Here are some pictures andtext from the program.
 
 

Compared to the other top bandsin the world, Genesis are outrageously different. None of them has beenbusted; the News of the World hasn't managed to unearth any groupie scandalsinvolving the band; they don't drive their Rolls- Royces into swimmingpools (on account of the fact that they don't drive Rolls- Royces or ownswimming pools); none of them has suffered a nervous breakdown; and whenit's all over tonight, they'll probably slip quietly home or unwind infront of the telly back at the hotel`.  ''There's a definite ordinaryquality to us," says lead singer Phil Collins. ''It took us ages to bepersuaded to put our pictures on our album sleeves because we were convincedwe all looked too normal."  "We've never known anyonein the music business or rubbed shoulders with the press down at the Speakeasy,''says Mike Rutherford. "The music papers thrive on reporting exotic lifestyles,but in that respect we've been a grave disappointment.''  In every other respect,however, thanks to their inventive virtuosity, Genesis have brought nothingbut excitement and pleasure to their many thousands of fans . . . and whatloyal fans they have when you consider the many changes that the grouphas undergone during its metamorphic struggle to the top.

 If the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, then Genesis won its place in rock history on the playing fields of Charterhouse and in the small-ad pages of Melody Maker. It was at Charterhouse that the group was formed as a schoolboy dream - and when that dream started to lose its magic for two of the founder members, two classified ads united Steve Hackett and Phil Collins with the group. They turned out to be more Genesis than Genesis.

 "We made Genesis Revelationin the summer holidays and then started live performances. We used to arguea lot in those days. There was an incredible amount of friction. I thinkthat's why we were able to survive Peter Gabriel's departure. Losing themain performer would have broken up any other group, but Genesis is strongerthan any of its individual members."

 Ask any member of Genesiswho writes what, and you'll end up more confused than you started out.''Our strength is that, individually, we all have predominantly differentmoods," says Mike. "I'm good at doing soft things and the very heavy. .. Steve's romantic . . . Tony's style is more classically influenced .. . Phil is very jazzy but he can also sound like John Bonham from LedZeppelin.''

But who actually writes the musicand Lyrics ? "We all do," says Mike, who recently married a smashing lookingmodel called Angie. "I can't read music and I have absolutely no idea aboutchord sequences, chord structures or progressures, but I think this actuallyhelps me.''

"Tony, Mike and Steve are thepredominant writers," says Phil who somehow also finds time to play withBrand X and decorate his semi in Ealing. ''Tony is into the Beach Boysand the classics. He's not interested in pop. He wouldn't rush out andbuy an album like I would."

"We write the music togetherand then write the words together. The title of the album is always thelast thing. Someone rings up in a panic and says, 'We've got the covertogether, the album's coming out in six weeks - what the hell are we goingto call it ?' "

 Tony Banks, who has a precise,almost solicitor-like appearance (his neighbors in Twickenham think he'sin the City) says: "The important thing is that we all have something differentto contribute. One of us will have an idea, another adds to it . . . it'svery much a matter of composition by committee, of trial and error."
 

Tony was at universitystudying physics and philosophy when, to his parents' horror, he choseinstead the life of a rock musician. Still, his grasp of physics comesin handy when there's trouble with the laser . . . and his philosophy keepshim sane during the exhausting six months of the year that the group'son the road.  If there's an Odd Man Outin the group, it's Steve Hackett, a loner who wrote and produced a soloalbum last year. Was there a life before Genesis? "I'd been very much abedroom guitarist for years, doing a variety of jobs during the day. Iwas a solicitors' clerk, then a chain man - he's the bloke who holds theother end of the tape measure for a surveyor and stands in the road witha pole - then I worked for a printing firm.  ''In 1971 I'd been tryingwithout much success to get my own band together, advertising in MelodyMaker every week. Genesis saw my ad and were intrigued by the wording.That was it. The first gig was terrifying. I was unfamiliar with the equipment,I didn't know the music . . . and Phil was drunk !"  Steve's relationship withhis Brazilian girl friend has enabled him, he says, to experience the groupfrom an outsider's point of view. "She used to be a fan and my cynicismwith the rock business didn't wash because she loves it all so much."

 Perhaps it is this qualitythat enables him to talk about the group so articulately and dispassionately:"I don't think there's any other band like Genesis because we bridge allthe gaps between pop music and rock music and, to some extent, classicalmusic. And, I like to think, perhaps even jazz fans might get off on certainaspects of us. I tend to think we're an eccentric band and, as such, havesomething to offer nearly everybody.
 

