Genesis (band)

Genesis
File:Genesis Group.jpg
Background information
Origin	Godalming, Surrey
Years active	1967– 1999
Members	Mike Rutherford Tony Banks
Website	genesis-music.com

Genesis is a Grammy Award winning English progressive rock band formed in 1967. The band's notable former members include Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, both of whom achieved additional success as solo artists and in other ventures. With approximately 150 million albums sold, Genesis is one of the top 30 highest selling recording artists of all time. The band is widely known for two distinctly different musical phases. Early on in their career, their complex song structures, elaborate instrumentation, and theatrical live shows made them one of the most revered bands of the 1970s progressive rock movement. Hallmarks of the band's music during this period included the 23-minute long "Supper's Ready" and the 1974 concept album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. In the 1980s and beyond, their music took a distinct turn towards pop, becoming considerably more hook-oriented and more accessible to the musical mainstream. This change of musical direction gave them their first UK #1 album, Duke, as well as their first and only US #1 single, "Invisible Touch".

Initially led by Peter Gabriel, Genesis has experienced several personnel changes over the years. Phil Collins took over from Gabriel after the latter's departure from the group in 1975. After nearly two decades of being the band's frontman, Phil Collins left the group in 1996 and was replaced by former Stiltskin singer Ray Wilson for the 1997 album Calling All Stations. Wilson was released from the group in 1998 following the disappointing sales of the new album and after three decades of activity, the band announced that it was on an indefinite hiatus . Some members of the band collaborated on a remake of "The Carpet Crawlers" for the hits compilation Turn it on Again: The Hits and for an acoustic rendition of "I Can't Dance" at the Music Managers Forum in honour of their manager Tony Smith in 2000.

The beginning

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The original Genesis lineup in 1967, with Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, John Silver and Anthony Phillips.

The band's origin lies in the late 1960s, when founding members Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks were still students at Charterhouse School. The metamorphosis of four Charterhouse School bands led to the formation of Genesis in January 1967. In the summer of 1966, the band The Spoken Word was formed, whose members included Peter Gabriel on drums, David Thomas on vocals and Rivers Job on bass, among others. By September 1966, The Garden Wall was formed with Chris Stewart on drums, Peter Gabriel on vocals, Johnny Trapman on trumpet, Tony Banks on keyboards, Rivers Job on bass and Anthony Phillips on vocals/guitar. Anthony Phillips had joined The Garden Wall from another school band, The Anon, which, at various points in time through 1965-66, consisted of Phillips on guitar, Mike Rutherford on guitar and vocals, Rob Tyrell on drums, Richard McPhail on vocals and Rivers Job on bass. With the departure of Trapman and Job from The Garden Wall and the arrival of Mike Rutherford, the transformation was complete. The original line-up consisted of Peter Gabriel (vocals), Anthony Phillips (guitar), Tony Banks (keyboards), Mike Rutherford (bass), and Chris Stewart (drums). Genesis recorded its first album, 1969's From Genesis to Revelation, after striking a deal with Jonathan King, a songwriter and producer who had a hit single at the time called "Everyone's Gone to the Moon". King supposedly dubbed the band Genesis because it was the first serious band he had worked with, or the genesis of his career, or as he recalled later — "I named them Genesis because I thought it was a good name ... it suggested the beginning of a new sound and a new feeling". The album was released by Decca Records. During the sessions, drummer Chris Stewart left the band and was replaced by John Silver. The band recorded a series of songs reflecting the light pop style of the Bee Gees, of whom King was very fond, and King assembled these tracks into a pseudo-concept album, layering on string arrangements into the music during production. The band's first single, "The Silent Sun" () was released in February 1968. The album flopped terribly, and the band, feeling manipulated by King, told him they had broken up in order to get out of their contract with him. To this day, King continues to assert that he was responsible for the band's subsequent success. He holds the rights to the songs on the From Genesis to Revelation album and has attempted to sell the rights for their re-recording.

