1992).
Then in 1991, Banks, Collins and Rutherford got together with Nick Davis (whom had done solo projects for Banks and Rutherford) and began recording the album We Can't Dance. When the album was released in late 1991 fans didn't know if either it was a great record or the band ran out of energy, read on.
We begin the album with the six minute epic "No Son of Mine" which deals with a very personal and troubled Father-Son relationship. The song was a US hit single and what a great album opener. Next is the comedic "Jesus He Knows Me" which pokes fun at the TV evangelists that occurred during that time. Its video was hilarious with the guys in leisure suits and fake wigs mocking the preachers. This track was the last US single from the album. Next is the first of two 10 plus minute epics "Driving the Last Spike" which is about England's railway workers. Next is "I Can't Dance" which was a rightfully great hit single. Its video was priceless with the band poking fun at the jean and model ads popular at the time. Next is the ballad "Never a Time" which is a great ballad. Next is the epic "Dreaming While You Sleep". This seven minutes epic shows Genesis didn't lose their prog side to their music.
The album's second half starts with "Tell Me Why" which is a nice Beatles-ish sounding piece about thr sociological problems of the world. Next is the excellent poppish "Living Forever" with excellent guitar work by Rutherford. Next is the album's third single and most memorable ballad "Hold on My Heart". Nice ballad. Next is the excellent "Way of the World" which is another piece about the problems in the world. Next is Phil's song for Eric Clapton's son who passed away that March called "Since I Lost You" which is a nice piece. We close the album and the Collins tenure with Genesis with the epic "Fading Lights". This piece includes a lot of elements of Genesis from their progressive days (long instrumental) in between the short vocal passages.
We Can't Dance reached #4 on the Billboard album chart and has sold four million copies in the US alone to date. While some fans don't like the record, We Can't Dance was a great album.
In 2007, the album was re-released as a CD and DVD combo pack remixed and remastered. The DVD has videos for No Son of Mine, I Can't Dance, Hold On My Heart, Jesus He Knows Me and Tell Me Why. Plus interviews with the band. Also, there is a documentary on the making of the album. Also there is the 1992 tour program on the DVD as well.
RECOMMENDED!

i really enjoyed this album back in 92 and i still enjoy it in 2007
the new mixes are bright and beautiful even some of the song i didn't
care for back then have been given a second life.my favorite genesis
song FADING LIGHTS is here so i favor this one right from the start.however some of the lesser know songs SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE,THE WAY OF THE WORLD,LIVING FOREVER,NEVER A TIME and TELL ME WHY have really
held ther test to time,especially within these new mixes.You hear things in some of these tunes you never knew were there.Highly worth revisiting now.

Personally, I think the impact of this CD is a little weak. About mid way through the CD i tend to kind of feel tired, up until "Way of The World" pops its head up, but by then I feel as if I've missed something; which is b/c I have, since I was more in the mood for this "kind" of Genesis rather than hearing this same exact album again...to me, it seems as if the music on Genesis' CDs could be twisted and reshaped at least twice, yet by the time they are ready to make another album, they've drifted entirely from their previous albums' ideas.
this Genesis album is more emotional than any other CD they've made. I don't know exactly at what point the music coming from radio/pop started getting melancholy, but I guess by 1991/1992, it was decided melancholy or something(s) more extreme was the way to go. Perhaps that's why Nirvana and their ilk got such success seemingly out of nowhere...although the reason for that reason is a riddle to me. I've always preferred to dwell in melancholy and it had/has nothing to do with society or anything going on in the world...
I probably would not have bought this album, but my local CD store had a demo copy of this for $5.99 + tax. It was just like Amazon would sell aside from a cut on the right-spine, which is on the opposite side that faces me when I stand in front of my entertainment center, so it's barely noticeable...$20 or even $15 is a little absurd, since you can get the old mix/master for $2.99 w/ S&H on the amazon mktplce. This new mix doesn't sound a whole lot different than the old one, but there's a few parts in the album where it becomes obvious. And as much as I've listened to the old mix, either online at Rhapsody, the copy my library has, or the few or more copies I've owned in the past (I have a hard time finding probable cause for keeping anything...I'm weird...), I probably don't listen hard enough to this new mix to really hear anything especially different.