During the last thirty years the world has been stuck in the syrupy sludge of the Phil Collins era of Genesis, when it was impossible to distinguish a solo Collins record from a Genesis one. Fans of the original group have long been dismayed by the acquired, gargantuan pop overtones of a band which was one of the most intriguing prog-rock groups of the early 1970s. Unless you've heard those early records forget all that has happened from the 1978 release of ...and then there were three... on.
Formed in 1965 by schoolmates Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks, Genesis was originally rounded out with Anthony Phillips (guitar), Mike Rutherford (bass and guitar) and Chris Stewart (drums). After a couple of singles the band entered the studio for their debut. From Genesis To Revelations was marred by producer Jonathan King's lush string arrangements, which set out to copy the road-tested magic of the early Bee Gees records.
Though the brothers Gibb discs were genius slices of chamber pop, the sound really didn't fit the material Genesis was writing. The record has been released in many incarnations but Genesis fans avoid it. With some personnel changes the band entered the studio again, and the sound that would define early 1970s Genesis began to gel on 1970's
