Genesis is a British rock band, formed in 1967.
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. 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 second period considerably increased their worldwide commercial success and publicity as well.
Most notable members are Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, both of whom achieved additional success as solo artists and in further venues.
After three decades of activity, Genesis have been on indefinite hiatus since 1998, though they did reunite to re-record a single song in 1999.
The beginning
The band's origin lies in the late 1960s, when founding members Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks were still students at Charterhouse School. Genesis was formed from the merger of two separate school bands — The Garden Wall (Gabriel, Banks) and Anon (Rutherford, Phillips). 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'd worked with, or the 'genesis' of his career. 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 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 is infamous among the band and its fans for his persistent insinuations that he was responsible for the band's subsequent success. He continues to hold 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) |
|
| (1968-1969) |
|
| (1969-1970) |
|
| (1970-1975) |
|
| (1975-1977) |
|
| (1977-1996) |
|
| (1996-1998) |
|
| Other personnel |
|
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 primarily for health reasons. However, his increasing bouts with stage fright expedited his departure.
Trespass (album) 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 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 sack drummer John Mayhew in the bargain. 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, Peter Gabriel placed an ad in Melody Maker that was answered by Steve Hackett. After an in-home audition with Hackett's brother John accompanying him, the band hired Hackett on the spot.
The "Peter Gabriel" era
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" (viewed by many as Genesis' crowning achievement) 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 received praise from critics and fans alike. It is regarded by many Genesis fans to be the finest of their albums. 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. Although many scenes from the story can be metaphorically anaylsed, and many people have spent a lot of time writing out annotations and making links, only Peter Gabriel can draw the bottom line and has shed some but little light on the subject, making sure to maintain the element of mystery that draws so many into the realm of The Lamb.
Musically, this album contains no less virtuosity then its predecessors, but it does however strike the ear as something different and evolved. Rather then the expected lengthy tracks, The Lamb is a collection of many shorter tracks connected by a variety of segues and features a drammatic change of atmosphere from previous albums. This change of atmosphere is due in part to the production but can mostly be attributed to two things. The first is found in the the mood of the keyboards which display a more eccentric and bolder electronic sound that in some ways predominate over the guitar, and bring the keyboard soloing to new levels. Steve Hackett himself admits to feeling partially left out on the album, however there are evident moments on the album where he clearly manifests his prowess. The second comes from a shift to a more integrated "American" style concept for the album which results in a lack of the familiar "Britishness" (for lack of better term)that was accustomed in the past and thus contributes to the general change of atmosphere. Fitted to suit the mood of the story, the music tells tale of its own with an array of styled tunes ranging from grim to cheerful, classical to folklore to modern and of course with a touch of silliness that finds its way on all the 70's era Gensis albums. Overall, the combination of the otherwordly story and the epic musicianship makes for a concept album that maintains its integrity from beginning to end, and is best listened in its entirety. For this reason Genesis played the album in its entirety during The Lamb tour in 74-75'.
Despite all the hard work and dedication put in this piece, the album 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 writting 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's first solo album (Peter Gabriel, 1977) featured the single "Solsbury Hill," an allegory about his departure from Genesis.
The "Phil Collins" era
The group began auditioning lead singers — "We got quite a lot of weirdos, because of Peter and his costumes," Rutherford recalled in an interview. Phil Collins, whose backing vocals had featured heavily in the Genesis sound of the Gabriel era, was given the job of coaching prospective replacements how to sing Genesis songs. Slowly, it dawned on the rest of the band that the "teacher" sounded a lot better than any of the potential new replacements. But the band were reluctant to concede that their own drummer might be Peter Gabriel's successor. Jon Anderson of Yes was one of the few that championed Collins for the job.
Eventually, Genesis did settle on Collins as their new singer, at least in the studio. Many believed that the band would fail miserably without Gabriel, but changing from a quintet to a quartet, Collins proved to be the ideal singer for the band. This was rather to the surprise of many of the band's fans, as well as the music critics. There were, after all, few precedents for successful bands losing their lead singers, and then carrying on as successfully as before, especially not when the departed lead singer was as charismatic as Gabriel had been, and least of all when the replacement turned out to be the band's own drummer.
A Trick of the Tail was generally well received and demonstrated that the group were far more than a backing band for their theatrical former front-man. It helped that the album featured a markedly clearer production than previous albums. This was courtesy of 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, to paraphrase one review, more like Gabriel than Gabriel did. (At the time, Gabriel's voice did not yet have the raspy character it does today; in fact both singers sounded much like Collins does now.) 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. At that time, the only drummer with whom he felt confident was Bill Bruford from Yes via King Crimson. 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' approach to live Genesis shows differed from the more theatrical performances of Peter Gabriel, and his interpretation of Gabriels' 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 confirmed that the new lineup of the band was a going concern. The album 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" (written by Banks).
Also by this point, the band had signed on with new manager Tony Smith, and all their songs were now published through his company, Hit and Run Music. He remains the band's manager to this day.
