Written by Thomas Schrage

Genesis‘ first album was not called Trespass but From Genesis To Revelation. Many fans tend to count it as their zeroeth album. It shows no or at best only the most minuscule traces of the style that would make them well-known later, and therefore frequently meets with a refusal and lack of affection. Justly so?

The band did not have the line-up they got known with yet. One could say they did not even exist. They came together to record demo-tapes in the first place. All of them knew each other from Charterhouse public school. The songwriter team Rutherford and Anthony Phillips asked Tony Banks to play the piano for them; Banks only agreed if he could bring his songwriting partner Peter Gabriel to record a song. Soon they were convinced that Gabriel’s voice sounded better than Phillips’ so he ended up singing on all the songs.

When he did not sing, Phillips played the guitar, a position he would retain up to Trespass. Initially, the drums were played by one Chris Stewart, though the drumming on the album would be done by John Silver. The drummer’s stool would not be filled permanently until Phil Collins joined Genesis. Only with him did the band find someone who was accepted as a full member and could incorporate himself.

These boys (most of them were around 17 at the time) managed to land a record contract with Jonjo Music in August 1967. That only meant that a single would be released. King was an alumnus of Charterhouse and had had quite a successful hit with Everyone’s Gone To The Moon. A shallow pop song though that may have been, he nevertheless seemed to be a person of success and influence, and they found it very promising that they could have him produce them.

Read More

The year was 1969. Among the many discoveries made that year was something called "the import record" - albums from England that were either different from those released here, or just plain never released in Athens.

I remember pulling together a stack of domestic promotional albums and heading to a downtown rendezvous, near Acropolis to a place called Plaka, where in a small records shop they were traded for a decidedly smaller stack of imports. One of them was a little item that had a black cover with gold lettering proclaiming FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION. It was the first effort of a British group that couldn't decide on their name, although the music was much more decisive - I immediately vowed to become a fan once they figured out what to call themselves....

Genesis Group Members
Peter Brian Gabriel Gemesis 1970 - 1975

Peter Brian Gabriel

BORN: February 13, 1950, London, England
As the leader of Genesis in the early '70s, Peter Gabriel helped move progressive rock to new levels of theatricality. In his solo career, Gabriel was no less ambitious, but he was more subtle in his methods.
Anthony George Banks Gemesis 1970 - 1975

Anthony George Banks

BORN: March 27th, 1950, East Sussex, England
Tony Banks started his career with Genesis in 1967 as the pianist/keyboardist, after the emergence of the Charterhouse School Bands The Garden Wall, which Tony was a member,..
Michael John Rutherford Gemesis 1970 - 1975

Michael John Rutherford

BORN: October 2nd, 1950, Guildford, Surrey, England
A founding member of the long-running art-rock band Genesis, Mike Rutherford also made the occasional excursion into solo projects, most notably the pop combo Mike + the Mechanics.
Phillip David Charles Collins Gemesis 1970 - 1975

Phillip David Charles Collins

BORN: January 31, 1951, Chiswick, London, England
Phil Collins' ascent to the status of one of the most successful pop and adult-contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond was probably as much of a surprise to him as it was to many others.
Steven Richard Hackett Gemesis 1970 - 1975

Steven Richard Hackett

BORN: February 12th, 1951, England
Formerly a member of various minor bands, including Canterbury Glass, Heel Pier, Sarabande and Quiet World, the latter releasing a solitary album on Dawn Records in 1970, Hackett joined Genesis as guitarist in early 1971.

March 16th, 2015 By Jim Laugelli

I could have very easily chosen a number of other Genesis albums but I decided on this one simply because it features what is perhaps the most significant song in all of progressive rock: “Supper’s Ready.” My introduction to Genesis occurred 41 years ago and had one of the most profound impacts on my personal musical journey. On that night, in May of 1974, a friend asked if I wanted to see a concert. He had a few extra tickets for a Genesis show and no one to join him. I never heard of the band and for some reason thought they were probably some sort of acoustic act. As far as I recall, my friend knew little about the band as well. I believe someone just gave him the tickets. With nothing better to do I decided to check it out. When we arrived at the venue and had taken our seats I remember my curiosity ratcheting up when the pre-concert music over the P.A. was Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. This signaled to me that I was probably going to hear something unexpected. Sure enough, when the lights went down and the crowd quieted, the opening chords to “Watcher Of The Skies” begins. I immediately leaned forward in my seat totally consumed by the sound of the mellotron.

As that instrument eases, the staccato rhythm of the bass begins and in the darkness a pair eyes appear, they seem to be searching, radiating, only to reveal a figure in a cape with bat wings wrapped around his head. The vocals then begin and until the end of the show I remain completely and utterly captivated. My mind was officially blown. It was a revelation. I left that show a changed person. This was music that went beyond my imagination. It was presented like theater, it told stories. In fact, before many songs, Gabriel told surreal little tales as a way of introducing the tunes. The next day I bought Foxtrot, and then Selling England By The Pound, Nursery Cryme and Trespass all in short order. I immersed myself in their music.

