Genesis

[PrintNameHere]

Quite an amazing band. For people who have no idea, it was the band Phil Collins drummed for then became frontman before he left.

They were and still are an amazing band. Even more amazing are their legendary concerts. The albums in the Peter Gabriel era were more of a long story, like Dark Side of the Moon in a sense.

All in all, an amazing band. Check out the album Trick of the Tail. If you like it, get Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound, Nursery Cryme, etc.


Anyone else a fan?

 

[Doug Gilmour]

One of my all-time favourite groups. Peter Gabriel era Genesis was spectacular. 1972 - 1974 were their best years, which brought Foxtrot,Selling England by the Pound, and their masterpiece; The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. After Gabriel left they were not quite the same. Adacab the album that a lot of Collins fans adore was just way too poppy for me. I think it's clear that Gabriel was the group. He had an outstanding solo career with hits such as Solsbury Hill, Shock the Monkey, Games Without Frontiers, Biko, etc. becoming extremely popular. Although I also like Collins his solo career was not very successful. He had "In the Air Tonight", "Another Day in Paradise" and a couple other, but generally he didn't do much. He is still worth more money than Gabriel though, mainly because of his work with Disney, which gave him a ton of cash for his work with them..

Definitely one of the best groups ever, with one of the greatest vocalists ever!

-Dan

 

[PrintNameHere]

One of my all-time favourite groups. Peter Gabriel era Genesis was spectacular. 1972 - 1974 were their best years, which brought Foxtrot,Selling England by the Pound, and their masterpiece; The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. After Gabriel left they were not quite the same. Adacab the album that a lot of Collins fans adore was just way too poppy for me. I think it's clear that Gabriel was the group. He had an outstanding solo career with hits such as Solsbury Hill, Shock the Monkey, Games Without Frontiers, Biko, etc. becoming extremely popular. Although I also like Collins his solo career was not very successful. He had "In the Air Tonight", "Another Day in Paradise" and a couple other, but generally he didn't do much. He is still worth more money than Gabriel though, mainly because of his work with Disney, which gave him a ton of cash for his work with them..

Definitely one of the best groups ever, with one of the greatest vocalists ever!

-Dan

Yeah man, Gabriel era is defin. the best. I recommended Trick of the Tail just because the songs are a bit shorter and it is a bit more pop-style.

You ever been to one of their concerts? Or The Musical Box(trib, band)? I would love to. The costumes are out of this world, the entire show is.

 

[badboy0]

I can't stand Phil Collins or Genesis.

 

[Doug Gilmour]

Yeah man, Gabriel era is defin. the best. I recommended Trick of the Tail just because the songs are a bit shorter and it is a bit more pop-style.

You ever been to one of their concerts? Or The Musical Box(trib, band)? I would love to. The costumes are out of this world, the entire show is.

The Musical Box come around here every so often. I have yet to see them live though.. I believe I have a few of Genesis' concerts and interviews lying around somewhere in another HDD..

-Dan

 

[PrintNameHere]

I can't stand Phil Collins or Genesis.

Really? How come?

 

[Kirk]

Its just personal tastes.

I like Genesis also. Invisible Touch was one of their best albums.

 

[bigshot]

When I was a kid, I loved Genesis. But now the lyrics seem really silly to me. I can't believe I ever took stuff like this seriously... "six saintly shrouded men walk across the lawn slowly... a seventh walks in front, cross held high in hand." Hoo boy! Lyrics like that just scream "I'm an art school dropout".

Oh well. I guess it's still not as profoundly dumb as Yes lyrics. Even as a kid, I knew Jon Anderson was a tard.

See ya
Steve

 

[PrintNameHere]

Heh, I highly doubt Supper's Ready was meant to be taken seriously.

 

[SoundChaser]

i'm a big prog rock fan.. genesis being one of the bands im into.. selling england by the pound is my fave album by genesis.. anything past wind and wuthering i dont really dig.. phil collins kinda screwed it up after that.. (abacab.. yuck!)

 

[SoundChaser]

Oh well. I guess it's still not as profoundly dumb as Yes lyrics. Even as a kid, I knew Jon Anderson was a tard.

wow that's offending.. i know jon's lyrics are a bit off the wall.. but who cares?! he's an awesome singer.. and chris squier, steve howe, rick wakeman, and allen white are some of the best musicians from the 70s... when i listen to yes (which i do a lot) i listen for the musicianship more than the words.. jon's voice is like an instrument, the words just a medium for melody... please don't say jon anderson is a tard...

 

[SoundChaser]

.. and prog rock isnt about the lyrics, anyways...

 

[ginalee]

I liked Genesis but found Peter Gabriel as a solo artist a bit of a strain

 

[mndtrp]

Patrick Bateman - American Psycho:
Do you like Phil Collins? I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where Phil Collins' presence became more apparent. I think Invisible Touch was the group's undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. Christy, take off your robe. Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. Sabrina, remove your dress. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism. Sabrina, why don't you, uh, dance a little. Take the lyrics to Land of Confusion. In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've heard in rock. Christy, get down on your knees so Sabrina can see your #######. Phil Collins' solo career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially songs like In the Air Tonight and Against All Odds. Sabrina, don't just stare at it, eat it. But I also think Phil Collins works best within the confines of the group, than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. This is Sussudio, a great, great song, a personal favorite.



On a coincidental note, 'Something Happened on the Way to Heaven' JUST came on my ipod.

