Not many people gave Genesis much chance of survival after Peter Gabriel
left them at the end of their 'Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' tour in August 1975.
But the reply from Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford
was emphatic: 'A Trick Of The Tail' not only gave them a fresh impetus, it went
on to become the biggest selling Genesis album to date.
Phil Collins moved out from behind his drum kit to handle the vocals,
sounding at times unnervingly like Gabriel. Yet he immediately established a
personality of his own, indulging his own characteristics to the hilt as the
rest of the band redefined their own identities, producing a more direct style
of music in the process.
Former King Crimson and Yes drummer Bill Bruford sat in with the band for
their first post-Gabriel tour which climaxed with the five celebrated nights at
London's Hammersmith Odeon (a film of which was put on general release), leaving
no one in any doubt that the group were every bit as strong as they ever were.
By the time they re-opened London's Rainbow Theatre at the beginning of
1977 with four shows to coincide with the release of their next album, 'Wind And
Wuthering,' Bruford had left to be replaced by American Chester Thompson who's
made his mark with Frank Zappa.
In retrospect Genesis don't feel those Rainbow concerts did them justice.
Certainly by the time they returned to the capital that summer - this time with
three concerts at Earls Court - they'd improved immeasurably. Thompson had by
now settled into the band's style, they'd developed a supurb light show and
their playing had attained a new peak, giving them a stature they'd not reached
before.
A few weeks earlier they'd recorded their series of concerts in paris and
from these tapes (and some recorded a year earlier with Bruford) came their
double live album, 'Seconds Out.' This set provided the evidence for the band's
own belief that their musical evolution was a continous process. Earlier
favourites like 'Firth Of Fifth,' 'I Know What I Like,' 'Carpet Crawl' and the
epic 'Supper's Ready' blended perfectly with newer gems like 'Afterglow,' 'Dance
On A Volcano' and 'Squonk.'
By now Genesis were firmly established in the upper echelon of British
rock bands with a reputataion that even the departure of another founding member
[wrong!], guitarist Steve Hackett, last autumn could not diminish. Banks,
Collins and Rutherford went straight back into the studio to make the almost
cheekily entitled '...And Then There Were Three..' which contained no fewer than
11 songs (unsually high for a Genesis album) and highlighted the melodic aspect
of their writing. It's a feature that fans of the group have long been aware of
but it's taken this album -- and the hit single 'Follow You Follow Me' from it
-- to pursuade the public at large that Genesis are a far more accessible band
than their previous 'underground' reputation might suggest.
Knebworth is Genesis' only planned British appearance in a year that sees
them taking a hefty crack at the American market where they are on the verge of
superstardom, a couple of European tours and a first venture into Japan.
To replace Hackett they've recruited Darryl Stuermer, a guitarist from
jazz-rock pastures who was previously in violinist Jean Luc Ponty's band. He
doubles on guitar and bass, swapping with Mike Rutherford whose guitar work in
the latest album ably filled the gap left by Hackett.
For their 1978 world trek they've drawn on several songs from the new
album which looked destined to become future classics -- notably Tony Banks'
brilliant 'Burning Rope' -- and dug into the Genesis treasure chest to dust off
a few more old masters, some of which may stretch your memory. But live the
songs have taken on a new dimension, aided and abetted by the most recent
changes.
