Alvis

I've gotten on a real Genesis kick lately. I started by listening to Phil stuff, but I'm now graduating (or regressing) to Peter Gabriel fronted Genesis.

Interestingly enough, it was listening to some bootlegs of the 1998 Calling All Stations' tour, with Ray Wilson on lead vocals, that got me really interested in the older stuff.

The first Genesis single I can remember on the radio is "That's All" from their self-titled (or "Shapes") album in 1983. The first Genesis album I ever purchased was Invisible Touch and at the time, I had no idea that the band started out as prog rock.

However, I've really started to enjoy the output from all of their eras. I will be listening to some of these albums in their entirety for the first time for this thread.

Alvis

From Genesis to Revelation



Original release date: March 7, 1969

1. "Where the Sour Turns to Sweet" – 3:16
2. "In the Beginning" – 3:47
3. "Fireside Song" – 4:20
4. "The Serpent" – 4:40
5. "Am I Very Wrong?" – 3:33
6. "In the Wilderness" – 3:33
7. "The Conqueror" – 3:42
8. "In Hiding" – 2:40
9. "One Day" – 3:22
10. "Window" – 3:35
11. "In Limbo" – 3:32
12. "Silent Sun" (Gabriel/Banks) – 2:15
13. "A Place to Call My Own" – 2:00

Bonus Tracks from 1990 reissue

1. "A Winter's Tale" - 3:31
2. "One-Eyed Hound" - 2:31
* Tracks 1-2 constituted a follow-up single to "Silent Sun".
3. "That's Me" - 2:38
* The B-side to "Silent Sun".
4. "Silent Sun (Single Version)" - 2:12
5. "Image Blown Out" - 2:11
6. "She is Beautiful" - 3:46
7. "Try a Little Sadness" - 3:18
8. "Patricia" - 3:05
* Tracks 5-8 later appeared on "Genesis Archive 1967-75".
9. "Interview 1" - 1:03
10. "Interview 2" - 3:51
11. "Interview 3" - 1:54
12. "Interview 4" - 3:57
13. "Interview 5" - 1:03
14. "Interview 6" - 2:19
15. "Interview 7" - 0:50
16. "Interview 8" - 1:35
17. "Interview 9" - 4:25
18. "Interview 10" - 0:58

Personnel

* Peter Gabriel – vocals, flute, percussion
* Anthony Phillips – guitar, vocals
* Tony Banks – organ, guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals
* Mike Rutherford – bass guitar, guitar, vocals
* John Silver – drums, vocals, except on "Silent Sun"
* Chris Stewart – drums on "Silent Sun"

* Strings & Horns Arranged & Conducted By Arthur Greenslade & Lou Wharburton

* Produced By Jonathan King
* Recorded & Engineered By Brian Roberts & Tom Allom

From Genesis to Revelation was the first album by Genesis, released in March 1969 on Decca Records in England (London Records in North America). It was produced by Jonathan King, who discovered them in 1967 while the members of Genesis were pupils at Charterhouse School, King's alma mater.

Upon their inception in early 1967, Genesis originally consisted of Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Anthony Phillips, without a drummer. Once one of their demo tapes caught the attention of Jonathan King, he took them under his wing and—with the addition of schoolmate Chris Stewart on drums—recorded "The Silent Sun" as their first single. It was later described by the band as a "Bee Gees pastiche" written specifically to win King's approval. Its February 1968 release on Decca Records—where The Rolling Stones were contracted at the time—was not a commercial success. Neither was the follow-up "A Winter's Tale" three months later. Undeterred, King decided that Genesis would be best heard on LP. After replacing Chris Stewart with John Silver on drums, Genesis' producer had them compose an album's worth of songs loosely based on the Bible. This venture was cut in August 1968 while the boys were on school holidays, and later overdubbed with strings and horns, much to the band's chagrin. King also sequenced the songs together like a concept album, with no gaps in between the tracks.

The music on From Genesis to Revelation sounds very little like what Genesis would produce even two years later. When this album was recorded in 1968, the ages of the band members ranged from 16 to 18, and none of them considered themselves proficient musicians as they had hardly any studio experience. Still, the band feels that there were some very good tracks and that they already had a knack for melody, even in these embryonic times. Indeed, between the songs "Fireside Song" and "The Serpent", there is a brief instrumental interlude from the song "Twilight Alehouse", which would become-in its full, seven-minute version-a live favourite throughout the early seventies before being recorded by Genesis in 1972 and later issued as the b-side of their single "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" in 1973. Tony Banks has often hailed "In the Wilderness" as the album's standout track, despite the intrusive strings.