Hackett's departure
Guitarist Steve Hackett was becoming increasingly disenchanted with the band. 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 "Spectral Mornings" 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
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' 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" (a Collins song) 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". 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.
Reunion and solo successes
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, making something a mockery of the album's title. An eventful year was capped by the reunion of the band with 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 as a way of recouping some of the losses that Gabriel had incurred on the inaugural WOMAD festival, earlier that year.
The self-titled 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" (with its dramatic live drum sound near the end) 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' 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). "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" was used in a Michelob commercial (as was Collins' "In the Air Tonight"). Critics and fans of the classic Genesis sound found the new album too commercial and "pop," and also wondered whether the band would persist given Collins's growing solo fame.
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. So impressed was he with his own puppet representation that the band commissioned the show's creators, Fluck and 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.
Genesis performing "Land of Confusion" in Knebworth, England (August 2nd, 1992).
In 1987, Genesis became the first band to play four consecutive days at Wembley Stadium. The band's live performances, as always, were augmented by a commitment to cutting edge technology. 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 lengthy layoff to work on solo projects (more solo work for Collins, while Rutherford formed Mike and The Mechanics) Genesis reconvened to release We Can't Dance in 1991. This proved to be Phil Collins' 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 was written in memorial to the death of Eric Clapton's son, Conor. (Also see Tears in Heaven).
Meanwhile, Collins had become a massive superstar in his own right with a hugely successful solo career, studio production work, acting stints (including the then popular TV show Miami Vice), and guest drumming on tours for Robert Plant and Eric Clapton. Collins' own huge success as a solo artist may have influenced the success and musical direction of Genesis. Certainly, many saw his departure from the group in 1996 as the band's death knell.
Genesis with Ray Wilson
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. 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 Sting, while prog-rock purists hoped for the triumphant return of 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 but 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 the individual members (including Phillips and Hackett, but excluding Gabriel) are in regular contact, and have not ruled out some sort of reunion.
The classic lineup did record a new version of "The Carpet Crawlers" (though this was done over many separate sessions) for a 1999 greatest hits CD, and 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.
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. Earlier, Steve Hackett said that he had received a call from Genesis' management about it. Clearly, a formal reunion with the classic members of Genesis is a "possibility".
At the end of November 2005, Genesis' management issued a statement in response to the growing speculation regarding Genesis members' activities. It says: "There are no decisions by Genesis to perform anywhere whatsoever at this time. This situation will not alter in the next twelve months."
On March 13th 2006, a new rumour appeared: [1]. This from virgin.net. Other music sites report similar news.
"Genesis are set to reform to record a new album and go on tour, according to reports. Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins are reportedly planning to make the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Gabriel left Genesis in 1975 and has since had a successful solo career. Genesis's last studio album, 'Calling All Stations', was released in September 1997, reaching number two in the album chart. A new album from a reformed Genesis would surely prove a hit with the band's legion of fans."
Tuesday March 13 came and went without said press conference. The Cars had an similar announcement [2] saying that they will have a press conference in LA on Tuesday. That press conference [3] did happen. The press got the two stories mixed up.
Discography
Studio albums
- March 1969 From Genesis to Revelation (Gabriel, Banks, Rutherford, Phillips, Silver) #170 US (charted in 1974) Worldwide Sales: 2,000,000
- rereleased in 1974 as In the Beginning
- rereleased in 1980 as Where The Sour Turns to Sweet
- rereleased as Genesis: Rock Roots just to name a few.
- October 1970 Trespass (Gabriel, Banks, Rutherford, Phillips, Mayhew) #98 UK (charted in 1984) Worldwide Sales: 2,000,000
- November 1971 Nursery Cryme (Gabriel, Banks, Rutherford, Hackett, Collins) #39 UK (charted in 1974) Worldwide Sales: 3,000,000
