Written by Hester Stasse, September 2002
Band Members:
Tony Banks - Organ, Mellotron, Piano, Electric Piano, 12 String, Voices;
Steve Hackett - Electric Guitar, 12 String and 6 String Solos;
Phil Collins - Drums, Voices, Assorted Percussion;
Peter Gabriel - Lead Voice, Flute, Bass Drum, Tambourine, Oboe;
Michael Rutherford - Bass, Bass Pedals, 12 String Guitar, Voices, Cello
Also starring: Guy and Paul [?!]
All titles composed, arranged and performed by Genesis
Producer: David Hitchcock
Engineer: John Burns
Sleeve Design: Paul Whitehead
Resources (photographs and text):
The Book of Genesis - Hugh Fielder, 1984
Genesis - Janis Schacht, 1984
Peter Gabriel: an authorized biography - Spencer Bright, 1988
Genesis: a biography - Dave Bowler and Bryan Dray, 1992
Genesis - Petra Zeitz, 1992
The Complete Guide To The Music of Genesis - Chris Welch, 1995
The Official Genesis site
The Genesis Museum
Genesis FAQ
"When a flash of intuition is a gift that helps you excel-sell-sell-sell"
In 1972, there were only a few albums that stood out among the steady stream of (prog) releases. Yes released Close To The Edge, Jethro Tull Thick As A Brick and Genesis Foxtrot. Some may say that Genesis made more significant albums than Foxtrot, like Selling England By The Pound or The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, but Foxtrot was basically the reason why Peter Gabriel started dressing up in strange masks and costumes, something which earned the band just that little bit of extra attention they needed to be noticed by a larger
audience. Since that extra attention was however largely focused on Gabriel, giving him a rock star status that he did not desire, it also caused him to leave Genesis a few years later. Still, Foxtrot is the album that contains one of the songs that people still talk about with a certain reverence and which inspired many other bands to write long songs; Supper's Ready.
To survive on the ocean of being
For Genesis, how the follow-up of Nursery Cryme would be received was very important. Charisma, their record label at that time, had not been very enthusiastic about the album and did therefore not put its utmost into its promotion. If that was also the reason why it did not enter the British charts is an interesting question. Still, they more or less demanded something better this time. The band were not 100% satisfied with Nursery Cryme either since it combined "very high highs" with "very low lows," as Mike Rutherford put it in an interview. And Tony Banks said about it that only The Musical Box and Fountain Of Salmacis really stood out for him.
By regularly playing in clubs and other smaller venues in England, Genesis had managed to build up a small following in their home country. Especially playing in the Friar's Club in Aylesbury felt like home games to the band. Strangely enough, though, the attention they got there was nothing compared to their popularity in countries like Belgium and Italy. Without ever having played there, Genesis scored a number one hit in Belgium with their second album Trespass and Nursery Cryme reached number four in the Italian charts. When they finally travelled these countries to play a few shows, the band was surprised to find that they were all but revered there. This experience sufficiently boosted their confidence when they subsequently went into the studio to record Foxtrot.