Alvis

This was painful to listen to. I've listened to it only once and I'm not sure I can force myself through it again. If you listened to it without knowing who recorded it, I don't think you would ever guess who the group was.

My reaction to each song was usually, "Ugh...."

Of interest to only the die hard Genesis fan.

cungar

I got into Genesis in high school when I heard Seconds Out around 1977. Enjoyed their first few Phil Collins fronted albums but after Wind and Wuthering it got harder and harder to find anything listenable on their albums. Duke has some really good stuff and their subsequent albums had glimmers of brilliance but they were never close to the 70's incarnation.

Have to say though I rank Genesis in my top 5 bands I never really listened to From Genesis to Revelation (so I can't really comment on it) and barely listen to Trespass. For me the band started with Nursery Cryme.

cdollaz

The only Genesis album I don't own, although I have the Archive box sets, and I think many of those songs, or versions of them, are on there.

Supermallet

Patrick?

Yeah, this album is pretty much a stinker. For me, the Genesis catalog doesn't begin until Trespass.

Alvis

Listening to Trespass for the third time today so I can give an informed opinion of it. I can already say that it is much, much better than their debut.

The Antipodean

I got this for $5 in a bargain bin and so it was probably worth that, but it's pretty amateurish. The only song on there I even really remember is Silent Sun, which is decent.

reverie

Yeah, I could never quite get into this one despite owning it twice over..

brainee

I have kind of the same background with Genesis. I wasn't really aware of them until they had pop-crossover success with "That's All" (in my early teens, my musical horizons didn't stretch much past top-40). Even with "Invisible Touch", it felt to me more like Genesis was just an offshoot of Phil Collins' solo career (which was ubiquitous on top-40 radio in the 80s).

I didn't get an appreciation of their catalog until I saw them live during the "Invisible Touch" tour (before which, I only knew the "Genesis" and "Invisible Touch" hits). That got me going backwards through the Phil Collins era - then I got brave and started checking the Peter Gabriel's stuff. Like you, there's stuff I like in both eras. At the risk of losing "cool" points, I like the Collins era more - probably being exposed to it first helps a lot. Though some of those sappy Phil Collins ballads are tough for me to stomach.

That said, there are only 2 Genesis albums I don't have - "Calling All Stations" and this one. "Trespass" feels like the real start of Genesis, with this being some playing around they did before getting serious about a musical career. I've listened to a couple of tracks for the curiousity factor - and that's enough for me.

Alvis

Trespass



Released October 23, 1970

1. "Looking for Someone" – 7:06
2. "White Mountain" – 6:45
3. "Visions of Angels" – 6:51
4. "Stagnation" – 8:50
5. "Dusk" – 4:13
6. "The Knife" – 8:56

Personnel

* Peter Gabriel – vocals, flute, oboe, accordion, bass drum, percussion.
* Anthony Phillips – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dulcimer, percussion, backing vocals
* Mike Rutherford – bass, classical guitar, cello, backing vocals
* Tony Banks – organ, piano, mellotron, guitar, backing vocals
* John Mayhew – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Production

* John Anthony: Producer
* Robin Geoffrey Cable: Engineer
* Tony Cousins: Mastering

The only album with drummer John Mayhew and the last with guitarist Anthony Phillips, Trespass had a folk-flavoured progressive rock sound that was a marked departure from their earlier work, and foreshadowed the path the band would follow through the 1970s.

The compositions were generally much longer and complex than before, featuring several different musical sections. The sound evokes a kind of 'pastoral English idyll' espoused by numerous progressive rock bands of the time. To this end, much use is made of multi-tracked 12-string acoustic guitars, blended with folky vocal harmonies, flute, acoustic piano, and gentle keyboard pads on Hammond organ and mellotron. The drum playing is generally fairly soft, which may complement the atmosphere, although the band were unhappy with John Mayhew's skills and replaced him with Phil Collins following Trespass' completion and Anthony Phillips' departure.

Despite its generally muted, pastoral, folky feel, the album is not without dynamic moments. Peter Gabriel's vocals are soulful and angst-ridden throughout, particularly at the climax of "Stagnation", which also includes a prominent Hammond organ solo from Tony Banks. Closing track "The Knife" is aggressive and bombastic, featuring some biting lyrics from Gabriel, with Mike Rutherford playing fuzz bass. The song, which received great praise by The Nice's Keith Emerson, became a favourite closer to live shows and appeared—with lyrical changes—on Genesis' 1973 first live album Genesis Live.

