Genesis

[Lumiere]

I still think the epic  "Domino" is completely fab.

Good for you, it's one of my favourite tracks. The lyrics are cringeworthy (telling of rivers of blood and children playing with books), but the instrumentation is fab.

[Adrian Brezhnev]

I'd quite like to say that I agree with almost everything that has been written here.

It's now nearly three minutes since I signed up as a member of your sect, and the reason that I went straight to the Genesis post is that:

a) I had a rather amusing encounter with Steve Hacket when he checked in to a hotel I was working for last year

b) My dog's got no nose

c) I met a voluptous Brazillian au pair at a party many many years ago that showed me lots of photos of her with her arm round a smiling Chester Thompson. We exchanged phone numbers, which seemed like a good idea at the time, as the party was full of au pairs and very few males, and she seemed particularly keen to get in to my knickers. Sadly, it took me two weeks to get round to phoning the number- and when I did, a rather annoyed sounding man said that she had just left for good... and not left them with any other phone number or forwarding address

d) I have been working on writing some songs of my own, and Tony Banks is a man that I have always thought that I might like to send the first demo disc to

e) I spent the afternoon at a recording studio belonging to a legend from the 70s last week listening to Beach Boys, Todd Rundgren, and others extremely loudly, with a chap that once worked with Phil Collins. And knew someone that had rather unflattering things to say about a certain Genesis keyboard player

f) I could go on, but what with this being my first post, a little nagging voice in my head is telling me to shut up now

g) Er...

h) That's it for now

i) Ah no, I've just remembered another thing that I wanted to say. I almost blew up a pair of loudspeakers on Christmas Day by turning all the pre-amps and amps up to 11 and then putting on .Follow Your Follow Me


By the way, only one of the above statements is untrue.

[imitationleather]

Wow. No one's come on here and harped on about how Genesis are shit for some reason and why we're idiots for liking them.

Why doesn't this happen on any threads to do with The Libertines et al?

Maybe because some of the people who do it are Genesis fans...

[Adrian Brezhnev]

Good question.

My favourite song by the way by the Gs is Cul de Sac. I like to turn it on again every time I listen to Duke.

[Lumiere]

turn it on again every time I listen to Duke.

Haha. Very funny.

[Lumiere]

Why doesn't this happen on any threads to do with The Libertines et al?

[stupidity]
Because the Libertines are shit! And you're stupid for liking them!
[/stupidity]

Not really, I just don't care for them much.

[Adrian Brezhnev]

[stupidity]
Because the Libertines are shit! And you're stupid for liking them!
[/stupidity].

Many people would say that....

but not me.

It is a well established fact that it is not unusual for the Libertines to smell of shit, but that tended to happen more in the days when they were throwing it all away.

[Lumiere]

I must say that A Trick Of The Tail is damn fine too. Most enjoyable.

[the hum]

Wow. No one's come on here and harped on about how Genesis are shit for some reason and why we're idiots for liking them.

Well obviously it's because verbwhores are such a well-rounded open minded bunch of people, who would think twice about slagging a band like Genesis just because some music journo has done so.

Actually there does seem to have been a re-assessment of the whole prog-rock thing amongst people in the past few years - not so much amongst music journalists (although even some of them are starting to be a little kinder), but just in general.  I suppose there is a whole generation of kids now, listening to stuff with prog connections (Tool, The Mars Volta, Muse etc), which in turn has possibly lead to a realisation that the first generation of bands, for all their pomposity, also produced some damn fine music.

Anyone with an interest in the scene at the moment should check out the Inside Out label (http://www.insideout.de/indexx.php?arg=AQ8=).  They have a huge roster of bands and solo artists, not all of them great admittedly (they recently signed Asia, for example), but still some good stuff to be had.

[Adrian Brezhnev]

YES !

[Lumiere]

Just picked up Trespass today. Very good, but I was originally aiming for Foxtrot.

[lankinpark]

I've been listening to Trespass all day. It's primitive, but still decent. Nothing wrong with any of the individual songs (except those embarrassing White Fang lyrics), but it gets a bit dull all in one go.

Stagnation and The Knife are pieces of minor brilliance.