''For most progressive rock bandsthe inherent spirit is a masculine one, but ours is a more feminine spirit.Our music comes in pastel shades. Musically, the band is quite capableof playing like Led Zeppelin if it wanted to, but it chooses not to. Ican't define exactly what the band has, I can only perform it musically."

 Genesis are joined on thistour by the accomplished American drummer, Chester Thompson. So strongis the group's identity that already I can't remember when he wasn't withthe band. As Genesis will prove for the ten thousandth time tonight, ordinarythey're not !

 Christopher Ward - Columnistand author. A recent convert to Genesis who describes himself as, unashamedlyone of their greatest fans.

 "In my earlier days whenI wanted to be a rock'n' roll star I always wanted to stay at the ContinentalHyatt House, Mike Rutherford said of this LA rock sanctuary. ''I missedout somehow but I'm doing ok."

 Ok is a gross underestimation.When Peter Gabriel quit the group in the autumn of 1975, Genesis were immediatelylabeled historic. Spring to vibrant vinyl life with the release of 'A TrickOf The Tail', Genesis impressively made phony epitaphs redundant. The bandthat once naively brought tea and crumpets to an early concert, are finallyclimbing to the top of the rock'n roll hierarchy.
 

On their last Americantour, a Chicago promoter eagerly welcomed the group. It had been a badweek at the box office. Peter Frampton unexpectedly didn't sell out. JesseColin Young pulled a moderate crowd. J. Geils cancelled a scheduled appearancedue to lack of public interest. Joe Cocker attracted a minuscule audience.Two sold out Genesis concerts saved the promoter's week. They have becomewhat the fat businessmen with tight suits and large cigars would call aviable commercial product.  Genesis have changed. Onstageand on record. Cheap hotels and greasy meals belong to the past. Tony Banksno longer wears Disneyland sweatshirts onstage. Steve Hackett has abandonedhis stationary seated position for the aggressive mobility of the stage.Phil Collins no longer hides exclusively behind his drum kit, often comingcentre stage to flaunt his vocal drumming. Mike Rutherford now rocks backand forth, expertly switching from acoustics to double necked electricswhile operating a battery of bass pedals.  On and off stage, Genesisdo not look like the average rock band. Nothing about their behavior fitsthe archetypal personality image. Tony Banks still wears Disneyland sweatshirtsoffstage. Despite the fact that Genesis are not orthodox rock stars, theyare rather popular.

 ''My leaving brought afreshness and vitality to the others and to myself," Peter Gabriel saidrecently. And he was right. An exuberant freshness and vitality permeatesall Genesis activity. This creative enthusiasm is contagious, spreadingfrom the stage to the concert hall, from the speakers into your own frontroom.

 Genesis have triumphed.They have turned a possibly fatal personnel change into a healthy musicalgrowth. Refusing to look back, they have taken more than the proverbialone step forward. While more established contemporaries stagnate, Genesishit mature zeniths on target.

 Genesis really are a newband. In their earlier days they awkwardly tried to fuse theatrics withmusic. Onstage visuals were originally conceived merely as a ploy to attractattention to the music, to the songs. But the visuals eventually obscuredthe music, coming dangerously close to consuming the band. Peter Gabrielleft but the audience remained. Now the theatre has become the music.

 Carving themselves a distinctidentity, Genesis have finally done away with erroneous public assumptionsthat they were like Yes and ELP musically, Bowie and Alice Cooper visually.Exploring the realms of one thousand melodies, Genesis swing between intelligentpop and sophisticated progressive sounds. Genesis are simply Genesis. Andthere is no one like them.

 ''We're a very melodicband,'' Rutherford said humming a snappy little tune, "not at all likeother progressive bands. We're actually a bit poppy. A lot of people havebeen put off by the underground image and a lot of those people could likeus. We've never been at all like ELP, Yes or the Pink Floyd."

 Tony Banks agreed. "We'venever been comparable to Yes. The melodies and chords we use are very thematicrather than describe the ecstasies of any particular player. We don't particularlylike solos anyways,'' Banks yawned. `"We find them boring.''

 Individual ego frustrationsare kept at a well balanced minimum for the overall well being of the group.Genesis are a band in the strictest sense of the word. Democratically run,they creatively feed off self-criticism and compromise. Sterility is avoidedby changing motivations and a continual desire to grow. No one person hasever been the guiding light behind the group just as no one person willever be Genesis. Their strength is communal.

"The talent that is Genesis isgreater than the individual,') Banks gently rationalized. "It's alwaysbeen a composite thing with us anyways. The whole is greater than any oneindividual."
 