Genesis Band Members

(1967-1968)	Peter Gabriel - vocals, flute Anthony Phillips - guitar Tony Banks - keyboards Mike Rutherford - guitar, bass Chris Stewart - drums
(1968-1969)	Peter Gabriel - vocals, flute Anthony Phillips - guitar Tony Banks - keyboards Mike Rutherford - guitar, bass guitar John Silver - drums
(1969-1970)	Peter Gabriel - vocals, flute Anthony Phillips - guitar Tony Banks - keyboards Mike Rutherford - guitar, bass guitar John Mayhew - drums
(1970-1975)	Peter Gabriel - vocals, flute Steve Hackett - guitar Tony Banks - keyboards Mike Rutherford - guitar, bass, bass pedals Phil Collins - drums, backing vocals
(1975-1977)	Phil Collins - drums, vocals Steve Hackett - guitar Tony Banks - keyboards Mike Rutherford - guitar, bass
(1977-1996)	Phil Collins - drums, vocals Tony Banks - keyboards, backing vocals Mike Rutherford - guitar, bass, backing vocals
(1996-1998)	Ray Wilson - vocals Tony Banks - keyboards Mike Rutherford - guitar, bass
Other personnel	David Thomas - backing vocals (1969) Mick Barnard - guitars - live performances only (1970) Bill Bruford (drums - live performances only) 1976 Chester Thompson (drums - live performances only) 1977 - 1992 Daryl Stuermer (guitars - live performances only) 1978 - 1992 Nick D'Virgilio - drums (1996 - 1998) Nir Zidhyaku - drums (1996 - 1998) Anthony Drennan (guitars, bass - live performances only) 1997 - 1998

Genesis soldiered on with new drummer John Mayhew, playing what gigs they could get and eventually landing a new deal with Tony Stratton-Smith, founder of the fledgling Charisma Records. Through live performances the band became known for hypnotic melodies that were often dark, haunting, and medieval sounding. Anthony Phillips left the band in 1970 after the release of Trespass because of ill health and stage fright. The departure of Phillips was traumatic for both Banks and Rutherford, as Phillips had been a founding member, and the primary force behind the band becoming "professionals." There was also doubt over whether Genesis could go on without him. Eventually, the remaining members rallied and renewed their commitment to Genesis, also deciding to fire drummer John Mayhew in the bargain. Trespass set the format for Genesis albums throughout the '70s, characterised by lengthy, sometimes operatic pieces with occasional very short, often humourous numbers but generally typifying the style of progressive rock in which bands King Crimson, Yes, Gong, and Gentle Giant, among others, indulged in a similar way — music including elaborate arrangements and time signature changes with displays of virtuosity. The album featured the 9 minute "The Knife" which Gabriel, then a vegitarian and a believer in non-violence after having been influenced by a book on Gandhi, wrote to try and show "how all violent revolutions inevitably end up with a dictator in power". Phil Collins joined the band on 4 August 1970 and the band played a handful of gigs as a four-piece band before playing a few shows with guitarist Mick Barnard. While the band was becoming aware that Barnard was not up to their calibre of musicianship, they continued to seek out a proper replacement for Phillips. Late in 1970, Steve Hackett, who was at the time playing in a band called Quiet World, placed an advertisement for a band in Melody Maker. Hackett also went to see Genesis in concert and enjoyed the type of music they were playing. The band liked the tone of the advertisement, and after a meeting at his parents' apartment, hired Hackett on the spot.

The "Peter Gabriel" era

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Peter Gabriel painted his face white and partially shaved his head during the Selling England by the Pound tour in 1974.