[Lumiere]

The Knife is one of the best Genesis tracks ever.

I think Trespass is a bloody brilliant leap into the prog genre, and is, by rights, Genesis' first album proper. Fair enough, nothing much happens, but it's a bloody solid debut.

[Adrian Brezhnev]

... and Supper's Ready is excellent for playing at dinner parties.

[Detective John Kimble]

"Can you tell me where my country lies?"

(resurrected for Genesis discussion purposes)

I think i'll go through the Genesis albums I know (Just about everything until ATTWT - I've always put off having a serious listen to anything from "Duke" on)

From Genesis To Revelation - I like One-Eyed Hound.  That's about it - it's a nothing record.  

Trespass - Lovely album.  "The Knife" would come into it's own live rather than here (after "Genesis Live" I never listen to the album version), but "Stagnation", "Looking For Someone" and "White Mountain" are lovely pieces.  

Nursery Cryme - Musical Box, Return of the Giant Hogweed and Fountain of Salmacis are all amongst my absolute favourite Genesis songs.  The rest are good too, but I barely remember "Harlequin".  

Foxtrot - I like every song on here.  "Watcher of the Skies" is easily my favourite on Side 1, and I also like the underrated "Time Table" and "Can-Utility and the Coastliners".  Obviously, Supper's goes without saying.  Only "Tarkus" is better for prog side-longs.  

Selling England By The Pound - Their best record, of course.  

The Lamb - Ooohhh...see, I'm a bit of a fan.  The story's pretty crap, but to me, most of the actual songs are great.  Title track, Carpet Crawlers, In the Cage, Back in NYC, Anyway, Chamber of 32 Doors, and It. - it was mentioned in the previous thread that Hackett was on mute for the album, but I'm glad they turned him up for "The Lamia" - one of my favourite Genesis songs, and what a solo.  

Trick of the Tail - Bunch of great songs.  'Entangled' is my easy favourite, but most of it is good.  Not a big fan of Robbery, Assault and Battery.  

Wind and Wuthering - Disappointing.  I only really like Eleventh Earl of Mar and Your Own Special Way from this one.  One for the Vine is poor, I don't like the big final suite, and although I've listened to this record a fair few times, I still can't remember a single note from 'Wot Gorilla?' or 'All In A Mouse's Night'.  

And Then There Were Three... - Already covered in the previous thread.

The rest I don't know much about.  I like a few songs here and there from the ones I've heard.

[trotsky assortment]

"Can you tell me where my country lies?"

(resurrected for Genesis discussion purposes)

I think i'll go through the Genesis albums I know (Just about everything until ATTWT - I've always put off having a serious listen to anything from "Duke" on)

From Genesis To Revelation - I like One-Eyed Hound.  That's about it - it's a nothing record.

If I recall, that wasn't actually on the original album.  It was a b-side to one of the early singles and was added to the tracklisting of some reissues, as was 'A Winter's Tale'.

Trespass - Lovely album.  "The Knife" would come into it's own live rather than here (after "Genesis Live" I never listen to the album version), but "Stagnation", "Looking For Someone" and "White Mountain" are lovely pieces.  

I tell you, all this talk of 'Trespass' is making me think I should dig it out at some point again soon.  In the other thread when I said good things about 'The Knife' and 'Stagnation', I'd forgotten about 'Looking For Someone'.  It's very much an album which lives in the shadow of its successors, but I have a liking for it.

Nursery Cryme - Musical Box, Return of the Giant Hogweed and Fountain of Salmacis are all amongst my absolute favourite Genesis songs.  The rest are good too, but I barely remember "Harlequin".

Me neither.  I think I remember it and then I realise I'm remembering 'Emerald Lies' from a really early Marillion outing, which is weird because I can barely listen to any of their Fish-era recordings these days...  

Foxtrot - I like every song on here.  "Watcher of the Skies" is easily my favourite on Side 1, and I also like the underrated "Time Table" and "Can-Utility and the Coastliners".  Obviously, Supper's goes without saying.  Only "Tarkus" is better for prog side-longs.

