'Genesis' are an
English rock band formed in 1967. With approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide, Genesis is among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists of all time.
["Phil Collins". atlanticrecords.com. Retrieved on 15 March, 2007.] In 1988 the band won a
Grammy Award for
Best Concept Music Video. Genesis' members have included
Peter Gabriel,
Mike Rutherford,
Tony Banks,
Steve Hackett and
Phil Collins, all of whom have achieved success as solo artists.
Genesis began as a 1960s pop band playing moody, simple keyboard-driven melodies. During the 1970s they evolved into a
progressive rock band and began to incorporate complex song structures and elaborate instrumentation, while their concerts took on a more theatrical tone. This second phase was characterised by lengthy performances such as the twenty-three minute "
Supper's Ready" and, in 1974, the concept album ''
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway''. The 1980s saw the band produce more accessible pop music based on melodic
hooks; this change of direction gave them their first number one album in the United Kingdom, ''
Duke'', and their only number one single in the United States, "
Invisible Touch".
Genesis have changed personnel several times. Collins, previously the band's drummer, replaced Gabriel as lead singer in 1975, and was replaced by former
Stiltskin singer
Ray Wilson for the 1997 album ''
Calling All Stations''. Due to the commercial failure of that album, the band announced an indefinite hiatus. In October 2006, Collins, Rutherford and Banks reunited for a world tour.
["Rockers Genesis plan reunion tour". bbc.co.uk, 18 October, 2006. Retrieved on 15 March, 2007.]
History
1967–1969
The band was formed in the late 1960s when founding members Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks were students at
Charterhouse School in
Godalming. Formed out of school bands "the Garden Wall" and "the anon", the original line-up consisted of Gabriel (vocals),
Anthony Phillips (
guitar), Banks (
keyboards), Rutherford (
bass & guitar) and
Chris Stewart (
drums).
[Welch, Chris (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Genesis. London: Omnibus Press.]
Genesis recorded their first album in 1969, ''
From Genesis to Revelation'', after being discovered by
Jonathan King, a Charterhouse School alumnus. King was a songwriter and record producer who had a hit single at the time, "Everyone's Gone to the Moon." King named the band "Genesis", recalling that he had "thought it was a good name... it suggested the beginning of a new sound and a new feeling".
[Tracy, John. "And The Word Was ... GENESIS" genesis-path.net. Retrieved on 15 March, 2007.]
The album was released on
Decca Records. During the sessions, Stewart left and was replaced by
John Silver. The band recorded a series of songs influenced by the light pop style of the
Bee Gees, one of King's favourite bands, and
The Beatles. King assembled the tracks as a
concept album, and added string arrangements during the production. Their first single, "The Silent Sun" (), was released in February 1968. The album sold poorly but the band, on advice from King, decided to pursue a career in music.
[King, Jonathan. "In the Beginning". ''From Genesis to Revelation'' (sleeve notes). 1993 release] King still holds the rights to the songs on the ''From Genesis to Revelation'' album and has re-released it many times under a variety of names, including ''In the Beginning'', ''Where the Sour Turns to Sweet'', ''Rock Roots: Genesis'', ''...And the Word Was'' and, most recently, ''The Genesis of Genesis''.
Silver was replaced by
John Mayhew before the recording of ''
Trespass''. However, during a show alongside the band
Smile, Gabriel had offered the job to
Roger Taylor, later of
Queen.
[1] The band secured a new recording contract with
Charisma Records.
[2] The band built a following through live performances which featured the band's hypnotic, dark and haunting melodies.
''Trespass'' was the template for Genesis albums in the 1970s: lengthy, sometimes operatic, pieces and occasional short, humorous numbers resembling the style of progressive rock bands such as
King Crimson,
Yes and
Gentle Giant. ''Trespass'' includes progressive rock elements such as elaborate arrangements and
time signature changes. ''Trespass'' features Gabriel's nine-minute "The Knife", which shows "how all violent revolutions inevitably end up with a dictator in power".
Ill health and recurring
stage fright caused Phillips to leave the band in 1970.