The first album Genesis released with Collins and Hackett was Nursery Cryme in 1971. The album featured such songs as "Seven Stones", "Fountain of Salmacis", "For Absent Friends" (which was Phil Collins' vocal debut with the group) and live favourites "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" and "The Musical Box" () — the latter a classic whose climactic end was featured in various medleys throughout the many years of live Genesis concerts. 1972's Foxtrot, which featured the 23-minute magnum opus "Supper's Ready" () and the Arthur C. Clarke-inspired "Watcher of the Skies", solidified Genesis' reputation as songwriters and performers. Gabriel's flamboyant and theatrical stage presence, which involved numerous costume changes and surreal stories told as the introduction to each song, made the band one of the most talked-about live acts in early-'70s UK rock music. Selling England by the Pound followed in 1973 and was well received by critics and fans. According to one biographical account, Gabriel was very concious of lyrics and references that might suggest a slant towards American audiences. He was keen therefore to avoid the trap and insisted that the album carry the title Selling England by the Pound, which was also the title of the Labour Party manifesto at the time. The album contained classics such as "Firth of Fifth" (), "Dancing with the Moonlit Night", "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" and "Cinema Show" would be staples in live performances for years to come. During this period, guitarist Steve Hackett became one of the first to use the "tapping" technique (the invention of which is normally credited to Eddie Van Halen) and "sweep picking", (popularised in the 80's by Yngwie Malmsteen). These techniques were used in songs such as "The Return of the Giant Hogweed", "Supper's Ready" and "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight".

Genesis would soon venture into a more ambitious project, the double disc concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (), released in November 1974. The story features the supernatural journey of its protagonist, Rael, a Puerto Rican punk kid in New York City, who takes an unexplainable journey through a parallel reality based in Times Square. During this adventure, he finds himself in many strange places and encounters several bizarre characters such as The Lamia, borrowed from Greek mythology, and the infamous Slippermen during some satirically twisted circumstances. On several occasions he also encounters his brother John, but in the end it is unclear whether John is just another manifestation of Rael's mind. The story of the Lamb remains a matter of opinion and speculation to this day, for there is no official explanation of what it is actually about.

Rather than the typical lengthy tracks, The Lamb was a collection of many shorter tracks connected by a variety of segues and featured a change of atmosphere from previous albums. This change of atmosphere is due in part to the production, as well as the appearance of bolder electronic keyboard sounds and a shift in theme from British concepts to one that was American. The Lamb strained relations between members of the group, particularly Banks and Gabriel. The other members of Genesis essentially wrote the music to The Lamb without Gabriel's participation (except the song "Counting Out Time" written entirely by Peter). He was away during the creation of the music to focus on the writing of the story and lyrics on his own (with the exception of the song "The Light Lies Down on Broadway" written by the other members). Peter Gabriel left the band in 1975, following the tour to support The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. He had been feeling more and more estranged from the band, and his marriage and birth of his first child only added to his personal strain. Gabriel explained his letter to fans entitled Out, Angels Out:

The vehicle we had built as a co-op to serve our songwriting became our master and had cooped us up inside the success we had wanted. It affected the attitudes and the spirit of the whole band. The music had not dried up and I still respect the other musicians, but our roles had set in hard.

Gabriel's first solo album (Peter Gabriel, 1977) featured the single "Solsbury Hill", an allegory about his departure from Genesis.

The "Phil Collins" era

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Phil Collins performing "That's All" in Buffalo, NY, 1983. Also visible are Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and Daryl Stuermer.

The group began auditioning lead singers without a clear idea about the kind of singer they were looking for, although they knew that they did not want a voice too dissimilar from Gabriel's. Phil Collins, whose backing vocals had featured previously in the Genesis sound of the Gabriel era, was given the job of coaching prospective replacements, including Jon Anderson of Yes. "I really wanted to have a crack at it...[b]ut I wan't about it ask. I wanted someone to ask me", Phil Collins recalled later in an interview. Eventually it became aparent to the group that Collins could fit the role as the band's new lead singer. Genesis' first post-Gabriel album, A Trick of the Tail, was well received, outselling The Lamb and other previous Genesis albums. It helped that the album featured a markedly clearer production than previous albums, courtesy the new producer, David Hentschel, who had previously served as engineer on Nursery Cryme. Another factor that may have influenced the positive response was that Collins sounded "more like Gabriel than Gabriel did". The album featured some classic post-Gabriel songs including "Ripples", "Mad Man Moon", "Dance on a Volcano" () and "Entangled". Despite the success of Trick of the Tail, there was still the problem of what to do on stage. Collins was confident that he could handle live vocal duties too, but needed another drummer to fill in for him while he was singing. Bill Bruford, drummer for Yes and King Crimson offered to play drums for the band while Collins attended to vocal duties — a suggestion that was palatable to Collins and the band. Bruford joined the band on tour in 1976 as drummer; later, the jazz fusion-trained Chester Thompson, a veteran of Weather Report and Frank Zappa, would take over live drumming duties, leaving Collins to step into the spotlight. Phil Collins's approach to live Genesis shows differed from the more theatrical performances of Peter Gabriel, and his interpretation of Gabriel's works were often lighter and more subtle. Peter Gabriel famously told Collins at the 1982 Milton Keynes reunion show that Collins sang Gabriel's songs better than Peter, but never quite like Peter.