Waves towards 'Tales From The Lush Attic' by IQ - it's either sheer balls or complete self-indulgence which makes a band think they can get away with opening their debut LP with a twenty minute epic.

'Foxtrot' though, yeah...Love it.  Even the album's weak link, 'Can-Utility' is good.
...And then there's 'Horizons' <sigh>.  (Apologies to anyone finding my Hackett praise tiresome).
 

Selling England By The Pound - Their best record, of course.

No argument from me.  Probably the only album where I don't skip tracks according to mood.  

The Lamb - Ooohhh...see, I'm a bit of a fan.  The story's pretty crap, but to me, most of the actual songs are great.  Title track, Carpet Crawlers, In the Cage, Back in NYC, Anyway, Chamber of 32 Doors, and It. - it was mentioned in the previous thread that Hackett was on mute for the album, but I'm glad they turned him up for "The Lamia" - one of my favourite Genesis songs, and what a solo.

I can't lie to you, the last time I saw Steve Hackett live,when he played 'Hairless Heart' from 'The Lamb' and the guitar solo from 'Firth Of Fifth', I almost cried.  

I'm really looking forward to the proposed 5.1 mix of 'The Lamb'.  I can't help but feel we're getting shafted somewhere though...In the UK, [like the early Elton John reissues] we're only getting a SACD, which of course means, without the aid of new stereo equipment, we'll see no benefit.  The US release will be a DVD-Audio, so, I know what I'll be doing.
 

Trick of the Tail - Bunch of great songs.  'Entangled' is my easy favourite, but most of it is good.  Not a big fan of Robbery, Assault and Battery.

Very much going with general opinion, then, I agree.  A superb album.  A giant fuck you to everyone who'd written them off after Peter left (not unlike 'Seasons End' by Marillion, which performed similarly in 1989).  There are no duds here for me, but I'll concur that 'Robbery' sounds like novelty filler when measured up against the beauty of 'Entangled' or 'Mad Man Moon' or the power of 'Dance On A Volcano' or 'Squonk'.  

Wind and Wuthering - Disappointing.  I only really like Eleventh Earl of Mar and Your Own Special Way from this one.  One for the Vine is poor, I don't like the big final suite, and although I've listened to this record a fair few times, I still can't remember a single note from 'Wot Gorilla?' or 'All In A Mouse's Night'.

For a long time, I was convinced it wasn't as good as it's predecessor.  Sure, there's nothing much here as immediate as most of 'A Trick Of The Tail', but it contains some sublime moments.  It took on a whole new life after I saw Steve Hackett play 'In That Quiet Earth' from about ten feet away.

[Detective John Kimble]

The first time I went to see the 'Musical Box' live band, they had Steve Hackett in as a special guest for the final song - they did 'Firth of Fifth' again.  It was just amazing - what a guitarist he is.  I love his first couple of solo records too.    

The second time didn't really match up, but still pretty good.

[trotsky assortment]

Funnily enough, I have mixed feelings about Hackett's first couple of solo albums.  His third and forth ('Spectral Mornings' and 'Defector'), though, I think are superb.

If you can find it at a decent price, his 4CD 'Live Archive' is worth every penny.

(...and as if by magic, 'Ace Of Wands' has just started on my audioscrobbler thingy!)

[the hum]

Waves towards 'Tales From The Lush Attic' by IQ - it's either sheer balls or complete self-indulgence which makes a band think they can get away with opening their debut LP with a twenty minute epic.

Bloody hell, there's a band I didn't think would get mentioned on here!  I presume you're talking about 'The last human gateway', which is blatantly early-to-mid period Genesis most of the way through, and none the worse for it.  Still not as blatant mind as Marillion's 'Grendel' - basically 'Supper's Ready' for the 80s.

[trotsky assortment]

Yes.  'The Last Human Gateway'.
I'll wager I'll be the only person in here throwing 80s prog revival bands into the conversation!  

Speaking of which, these are great times - most of the Twelfth Night back-cat is now on CD (and more besides).   If only I could find that elusive CD reissue of 'Silent Dance' by Solstice, I'd be very happy indeed.

