Biography of Genesis

One of the most successful bands of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, Genesis’s popularity lasted longer then most good bands do. The band has its roots in 1969 at Charterhouse school. At this time there were many bands such as Anon, The Scarlet and Black group. They contained key Genesis members such as Peter Gabriel and Chris Stewart. These bands merged after other members graduated from school. The singular band now consisted of Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Anthony Phillips and Chris Stewart. They recorded a six song demo, under the name the New Anon. Going to Charterhouse helped them out, an ex student Jonathan King, heard them, and helped them develop their sound, and change their name to Genesis.

In 1967 the group had their first formal recording sessions. Their first single ‘The Silent Sun’ was released without attracting much attention. After their second single was released, Chris Stewart quit the band. John Silver was his replacement. The band then added orchestral accompaniment to the bands tracks, and this was seen on their first album ‘From Genesis to Revelation’, which was released in March of 1969. After this, the members graduated from Charterhouse.

They decided to try to be professional musicians. It was around this time that Silver exited and was replaced by John Mayhew. The band spent the next few months working on new material.
Genesis then signed with the newly formed Charisma label. They recorded their second album Trespass that spring. After the release of this, the band went through some major changes. Phillips who had developed stage fright was forced to leave the band, in July, and he was followed by Mayhew. Phil Collins at this time joined the band. He was a one time actor turned drummer, who had played for bands such as Hickory and Flaming Youth. Steve Hackett then joined the band as the guitarist, and the lineup was set. It was Collins and Hackett’s presence that toughened up the group’s sound, which was seen on their next album ‘Nusery Cryme’.

It was the theatrical voice of Gabriel that fit well with the group’s live performances. It was around 1971 when the band began to use more extensive use of masks, make-up and props. Their songs also become more complicated. Their live shows become something of a legend around this time. Their concerts turned into multi-media events. Their music was something different then anything that was happening in progressive rock. They had complex music compared to the overblown words attached to the songs. In 1973 they released two albums, a live one, which the public had been demanding for some time, and ‘Selling England by the Pound’, was their most complex album to date.

In late 1974, the band released their ambitious double LP, ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’. It was in May of 1975 that following a show in France, Gabriel announced he was leaving Genesis for personal reasons. The band tried to audition a new singer, but was unable to find one. The band decided they would continue as a quartet, with Collins as the singer. The band then recorded their next album Trick of the Trail. It was their biggest album yet, making it to number 31 in America and 3 in the UK. This confused critics alike, as they could not imagine a Genesis without Gabriel. Their next album Wind and Wuthering became another smash. However, on the eve of their release of their latest double live album- Seconds Out- Hackett announced he was leaving the band. The band then went on a tour with replacement Daryl Steurmer, but there was no replacement in the studio.

In 1978, Genesis released ‘And Then There Were Three’, which abandoned their progressive rock sound, for a softer, much more accessible and less ambitious pop sound. The members of the group then did a flurry of solo projects, but reconvened for 1980’s ‘Duke’, which was a chart topper in England, and rose to number eleven in America. Their continued change in their sound helped turn Genesis into an arena-scale act. Their next album ‘Abacab’, was another hit, and 1983’s self titled album, furthered Genesis’s hit album streak. Their self- titled album was their second platinum album, and contained their first American top ten single “That’s All”. Two years later, the band outdid themselves with the album ‘Invisible Touch’ which went several times platinum. Its release coincided with their biggest tour, that put them right up there with the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead for the biggest concert draws.

Their 1991 album ‘”We Can’t Dance” went to number one again and four in America. It was not as big a hit as Invisible Touch. This was Collins last album with the band, as he felt he needed a new musical direction. The band decided to continue on, but they could not find anyone from before that would rejoin. They continued on with live performers, and session musicians, and eventually added Ray Wilson to be the singer. They released their last album “Calling All Stations” in 1997. It was not well received by critics and sold poorly. The tour was equally as unsuccessful.

The group eventually disbanded. Following the breakup they released numerous amounts of compilations and rarities. Overall the band had sold 150 million records, won many awards, and influenced a generation. Their sound helped develop progressive rock, and their adult contemporary music became staples on radio. Many of their songs have been covered by modern bands, and many bands such as Dream Theater have declared Genesis as an influence.
In 2007, after many years of speculation the band with Collins, Rutherford and Banks, reconvened to go on a World Tour. The band has expressed interest getting Gabriel to rejoin, but they have said that is entirely up to him. The recording of another album is very slim, but they will continue to perform.