Wind & Wuthering was released (in the UK) on 23 December 1976 and featured the classic songs "Eleventh Earl of Mar", "Blood on the Rooftops" and "Afterglow" (), as well as the complex multi-part suite "One for the Vine". The animated movie B.C. Rock featured bits of "Afterglow". By this point, the band had signed on with new manager Tony Smith, and all their songs were now published through his company, Hit & Run Music Publishing.

Hackett's departure

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Genesis and staff (clockwise): Chester Thompson, Mike Rutherford, Daryl Stuermer, Phil Collins and Tony Banks.

In 1976, Genesis released Wind & Wuthering — their second album that year. This was the first of two Genesis albums to be recorded at the Relight Studios in Hilvarenbeek, Holland. The album got its name from Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights, whose last lines — "how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth" also inspired the names of the seventh and eighth tracks of the album. The guitarist Steve Hackett was becoming increasingly disenchanted with the band by the time Wind & Wuthering had been released. Following the departure of Gabriel, he had taken the opportunity to become the first member of the band to record a solo album. The freedom that he had experienced during the making of Voyage of the Acolyte led him to feel constricted at what he regarded as the confines of Genesis. According to Collins, Hackett wanted a quarter of the Wind & Wuthering album to be given over to his own material; "a dumb way to work in a band context" claimed Collins. Genesis tried to placate him by giving extra songwriting credits on the track "In That Quiet Earth", but the Hackett-composed "Blood on the Rooftops" was never performed live by the band (on Collins' insistence) and his composition "Please Don't Touch" was rejected for inclusion on the LP. Following the release of the Spot the Pigeon E.P., consisting of outtakes from Wind & Wuthering, Hackett left the band. The Seconds Out live album of the 1977 tour, would be Hackett's final release with Genesis.

Mike Rutherford took over his guitar duties on record, although Daryl Stuermer would join the band for live shows - the two would alternate guitar and bass duties onstage. (In the 80s, Stuermer and Thompson would be present in both Genesis' and Collins' own live shows.) The group continued as a trio, a fact reflected in the title of their 1978 album ...And Then There Were Three.... This album began yet another change in Genesis' musical direction, away from their 10-minute-plus progressive epics and towards shorter, more radio-friendly tracks. It yielded their first American radio hit, "Follow You Follow Me" () which caused ...And Then There Were Three... to be the band's first US Gold selling album.

A more rock/pop direction

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Phil Collins in concert with Genesis in October 1981.

In 1979, Genesis almost lost Phil Collins as he moved to Canada in an attempt to save his first marriage. However, two months and a divorce later, Phil Collins returned to the UK and immersed himself into working on Duke. Collins later claimed that his marriage breakup accelerated his growth as a songwriter: Duke was the first Genesis album upon which he pulled equal songwriting weight with Banks and Rutherford. Duke was also a further departure (begun on ...And Then There Were Three...) from the sounds and concepts that identified Genesis in the 1970s. Lengthy, complex themes and music gave way to shorter, more "accessible" pieces. The use of the drum machine was a consistent element in the forthcoming Genesis albums and certainly in Phil Collins's solo projects. The more commercial Duke was well received by the mainstream media and was Genesis' first UK Number 1 album, and the tracks "Misunderstanding" () and "Turn It On Again" became two of the band's standbys. Genesis followed Duke with 1981's Abacab, which featured brass and wind instruments and a collaboration with Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) on the track "No Reply at All" (). Much of the rehersing for Abacab was done in the newly built Genesis studio — The Farm, in Surrey, England, where all all four of Genesis's subsequent albums were recorded.