Foxtrot begins the band’s high point of three consecutive outstanding albums. It was released in 1972, a banner year for progressive rock that also saw the release of Close To The Edge by Yes, Thick As A Brick from Jethro Tull, Trilogy by ELP, Three Friends from Gentle Giant and a slew of other incredible records. For Genesis, Foxtrot saw them tackle ideas they started with their two previous releases, Trespass and Nursery Cryme. The level of complexity in song structure, the emphasis on theatricality and drama, storytelling and extended song form all reached a new level of sophistication on Foxtrot.

Read More

Go toTop
1967 - 1975
Discography Comments Compiled by Ikon Designing

Discography Comments

Aside from a portion of the box set, this is the only commercially available live document of vintage Gabriel-era Genesis.
Official Album Releases Compiled by Ikon Designing

Official Album Releases

That's it. Genesis' most ambitious work to date that ultimately led to the shock departure of their much loved singer Peter Gabriel.
Genesis Album Artwork Compiled by Ikon Designing

Genesis Album Artwork

The painterly texture of the album art is a very nuanced addition to the artwork., but with a plain light yellow-tan border, the artwork itself can feel a bit drab.
Jonathan King and the Name Compiled by Ikon Designing

Jonathan King and the Name

In 1963 Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks met at Charterhouse, a boarding-school, that layed in the English county Surrey in the middle 1960s.
Before Phil Compiled by Ikon Designing

Before Phil

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away. . . England, I think it was called. . . There lived four young men. . Their names were Ant Phillips, Michael Rutherford, Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel.
The Glory Years Compiled by Ikon Designing

The Glory Years

While recovering from this, he began writing Genesis' most ambitious project to date, "Supper's Ready," a 23-minute masterpiece
Touch of the Jaggers Compiled by Ikon Designing

Touch of the Jaggers

On every level the band transcend any kind of expected performance standard. Musically they are so proficient they make that part of the job look like a secondary exercise.
Man behind the Mask Compiled by Ikon Designing

Man behind the Mask

Genesis obviously differ from the dressed-up 12-bar that most bands unravel. And because of these very differences, the band have been slated over over their motives.
Hall of Mutant King Compiled by Ikon Designing

Hall of Mutant King

Lifeless was the performance of leader Peter Gabriel; the protagonist's name is Rael so it's surely no accident that Gabriel is a Roger Daltry sound alike.

Discography Comments - ...Read More

Article Index

Page 2 of 2

FOXTROT

Easily the most angular and eccentric Genesis album, FOXTROT is where Peter Gabriel's idiosyncratic lyricism bears full fruit. "Get 'em Out By Friday" and "Watcher of the Skies" brim with Peter Gabriel's quirky combination of poetics, politics, and philosophy, and with the tricky time signatures that are an early-Genesis trademark. Though these are some of the most powerful, memorable songs in the Genesis catalog, FOXTROT's centerpiece is the 23-minute epic "Supper's Ready," a prog-rock classic that moves through several sections, shifting tempo, mood, and tone colors as it weaves its rich, complex tale. This composition would become Genesis diehards' most beloved tune, known as a concert favorite for years. SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND may be the definitive Genesis album, but FOXTROT runs a close second, and is just as much of a gem in the '70s progressive-rock crown.

Genesis:
Michael Rutherford (vocals, guitar, cello, bass, bass pedals);
Tony Banks (vocals, guitar, acoustic & electric pianos, organ, Mellotron);
Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute, oboe, bass drum, tambourine);
Phil Collins (vocals, drums, percussion)
Steve Hackett (guitar).
Additional personnel: Gabble Ratchet.

SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

If one had to pare the prog-rock story down to a handful of essential albums, this would undoubtedly be one of them. SELLING ENGLAND was the culmination of all that Genesis had been striving for since their late-'60s inception, the refinement of the vision that developed on TRESPASS, NURSERY CRYME and FOXTROT (somewhere in the world, there's been a second-wave prog outfit named after every one of these albums). The fusion of a complex classical mind with an electrified rock heart and pastoral folk spirit defined Genesis' anatomy, and never more effectively than on SELLING ENGLAND.
Peter Gabriel's startlingly unpretentious tale-spinning is at its best on "The Battle of Epping Forest." Tony Banks elegant, sophisticated keyboard work is a key element of nearly every tune, and the electric/acoustic guitar tapestry woven by Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford is the perfect icing on the cake. Somewhat anomalous but entirely welcome is the Gabriel-era band's catchiest/quirkiest song "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)," the tale of a somewhat daft gardener. Phil Collins's lead vocal on the gorgeous acoustic ballad "More Fool Me" paints the shape of things to come. If you only buy one Genesis album, make it this one.