[Ostrich Michael. "Genesis Frequently Asked Questions List Version 2.6". ProgScape Entertainment, 21 December 1998. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] Phillips went on to record many solo albums, one of which, ''
The Geese and the Ghost'', has vocals by Phil Collins. Phillips' departure traumatised Banks and Rutherford, and the remaining members had doubts over whether the band could continue
[Young, John. "Genesis Look at Themselves". Trouser Press Magazine, March 1982. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] However, the remaining members decided to continue with Phil Collins on drums and
Steve Hackett, formerly of
Quiet World, on guitar.
1970–1975
Collins and Hackett made their studio debut in 1971 on ''
Nursery Cryme'', which features the epic "
The Musical Box" and Collins' first lead vocal performance in "For Absent Friends". ''
Foxtrot'' was released in October 1972 and contains what has been described as "one of the group's most accomplished works"
[3], the 23-minute "Supper's Ready" (). Songs such as the
Arthur C. Clarke-inspired "Watcher of the Skies" solidified their reputation as songwriters and performers. Gabriel's flamboyant and theatrical stage presence, which involved numerous costume changes and surreal song introductions, made the band a popular live act.
["Some New York Times Reviews '72-'74". genesis-path.net. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] Genesis Live, recorded on the ''Foxtrot'' tour, followed in 1973.
''
Selling England by the Pound'' followed in November 1973 and was well received by critics and fans.
[Malamut, Bruce. "Selling England by the Pound". ''Crawdaddy'', March 1974. Retrieved on 23 March 2007.] Gabriel insisted that the album was titled ''Selling England by the
Pound'', a reference to a
Labour Party slogan at the time, instead of using US-oriented language
[Bowler, Dray. "Genesis: A Biography". London: Sidwick & Jackson, 1992] The album contains "Firth of Fifth" () and "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)"; these songs became part of Genesis' live repertoire, with the latter reaching #17 on the UK singles charts. During this period Hackett became an early user of the electric guitar "
tapping" technique, which was later popularized by
Eddie Van Halen, as well as "
sweep-picking", which was popularised in the 1980s by
Yngwie Malmsteen.
[Alspach, Steve. "Interview with Steve Hackett". Music Street Journal, 2002. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] These virtuoso guitar techniques were incorporated in the song "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight".
In
1974 Genesis undertook a double disc
concept album ''
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'' () which was released on
18 November. In contrast to the lengthy tracks featured on earlier albums ''The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'' is a collection of shorter tracks, connected by a number of
segues. The story describes the spiritual journey of
Rael, a
Puerto Rican youth living in New York City, and his quest to establish his freedom and identity.
[4] During his adventure, Rael encounters several bizarre characters including the ''Slippermen'' and ''The
Lamia'', the latter being borrowed from Greek mythology.
The band embarked on a world tour to promote the album, performed it in its entirety, with Gabriel adding spoken narration. During their live performances, Genesis pioneered
the use of lasers and other light effects, most of which were built by the Dutch technician Theo Botschuijver. A customised handheld unit was used to channel laser light, which allowed Gabriel to sweep the audience with various light effects.
Creating the ambitious ''The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'' album strained relations between band members, particularly Banks and Gabriel.
Gabriel wrote the lyrics, while the other band members wrote the music, with the exception of "Counting Out Time" and "The Carpet Crawlers". "The Light Dies Down on Broadway" was co-authored by Banks and Rutherford. The other-worldly, blurbling, sequenced synth sounds and shattering glass loops in the track "The Waiting Room", coined "Enossifications", were produced by the ambient composer
Brian Eno.
In August 1975, following the ''Lamb'' tour, Gabriel announced that he was leaving the band,
[5], because he felt estranged from the other members, and his marriage and birth of his first child added to his personal strain. In a letter to fans, entitled ''Out, Angels Out'', Gabriel explained that 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, Peter. "Out, Angels Out - an investigation" genesis-path.net, August 1975. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] Collins later remarked that the other members "...were not stunned by Peter's departure because we had known about it for quite a while." The band decided to carry on without Gabriel.
[6]
Gabriel's first solo album,''
Peter Gabriel'' 1977, features the hit single "
Solsbury Hill", an
allegory that refers to his departure from the band.