The album also featured an even more forceful live drum sound from Collins, featuring the use of a reversed noise gate and (on some songs) no cymbals. The distinctive sound was originally developed at the instigation of Peter Gabriel with Genesis co-producer/engineer Hugh Padgham, when Collins was recording the backing track for "Intruder" the first song on Gabriel's 1980 solo album. All of these new developments, including Padgham's production, had been apparent on Face Value, Collins's debut solo album, earlier that year. The "gated" drum sound, in particular, would become an audio trademark of both Genesis and Collins albums from then onward.

"Invisible Touch" and "The Way We Walk" tour

Cover of the "Land of Confusion" single. The guitar riff accompanying the song owes its debt to The Who's Pete Townshend — subtly acknowledged in the line "[m]y generation will put it right".

In 1982, the band released the double live album Three Sides Live. The U.S. version of this album had three sides of live material (hence the album's title) plus one side of studio tracks. The studio side included the song "Paperlate" (), featuring the EWF horn section yet again. In the U.K., the three songs on the "Paperlate" side of the album had already been released on an E.P entitled 3 X 3. This enabled the U.K. version of Three Sides Live to also contain further live material, albeit from earlier tours. The year was capped with Genesis performing in the company of Peter Gabriel and Hackett under the name "Six of the best" for a one-off concert at the Milton Keynes bowl (). The concert was hastily put together to help raise money for Gabriel's WOMAD project, which was suffering from considerable financial hardship. The eponymic Genesis album (sometimes referred to as "Shapes" for its game-piece cover) was released in 1983 and was their third successive number 1 album in the UK. The album featured radio friendly pieces such as "Mama" () and "That's All". Genesis also re-introduced the band's flair for lengthy pieces in "Home by the Sea", which did particularly well in Asia because of it being based largely in the pentatonic scale (as most Oriental music is). The album track "Just a Job to Do" became the theme song of the 1985 ABC detective drama The Insiders.

Genesis released their highest selling album, Invisible Touch in 1986, at the height of Phil Collins's popularity as a solo artist. The album yielded five US Top 5 singles, "Throwing It All Away", "In Too Deep", "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", "Land of Confusion" () and "Invisible Touch" (), the last of which went to #1 in the United States. "Invisible Touch" and Collins' "Sussudio" were subjects of an elaborate critique in Bret Easton Ellis's 1991 bestseller, American Psycho. Earlier that year, Collins had seen a spoof of himself on Spitting Image, a satirical British TV show that featured politicans and celebrities of the day in puppet form. Impressed with the representation, Collins and Genesis commissioned the show's creators, Peter Fluck and Roger Law, to work on the video for "Land of Confusion". The video was a sarcastic commentary on The Cold War, played to the perception of each coalition's leaders as being "trigger happy" with the nuclear "button". As well as puppet versions of Banks, Collins and Rutherford, the video also showed Ronald Reagan dressed as Superman. It was nominated for the MTV "Video of the Year", losing to Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer. Amusingly, the puppet of Rutherford created for the video was later re-used in Spitting Image to depict Jesus. "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" was used in a Michelob commercial (as was Collins' "In the Air Tonight"), while "In Too Deep" was featured in the film Mona Lisa. The instrumental "The Brazilian" was used the animated movie When the Wind Blows (whose score was written by Roger Waters).

Genesis performing "Land of Confusion" in Knebworth, England (August 2, 1992).