Video Analysis

Land of Confusion

Of all the music video’s I have ever seen this must be one of the most political ones. Land of Confusion, one of Genesis’s more popular songs, is mainly remembered for its music video, which was highly controversial. Everyone, including the band in this video, are puppets, which were made by the puppeteer of the show ‘Spitting Image’. In this video, the pauperized version of Ronald Reagan is shown to be incapable of being president.
To start the video, Reagan is in bed with Nancy and a chimpanzee. He eventually falls asleep, which sets off the premise for the video. The dream starts off with soldiers marching through a swamp with the heads of Cold-War era leaders. Next, during the chorus, there are mock puppets of the band playing live, with two Phil Collins puppets, one singing and one on drums. Also, Mike Rutherford is shown playing a four necked guitar, which is to mock him being both the guitarist and bassist.

During the next part of the song, world leaders are giving speeches to a large crowd. One of the speakers is Mussolini. Next we are shown Reagan putting on a superman suit, struggling immensely. Back in the president’s bedroom, the sleeping Reagan is shown drowning in sweat.

Next Reagan is shown, in the superman costume, riding a dinosaur. He watches the television, where he sees visions of Bob Hope and Mr. Spock. At the end of this part, an ape throws a bone into the air. It lands in Collins hand, where it turns into a phone, where he says ‘he won’t be coming home tonight; my generation will put it right’. After this we see a crowd of puppet celebrities like Michael Jackson singing along to the chorus.

At the end of the video, Reagan wakes up, and arises from the sweat. He drinks some water, and then decides to get more. He tries to press his nurse button, but instead presses the ‘Nuke’ button. Reagan makes a witty remark about the blast in the background, and Nancy hits him with a snorkel.

Overall I find this video to be very influential. Although there had been political songs before, this is one of the first ones to show it through video. It talks about the incompetence and greed during the Cold War era. This was during a time where music video’s were new, and therefore caught a lot of criticism. During the time of the Cold War, people were very uncertain and decided to take the blame out on their leaders. I personally think that Reagan was treated unjustly in this video. However, the song is very catchy, and the lyrics can be applied to not only the Cold War era, but today as well. I think the meaning is very truthful about how people of power are greedy. Another thing that makes me enjoy this video is how it exercises our right of opinion and speech, something we should all do. This video proves to me how Genesis is truly an influential band, and that they started a trend of political music videos.

1970's in the World and Music

The 1970’s in music showed the rise of many artists, who would later be big influences for today’s musicians. New media sources changed the way people found music, and changed their listening habits. Things like television and motion pictures were beginning to get popular with large audiences, and bands took advantage of this. They did this by going on late night shows, and making movies like the Bee Gees did, among others.

New Genres also began to arise. Art rock and progressive rock began to take rise as well. Both of which had started in the late 60’s. Bands like Genesis capitalized on this, by making their music very progressive, with complex structure and lyrics. Hard rock also took shape, with bands like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Genres like disco, and glam rock also were popular in the late 1970’s. Jazz, which had been popular for many years, began a fusion towards Jazz-Rock. This helped the development of funk music which was made popular by James Brown. In the mid 70’s punk rock began to develop, with bands like The Clash and The Sex Pistols. Another genre which also developed was Caribbean. This genre was led along by Bob Marley. Overall, the 70’s were very busy, with many different genres being created. A very important event happened at the beginning of the 70’s that shaped music for years to come, the Beatles broke up. Many bands were trying to feed off of their popularity and be the next big thing, so we got a lot of copy cat bands trying to cater to younger girls. These were bands like Badfinger and the Knack

Around the world in the 1970’s many things were happening. Gasoline shortages in both 1973 and 79’ caused there to be restrictions on usage. As a result of this, ecological awareness rose, because people saw that non-renewable resources can only last so long. Modernism ended with this.

Another movement that started to peak was feminism. Although it started in the late 60’s, the 70’s brought its voice even louder. Most efforts of repealing the oppression and inequality of women were successful. Women gained success in many areas such as business and politics. On a similar note, the black rights movement began to slow down with the death of Martin Luther King. However, many of its goals had already been reached.