While the public spotlight tended to focus on Peter Gabriel, the band impressively carried equal weight. Although every song was a group composition, many mistakenly assumed that Gabriel wrote everything. Still wearing the wounds, Genesis albums now carry specific songwriting credits.  "We always tried to tellpeople that the music was dramatic first. We always tried to tell peoplethere were five writers in the group,'' Phil Collins recalls previous artisticfrustrations. "Now they know.''  And the proof is overwhelming.Genesis have always been good. Now they are even better. Public ears havechanged. Reassessing the band void of glossy 8X10 preconceptions, Genesisare being heard by clean, unbiased ears. "That's Genesis ?'' people askedincredulously upon hearing the contagious melodies that surrounded 'A TrickOf The Tail.'  Genesis scored heavilywith instantly appealing music. They kept devout followers while simultaneouslyattracting a whole new audience who'd never heard 'Supper's Ready.' Perceptively-producedby David Hentschel, 'A Trick Of The tail' featured their best recordedalbum sound. The album was satisfying but safe. 'Wind and Wuthering,' theirnew record, is an adventurous, successful progression. Now the four membersof Genesis are confident enough to be themselves.

 While most successful bandsare content to mechanically recreate past achievements, Genesis stubbornlybreak new ground with every album and subsequent stage show. On 'Wind andWuthering' their progress and growth is astounding. Always excellent songwriters,the new tunes are of an unquestionably high caliber.

With 'One For The Vine' TonyBanks has musically outwitted the clever, unorthodox time schemes of 'Supper'sReady.' Phil Collins has injected a funky, jazz feel into many of the instrumentalswhile contributing his best recorded vocals. Steve Hackett has broughtback the cutting edge of 'Squonk' slicing off aggressive but restrainedlead guitar strokes. Mike Rutherford shows his rhythmic Rolling Stonesinfluence while also flaunting his romantic side with 'Your Own SpecialWay.'

While Genesis became respectable,everyone expected 'Wind And Wuthering' to be classic, singing the band'spraises. Only 18 months before the same people were mouthing off dour,gloomy predictions about a dying future. Genesis now admit that they mighthave broken up if they knew the generally pessimistic speculation whichsurrounded their future after Gabriel's departure. But Genesis were notthe only ones who had faith in themselves.

 ''I knew they were gonnabe able to carry on with strong music. It surprised me just how easilythey did," Peter Gabriel laughed. "I didn't have any doubts in the materialor the songwriting which has always been the essence of Genesis."

 From the beginning Genesiswere determined to be songwriters. The seeds of the group first sproutedat school. Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Peter Gabriel and Anthony Philipswere determined to be successful songwriters. Their only problem was thatno one recorded their songs. Left with no other alternative, they formeda group adding drummer John Mayhew.

 Dreaming of top forty success,bubblegum wiz kid Jonathan King entered. He gave them a name, Genesis,and an album, 'From Genesis To Revelation.' Released on Decca, the albumis more progressive than lightweight pap as the band groped towards theirown brave new world.

 Genesis were signed tothe virginal Charisma label in 1970 and soon after recorded 'Trespass'which contained the stage favorite 'The Knife'. Six years later the songwould be impressively bettered with 'Squonk'. After 'Trespass' Genesissuffered their first personal change. Maybe left and founding member AnthonyPhilips quit. Group morale was low.

 "When Anthony left I thoughtwe wouldn't be able to carry on," Banks recalled. "I'm sure our audiencewondered what we'd do after 'trespass'. Because we were younger then itseemed like a much bigger thing. You're immediate reaction is 'well that'sit'. Whereas now we're a little more professional. If a person leaves thegroup it's not the end of the world You just bring out another side ofyourself.''

 Early personnel changesadded revitalized energy and stimulation. The addition of drummer PhilCollins was invaluable for he could adeptly play the oddly metered percussiveparts that were integral to the dreamy Genesis sound. A keen jazz aficionado,Collins brought yet another outside influence into the band.
 

Steve Hackett replacedPhilips bringing a wide assortment of classical melodies and rich guitartextures with him. More concerned with adding depth and colour to the bandrather than flaunt the archetypal guitar solo, Hackett surrounded himselfwith a battery of electronic gear and plunged forwards.  From this 1971 period oftransition, Genesis returned to the studio and recorded 'Nursery Cryme'with their new five piece line-up. The album contained stage classics like'Return of the Giant Hogweed' end 'The Musical Box' as well as album favoritelike 'Harold The Barrel'. By this time Genesis were growing slowing butsurely in popularity.  "We started playing theWake Arms in Epping," Collins smiles at the memories. ''Then progressedto the Friars in Aylesbury. We just did the rounds and finally everythingsnowballed."  An integral catalyst behindthe snowball was their 1972 album 'Foxtrot'. During the autumn of '72 Genesissupported Lindisfarne on a nationwide British tour, causing a noticeablesensation with Gabriel's fox head and dress similar to the album sleeve.On stage 'Supper's Ready' was exhilarating.