1976–1977
The group began to audition lead singers to find a replacement for Gabriel. Collins, who had provided backing vocals, coached prospective replacements. Eventually, the band decided to consider using Collins as the lead vocalist
["Genesis Archive #2". Gelring Limited. Atlantic Recording Corporation, 2000.] for 1976's ''
A Trick of the Tail''. The album was well received by critics, and outsold all previous albums combined. The new producer
David Hentschel, who had served as engineer on ''Nursery Cryme'', gave the album a clearer-sounding production. Critics noted that Collins sounded "more like Gabriel than Gabriel did".
["Phil Collins". Golden Slumbers, 2005. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.]
Despite the success of the album, the group remained concerned with their live shows, which now lacked Gabriel's elaborate costume changes and dramatic behavior. Since Collins required the assistance of a second drummer while he sang,
Bill Bruford, drummer for Yes and King Crimson was hired
["An interview with Bill Bruford". World of Genesis.com. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] for the 1976 tour. Genesis' first live performance without Peter Gabriel was on March 26, 1976, in
London, Ontario Canada.
Later that year, Genesis recorded ''
Wind & Wuthering'', the first of two albums recorded at the Relight Studios in
Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands.
Released in December 1976, the album took its name from
Emily Brontë's novel ''
Wuthering Heights'', whose last lines—"how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth"—inspired the titles of the seventh and eighth tracks.
[McMahan, p. 371] ''Wind & Wuthering'' features the songs "Blood on the Rooftops" and "Afterglow", as well as the complex multi-part suite "One for the Vine". The animated film ''
B.C. Rock'' features sections of "Afterglow". The band signed with new manager
Tony Smith, who published all subsequent Genesis songs through his company
Hit & Run Music Publishing.
For the 1977 Genesis tour, the
jazz fusion-trained
Chester Thompson—a veteran of
Weather Report and
Frank Zappa—took on live drumming duties. Collins's approach to Genesis shows differed from the theatrical performances of Gabriel, and his interpretations of older songs were lighter and more subtle. At the 1982
Milton Keynes reunion show, Gabriel admitted that Collins sang the songs "better", though never "quite like" him.
[Genesis. Inside Genesis 1975–1980. "Classic Rock Legends", 2004]
Guitarist Hackett had become increasingly disenchanted with the band by the time of ''Wind & Wuthering's release,
and he felt confined. He was the first member of the band to record a solo album, 1975's ''
Voyage of the Acolyte'', and greatly enjoyed the feelings of control over the recording process that working within a group could not provide. Hackett had asked that a quarter of ''Wind & Wuthering'' be allocated to Hackett's songs, which Collins described as "a dumb way to work in a band context".
["Wind & Wuthering 1977 - Genesis Remember". g2online.co.uk. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] While Hackett was given songwriting credits on the two instrumental tracks "Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers..."/"...In That Quiet Earth" , Hackett's "Blood on the Rooftops" was never performed live, and his song "Please Don't Touch" (which appeared as the title track to his next solo album released in 1978) was replaced by the three-minute instrumental "Wot Gorilla?". Hackett left the band following the release of the 1977 ''
Spot the Pigeon'' E.P. while the band was in the studio mixing together the live album ''
Seconds Out''.
The ''
Seconds Out'' live album was recorded during the 1977 tour, and was to be Hackett's final release with Genesis. Rutherford took on guitar duties in the studio, and during live performances alternated guitar and bass with the session musician
Daryl Stuermer.
1978–1979
Following the departure of Hackett, Rutherford took on guitar duties in the studio and the band was getting closer to a balance of what each member provided from a creative standpoint. The group decided to continue as a trio, a fact they acknowledged in the title of the 1978 album ''
...And Then There Were Three...''. The album was a further move away from lengthy progressive epics, and yielded their first American radio hit, "
Follow You, Follow Me", whose popularity led to ''...And Then There Were Three...'' being the band's first
U.S. Gold-certified album.
For live performances that year, Rutherford alternated between guitar and bass with the session musician
Daryl Stuermer. Generally, Rutherford played the guitar pieces he composed during the most recent album, but stuck with bass playing for all of the material recorded prior to 1978. Stuermer effectively played everything that Hackett would have performed had he remained with the band. Genesis' 1978 world tour took them across North America, over to Europe, back to North America, and, eventually, to their first performances in Japan at the end of 1978.
