Chapter 58: Hotel California (February - September 1978)

February 10, 1978

Neil Young - Comes a Time

Released: February 10, 1978

Recorded: November 28, 1975 - November 21, 1977

Producer: Neil Young, David Briggs, Ben Keith and Tim Mulligan

Track listing[1]

Side A

Goin' Back
Comes a Time
Bite the Bullet
Lotta Love
Peace of Mind

Side B

Saddle Up the Palomino
Already One
Field of Opportunity
Motorcycle Mama
Four Strong Winds

Neil Young's latest album, Comes a Time (#42 UK, #7 US), was perhaps his most commercially accessible album in quite some time, marking a return to his folksy roots, including a cover of Ian Tyson's "Four Strong Winds" (#57 UK, #61 US) that was released as a single. Comes a Time received mostly positive reviews upon release. Young's last album of the 1970s, Rust Never Sleeps, would come out later in the year, for he would soon go on a lengthy tour with Crazy Horse of the same name.

Meanwhile, under the pseudonym Bernard Shakey, Young would co-direct a comedy film with Dean Stockwell called Human Highway, named for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1975 masterpiece, spending $3 million of his own money on production, but it would not be released until 1982 to negative critical reaction. Also starring in the film were Stockwell, co-writer Russ Tamblyn, famed actor Dennis Hopper, and newly-signed Swan Song Records band Devo, who would put out their debut album on August 28.

31 March 1978

Genesis - And Then There Were Four

Released: 31 March 1978

Recorded: September - October 1977

Producer: David Hentschel and Genesis

Track listing[2]

Side A

Down and Out
Undertow
Minute By Minute
Snowbound
Burning Rope

Side B

Deep in the Motherlode
Many Too Many
Scenes from a Night's Dream
Say It's Alright Joe
The Lady Lies
Follow You Follow Me

The following is excerpted from Kim Beacon's 2006 autobiography, Spotting a Night Bird, published under Apple Books:

"It was about a few hours before an official recording session for And Then There Were Four, that Phil and I were in the studio, and I was messing around a bit on a drum kit. I had played drums in the past, but I never really thought I was that great a drummer. Heck, I'd even told Phil that he was better at it than I was, even though we had dual drum kits when we toured as Genesis during 1976 and 1977. Mainly, I did percussion work like bongos, timbales, tambourine, cymbals, that sort of thing.

'How about a drum duet?' he suggested. 'Nothing all that serious, you understand; just something for a little bit of fun in the studio.'

'Alright, Phil,' I said. 'I'm game.' It would be a while yet before Mike, Tony and David [Hentschel] would arrive, so I thought that a drum duet between me and Phil would be a nice time killer. Sadly, we never thought about recording it, because if we had, then I bet people would really understand the fun we had behind the scenes.

Mine and Phil's drum duet, what we humorously dubbed as 'Collin for a Beacon' (get it?), was kind of akin to what Ralph Humphrey and Chester Thompson did with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention for the live album Roxy and Elsewhere a few years prior. By the time the recording session began proper, Phil and I thought of switching things up a bit like myself playing drums on occasion - usually for one song at most - while Phil played on my set of percussion.

Phil Collins behind the drums, 1978.

The tour for And Then There Were Four, our first album as a quartet and with Daryl Stuermer as touring guitarist, began shortly before the album was released, lasting about eight months, and to say it was grueling would be a bit of an understatement. Especially for Phil. Of course, we did have breaks between legs, but I think he suffered more than the rest of us. His marriage with Andrea [Bertorelli] seemed to be faltering at the time, and he wasn't spending as much time as he wanted to with her or their baby son Simon.

It wasn't until after the final show of the tour in Osaka, Japan [3 December 1978] that Phil finally opened up to the rest of us.

'I'm sorry, guys,' he said, 'but my heart's just not into being part of Genesis anymore. I feel like I'm an absent father and I've recently offered my services as drummer to another band.'

Tony, Mike and I didn't know what to say at first, but after what felt like eternity, I walked over to Phil, my closest friend in the band, and hugged him. I'd noticed he'd been feeling distant for the past few weeks ago, especially when we began the North American leg at the end of September. It was a bit of a red flag in hindsight and we probably should've seen this coming. I was upset, mostly with myself for not noticing it sooner, but whatever Phil wanted to do, I was behind him all the way.

Eventually, Mike and Tony joined in the group hug as well. I can't remember how long it lasted, though there were tears in my eyes by the end of it. Some time afterward, Phil went to Vancouver to try and fix his marriage, though we still kept in close contact and even co-wrote a few songs that would later up either on Genesis albums or on solo projects either by me or by Phil. By the start of the new year, 1979, we soon discovered 'who' Phil was now the drummer for..."

