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.

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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.

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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.

Six Of The Best: Rehearsals & Live

There are many and various reasons why rock bands hold reunions.  Most common is for nostalgia, the need to revisit past glories for contemporary fans and for the pocket book.  Others are held for charitable reasons.  Such was the case for the Six Of The Best show in 1982.  Careful not to call it a Genesis reunion for legal and speculative reasons, it is to date the only time Peter Gabriel played with Genesis for a full-length concert since his departure in 1975 (Gabriel did join the band for “I Know What I Like” in New York in July 1978).      

The cause was quite worthy.  Gabriel, in his attempt to introduce and preserve the heritage of world music and to find such interesting acts a new audience, had invested quite a lot of time and money into the World Of Music And Dance (WOMAD) festival at Shepton Mallot on July 16th.  Unfortunately, his ideals were higher than his business sense and didn’t count on acts such as La Place De La Concorde, OK Jive and The Drummers Of Burundi to NOT draw a sizable audience.

Genesis were still on the Encore tour, their biggest yet, and offered to donate proceeds from one of their shows for his cause.  Instead of accepting charity from his old mates, Gabriel decided instead to schedule the one-off reunion to raise funds.  Unfortunately the show wasn’t professionally recorded (as far as we know), but there were several enterprising audience members to capture the event for posterity.  

In 2009 a soundboard recording of the rehearsal surfaced and was quickly pressed onto silver disc.  Six Of The Best:  Rehearsals & Live on Virtuoso is a four disc set presenting both tapes in one convenient package.  This is the first time the reunion concert has been issued on silver disc in almost fifteen years and it receives a welcome overhaul in a definitive package.    Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – September 29th, 1982

The only rehearsal for the event occurred on the afternoon of Genesis’ September 29th show at the Hammersmith Odeon, the penultimate show on the Encore tour which was recently released on Man On The Hammersmith (Virtuoso 137/138).  The ninety minute soundboard recording was first pressed on All The Help I Can Get (GR 458/459).  The sound quality of the Virtuoso doesn’t differ significantly from the Godfather release.  

A very clear but unbalanced recording, it clearly illustrates the band resurrecting the older numbers for the reunion show.  Several of the old songs like “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway,” “I Know What I Like,” “In The Cage” and the epic “Supper’s Ready” are already well rehearsed because they were already part of Genesis’ live act.  

But the other numbers require much more work.  Gabriel has to practice the opening to “Dancing With The Moonlit Knight” several times before getting right.  They choose to play the opening of the song as an introduction to “Carpet Crawlers,” the same arrangement Genesis employed on the Duke tour in 1980.  

“Firth Of Fifth” was part of the set as recently as the Duke tour, but “The Musical Box” hadn’t been played in its entirety since 1974 (only the fast paced instrumental was played in medley).  Collins and Gabriel try to sing the first verse of “The Musical Box” in union but quickly drop the idea.  Gabriel’s flute out of tune in the beginning of “The Musical Box.”

“In The Cage” is cooking along until a key change is missed and they have to start again.  Most work goes into Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill.”  It’s interesting hearing him teach the band how to play and to work on the Genesis arrangement of one of his most famous solo works.  Cliff, in his review of the Godfather release two years ago, opined that there must have been much more to the rehearsal since “Turn It On Again” must have been rehearsed.  Nothing new has surfaced since, so this is probably all we’ll get to hear from the rehearsal session.  

Six Of The Best Reunion Show
Concert Bowl, Milton Keynes, England – October 2nd, 1982

Disc 1 (46:49):  Back In NYC, Dancing With The Moonlit Knight (Take 1), Dancing With The Moonlit Knight (Take 2), The Carpet Crawlers, Firth Of Fifth, The Musical Box, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Fly On A Windshield, Broadway Melody Of 1974

Disc 2 (47:39):  In The Cage (Take 1), In The Cage (Take 2), Supper’s Ready, The Knife, Solsbury Hill (Take 1), Solsbury Hill (Take 2), Solsbury Hill (Take 3)