Television and cinema were also very popular during the 70’s. Television shows were now for everyone and not just stay-at-home moms. Programs such as game shows, variety shows, comedy and western shows were there for the whole family to enjoy. In cinema some of the most famous movies were produced such as Jaws and Star Wars. A new era of visionary directors had arrived. There were many trends that happened in the 1970’s. One of the popular ones was Disco. People would go out to clubs and just dance. This helped them get away from the stress of work and the Cold War. Disco was influenced by underground gay culture, but surfaced in the late 70’s. Many bands gained popularity from disco, such as ABBA. Movies were also made about Disco and the nightlife, such as Saturday Night Fever, whose soundtrack sold in vast quantities. Another trend started in the 1970’s when the first face lifts were performed. Drug use was very high in this era. This was due to two reasons; the cold war and disco. The cold war caused everyone to be stressed so to take away the stress they would go to a disco club. While at the club they would do such drugs as cocaine, which was more widely accepted then. I believe one of the most important things to come out of the 70’s is the fact that people started to pay attention to their governments. This is very evident in Genesis’s music, which took influence from this and talked about politics, either discretely or otherwise. People took the criticism of the hippies, who complained about the government but didn’t do anything productive and finally began to take a stand. By protesting, and taking the initiative to get things done.

1980's in the World and Music

To start the music scene in the 1980’s there was another very influential death- John Lennon, who was assassinated in New York City. One of the most important things in the 1980’s music scene was the fact that synthesizers and drum machines were now included widely in music. This was mainly in the pop music, but could also be found in other genres. Many genres have their root in the 80’s, such as Indie, Emo and Hip Hop/Rap. Something of note in the music scene is that rock, which had been the dominant genre for the past 30 years, was now starting to lose its power to pop music.

Rock in the 1980’s was mostly focused around its subgenres, such as arena rock and glam rock which found huge popularity throughout the 80’s in bands such as Styx and Aerosmith. Soft rock in bands such as the Eagles was very popular as well. Genesis also took this style and made it their own, releasing albums like ‘Invisible Touch’. Alternative rock also became popular with bands like R.E.M..

In pop, which had now become very popular, Michael Jackson ruled, with albums such as Thriller, which is the best selling album of all time.

Viewers also had a new way to view their music- music videos. This helped listeners interact with the band in a new way. No longer did they have to travel to see the band live when they could now see them on television. This also caused a few problems; people now cared about how the band looked. Sometimes this caused bands to become famous without having any real talent. This also led the way to racism. People who owned MTV at the start believed white kids, or people with money, did not want to see black culture. By the end of the decade, however, African-American videos were played frequently and were very popular. The first African-American video played on MTV was ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson. Another thing of note was the anti- disco movement that started in the early 80’s.

In the world during this time, religion, patriotism and materialism began to comeback, the complete opposite of the hippie era. There was also a large anti-drug movement in the United States, this was a result of the large drug use in the 70’s. Although there were stricter sentences imposed, drug use still continued. However, one drug that did decline in use was tobacco, due to rising health concerns.

Video games also became popular during this era. The technology had now arrived, and arcades were now being set up around the world. Bands could now also reach an audience through this, by promoting certain games.

Environmentalism also increased in this era as people started to see the effects. Recycling and conservation programs were created to reduce the stress on the environment. Nuclear power plants were beginning to be opposed due to the Chernobyl meltdown in Russia.
Popular trends in the 1980’s were things like arcades, laser tag, swatches and pogo sticks.
What makes this era so interesting is how the music industry changed. People were forced to buy CDs as other players were becoming obsolete. This caused the industry to gain large amounts of money which they used to promote music. This is the first era where bands became mechanically produced, to fit the criteria of the people. The music was not the focal point anymore, the looks and the ability to be marketed were.

The Legacy of Genesis

Genesis was one of the bands that helped an infant progressive rock mature.
Many future progressive bands, like Dream Theater have cited Genesis as an influence. Also, many tribute bands have sprung up, such as Re-Genesis. Genesis however, is mainly remembered for two things; their live shows and their cover art.