As the band had been recording and touring constantly since the winter of 1969-70, it was decided by Messrs. Banks, Collins, and Rutherford to take the majority of 1979 off. Collins had previously informed his bandmates that he needed to attempt to save his marriage by following his wife to her new home in Vancouver. If they planned to go back into the studio, they were going to have to count him out. Banks and Rutherford responded by proposing that the band go into hiatus for the majority of 1979 while he sorted out his family issues and they would record solo material in the meanwhile.
1980–1984
After his attempt to save his marriage had ended in divorce, Collins returned to the UK in August of 1979, and found himself in a holding pattern while Banks and Rutherford were working on solo recordings. With time to spare and new equipment in his home, Collins immersed himself in the recording of home demos that would become his first solo album ''
Face Value'' (released in 1981) and provide two songs for the upcoming Genesis project. When the three bandmates came back together to begin recording their next album ''
Duke'' the product was much more the result of all three working together equally. ''Duke'' was real transition from their 1970s progressive rock sound to the 1980s pop era.
The use of a drum machine became a consistent element on subsequent Genesis albums, as well as on Collins's solo releases. The first Genesis song to feature a drum machine was the ''Duke'' track "Duchess". The more commercial ''Duke'' was well received by the mainstream media, and was the band's first UK number one album, while the tracks "Misunderstanding" () and "
Turn It On Again" became live performance favorites.
''Duke'' was followed by the minimalist ''
Abacab'', which features a collaboration with the
Earth, Wind & Fire horn section on the tracks "No Reply at All" and "Paperlate." Much of the album's rehearsals took place at
The Farm, the band's newly-built studio in
Surrey, and the site where all of Genesis's subsequent albums were recorded. The album used a forceful drum sound which used an effect called ''
gated reverb'', which uses a live—or artificially reverberated—sound relayed through a
noise gate set, which rapidly cuts off when a particular volume threshold is reached. This results in a powerful "live" sounding, yet controlled, drum ambience. The distinctive sound was first developed by Peter Gabriel, Collins, and their co-producer/engineer
Hugh Padgham, when Collins was recording the backing track for "Intruder", the first song on Gabriel's 1980 solo album. The technique, in addition to Padgham's production, had been apparent on ''
Face Value'' (1981), Collins's debut solo album. The "gated" drum sound would become an audio trademark of future Genesis and Collins albums.
[7]
In 1982, the band released the live double album ''
Three Sides Live''. The U.S. version contains three sides of live material—hence the album's title—in addition to a side of studio material. The studio material includes the song "Paperlate", which again features an Earth, Wind and Fire horn section. In the UK and the rest of Europe, the studio material was replaced by a fourth side of live recordings from previous tours. 1982 closed with a one-off performance alongside Gabriel and Hackett at the
Milton Keynes Bowl, under the name ''
Six of the Best''. The concert was hastily put together to help raise money for Gabriel's
WOMAD project, which at the time was suffering from considerable financial hardship.
["The 1982 Reunion Show Program Book".genesis-path.net. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.]
1983s eponymous ''
Genesis'' album became their third consecutive number one album in the UK. The album includes the radio-friendly tracks "
Mama" and "
That's All", and re-introduced the band's flair for lengthy pieces in "Home by the Sea". The track "Just a Job to Do" was later used as the theme song for the 1985's
ABC detective drama ''
The Insiders''. Although the album was a success worldwide, all three members were suffering from a bit of writer's block and had precious little material "extra" at the end of the recording sessions. The sessions from the previous five studio albums dating back to 1976's ''
A Trick of the Tail'' had all generated excess material that would be released as b-sides to singles or on EPs.
1986–1992
Genesis's highest-selling album, ''
Invisible Touch'', was released in 1986, at the height of Collins's popularity as a solo artist. The album yielded five U.S. Top 5 singles: "Throwing It All Away", "In Too Deep", "
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", "
Land of Confusion" () and "
Invisible Touch" (). The title track reached #1 in the United States; the only Genesis song to do so; however, it stalled at #15 in the UK. In 1987, Genesis became the first band to sell out four consecutive nights at
Wembley Stadium.
["The Waiting Room Online". ''The Waiting Room'', 2005. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] Genesis were the first band to use
Vari
★ Lite technology,
["About Vari-Lite". vari-lite.com. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] and the Prism sound system, all of which are now standard features of arena rock concerts.