- October 1972 Foxtrot (Gabriel, Banks, Rutherford, Hackett, Collins) #12 UK Worldwide Sales: 3,000,000
- September 1973 Selling England by the Pound (Gabriel, Banks, Rutherford, Hackett, Collins) #3 UK, #70 US (charted in 1974), US Sales: 500,000 Worldwide Sales: 5,000,000
- November 1974 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Gabriel, Banks, Rutherford, Hackett, Collins) #10 UK, #41 US (charted in 1975), US Sales: 500,000 Worldwide Sales: 4,000,000
- February 1976 A Trick of the Tail (Banks, Rutherford, Hackett, Collins) #3 UK, #31 US, US Sales: 500,000 Worldwide Sales: 5,000,000
- December 1976 Wind & Wuthering (Banks, Rutherford, Hackett, Collins) #7 UK, #26 US, US Sales: 500,000 Worldwide Sales: 4,000,000
- March 1978 ...And Then There Were Three... (Banks, Rutherford, Collins) #3 UK, #14 US, US Sales: 1,000,000 Worldwide Sales: 6,000,000
- March 1980 Duke (Banks, Rutherford, Collins) #1 UK, #11 US, US Sales: 1,000,000 Worldwide Sales: 8,000,000
- September 1981 Abacab (Banks, Rutherford, Collins) #1 UK, #7 US, US Sales: 2,000,000 Worldwide Sales: 12,000,000
- October 1983 Genesis (Banks, Rutherford, Collins) #1 UK, #9 US, US Sales: 4,000,000 Worldwide Sales: 18,000,000
- June 1986 Invisible Touch (Banks, Rutherford, Collins) #1 UK, #3 US, US Sales: 6,000,000 Worldwide Sales: 24,000,000
- November 1991 We Can't Dance (Banks, Rutherford, Collins) #1 UK, #4 US, US Sales: 4,000,000 Worldwide Sales: 22,000,000
- September 1997 Calling All Stations (Banks, Rutherford, Wilson) #2 UK, #54 US Worldwide Sales: 2,000,000
Live recordings and compilations
- July 1973 Genesis Live #9 UK, #105 US (charted in 1974) Worldwide Sales: 3,000,000
- 1976 Genesis in Concert (Concert film)
- October 1977 Seconds Out #4 UK, #47 US Worldwide Sales: 5,000,000
- June 1982 Three Sides Live (Side 4 of the original US and continental-European release featured previously-released British studio tracks, but the UK Side 4 featured live tracks from previous tours. When the "Definitive Edition Remaster" of this album came out on CD in 1994, all editions worldwide used the live tracks. The studio tracks were released on the second box set.) #2 UK, #10 US, US Sales: 500,000 Worldwide Sales: 7,000,000
- 1982 Three Sides Live (Video)
- 1984 The Mama Tour (Video)
- 1987 Invisible Touch Tour (Video)
- November 1992 The Way We Walk — Live in Concert (Video)
- November 1992 Live/The Way We Walk, Volume One: The Shorts #3 UK, #35 US, US Sales: 500,000 Worldwide Sales: 9,000,000
- January 1993 Live/The Way We Walk, Volume Two: The Longs #1 UK, #20 US Worldwide Sales: 4,000,000
- June 1998 Genesis Archive 1967-75 (4-CD box set compilation of live and rare material) #35 UK
- October 1999 Turn it on Again: The Hits #4 UK, #65 US, US Sales: 500,000 Worldwide Sales: 5,000,000
- November 2000 Genesis Archive 2: 1976-1992 (3-CD box set compilation of live and rare material)
- 2003 Live at Wembley Stadium (UK DVD release of 1987 concert)
- November 2004 Platinum Collection #21 UK, #100 US (3-CD compilation of Genesis songs from 1970 until 1997). Notable for being compiled in reverse chronological order, and for including new remixes of several songs.
- CAREER: 159,000,000 Albums sold
Hit singles
- from "Selling England by the Pound"
- 1974 "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" #21 UK
- non-album EP
- May 1977 Spot the Pigeon EP (Banks, Rutherford, Hackett, Collins) ("Match of the Day"/"Pigeons"/"Inside and Out") #14 UK
- from "...And Then There Were Three..."
- 1978 "Follow You Follow Me" #7 UK, #23 US
- from "Duke"
- 1980 "Misunderstanding" #14 US
- 1980 "Turn It On Again" #8 UK
- from "Abacab"
- 1981 "Abacab" #9 UK, #26 US
- 1981 "Keep It Dark" #33 UK
- 1981 "No Reply at All" #29 US
- 1982 "Man on the Corner" #40 US
- from "Three Sides Live"
- May 1982 3 X 3 EP ("Paperlate"/"You Might Recall"/"Me and Virgil") #10 UK
- 1982 "Paperlate" #32 US
- from "Genesis"
- 1983 "Mama" #4 UK
- 1983 "That's All" #16 UK, #6 US
- from "Invisible Touch"
- 1986 "Invisible Touch" #15 UK, #1 US
- 1986 "In Too Deep" #19 UK, #3 US (1987 release)
- 1986 "Land of Confusion" #14 UK, #4 US
- 1986 "Throwing It All Away" #22 UK (1987 release), #4 US
- 1987 "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" #18 UK, #3 US
- from "We Can't Dance"
- 1991 "No Son of Mine" #6 UK, #12 US
- 1992 "I Can't Dance" #7 UK, #7 US
- 1992 "Hold on My Heart" #16 UK, #12 US
- 1992 "Jesus He Knows Me" #20 UK, #23 US
- 1992 "Never a Time" #21 US
- from "The Way We Walk, Vol. 1: The Shorts"
- 1992 "Invisible Touch" (live) #7 UK
- from "We Can't Dance"
- 1993 "Tell Me Why" #40 UK
- from "Calling All Stations"
Other releases of interest
- 1975 Voyage of the Acolyte is a Steve Hackett solo album, but is regarded by some as a quasi-Genesis album; it 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).
According to Robert John Godfrey of The Enid, the album's title was originally slated for the first Enid album, but was "leaked" to Hackett, who decided to use it on his album. The Enid were forced to retitle their album In the Region of the Summer Stars, which Godfrey contends was a better title anyway.
- 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 (or at least progressive rock generally). 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.
See also
External links