 And the music was evenmore impressive than the visuals. All of side two on the album and muchof the stage show was taken up with the epic work 'Supper's Ready'. Thisfuturistic opus was the first musical peak Genesis scaled, stuffing thetune with recurrent themes, odd tempos, surreal moods and exciting dynamics.

 The days of playing theEpping Wake Arms were over. When Genesis headlined the Rainbow in Februaryof 1973 at specially budget priced tickets, it almost looked like MikeRutherford might one day get to visit the Continental Hyatt House. Successfor Genesis has been gradual, frustrating '~d slow but permanent and solid.

 After the Rainbow triumpheveryone heralded Genesis the new superstars. Every time they release analbum, friends and followers assure the band that this is the ON E. ButGenesis have learned from experience.

 "It's been quite slow forus. No other band's commercial progress is this slow but our is still goingup," Rutherford slyly grinned. ''I've learnt with Genesis that it neveris the one. We never had the big bang."

 Yet 80,000 applicationsfor 8,000 Rainbow tickets is indicative of some kind of noisy commotion.1977 could well be the year that Genesis bang worldwide. 'Trick of theTail' reached the top forty in America while this year the band will playa 45 date coast to coast tour including concerts at Madison Square Gardenand the LA Forum for their first time.

 The situation has greatlychanged from earlier American tours when the band insisted on headliningdespite the fact that outside major cities they were virtually unknown.Once in Memphis, Genesis drew 500 people.

 With the release of 'SellingEngland By The Pound' in the autumn of 1973 Genesis were well on the wayto becoming one of Britain's major forces, scoring a hit single with theeccentric 'I Know What I Like'. On album and onstage, the music becameas dramatic and effective as the visuals. It was no accident that Rutherford,Collins and Banks sustained magic and excitement during 'Cinema Show' whenGabriel left the stage for the instrumental climax.

 

Inside the 'European' version

 Genesis spent the summerof 1974 recording the double album adventurous epic 'The Lamb Lies DownOn Broadway'. Musically and visually this conceptual tale of Rael was themost ambitious Genesis project. The band embarked on one of those inhumantreks round the world playing the two hour 'Lamb' show throughout America,Britain, and the continent.

 As the visuals began toovershadow the music, the band grew understandably frustrated. The visualswere always intended to present the music in the best possible way yetnow they seemed to be detracting from the overall Genesis world.

 "Visuals were the easiestthing for the media and the public to exploit because it's hard to talkabout the music," Rutherford mused. "What do you say ? The thundering drumsof Phil Collins ? The pounding bass of Mike Rutherford ?"

 "It got the point wherethe standard paragraph had even dropped out," Banks continued the mediamemories. "With some of the last reviews of 'The Lamb' show they didn'teven bother to mention us ! I never quite understood why. There's a lotto say about the band."

Genesis suffered a bad case oftouring blues when their mammoth 'lamb Lies Down On Broadway'       jaunt finally ended. During the summer of 1975 Peter Gabriel decided toquit while the band continued to rehearse and write material for theirnew album. Even before Gabriel made his announcement, disillusionment hadspread within the normally enthusiastic band.
 

"Phil almost left at onepoint because he thought the musicianship was getting lost," Rutherfordadmits. "At one time it was all falling part. Peter wanted to leave, Philwanted to leave before he started Brand X. What a turnaround ! At one pointwe were wondering if we should carry on and now the change has probablydone us more good than anything." Genesis were the sympatheticunderdogs until they released 'A. Trick Of The Tail early in 1975. Stimulatedby the challenge to firmly settle any doubts over the group's future, Genesisrallied with their best selling effort. Each member of the group felt importantagain.  "When we were recording'A Trick Of The Tail' I felt like I was doing something constructive,"Collins said smiling. "Before that I felt like I was marking time. BasicallyI was a bit unsure whether what we were doing was worthwhile. Quite oftenI'd get overlooked. Now everyone feels like people are watching them."  Rutherford agreed, no longerfeeling the pangs of similar frustrations. ''In the past when I was tiredI used to feel like I could just settle back and play the right notes andlet Pete take over. Nowadays I don't feel that way," he grinned proudly."Now the whole band is being viewed and scrutinized. We're more dynamicnow.''