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Falc04

From Genesis to Revelation

The was Genesis trying to sound like the Bee Gees. Thankfully, it was the only time they tried to sound like something else (at least until the Phil Collin's fronted band). This album is worth a listen to every now and then, but it's mostly forgettable. 'Am I Very Wrong?' is the closest you have to a Genesis-feel song, but as soon as the strings start, it quickly desolves. Their next album would start the band toward it's legacy.

cungar

I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where, uh, Phil Collins' presence became more apparent. I think Invisible Touch was the group's undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. Christy, take off your robe. Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. Sabrina, remove your dress. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism. Sabrina, why don't you, uh, dance a little. Take the lyrics to Land of Confusion. In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as, uh, anything I've heard in rock. Christy, get down on your knees so Sabrina can see your ass. Phil Collins' solo career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially songs like In the Air Tonight and, uh, Against All Odds. Sabrina, don't just stare at it, eat it. But I also think Phil Collins works best within the confines of the group, than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. This is Sussudio, a great, great song, a personal favorite.

Alvis

Whats up with all the Sabrina and Christy references?

cungar

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Alvis

Thanks Cungar. I need to see that movie.

brainee

This exchange conjures up an image of Alvis thinking cungar has lost his mind And expressing the opinion that Sussudio is the greatest thing any member of Genesis has ever done probably didn't help

Alvis

Actually, I thought he'd been hacked.

Alvis

I've listened to Trespass several times now, and I have to say that I like it quite a bit. In some ways it reminds me of early Yes, which I guess is not surprising. Stand out tracks for me are Vision of Angels and the Knife. I do find it quite easy to listen to the entire album as a whole without skipping any tracks.

I think the one thing that really stands out for me is the keyboard playing, especially on Vision of Angels.

I'm actually pleased I like this, as I wasn't sure I would. And it is such a breath of fresh air compared to From Genesis to Revelation. I think this album really gives a preview of what is to come.

One other thing, I've really enjoyed Peter Gabriel's later solo albums such as So and Us. But I don't like his voice so much on these early Genesis albums, and actually prefer some of the earlier songs as sung by Phil in concert. I think the changes in Peter's voice because of age and experience really helped him become a better singer.

Hokeyboy

I'm looking forward to going through Genesis's discography with this thread. I've always enjoyed the 80s material (having grown up with it) and recently started listening to some of the back catalog featuring Gabriel. A good chance to start at the beginning now.

That having been said, is it standard practice to cut-and-paste whole passages from Wikipedia on "album by album" threads? Or am I just waxing the donkey?

brainee

I re-listened to Trespass. For the most part, it's a very pleasant album to listen to. This style of gentle folky "pastoral English" music washes easily over the ears, even if it doesn't have much of a lasting effect on the brain. At least for me - despite having heard this before, the only song that I remembered was "The Knife".

As prog-rock music, I find it refreshingly subdued. Unlike some other prog-rock groups of the time, who would pound their audience into submission with their technical prowess and muddled (and often incomprehensible) conceptual themes, Trespass gives us nicely flowing atmospheric songs that evoke a particular mood or scene.

Peter Gabriel's vocals stand out from other prog-rockers, infusing soul and emotion into the songs. "Looking for Someone" starts like it could be a soul/blues number until the instrumentals take over. And "The Knife" really changes gears at the end - it's easy to see why that was the song from this album that lasted the longest in their live show set list.

Alvis

It's no secret, obviously, that I am copy/pasting from Wikipedia. Since I don't have extensive knowledge of these albums, I thought that would be the best source. It isn't copyrighted, is it? If you can suggest a more appropriate place for me to get the information from, I'm open to suggestion.

Hokeyboy

No not at all. Just realized I spent entirely too much time on one of my own threads.

Alvis

I've quite enjoyed the thread you started on Paul McCartney and Wings.

Hokeyboy

Thanks and really, I just wanted to see if I could get away with saying "waxing the donkey".

I've started listening to "Trespass" for the first time. I am, so far, enjoying what I'm hearing. You get a sense for where the band is going to be heading, while still anchored by a melody (melodicism?) that gives the album a more accessible feel. Will take a few more listens though to really let it sink in.