In 1987, Genesis became the first band to play four consecutive nights at Wembley Stadium. Genesis were the first band to use Vari*Lites, Jumbotron screens and the Prism sound system, all of which are now standard features of arena rock concerts. After a layoff of 5 years, Genesis reconvened to release We Can't Dance in 1991 — Phil Collins's last studio album with the group. The album featured the successful singles "Jesus He Knows Me", "I Can't Dance" and "No Son of Mine" (), as well as lengthy pieces such as "Driving the Last Spike" and "Fading Lights". The album also features "Since I Lost You", which Collins wrote in memorial to the death of Eric Clapton's son, Conor. After serving Genesis for over 25 years, Collins left the band in March 1996, stating:

Having been in Genesis for 25 years, I felt it time to change direction in my musical life. For me now, it will be music for movies, some jazz projects, and of course my solo career. I wish the guys in Genesis all the very best in their future. We remain the best of friends.

Genesis with Ray Wilson

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Ray Wilson with Tony Banks in the background, performing with Genesis in early 1998.

Rutherford and Banks elected to go on, and were able to fill in the gaps of missing members. Drumming duties were shared by Nir Zidkyahu, an Israeli session drummer who had recently played with The Hidden Persuaders, and Nick D'Virgilio of Spock's Beard fame, who was touring with Tears for Fears at the time. The difference in the two play styles was noticeable, as D'Virgilio played softer, simple rhythms in comparison to Zidkyahu's pounding of the skins. Regular touring guitarist Stuermer was touring, ironically enough, with Collins. Anthony Drennan, who had played with Paul Brady and The Corrs, was recruited as a replacement. Finally, Banks and Rutherford replaced Collins with ex-Stiltskin singer Ray Wilson. He was not the only choice for the post. Rumours and wild speculation circulated, suggesting consideration of well-known singers from Paul Carrack to ex-Marillion vocalist (and two-time Banks collaborator) Fish to Peter Gabriel. Kevin Gilbert was offered an audition just before he died tragically. According to producer Nick Davis, the only other serious candidate was David Langdon, who had never sung with a band before; hence Wilson got the job.

The album Calling All Stations sold well in Europe, with the track "Congo" () peaking at UK# 30; however the album went nowhere in America, where hip-hop, alternative rock, and teen pop were supplanting classic rock on the charts. Genesis cancelled a planned American tour due to the album's commercial failure. Genesis has, for all intents and purposes, disbanded, but many of the members are in regular contact, and have not ruled out some sort of reunion. The classic lineup of Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett and Rutherford, recorded a new version of "The Carpet Crawlers" (), done over many separate sessions, for Turn it on Again: The Hits. Most of the original members were involved in the two Archive boxed-set compilations. SACD re-releases of most of Genesis' studio albums have been announced, though they are still pending and being mixed by Nick Davis.

Rumors of a Genesis reunion continue to resurface. In November 2005, Peter Gabriel has told the press that a Genesis reunion could well be on the cards saying "the odds are better than ever before." Those comments followed reports that Phil Collins said that he was open to talks about the band getting back together. Steve Hackett had confirmed that he had received a call from Genesis' management about a possible reunion. However, at the end of November 2005, Genesis' management issued a statement in response to the growing speculation regarding Genesis members' activities saying, "There are no decisions by Genesis to perform anywhere whatsoever at this time. This situation will not alter in the next twelve months."

Inspiration and Influences

Genesis was influenced by a wide range of music with genres ranging from classical music to maintream rock to jazz. Tony Banks drew his influences from Alan Price of The Animals, who, according to Banks, was "[t]he first person who made me aware of the organ in a rock context". He was also influenced by other organists like Procol Harum's Matthew Fisher and the 1960s progressive rock band The Nice. Banks' music was influenced by the works of classical composers such as Rachmaninov, Ravel, Mahler and Shostakovitch. Many of their contemporaries and immediate predecessors — The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel — influenced the band's music. Phil Collins has cited Buddy Rich and the jazz outfit The Mahavishnu Orchestra, while Peter Gabriel's early career with Genesis was influenced by the music of Nina Simone and King Crimson. Musical arrangements on the band's first album From Genesis to Revelation were influenced by the works of the Moody Blues and the Bee Gees as Johnathan King was a self professed admirer of their music. Though similar to the extent that both Peter Gabriel and David Bowie relied on on-stage theatrical performances, neither claimed the other to be an influence.