Earlier that year, Collins viewed a spoof of himself on ''
Spitting Image'', a satirical British television show which used puppets to lampoon politicians and celebrities. He was impressed with the representation, and commissioned the show's creators,
Peter Fluck and
Roger Law, to work on the video for the "Land of Confusion" single. The video was formed as an ironic commentary on the
Cold War, and played on the perception that the coalition's leaders were "trigger happy" with the
nuclear "button". In addition to puppet representations of Banks, Collins and Rutherford, the video showed
Ronald Reagan dressed as
Superman. It was nominated for the
MTV Video of the Year, losing to Gabriel's "
Sledgehammer".
"Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" was used in a
Michelob commercial—as was Collins's "
In the Air Tonight"—while "In Too Deep" was featured in the film ''
Mona Lisa''.
[McMahan, p. 307] The instrumental "The Brazilian", appreared in the
animated movie ''
When the Wind Blows'', alongside a score written by
Roger Waters. At the 1988
Prince's Trust concert held in the
Royal Albert Hall, Collins and Gabriel performed together for the first time since 1982. Collins was drummer for the house band, while Gabriel performed his hit single "Sledgehammer". It was to be the last time the two Genesis frontmen publicly played together.
After a hiatus of five years, Genesis reconvened for the 1991 release of ''
We Can't Dance'', which was to be Collins's last studio album with the group. The album features the hit singles "
Jesus He Knows Me", "
I Can't Dance", "
No Son of Mine", "
Hold on My Heart", "
Tell Me Why" and "Never a Time" (a U.S. release only), as well as lengthy pieces such as "Driving the Last Spike" and "Fading Lights". The album which was produced by
Nick Davis includes "Since I Lost You", which Collins wrote in memory of
Eric Clapton's son Conor.
Collins left in March 1996, having served in Genesis for over 25 years. He later admitted that he "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."
[Darling, Linda; Silberstein, Scott. "Phil Quits Genesis!". Entertainment Wire, 28 March 1996. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.]
1997–2000
Rutherford and Banks decided to continue as Genesis. However, they required more than one new member, because the band had lost not only Collins, but also the live musicians
Daryl Stuermer and
Chester Thompson. Stuermer was approached, but was touring with Collins at the time; Thompson inquired regarding the vacant drum stool, but after he was refused full-band membership, he ended his 19-year association with the band. Eventually, drumming duties were shared between
Nir Zidkyahu, an Israeli session drummer who had played with
Hidden Persuaders, and
Nick D'Virgilio, from the progressive rock band
Spock's Beard.
The difference in their playing styles was marked; D'Virgilio played softer, more subtle rhythms in comparison to Zidkyahu's bombastic technique.
Ex-
Stiltskin singer
Ray Wilson was appointed as the new lead singer of Genesis. Other candidates had included
Paul Carrack from Rutherford's
Mike and the Mechanics,
Francis Dunnery (ex-
It Bites) and ex-
Marillion vocalist—and two-time Banks collaborator—
Fish.
[ Popke, Michael. "Ray Wilson: 'I find George Bush quite frightening and capable of scary things'". SeaOfTranquility.org, 24 October 2004. Retrieved on 25 March, 2007.] Kevin Gilbert was offered an audition just before his death in 1996.
[Sine, Richard. "All Rocked Out". ''Metro'', 1–7 August, 1996. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] According to producer
Nick Davis, the only other serious candidate was David Langdon, though he had never sung with a band before; and hence Wilson was given the job. On the band's criteria in the search for a singer, Banks noted: "We needed someone who fits as many of the things you require as possible—being able to improvise with the kind of music we write and also someone capable of jumping in at the deep end and fronting a band." Wilson was immediately incorporated into the songwriting process, being given "half-a-dozen" songs to work on and ending up with three co-writing credits on the final album.
[Heatley, Michael. "Dotmusic Talent: GENESIS" (retrieved from the Internet Archive). Dotmusic, 1997. Retrieved on 30 April, 2007.]
1997's ''
Calling All Stations'' sold well in Europe, while the track "Congo" () reached #29 in the UK. The album was not successful in America, where it failed to reach the Billboard Top 50. During 1997 and 1998, Genesis toured across Europe; Banks, Rutherford, and Wilson were joined live by Zidkyahu and the guitarist
Anthony Drennan, who previously worked with
Paul Brady and
The Corrs. However, a planned American tour was cancelled due to the album's poor sales performance. Following the truncation of the ''Calling All Stations'' tour, Genesis dismissed Wilson and went on an extended hiatus, although the members remained in regular contact. In an April 2007 interview, Wilson expressed his disgust at how his dismissal was handled, saying "it was like death by silence."