Summary of Genesis releases, 1978

• "Follow You Follow Me" / "Minute By Minute" - 25 February 1978 (#2 UK, #10 US)
• And Then There Were Four - 31 March 1978 (#1 UK, #3 US)
• "Many Too Many" / "The Day the Light Went Out" - 30 June 1978 (#14 UK, #26 US)

May 2, 1978

Tom Petty & Mudcrutch - Terminal Romance

Released: May 2, 1978

Recorded: 1977-1978

Producer: Pete Ham and Tom Petty

Track listing[3]

Side A

When the Time Comes
You're Gonna Get It
Hurt
You Don't Care
Magnolia
I Don't Know What to Say to You
Too Much Ain't Enough

Side B

I Need to Know
Listen to Her Heart
Save Me
No Second Thoughts
Restless
Long Way from Home
Baby's a Rock 'n' Roller

The third album under Tom Petty & Mudcrutch, Terminal Romance, did better than their previous album, American Girl, commercially (#28 UK, #16 US), even reaching gold status (half a million units sold), although it was ranked a notch lower than the latter album. The album's two singles, "I Need to Know"/"No Second Thoughts" (#26 US) and "Listen to Her Heart"/"I Don't Know What to Say to You" (#33 US), were also Top 40 hits after being released in June and August, respectively.

18 August 1978

The Who - Who Are You

Released: 18 August 1978

Recorded: September 1977 - April 1978

Producer: Glyn Johns and Jon Astley

Track listing[4]

Side A

New Song
Had Enough
905
No Road Romance
Sister Disco
Music Must Change

Side B

Trick of the Light
Guitar and Pen
Say It Ain't So, Joe
Love is Coming Down
Who Are You

PETE TOWNSHEND: "Ever since this little battle of the bands with the Rolling Stones ended back in 1972, we were feeling kind of burned out, if Who by Numbers was any indication. The Tommy film did really well, as did the 1976 tour, but we needed a break." (1996)

The last few years were generally a mixed bag for the members of the Who. Pete Townshend stayed at home with his family, Roger Daltrey put out a solo album called One of the Boys, and John Entwistle was planning a science-fiction rock opera of his own; it would concern a man given the identity number 905 and living with another man named 503, and both were absolutely identical. No women existed in the future because that was what they were eating, but Entwistle eventually scrapped the project, deciding that the story seemed too similar to the 1973 dystopian thriller Soylent Green.

But what about the Who's very own Jekyll and Hyde, Keith Moon? To him, going on tour meant that he would be very physically active, but having not done so since 21 October 1976 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Moon was in a very unhealthy state, not helping that he had become obese. His drumming for a gig filmed on 15 December 1977 for a documentary was so lackluster that the footage remained in the vaults. To be fair to Moon, however, having not played as a group for over a year meant that the performance itself was weak overall.

The Who, 1978.

ROGER DALTREY: "Because of Keith's state, we agreed not to make any live performances for the immediate future. Pete had this idea for a sequel to Lifehouse and John had his Soylent Green-esque sci-fi story, but it was decided instead to make a standard album instead. The sessions were pretty hellish, not helping by the fact I had throat surgery. I think our personal lives may have affected our performance." (2006)

Tensions between the band and production grew had grown so intense that Townshend had planned to fire Moon unless he cleaned up his act. Taking this threat seriously, Moon attempted to kick his alcohol addiction and take his drumming skills with greater enthusiasm. Once recording for Who Are You had finally finished in April, the Who filmed another performance that May for the documentary, The Kids Are Alright. It was a much stronger performance overall than the one in December, and what made this performance stand out was that it was the last gig Keith Moon would perform with the Who.

Who Are You was a fast seller in both the United States (#2) and the United Kingdom (#6), although in the former country, it was left out of the top spot by the soundtrack to the movie Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The sole lead single, "Who Are You"/"Had Enough" (#18 UK, #14 US), was released on 14 July prior to the album.

7 September 1978

9 Curzon Square, formerly Curzon Place, 2012. Cass Elliot and Keith Moon died in apartment 12, a two-bedroom apartment, within four years of each other, both aged 32. Harry Nilsson also lived there before renting it out to Moon in 1978, thinking that the apartment was cursed.

KEITH MOON: "If you don't like it, you can fuck off!" (1978, his last words to girlfriend Annette Walter-Lax)

In mid-1978, Keith Moon had moved into Flat 12 at 9 Curzon Place, Shepherd Market, Mayfair, London, renting from Harry Nilsson. Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas had died there four years ago at the age of 32 from heart failure. Nilsson was concerned about letting Moon live there, believing it was cursed. Townshend dismissed Nilsson's concerns by saying "lightning wouldn't strike the same place twice."

How wrong he would be...

On 6 September, Moon and his girlfriend Annette Walter-Lax, a Swedish model, were at a preview of The Buddy Holly Story, and afterward dined with Paul and Linda McCartney, who had also seen the film, at Peppermint Park in Covent Garden. Upon heading home, Moon watched The Abominable Dr. Phibes and asked Walter-Lax to cook him steak and eggs, to which she objected too. He then took thrity-two clomethiazole tablets and when Walter-Lax checked on him the following afternoon, Moon was dead.