In the 1970’s, Genesis, with Peter Gabriel, were very theatrical with stage design, pyrotechnics, elaborate costumes, and onstage stories. At their live performances they would also never be afraid to perform their hardest songs, this includes the 23 minute long song ‘Suppers Ready’, which Gabriel would change costumes for each part of the song. When Gabriel left Genesis their performances still remained complex, with fascinating light arrangements. The Cirque du Soleil got their inspiration for two of their shows- Midnight Sun and Delirium- from Genesis’s live performances.

Genesis was also the first band to incorporate their musical themes on CD cover art. The band would take paintings or drawings, change them a little and make it related to their music. A good example of this is the album cover for ‘Selling England by the Pound’; they used a drawing called ‘The Dream’. They changed the image by adding a lawnmower which tied to the song ‘I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)’.

On the negative side of their legacy, Genesis is remembered for “putting their audiences to sleep”, giving them the nickname ‘Genesnooze’ by some critics. Some people, mainly the supporters of the punk movement, felt that their music was only for the upper class. They supported this with the fact that all the members went to a private school. This was not true, however, and the band always said that their audience was a mixture of every class. Sometimes Genesis’s live performances would draw criticism as some thought it was too elaborate. This caused Genesis to be more of a cult following then being a mainstream success. It is a known fact that Genesis during their progressive days were not liked by the critics. However, even when they moved to radio-friendly rock, the critics were still not pleased.

I think that Genesis will always be remembered, for its entertaining shows, and very progressive music. Sometimes critics don’t like the music that is the most influential because they break trends that have already been established. People are not always accustomed to change, but without it, we would never grow as a whole.

Song Analysis

I Can't Dance

I will analyze two songs by Genesis, the first of which is ‘I Can’t Dance’. It starts with a very powerful riff on the guitar. Phil Collins, wails out lyrics like “hot sun beating down, burning my feet just walking around”. These lyrics could imply that the dancer is under a scorching spotlight, not being able to dance. Unlike many other Genesis songs, their riff is very metallic sounding. Usually the band had an electronic, progressive experimental sound, but this song seems much more straightforward.

The history of the song tells about why it sounds so fun. Rutherford, the guitarist for the band had written a song called ‘Heavy A Flat’. During a recording session, Rutherford brought the song out, and Collins improvised ‘I Can’t Dance’. At first they turned the song down because it was too blues sounding and too simple. However, after they made the keyboard part, they felt it was a good song, and decided to record it.
I think that this is one of Genesis’s best songs, as it is very amusing to listen to, and unlike the title, makes you want to dance. The guitar riff in the song is very effective, and although by the end of Genesis, many of their songs were very slow, this is one of their last great songs.




In Too Deep

The next song I will analyze is ‘In Too Deep’. This song starts with the classic 80’s sounding electronics. After this, Collins comes in with a soft voice, singing lyrics like “All that time I was searching, with nowhere to run”, after this he sings a bit in falsetto. Then the chorus comes in with a slight change of pace, with a rising keyboard sound. Its as though the song is going to go full blast, but after this it goes back down to the slow, almost ska tempo. At the bridge, there is a keyboard solo that sounds like an old television show theme. At the end of the song, Collins keeps repeating “you know I want to, but I’m in too deep.”

Personally I find the song, although it is very slow, to be very entertaining. Collins brief stint of singing falsetto in the song, is the earliest I have heard this done. It is possible that singers such as Chris Martin, may have copied this style, as Coldplay’s style seems to be reminiscent of Genesis’s. I find songs like these are not liked for their musical talent, but for their lyrics, and since they are very emotional, this song becomes worthwhile to listen to.

Album Cover Analysis

Wind & Wuthering
The cover that seems to have the most meaning is the one for ‘Wind & Wuthering’. What we see is a tree, surrounded by fog, with prominent clouds in the background. The meaning of this album is completely up to the reader. One could take the cover as the tree is all alone, and that the fog shows its confusion with the world. The tree does not understand why it is all alone. Two members of Genesis, Tony Banks and Steve Hackett, both have said in previous interviews that this album was their favorite.

What makes an album cover so effective is its ability to spark interest to a possible buyer. The cover is the first thing someone sees in an album. A good cover should have an artistic vision while at the same time relating to the album. It should almost pose a question that you want answered. I believe that the cover for Wind & Wuthering does this, as it asks me ‘Why Am I Shown This Place?’