The albums gave birth to songs which would remain in the band's repertoire for years, indeed, in some cases, until this day: their early anthem "The Knife", the haunting "Fountain of Salmacis" and "Watcher of the Skies" and "I Know What I Like" (a number 17 single in the UK - a huge breakthrough). Above all, it was these albums which saw them develop their taste for huge epics - epics huge in length, scope and ambition, chief among them "Foxtrot's" "Supper's Ready" and "Selling's" "Firth of Fifth". These songs, as much as any by their contemporaries, defined "progressive rock".
The years 1970-1973 are known for the settling-down of the band's line-up, for endless touring and for the development of an extraordinary stage show. But ultuimately, their legacy is a series of albums of gradually increasing self-confidence, extravagance and experimentation. That Tony Stratton-Smith stood by them through these years is a testament to his belief in a developing body of work heard in the albums "Trespass" (1970), "Nursery Cryme" (1971 - Collins' and Hackett's recording debut with the group), "Foxtrot" (1972), "Genesis Live" (1973) and "Selling England By The Pound" (1973).