["Rocker Ray's life begins after Genesis Scotsman.com Retrieved on 19 May, 2007] He also said he regretted his time spent with the band, feeling uncomfortable as a self-described "working class" man with the wealthier likes of Banks and Rutherford, and also revealed one of Phil Collins's assistants told him Collins "wasn't happy that they had continued".
In 1999, the 1971–75 lineup of Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett and Rutherford recorded a new version of "The Carpet Crawlers" for the '' compilation. In 2000, Collins, Banks, and Rutherford performed an
acoustic rendition of "
I Can't Dance" at the Music Managers Forum, in honor of their manager Tony Smith.
["Genesis: Let There be Phil". vh1.com. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] Most of the original members were involved in compiling the two ''Archive'' boxed-sets.
2006–present
After much speculation regarding a reunion, Banks, Collins and Rutherford announced '' on
7 November,
2006; nearly 40 years after the band first formed. The tour would take place during Summer 2007, and play twelve countries across Europe, followed by a second leg in North America. The trio had wanted to reunite as a five-piece with Gabriel and Hackett for a live performance of ''
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway''. While Gabriel reportedly agreed in principle to perform, he was unable to commit to a date. Collins later observed that "Peter is a little over-cautious about going back to something which fundamentally is fun".
[8] Hackett agreed to participation, but without Peter joining in on the tour, Phil, Tony and Mike thought that it would be more appropriate to bring back Chester Thompson and Daryl Stuermer. Hackett, however still maintains good relations with the rest of the band. A short note expressing his good wishes for the reunion tour currently appears on his Web site.
[9] In their stead, both Stuermer and Thompson returned as backing musicians.
The band and long-time producer, Nick Davis, are due to re-release their back catalogue in three batches over the course of 2007, each comprising a third of the band's albums (from ''
Trespass'' to ''
Calling All Stations'') in a boxset-style release. Each will comprise a double-disc set containing a multi-channel hybrid
Super Audio CD, as well as a
DVD-Video with
DTS 96/24, and
Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. The DVD will include extras such as promo videos and new interviews in which the band discuss the period surrounding each album release. The Hybrid SACDs will be standard CDs for the U.S. and Canada, and are to be issued as box sets, starting with ''
Genesis 1976-1982'' on May 15.
On
12 May 2007, the band were honourees at the second annual
VH1 Rock Honors, along with
Ozzy Osbourne,
Heart and
ZZ Top. The setlist was, "Turn It On Again", "No Son of Mine" and "Los Endos" the performance aired on VH-1 in the US on
24 May,
2007.
[10] On
11 June 2007 Genesis officially kicked off their 2007 Turn It On Again World Tour in Helsinki, Finland. The band will perform over 50 shows in 2007 as they make stops in several countries including Denmark, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, the United States and Canada. The German show was broadcast live to several cinemas across the UK and Europe. On
7 July,
2007, Genesis participated at
Live Earth, a series of concerts to promote action to confront global
climate change at the new
Wembley Stadium in
London, along with other artists including
Madonna,
Duran Duran and
Red Hot Chili Peppers.
[11]
Collins has stated that the recording of a new album is currently "very, I repeat, ''very'' unlikely" (as of August 2007), citing a lack of both time and inspiration; However Banks, on August 22, stated "The three of us would be quite keen to have a go and see what happens."
[12]
Inspiration and influences
Genesis has taken influence from a wide range of music, ranging from
classical music to mainstream rock and
jazz. Banks drew influence from
Alan Price of
The Animals, whom he regarded as "[t]he first person who made me aware of the organ in a rock context".
["Genesis's Banks — A Current Account". Beat Instrumental, April 1976. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] Other organists cited included
Procol Harum's
Matthew Fisher, and
Keith Emerson of
The Nice and later
Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Classical influences include
Rachmaninov,
Ravel,
Mahler, and
Shostakovich. Many of their contemporaries and immediate predecessors, including
The Beatles,
The Rolling Stones,
Simon and Garfunkel, have affected the band's music. Collins has cited
Buddy Rich and the jazz outfit
The Mahavishnu Orchestra, while Gabriel's early career with Genesis took influence from
Nina Simone and
King Crimson.