[difbrook]

Yes.  'The Last Human Gateway'.
I'll wager I'll be the only person in here throwing 80s prog revival bands into the conversation!  

Speaking of which, these are great times - most of the Twelfth Night back-cat is now on CD (and more besides).   If only I could find that elusive CD reissue of 'Silent Dance' by Solstice, I'd be very happy indeed.

if I could remember any 80's prog revival bands, I'd happily join in. Unfortunately, I've blotted that particular part of my memory out, it seems. Only name coming to mind is Pendragon. Upsettingly enough. Twelfth Night were the mob led by the Reverend Geoff Mann, yeah? Or am I thinking of someone completely different?

I note with interest some general "ho-hum"mage about "Wind and Wuthering further up this thread. Careful. Don't make me come over there... ;-)

in otherwords, I'm terribly fond of it. And Dook, which I think in places hits highs more sublime than anything in the Genesis back catalogue, despite my general preference for Gabriel-era. I listened to the whole damn lot ("From Genesis To Revelation" right through to "Calling All Stations") in about a month at the beginning of the year.

with the exception of what I shall henceforth refer to as "the old man's last erection" (about a quarter "Calling All Stations" has promise, and the gigantic epics on "We Can't Dance" still hit the mark) I've never felt so disappointed in watching a band lose their way in my life. Admittedly they lost their way in a manner which was highly lucrative and made them beloved entertainers to millions... but dear oh dear. Give me a bloke dressed as a sunflower parading about singing about ghostly monks on lawns while a violin-string-uptight keyboardist wearing a comfy sweater pounds out baroque melodies everytime.

[the hum]

Pendragon

Eeek!  I have a couple of their albums, which I keep in a secret guilty stash.  Perhaps best noted for album art which makes Roger Dean's stuff for Yes look quite conservative.  They're big in Poland too, apparently.

Twelfth Night were indeed lead by Geoff Mann, although he departed in about 83-ish and the band subsequently turned into a boring sub-Duran Duran sort of outfit.  Mann himself popped his clogs in 1992.

[trotsky assortment]

Yup - Mann was a bonkers but kind hearted man who left us far too early...but at least he would have believed he was off to better things.

The recent Twelfth Night DVD reissue is from the Andy Sears period, which I don't dislike, but I'd like to think there's footage of Mann out there somewhere.

Similarly - and bringing this thread back on topic - I get frustrated when I watch the Genesis 'History' vid and see clips of the Gabriel-led band of hairy progmonsters.  The clips of 'Moonlit Knight', 'Suppers Ready' and 'I Know What I Like' are from the same gig; as are the clips of 'Salmascis' and something else...not to mention those teasing clips of 'The Musical Box'.  Looks like there was a whole 'Lamb' gig filmed too.

The clips are great - I'm desperate to see whole performances.  If only they'd put something out properly.  (I don't have that 'Cinema Show' DVD, but I'm guessing much of the Gabriel stuff has been ignored, in favour of reporoducing the contents of the two self-titled greatest hits type videos).

[difbrook]

Similarly - and bringing this thread back on topic - I get frustrated when I watch the Genesis 'History' vid and see clips of the Gabriel-led band of hairy progmonsters.  The clips of 'Moonlit Knight', 'Suppers Ready' and 'I Know What I Like' are from the same gig; as are the clips of 'Salmascis' and something else...not to mention those teasing clips of 'The Musical Box'.  Looks like there was a whole 'Lamb' gig filmed too.

The clips are great - I'm desperate to see whole performances.  If only they'd put something out properly.  (I don't have that 'Cinema Show' DVD, but I'm guessing much of the Gabriel stuff has been ignored, in favour of reporoducing the contents of the two self-titled greatest hits type videos).

yup! The Cinema Show dvd pretty much duplicates the greatest hits videos, with the addition of the new version of "Carpet Crawlers" tacked onto the end, plus the Ray Wilson promos.

did you ever see the Belgian TV Special from 1971? Band filmed in a white studio, lots of flashy camera trickery, but the performances are great. "Musical Box", "The Knife", "Return of the Giant Hogweed" and "Fountain of Salmacis". A rake-thin Gabriel pretty much dominating the whole thing, while the rest of the band play seated behind him...

there are also a couple of other videos doing the bootleg circuit - post Gabriel - one from the Seconds Out period, and the other from 1980. The 1980 one's a Whistle Test thing, runs about twenty five minutes, covering the Duke Suite and finishing up with Afterglow.  I haven't seen the Seconds Out performance for a while, but I remember it's distinguished by a great shot of the audience with one guy going apeshit with adoration while a young woman (presumably his girlfriend) in the seat next to him is fast asleep with her head thrown back and her mouth wide open...