As a group that influenced the growth of the progressive rock genre, Genesis has often been cited as an influence for many progressive rock groups such as Kansas, Marillion, Ange and Goblin. Several Genesis tribute bands such as Re-Genesis, The Musical Box and Super Natural Anaesthetists routinely perform Genesis' older material from the "Peter Gabriel" era. Incidently, Phil Collins became the first artist to cover a Genesis song — "Behind The Lines", which he included as the third track of his first album, Face Value. GTR, a supergroup comprising Steve Hackett, Yes guitarist Steve Howe and Bronz vocalist Bronz among others, covered "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" on their 1986 album. Past members of Genesis have also "covered" Genesis material live on solo shows — Peter Gabriel played "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" and "Back in NYC" while Steve Hackett has performed "In That Quiet Earth", "Los Endos", "Horizons" and "Blood On The Rooftops" (as part of a medley). Jeff Buckley reworked "Back in NYC" on the posthumously released 1998 Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk. The Swedish death metal band In Flames covered "Land of Confusion" on Trigger (EP), as did Disturbed on their 2005 album Ten Thousand Fists.

Album cover art

The Foxtrot cover was designed by Paul Whitehead.

Genesis' album covers incorporated more complex and intricate art to reflect the themes presented in their albums. Their first album, From Genesis to Revelation was a plain black album cover with Genesis written in a green gothic typeface to the top left of the cover. The album covers of this album have changed with its numerous re-releases. Genesis' three subsequent album covers were developed by popular Charisma Records graphic artist Paul Whitehead, who also developed the Charisma "Mad Hatter" logo. The Foxtrot album cover is popular among Genesis fans; the front cover depicts a feminine figure in a red dress with the head of a fox. Whitehead stated in an interview that Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" was an inspiration for the character he created. After Whitehead moved to Los Angeles, Genesis signed with the reputed Hipgnosis, whose artists had created high profile album covers for Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy. Hipgnosis' first Genesis album cover was for The Lamb, which for the first time in Genesis' history, featured a male model. The model, credited simply as "Omar" on the album sleeve, portrayed the The Lamb protagonist "Rael". Through the rest of the 1970s, all Genesis studio albums were designed by various Hipgnosis artists, of whom Colin Elgie contributed heavily. The Trick of the Tail album cover was representative of many of the characters in the album — the robber from "Robbery, Assault and Battery", the beast from the title track and a metaphoric image of old age reminescing about youth from the song "Ripples". Beginning with Duke, Genesis albums featured caricatures designed by Bill Smith Studios. Genesis' highest selling album Invisible Touch featured the artwork of Assorted Images which had previously designed album covers for Duran Duran and Culture Club. The We Can't Dance cover features the work of Felicity Bowers — the cover is reminicent of Wind & Wuthering, and is presented in hazy watercolor. The Calling All Stations and the compilation Turn it on Again: The Hits covers were desgined by Wherefore Art?.

Criticism

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"...brush back your hair; I want to get to know your face."Peter Gabriel in costume as an old man. Some audiences were unable to appreciate Gabriel's theatrics.

Genesis' progressive rock roots made them unlike many of their rock contemporaries such as Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. Indeed, one article in Q Magazine speaks of a 1977 Ray Lowry cartoon that depicted an arena of "either asleep, moribund,[or] comatose" fans watching Genesis perform live, with the band's name emblazoned on a banner above the stage reading "GENESNOOZE". Much of the criticism surrounding the band in the 1970s was centered around progressive rock in general, which many dismissed as "intellectual" or "pretentious". Peter Gabriel's theatrics appeared unpalatable to mainstream rock fans as well as many Genesis fans. This was expemplified during live performances of Gabriel's last Genesis album, The Lamb, during which he appeared on stage as various characters in his storyline such as the Slipperman and the Lamia. The storyline for The Lamb, which was independently developed by Gabriel, proved hard for audiences to understand and accept and caused friction within the band.

