Genesis | Never a time (recording sessions) | The Farm in Chiddingfold 1991 | Rare pro-shot footage

After the massive “Invisible Touch Tour”, which saw Genesis perform 112 shows between 1986 and 1987 for an estimated 3.5 million fans, the band entered a three-and-a-half-year hiatus. During this break, each member pursued solo projects: Phil Collins achieved worldwide success with his album "...But Seriously" (1989), while Mike Rutherford’s band Mike + The Mechanics scored several major hits. Tony Banks and Rutherford initially expected Collins to leave Genesis, but he chose to stay and record one more studio album with them. The band planned to begin work in 1990, but production was postponed until 1991 due to Collins’s extensive “Serious Tour 1990” in support of his solo album. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 "𝙒𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚" Released in November 1991, "We Can’t Dance" became Genesis’s fourteenth studio album. Its title was partly a tongue-in-cheek reference to the dance music trend dominating the charts at the time. Writing and recording began in March 1991 at the band’s private studio, The Farm, in Chiddingfold, Surrey. After nearly three years apart, Banks, Collins, and Rutherford were eager to collaborate again. Within two and a half months of what Collins called “chopping away, fine-tuning, and honing down all these ideas,” the trio had developed around fifteen tracks. They briefly considered releasing a double album but decided to focus on a single CD — a format that already allowed more runtime than vinyl — to include a wider variety of their ideas. Like "Genesis" (1983) and "Invisible Touch" (1986), "We Can’t Dance" was born entirely in the studio. None of the songs were pre-written; instead, they emerged from improvised jam sessions. This creative process was a key reason Collins chose to remain with the band: he loved the spontaneity of writing music from scratch with his bandmates. A typical session would see Banks experimenting on keyboards, Rutherford crafting guitar riffs, and Collins building a rhythm on a drum machine while humming melodies or singing dummy lyrics — fragments that often inspired the final lyrics or the song’s emotional tone. 𝙉𝙤 𝘼𝙙𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝘿𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 For the first time, Genesis allowed cameras to capture their creative process for the documentary “No Admittance”, which premiered on the Disney Channel on March 22, 1992, at 9:00 PM. However, as Tony Banks later admitted, the film crew’s presence changed the dynamic: “𝘈𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧.” Collins agreed, noting how the atmosphere instantly shifted whenever someone from the crew entered the studio. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝘾𝙡𝙞𝙥 The rare, remastered clip featured here is taken directly from that documentary. It shows Phil Collins recording his lead vocals for “Never A Time”, offering a fascinating glimpse into his early vocal takes — including the challenges of capturing the perfect emotional tone for such a delicate song. In its final version, “Never A Time” became the fifth track on "We Can’t Dance" and was later released as the fifth single from the album. The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart, No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 9 in Canada — though it was never performed live by the band. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙡𝙗𝙪𝙢 "We Can’t Dance" was released on November 11, 1991, by Virgin Records worldwide and on November 12, 1991, by Atlantic Records in the U.S. The album became a huge success, producing multiple hit singles including “No Son of Mine,” “Hold on My Heart,” “I Can’t Dance,” and “Jesus He Knows Me.” It went on to become Genesis’s fifth consecutive No. 1 album in the UK and reached No. 4 in the U.S., selling over four million copies there alone. It would also mark the final Genesis studio album with Phil Collins before his departure in 1996 to focus fully on his solo career. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙣𝙙 Tony Banks – keyboards Phil Collins – vocals, drums, percussion Mike Rutherford – electric guitars, bass guitar This exclusive studio footage is a must-see for every Genesis, Phil Collins, and progressive rock fan — a rare window into the band’s creative process at the peak of their career, and a timeless reminder of why "We Can’t Dance" remains one of their most beloved albums. #Genesis #NeverATime #StudioSessions

Added 10 Apr 2026