["The Genesis File". Melody Maker, 16 December 1972. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.] Musical arrangements on the band's first album ''From Genesis to Revelation'' drew on the works of
The Moody Blues,
Family, and the
Bee Gees—Jonathan King was a self-professed admirer of their music. Though Gabriel and
David Bowie similarly relied on on-stage theatrical performances, neither claimed to be influenced by the other.
[13]
As a group that influenced the growth of the progressive rock genre, Genesis has been cited by a number of progressive rock groups, including
Dream Theater,
Camel and
Kansas. Several Genesis
tribute bands, including
Re-Genesis,
The Musical Box, Duke
Duke, and In the Cage, routinely perform material from the Peter Gabriel era.
Collins became the first artist to cover a Genesis song—"Behind the Lines"—which he included on ''
Face Value'' one year after the original's release. Other former members subsequently performed the band's material live during their solo shows—Gabriel played "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" and "Back in NYC", while Hackett has performed "In That Quiet Earth", "Los Endos", "Horizons",
"Firth of Fifth" and "Blood on the Rooftops", among others. Hackett has performed "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" on his own solo tours, and on a 1986 tour with his short lived supergroup
GTR. Rutherford has performed "
I Can't Dance" during his tours with the
Mechanics. Collins also later formed
The Phil Collins Big Band, which played jazz arrangements of Genesis songs, which were "That's All", "Invisible Touch", "Hold On My Heart" and "Los Endos" (renamed "The Los Endos Suite"), during its 1998 world tour. Ray Wilson has covered the most Genesis songs during his solo concerts. His two solo live albums, ''Live'' and ''Life and Acoustic'', feature the Genesis songs "The Carpet Crawlers", "Follow You Follow Me", "I Can't Dance", "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", "
No Son of Mine", "Shipwrecked", and "
Mama". He has interpreted two songs from the solo careers of his two predecessors—"
In the Air Tonight" (Collins) and "
Biko" (Gabriel).
Jeff Buckley reworked "Back in NYC" for the
posthumously released 1998 ''
Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk''. The Swedish
death metal band
In Flames covered "
Land of Confusion" on ''
Trigger'', as did
Disturbed on their 2005 album ''
Ten Thousand Fists''. Disco-pop band Alcazar, also from Sweden, has covered parts of "Land of Confusion" on their song "This is the World We Live In".
Dream Theater covered
Turn It On Again as part of their song "The Big Medley". In 2007
Simon Collins recorded his own version of "Keep It Dark" as a tribute to the 40th anniversary of his father's band.
Beyond purely musical ventures, the theatrical style of Genesis's 1970s concerts with Gabriel have provided inspiration for
Cirque du Soleil's productions: the 2004 anniversary show ''Midnight Sun'' and the arena-based touring show ''
Delirium'' trace their musical and multimedia elements back to these concerts. According to Victor Pilon, co-creator and co-director of both shows, "We're not inventing anything. Genesis did it years ago. We're just using new technology."
[14]
Album cover art
Genesis's album covers incorporate complex and intricate art intended to reflect the themes explored in the song lyrics. Their first album, ''From Genesis to Revelation'', used a plain black sleeve with ''Genesis'' written in a green
gothic typeface on the top left. The cover of this album has changed with its numerous re-releases. Genesis's three subsequent album covers were developed by the popular
Charisma Records graphic artist
Paul Whitehead, who had developed the Charisma "
Mad Hatter" logo. The ''Foxtrot'' sleeve is popular among Genesis fans; the front image depicts a feminine figure in a red dress with the head of a fox. Whitehead has said in an interview that
Jimi Hendrix's "
Foxy Lady" was an inspiration for the character.
[Christopulos, Jim. "Paul Whitehead interview". vandergraafgenerator.co.uk. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] 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's first Genesis album cover was for ''The Lamb'', which for the first time in Genesis's history featured a male model. The model, credited simply as "Omar" on the album sleeve, portrayed the ''The Lamb's protagonist "
Rael".