Collins recalled later, "He'd be in a Slipperman costume trying to get a mike anywhere near his throat, and be out of breath - all twisted up. Towards the end I felt the singing wasn't really being heard; the songs weren't really being heard". Genesis' transition from playing lenthly complex material to more compact, radio friendly material was not well received by many critics; one particular review of ...And Then There Were Three... read, "[i]n short, this contemptible opus is but the palest shadow of the group's earlier accomplishments. Not only is the damage irreversible, it's been widely endorsed: ...And Then There Were Three...is Genesis's first U.S. gold record". Phil Collins himself has often been criticized for Genesis' transformation from a progressive rock outfit to a mainstream rock / pop band, playing much the same type of music that Collins did as a solo artist. "I don't feel we've bastardized the way we were", Collins said in an interview with Music Express. "On a generous day I'll blame me for the change, but I just think it is us growing up, listening to different things". In an interview with The Waiting Room, Tony Banks attributed the lack of interest in Genesis from the larger, mainstream rock consuming public to the change in its most visible member's image. "I think we have suffered a bit because Phil's image has gone a bit...peculiar for one reason or another...I think we are most concious of how we are perceived [in the UK]".

Other releases

• 1975 Voyage of the Acolyte is a Steve Hackett solo album which features Hackett, Rutherford and Collins in addition to John Hackett (flute, ARP synthesizer, bells); Nigel Warren-Green (cello); Robin Miller (oboe, cor anglais); John Acock (Mellotron, harmonium, piano) John Gustafson (bass) and Sally Oldfield (vocals).
  
• 1977 The Geese and the Ghost is the first solo album by Anthony Phillips, former Genesis member. The album contains songs composed by Phillips and Mike Rutherford, such as the title track. Phil Collins guest sings in a couple of songs and John Hackett plays the flute.
• 1990 Three Anthony Phillips albums, including Private Parts and Pieces I, II, and VI, are reissued on CD with a few bonus tracks of his solo recordings of otherwise rare or unreleased Genesis songs, including "Silver Song". Mike Rutherford shares co-writing credit on two of the pieces.
• 1991 Genesis: A History (Documentary video)
• 1996 Steve Hackett: Genesis Revisited. Another Steve Hackett solo album, but this album consists of several remakes of earlier Genesis songs, one newly recorded song that Hackett co-wrote with Gabriel in 1973, and a few newer songs that Hackett felt were in the spirit of early Genesis. Incorporating an orchestra and some artists affiliated with Genesis and its members in the past (such as Paul Carrack, vocalist in Mike & The Mechanics) the album is a tribute as well as an effort to fresh up some old Genesis songs and present them in a more modern context.
• 2001 The Genesis Songbook (Documentary DVD)
• 2005 The Video Show (DVD) Remastered video collection (1976-1999), in stereo and 5.1 surround sound.

References

• Welch, Cris. The Complete Guide to the Music of Genesis. London: Omnibus Press. 1995
• McMahan, Scott. "The Genesis Discography — The scattered pages of a book by the sea". January 1998 Ed.
• Eder, Bruce. "Genesis Biography". All Music Guide. 2006.
• Mitchell, Paul. "The Book of Genesis". Music Scene. Oct. 1973
• Welch, Chris. "Genesis to Revelation". Melody Maker. 23 Aug. 1975
• Banks, Collins, Rutherford. "Genesis Look At Themselves - An Autodiscography". Trouser Press. March 1982
• Welch, Chris. "THE BAND WHO WANT TO BE BOOED". Melody Maker. 23 Sept. 1972
• Genesis. Inside Genesis 1975-1980 Classic Rock Legends, 2004
• Genesis. Revelations on Broadway.Archive 1967—75, 1998
• Genesis. Archive #2. 1976—1992

See also

• Best selling music artists
• List of Rock Instrumentals
• List of Genesis medleys

External links

• Genesis discography, lyrics, album reviews DM's Discographies, lyrics & album reviews
• Genesis - The Movement
• The Path
• Genesis News
• Scott McMahan's Genesis Discography
• World of Genesis
• Genesis (a Rhapsody_Playlist)
• The Genesis Museum
• The Musical Box (Tribute Band)