Keith Moon during his last tour as drummer for the Who, 1976.

Moon had been given a prescription of Heminevrin (clomethiazole, a sedative) to try and overcome his alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and because of his fear of psychiatric hospitals, Moon insisted on doing it at home. Physician Geoffrey Dymond, who was unaware of Moon's lifestyle, had prescribed a bottle of a hundred pills, instructing him to take only one pill when he felt a craving for alcohol, but no more than three pills per day. Six of the thirty-two pills Moon had taken were digested, and that was enough to end his life.

Pete Townshend was the first to be informed about Moon's death, and he soon let Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle (the latter of whom was being interviewed in France at the time) know about what had happened. Now that Keith Moon had died before he could get old, the three remaining members of the Who were left wondering, what next? Would they carry on despite losing their friend, or would they break up out of respect for his legacy?

PHIL COLLINS: "Shortly after Moonie's demise, I was working with Pete Townshend at Oceanic in Twickenham, helping on tracks for an artist from New York he was producing, Raphael Rudd, a brilliant pianist and harpist. At the time Pete was running around London clubs with New Romantic gadabout Steve Strange. He wasn't in great shape, partying all night and recovering all day. Pete was still sleeping when I arrived at the studio for the session. But once he was up I grabbed him: "Who's gonna play drums for The Who now? 'Cause I'd love to do it.' 'Oh damn, we haven't thought of that.' It was a serious offer, and I was a little surprised but also happy and nervous. This meant that I had to leave Genesis to join Pete, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle. This is The Who we're talking about, man! I grew up with that band. I just loved the energy and I know I could have done it and made it work. After Genesis finished the And Then There Were Four tour, I got to play with a set of childhood heroes full time. Meanwhile with Genesis, and now there were three." (A Stranger Like Me, 2011)[5]

Now that Genesis had been reduced to just Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Kim Beacon, the trio had planned on continuing despite Phil Collins' departure, with Beacon now taking the position as the band's drummer (as well as keyboards here and there). Beacon was initially nervous about becoming the new drummer for Genesis, but with encouragement from Banks and Rutherford as well as Collins' blessing, he gradually grew more comfortable with the position. Whenever the band would go on tour, Chester Thompson would be brought in to play the drums live. The now classic Genesis lineup was born.

Footnotes

1. All tracks are sourced from Comes a Time, excluding "Bite the Bullet" and "Saddle Up the Palomino", both from American Stars 'n Bars.
2. All tracks are sourced from ...And Then There Were Three..., excluding "Minute By Minute" which comes from Kim Beacon's Ravenna. In addition, Kim Beacon sings lead vocals on all of the tracks
3. Terminal Romance was the original title for You're Gonna Get It!. All tracks from said album are included. "I Don't Know What to Say to You" is sourced from Playback and "You Don't Care", "Save Me" and the 1977 re-recording of "Long Way from Home" are all from the bootleg Mudcrutch and Solo Petty Outtakes, being recorded during the sessions for You're Gonna Get It!.
4. All tracks are sourced from the 1996 remaster of Who Are You, excluding "Say It Ain't So, Joe", taken from Roger Daltrey's One of the Boys, which features Keith Moon on drums and John Entwistle on bass guitar. "Guitar and Pen" is the Olympic 1978 Mix and "Who Are You" is the Lost Verse Mix.
5. The first half is verbatim from Phil Collins' 2016 autobiography, Not Dead Yet: The Memoir. The second half was re-written to reflect the events of TTL. In addition, Collins and Pete Townshend had played together on other people's records prior to Keith Moon's death, so they knew each other prior to that event. The autobiography also mentions the death of John Bonham and the break-up of Led Zeppelin in OTL.

Author's Comments

Quite a bit to unpack on the Genesis side of things, isn't there? This time around, Phil Collins has left the group to play with the Who following Keith Moon's demise, and this time, he gets the gig. How will this change things up for the Who? Probably not much; Face Dances and It's Hard would likely be unchanged bar the covers with Phil in Kenney Jones' place, and their trajectory continues more or less like in OTL, barring John Entwistle surviving. I don't think any Genesis songs Phil wrote during 1979-1982 would've ended up on either of the 80s Who albums.

And for those who are curious, here's the rest of the actual Phil Collins quote from Not Dead Yet:

"Oh damn, we just asked Kenney Jones to do it". It was a serious offer, and I was a little disappointed. I'd have left Genesis to join Pete, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle. It's The Who, man! I grew up with that band. I just loved the energy and I know I could have done it and made it work. Denied the chance to play with one set of childhood heroes, here's Robert Plant offering me another".

You'll find out soon enough why I chose to leave off the bit regarding John Bonham's death.

Not much to say about Neil Young or Tom Petty; the former will have his personal life affected when Ben is born this November, while the latter carries on like normal, except he and his band don't go into the legal dispute with MCA Records like they did in OTL.

Thanks to danielmartin273 for helping in writing the Genesis/Who portion of this chapter out, mainly suggesting ideas on what should happen.