Through the 1970s, various Hipgnosis artists—among whom Colin Elgie contributed heavily—designed all Genesis studio albums. The ''Trick of the Tail'' cover is representative of many of the characters in the album, including the robber from "Robbery, Assault and Battery", the beast from the title track, and a
metaphoric image of old age reminiscing youth from the song "Ripples". Beginning with ''Duke'', Genesis albums have featured caricatures designed by Bill Smith Studios. The band's highest-selling album ''Invisible Touch'', features the artwork of Assorted Images, which had previously designed sleeves for
Duran Duran and
Culture Club. The ''We Can't Dance'' cover art features the work of Felicity Bowers, and is reminiscent of ''Wind & Wuthering'', now presented in hazy
watercolour. The ''Calling All Stations'' and the compilation ''Turn It On Again: The Hits'' sleeves were designed by
Wherefore Art?.
Criticism
Genesis' progressive rock roots set them apart from contemporaries
Led Zeppelin and
Black Sabbath. An article in ''
Q Magazine'' describes a 1977
Ray Lowry cartoon which depicted an arena of "either asleep, moribund, [or] comatose" fans watching a live Genesis performance, with the band's name emblazoned on a banner above the stage reading "GENESNOOZE".
[Maconie, Stuart. ""Genesis: The Loathed and Loved"". ''Q Magazine'', December 1994. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] Much of the criticism surrounding the band in the 1970s centered on progressive rock in general, which many dismissed as over-intellectual and pretentious. More specifically, some in Britain - especially supporters of the
punk movement - regarded Genesis in particular, but also the genre more generally, as overtly
middle class (paying particular attention to Gabriel, Banks and Rutherford's
private education), and claimed that rock music was being taken away from the
working class, who they regarded as its core audience.
Gabriel's theatrics were unpalatable to most of the mainstream rock audience, as well as to many Genesis fans.
[15] This was exemplified during live performances of Gabriel's last Genesis album, ''The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway'', during which he appeared on stage as various characters in the album's lyrics. The elaborate storyline for ''The Lamb'' proved difficult to understand and accept, and caused friction within the band.
[Welch (1995), P. 37] Collins later recalled that "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's transition from lengthy, complex songs to more compact, radio friendly material was not welcomed by some 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".
[Bloom, Michael. "And Then There Were Three". ''Rolling Stone'', 10 August 1978. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.] Collins himself has often been blamed for Genesis's transformation, in part as he plays much the same type of music as a solo artist. "I don't feel we've bastardised the way we were", Collins remarked 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".
["Phil Collins Interviews". ''Music Express'', 1990. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.]
Discography
Main articles: Genesis discography
References
1. Cargill Erin, Cargill Pieter. "1975-03-XX - Circus - Review of Queen's ''Sheer Heart Attack''". queenarchives.com. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.
2. Cromelin, Richard. "Genesis: Short on Hair, Long on Gimmicks". ''Rolling Stone'', 28 March, 1974.
3. Welch (1995), p. 21
4. Welch, Chris. "Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway ". ''Melody Maker'', 23 November. 1974.
5. Mankowitz, Gered. "Help!". ''Mojo Magazine'', April 2007.
6. Welch, Chris. "Peter Gabriel Quits Genesis". ''Melody Maker'', 23 August, 1975.
7. Flans, Robyn. "Classic Tracks: Phil Collins's In the Air Tonight". ''Mix'', 1 May, 2005. Retrieved on 25 March, 2007.
8. "Press conference, 7th November 2006, Mayfair hotel, London". genesis-news.com. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.
9. "Steve Hackett's website". stevehackett.com. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.
10. Genesis in Las Vegas last night (VH-1 Rock Honors)
11. "Genesis to participate in Live Earth". Liveearth.org. Retrieved on 25 March, 2007.
12. "Genesis keyboardist remembers Phil Collins' Cdn debut three decades ago" August 22, 2007.
13. "Cartoons, Costumes, and the Myths of Genesis". Circus, December 1974. Retrieved on 23 March, 2007.
14.
15. Welch (1995), p. 37
See also
★
Genesis discography
★
List of Genesis awards
External links
★
Official Genesis Website
★
Official Peter Gabriel Website
★
Official Phil Collins Website
★
Official Steve Hackett Website
★
Official Chester Thompson Website
★
Official Anthony Phillips Website
★
Official Ray Wilson Website
★
Official Daryl Stuermer Website
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