Genesis:
Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute, oboe);
Steve Hackett (guitar);
Tony Banks (12-string guitar, keyboards, background vocals);
Michael Rutherford (12-string guitar, bass);
Phil Collins (drums, percussion, background vocals).

THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY

Peter Gabriel's conceptual lyricism reached its apex on the double-length LAMB LIES DOWN. An epic undertaking even for a band used to 10- and 20-minute songs, LAMB weaves over 20 songs into one long suite ostensibly about the tribulations of its urban protagonist Rael. The group achieves an unprecedented level of focus and force here. No matter how complex the guitar and keyboard themes get, they're driven home with enough force and conviction to make them instantly memorable. The panoramic scale of Gabriel's lyrics is easily equal to the grandeur of the music, making this at once Genesis's most hard-edged and most complicated album. From the lush sweep of the opening title track to the almost Beatles-like Britpop of "Counting Out Time," Genesis is at the top of its compositional game throughout LAMB. Having thoroughly topped himself with this release, Gabriel subsequently quit the group, leaving Phil Collins to take over as vocalist for the next phase of the Genesis story.

Genesis:
Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute);
Phil Collins (vocals, vibraphone, percussion);
Steve Hackett (guitar);
Michael Rutherford (12-string guitar, bass);
Tony Banks (keyboards).
Additional personnel: Brian Eno.


GENESIS ARCHIVE 1967 - 1975

It covers the years 1967 through 1975. DISCS 1 and 2 contain a live rendition of THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY (recorded at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on April 24, 1974), while DISCS 3 and 4 contain old tracks, demos, B-sides and songs recorded at BBC radio sessions. In addition, a 64-page booklet with photos of all phases of the Gabriel years starting with the band's first recording sessions done for UK producer Jonathan King will be part of this package.

This four-disc box will be a revelation to latecomers who believe that Genesis began and ended with Phil Collins. It will be a godsend to those who already know better. GENESIS ARCHIVE contains live cuts, demos and other previously-unreleased material by the band from their creative heyday. With vocalist Peter Gabriel at the helm, the band managed the difficult task of adding both sociopolitical relevance and real rock and roll excitement to '70s progressive rock.
On live versions of classic cuts like "I Know What I Like" and "Firth of Fifth," Gabriel and company offer more energy than on the recorded versions without sacrificing any of the band's vaunted instrumental delicacy. The late-'60s demos of such tunes as "In The Wilderness" and "Build Me A Mountain" offer an illuminating glimpse of the group before they began exploiting the more electronic end of music technology. The centerpiece of this set, though, is a full live recording of the band's celebrated conceptual piece "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway," which proved to be the swansong of Gabriel-era (i.e. prime) Genesis.

Genesis:
Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute, percussion);
Mike Rutherford (guitar, bass);
Steve Hackett, (guitar);
Tony Banks (piano, keyboards); Phil Collins, John Silver, John Mayhew (drums).
Engineers include: Nick Davis, Geoff Callingham.
Includes liner notes by Tony Banks, Jonathan King, Chris Welch, Richard McPhail, Dave Stopps.Genesis:
Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute, percussion);
Mike Rutherford (guitar, bass);
Steve Hackett, (guitar);
Tony Banks (piano, keyboards); Phil Collins, John Silver, John Mayhew (drums).
Engineers include: Nick Davis, Geoff Callingham.
Includes liner notes by Tony Banks, Jonathan King, Chris Welch, Richard McPhail, Dave Stopps.

GENESIS LIVE

Aside from a portion of the box set, this is the only commercially available live document of vintage Gabriel-era Genesis. LIVE was recorded at the group's 1973 peak, and features hardcore fans' favorite lineup, including Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett. The flawless song selection favors tunes from the beloved albums FOXTROT and TRESPASS. The semi-baroque keyboards of Tony Banks and the whisper-to-a-scream dynamic of Hackett are displayed in all their glory.
The songs tend toward the long side (not one is under eight minutes long--prog-rock heaven!), giving the group ample time to work its complex, time signature-shifting, contrapuntal magic. Though we're denied the visual aspect of Gabriel's notoriously elaborate costume changes and onstage antics, the energy of his performance comes through in his urgent vocals, and he delivers some of his most sharply penned lyrics. Subsequent Collins-era live albums serve the legacy well, but this is the Genesis concert album with which to start.

Genesis:
Tony Banks (vocals, guitar, electronic piano, organ, Mellotron);
Michael Rutherford (vocals, guitar, bass, bass pedals);
Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute, bass drum, tambourine);
Phil Collins (vocals, drums, percussion);
Steve Hackett (guitar).

 Go Back

Go to Top