   While applauding theirGabriel-less debut album, skeptics wondered about the stage show. But Genesishave always had an intelligent perspective on their own abilities and limitations.Just as their debut album had to be instantly appealing and accessible,the stage show had to be equally attractive giving the audience no timeto adjust to the changes.

 Wisely Genesis decidedagainst adding a new front man for two logical reasons. The first beingthat they couldn't really replace Peter Gabriel and the second being thatthey couldn't really find a singer better voiced and versed than Phil Collins.Earlier adolescent performances in the musical 'Oliver' in which a youngPhil starred as the Artful Dodger helped with opening night nerves.

 "It would have been a lotharder if there was a new singer but the audience was ready to accept mebecause I was in the group," Collins explained. "I did get fed up readingthat the only way we were gonna be successful was for my voice to soundlike Peter Gabriel's. The vocal sound of Genesis has always been PeterGabriel first with me sorta A-minus.''
 

"My voice was always therein the backing harmonies. My voice was there a lot more than people thoughtso consequently there isn't that much a difference. Onstage if I ever doanything that looks or sound like Peter I try to change it. I am my ownmaster," Collins chuckles.  The situation has beenmost healthy. Much to the band's surprise and delight, shouts of 'Where'sPeter Gabriel' did not erupt from their first audiences. Instead the crowdswere more than eager to accept Genesis as they were, non too differentfrom previous incarnations. Now the music had become more important thanthe visuals but that was the original plan anyways.  "The transition has beengood,'' Banks said pleased with the well balanced situation. "We wantedpeople to feel the band had continued, not to compare it with the past.It's come out the way we always wanted it to be, the way Peter Gabrielalways wanted it to be with the attention generally on all the music andthe band as a whole without isolating any one person.  "If Peter Gabriel, hadn'tleft this would roughly be how the stage show would be anyhow. A lot ofthe theatrics are in the music," Banks stressed. "We've done 'Supper'sReady' without the laser and it's gone down a storm. In the old days whenthe flash didn't work it would be anticlimactic. This time we have theright balance where the visuals are subservient to the music."

 

While the visuals took overthe music with 'The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' tour, the two forces neatlycollided in perfect harmony on 'The Trick Of The Tail' tour. For theirlatest 'Wind and Wuthering' onstage exercise, the music will be even moreprominent as the visuals gently fade into an attractive background.  Although Collins adoptedcostumed roles for several numbers, he was acutely determined to avoidtrying to 'out Pete Pete'. Shaky nerves played on his confidences. Collinsworried that drummer Bill Bruford, added for the 'Trick of the Tail' tour,would not like Genesis material. He worried about stage clothes, choosinga flash yellow boiler suit until one journalist described the ensembleas 'poofy'. Phil never wore the boiler suit again.  Some of the 1975 Genesisconcerts with drummer Bill Bruford have been taped for a possible futurelive album. During the summer of '75 Genesis wrote their new album, recordingit in Holland during the autumn. Again the album was produced by the bandand Hentschel. Again the album contains their best recorded sound and performances.'Wind And Wuthering' is another three steps forward. For their new worldwide tourwhich kicks off January 1st at the auspicious reopening of London's RainbowTheatre, Genesis have added drummer Chester Thompson. Early rehearsal reportsglowingly describe this new member's contributions as being 'a thousandtimes better than Bruford'. Although the superlatives are no doubt slightlyexaggerated, this drummer who has played with Frank Zappa and Weather Reportwill add yet another element to the diverse Genesis personality.

''Everything seems tohave happened in the right way," Collins concluded, delighted with Genesis'progress. "We're stronger now because we've come up as underdogs. Peopleweren't expecting a good album and a good stage show when Peter Gabrielquit. They got both."  This year people are expectinga good stage shown and a good album. Once again they will be given both.The last time Genesis played in Toronto, Canada, one fanatical followercame dressed like Peter Gabriel with a partially shaved head, white faceand the words 'A Trick Of The Tail' embroidered up his trouser leg. "Next time he's coming with abeard, a funny t-shirt and white trousers," Tony Banks predicted laughing.The Toronto devotee certainly won't wear a yellow boiler suit.  Although the Genesis horizonlooks strong and healthy, they have not yet realized all their personalgoals. Even if 'Wind And Wuthering' stays at number one all year, MikeRutherford still won't be happy. He hasn't stayed at the Continental HyattHouse yet. Barbara Charone

 
 

Back to