Genesis We Can't Dance equipment

We Can't Dance is Genesis' fourteenth studio album, released in November 1991 on Atlantic Records in the US and Virgin Records in the UK. It was the last to feature lead singer & drummer Phil Collins before his departure in 1996 to focus on his solo career.

For this album, they worked with co-producer & engineer Nick Davis for the first time (who would go on to work on many of subsequent Genesis-related projects). It also marked the end of the band's association with Hugh Padgham; the band insisted they were pleased with Hugh's involvement, and went as far with him as they could. So they felt like they needed a change for We Can't Dance, so they chose Nick Davis, who was a natural choice given his work with Mike and Tony beforehand on solo projects.

Portions of the gear information come from the No Admittance documentary filmed during the making of the album, plus existing interviews from this period. Additional mic information was obtained from Nick Davis.

Phil Collins
Drums
 * Gretsch USA Custom Piano Black Nitron kit with two natural Premier(?) tom-toms
 * Premier Soundwave kit - backup
 * Noble & Cooley snare (assumed)
 * Hayman Iceberg 6.5" x 14" custom snare

Cymbals:
 * Sabian cymbals

Electronics
 * E-mu SP-1200 drum machine (with TR-808 samples etc.)
 * Simmons SDS-V/SDS-7

Sources: Keyboard February 1992, No Admittance documentary

Tony Banks

 * ARP Quadra - seen in footage, possibly used
 * Ensoniq VFX
 * E-mu Emulator II+ - seen in footage, possibly used
 * E-mu Emulator III
 * Korg Wavestation
 * Roland JD-800
 * Roland VK-1000
 * Yamaha CP-70 /w MIDI

Source: Keyboard, February 1992

Mike Rutherford
Guitars
 * Fender Stratocaster Plus
 * Rickenbacker double neck
 * Rickenbacker 360/12?
 * Steinberger GL2T

Basses
 * Alembic Series I
 * Fender Precision
 * Fender Jazz (black)
 * Steinberger L2

Amplifiers:
 * Groove Tubes Trio 3-channel preamp
 * Groove Tubes 75 power amp
 * 4x12 speaker cabinets with Electrovoice's

Effects & pedals
 * Boss CE-2 Chorus?
 * Boss Super Overdrive
 * Moog Taurus I /w Moog Source
 * Roland FV-2 Volume pedal
 * Pearl distortion
 * Yamaha SPX-90

Source: Guitar magazine, February 1992, No Admittance documentary

Microphones
Drums:
 * Bass drum:
 * AKG D-12
 * Snare:
 * Shure SM57
 * Hi-hat:
 * AKG C451E
 * Tom-toms:
 * Sennheiser MD421's (or Beyer M201's)
 * Overheads:
 * AKG C451E (x2)
 * Drum ambience:
 * Neumann U87's (x2)

Guitar amps:
 * Shure SM57
 * Neumann U87

Vocals:
 * Various mikes including:
 * AKG C12
 * Beyerdynamic M88
 * Telefunken U47

Outboard gear
(list incomplete)
 * AMS DMX 15-80S digital delay
 * AMS RMX-16 digital reverb
 * Dbx 160
 * Focusrite EQ
 * Lexicon
 * UREI 1178
 * Neve 1066

Ancillary equipment

 * Solid State Logic SL4056E mixing desk /w G-series computer and Amek sidecar