[Detective John Kimble]

I've had a couple of live Genesis bootleg vids in my time (Downloaded ones...gone now).

The Belgian TV '71 special also features an awesome rarity - a live performance of "Twilight Alehouse".  There is a Concert from 1974 that does the rounds - it's about 45 mins. long I think.  It has "Watcher of the Skies", "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight", "I Know What I Like", "The Musical Box", and  "Supper's Ready".  This gig I believe was in Oxford, and a lot of the regularly used TV clips for Gabriel-era Genesis are from this show.  

I was able to get this stuff from eMule myself - worth a check.  There's a couple more pieces around - I know there's another live performance vid that ends with "The Knife" and has another "Musical Box" (with Fox costume rather than Old man costume)...there's a half-hour TV performance (even more fancy camera trickery) with "I Know What I Like", and "Supper's Ready".  Don't know about any stuff from the Lamb.

[difbrook]

interested observers may have spotted a non-story on the BBC website of late - Phil commenting that he'd be more than happy to take part in a Gabriel-era Genesis reunion.

seems it might be more than a rumour. Although I haven't found any official confirmation yet, and I'll quite frankly not believe it until I have a ticket in my hands... over on the music forum of Roobarb's it's been mentioned that everyone's getting together on November 20th to mull it over.

bloody hell.

[the hum]

interested observers may have spotted a non-story on the BBC website of late - Phil commenting that he'd be more than happy to take part in a Gabriel-era Genesis reunion.

seems it might be more than a rumour. Although I haven't found any official confirmation yet, and I'll quite frankly not believe it until I have a ticket in my hands... over on the music forum of Roobarb's it's been mentioned that everyone's getting together on November 20th to mull it over.

bloody hell.

It may also just be a meeting to discuss the release of archive material, remastered albums etc, so don't hold your breath.

[trotsky assortment]

Breath very much not being held here... I'm guessing it'll not amount to much on the reuinion [proper] front.  Either Peter Gabriel or God Hackett will dismiss the idea.

You can see it now...

PG:  Fuck off.  Last time I did it, we got soaked.  And I had to climb out of that coffin.

SH:  I've got acoustic shows to play.

TB:  I'm not busy.

[trotsky assortment]

(Responding to a couple of earlier posts here, which I missed)

Ooh - I'd like to see PG performing 'The Musical Box' with the fox's head.  I love the clips with the old man's head too, but having seen the 'A History' video so much, it's wearing thin.

Speaking of that video - does anyone have any idea why it contained a couple of different clips of 'The Musical Box' and something else, but omitted the clip of 'A Trick Of The Tail' from the version broadcast on BBC 2, about a year before the vid became available?  The Knebworth into is missing from the vid too.

I've always liked that black & white clip of the chaps (pre-silly costumes) playing the end of 'Stagnation'.  It's obviously from Euro TV.  Does any more of that performance exist anywhere?

[difbrook]

interested observers may have spotted a non-story on the BBC website of late - Phil commenting that he'd be more than happy to take part in a Gabriel-era Genesis reunion.

seems it might be more than a rumour. Although I haven't found any official confirmation yet, and I'll quite frankly not believe it until I have a ticket in my hands... over on the music forum of Roobarb's it's been mentioned that everyone's getting together on November 20th to mull it over.

bloody hell.

It may also just be a meeting to discuss the release of archive material, remastered albums etc, so don't hold your breath.

yeah, it seems more likely to be a bunch of fans putting two and two together. It'd be a nice thought, but it's more likely to be a general business meeting.

it's a lovely thought, but it's exceedingly unlikely, innit?