Disc 3 (72:49):  Introduction by Jonathan King, Back In NYC, Dancing With The Moonlit Knight, The Carpet Crawlers, Peter Gabriel MC, Firth Of Fifth, The Musical Box, Solsbury Hill, Member Introduction, Turn It On Again, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Fly On A Windshield, 1974 Broadway Melody, In The Cage

Disc 4 (47:25):  Introduction Of Supper’s Ready, Supper’s Ready, I Know What I Like (with Steve Hackett), The Knife (with Steve Hackett), Closing Words


For such an important show in Genesis’ history, there have been very few pressed versions available.  The first was The Lamb Woke Up Again (Stonehenge STCD 2008/2009) which contains the entire show plus the three song encore from Steve Hackett’s January 29th, 1983 show in Guildford where Peter Gabriel and Michael Rutherford joined him onstage for the encores.  In the late nineties Highland released Six Of The Best (Highland HL 388/389) using a fair to good tape.  

Since then several more audience tapes have been uncovered.  Arguably, the best version was on the fan produced Live In Milton Keynes (TM Productions) and was commercially available on the CDR Emotional Reunion (Amity 106).  It is a very clear and enjoyable audience tape of the entire concert.  It also picks up nicely the sound of 60,000 punters singing along to the music and singing “Happy Birthday” to Michael Rutherford.  

Genesis’ first manager Jonathan King gives some introductory words, speaking about how they formed sixteen years ago, before the band start with the thumping rhythms of “Back In NYC.”  Six pallbearers carry a coffin onstage while the band extend the intro.  After placing the coffin onstage, it opens and out comes Peter Gabriel dressed in Rael costume.  The opening lines are muffled due to a faulty lead, but it clears up nicely and the show gets off to a wonderful start.

After a pause, Gabriel sings the opening to “Dancing With A Moonlit Knight” which segues directly into “Carpet Crawlers.”  Collins joins in on the verses like in the old days, but it is Gabriel’s mesmerizing performance that carries the tune.   

“Some of you may be wondering what we’re doing here.”  The audience replies “NOOOOOOOOO” in unison.  Gabriel continues anyway to talk about WOMAD, its financial woes, and to tell the audience they will play a selection they think they would like to hear.  “Firth Of Fifth” follows (with Darryl Steurmer playing the solo).   

“The Musical Box” is a bit sloppy with Steurmer being the main culprit.  He doesn’t know the guitar embellishments during the opening verses and makes up his own which sound strange.  He’s much more confident during the heavy instrumental, however, since it has been part of the set.  

The middle part of the show is a trade off.  They play “Solsbury Hill” from Gabriel’s first album.  And, after the band introductions, Gabriel and Collins switch places.  Collins takes over vocal and Gabriel plays drums for “Turn It On Again” from Duke. 

Gabriel then mentions they rehearsed in Hammersmith for the show and starts telling the train story from Genesis Live.  He stops and jokes “the only thing we didn’t rehearse were the stories and that is the wrong story.”  He then tells another story as an intro to “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.”  They play all of the first side of the first LP except “Cuckoo Cocoon” after “Broadway Melody Of 1974? and “The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging” after “In The Cage.”   

Afterwards Gabriel tells the tube story again as an introduction to “Supper’s Ready.”  It’s very tight since they’ve been playing it on tour.  Gabriel dons his flower costume to the approval of the audience.  

Steve Hackett comes onstage for the final two numbers.  “I Know What I Like” features Collins playing his tambourine games, and “The Knife” is very short and powerful.  Gabriel afterwards thanks everyone for coming and Collins wishes everyone a good night.  

While this isn’t the greatest Genesis concert it is historically important.   Thirty years on it is the final time Gabriel sang for Genesis in concert and, after the aborted plan for him to rejoin Genesis on their reunion in 2007, probably will remain so.  There are many musical mistakes and miscues, but the emotion is right and is fun to listen to.  Virtuoso did a good job bringing these two tapes together into one convenient package.  Until a soundboard and / or video of the show surfaces, Six Of The Best:  Rehearsals & Live will be the definitive silver title. 

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