 

[bigshot]

I remember when Patrick Moraz was with Yes and they were all so bored they decided to do solo albums. The results were pretty much awful, but Jon Anderson's brand of awful was kaleidoscopically awful. It was the all time stupidest album I ever heard with weird synth boings and gongs, tons of phase shifting effects for the headphone and bong crowd, repeated nursury rhyme licks over and over and over, lyrics like "Chee chee ree ree! Chee chee ree ree!" and the goofiest read along book gatefold record cover I have ever seen before or since. It's as if he took acid and thought "I Am the Walrus" actually meant something profound!

Someone asked me at a party once what the worst album I had was, and I gleefully ran over and pulled out Olias of Sunhillow. We got about five minutes into it before one of the listeners lept to his feet and grabbed the needle off the turntable with a big ZZZZZIPPPP!It's THAT bad!

Listen to the song samples at Amazon...
Jon Anderson: Olias of Sunhillow
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000005S6X/qid=1110360276/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-5577522-8192143

Then Rick Wakeman came back and they continued their downward spiral with wonderful lyrics like "Don't Kill the Whale! Diggit! Diggit!" What happened to Rick Wakeman anyway? When he returned to Yes, it was as if he hadn't an idea in his head any more. His dorky synth sounds on Tormato are laughable. They sound like a children's video game... Blues Clues goes prog rock! Then Wakeman got Jesus and got all John Teshed out and started cranking out profoundly boring "new age" records. I have no idea who the target audience for that kind of crap is... people who are half asleep all the time, I guess.

I always thought of Yes whenever I saw Spinal Tap. Jon Anderson definitely is Nigel Tuftnell with the midget dancing around the tiny model of stonehenge!

See ya
Steve

 

[slowpoke]

This is a great thread btw!!

I love Genesis and have seen them in concert on many an occasion. Last year I went to see the Musical Box on their Selling England tour at the Albert Hall in London. Genesis's "new" stuff is a lot more commercial and Phil Collins led, although still some good songs eg Duchess, Turn it on Again, but the older stuff is best - The Lamb Lies Down is a superb Album, and Seconds Out is my favourite live Album.

Moving on to Yes, they are another great band, but their solo stuff was a bit dire - Bigshot, you're not wrong about Olias of Sunhillow, but I quite liked some of Friends of Mr Cairo that Jon Anderson did with Vangelis. Talking of Male singers that sound like girls, what about Geddy Lee!? Just to name drop, my Mum went to school with Rick Wakeman

I still like prog rock (any of you folks listen to Porcupine Tree?), but just to show my tastes are diverse I also know who Rammstein are (see another thread)!! Spieluhr, Mein Hertz Brent and Fauer Frei are great workout songs.

 

[SoundChaser]

Then Rick Wakeman came back and they continued their downward spiral with wonderful lyrics like "Don't Kill the Whale! Diggit! Diggit!" What happened to Rick Wakeman anyway? When he returned to Yes, it was as if he hadn't an idea in his head any more. His dorky synth sounds on Tormato are laughable. They sound like a children's video game...

keep in mind, though, those synth sounds were quite innovative at the time... 1978.. you cant judge by today's standards for 'good' synth an album created over 25 years ago... olias is a pretty lame album.. it was a dark time for yes.. chris squier's album fish out of water is good... and rick did some amazing stuff... the band totally redeemed itself for its lackluster 'tales from topographic oceans' with going for the one.. and while tormato sounds foolish at times, it helped pave the way for the new wave movement of the early 80s... it took me a while to get into relayer, too, but it is great... as you can probably tell i like it...

 

[wolfpacker]

I loved the Gabriel era and quite a bit of the early Colllins era. It was weird to watch them transform into a pop band around Abacab. That was probably the last album I liked. Then both Collins solo career and Genesis became ultra poppy to me. Meanwhile, Gabriel was putting out some excellent and accessible solo albums, like So.

Collins has joined the ranks of Rod Stewart, Sting, and Elton John for most embarrasing former rock star.

 

[Doug Gilmour]

I loved the Gabriel era and quite a bit of the early Colllins era. It was weird to watch them transform into a pop band around Abacab. That was probably the last album I liked. Then both Collins solo career and Genesis became ultra poppy to me. Meanwhile, Gabriel was putting out some excellent and accessible solo albums, like So.

Collins has joined the ranks of Rod Stewart, Sting, and Elton John for most embarrasing former rock star.

Gabriel's solo albums were nearly all quality. I'd say he had one of the best solo careers of anyone after finishing with another great band. Besides a couple hits Phil didn't do much and I didn't like pop Genesis. He made a ton of cash through Disney, and released crap with Genesis like We Can't Dance, what a waste of money that was to buy! I feel ashamed that I have it.

-Dan

 

[Phil K]

When I was a kid, I loved Genesis. But now the lyrics seem really silly to me. I can't believe I ever took stuff like this seriously... "six saintly shrouded men walk across the lawn slowly... a seventh walks in front, cross held high in hand." Hoo boy! Lyrics like that just scream "I'm an art school dropout".

Oh well. I guess it's still not as profoundly dumb as Yes lyrics. Even as a kid, I knew Jon Anderson was a tard.

See ya
Steve

It depends whether you can appreciate intelligent lyrics or not. its story telling for God's sake - Alice in Wonderland-ish.
The kind of person who says what you have normally goes for idiocy like "We built this city on rock and roll" sort of lyrics.
What do you think about the Lord of the Rings books ? Did you think that pretencious etc ? Or did you only see the movies (which misses 40% of what happens - the Harry Potter movies miss 70% !)
Jon Anderson ended up losing it after Close To The Edge, and started believing some of the daft tripe he was pushing. The politically correct dopes are similar to as he was then - prior to which it wasn't taken seriously, just words that sounded good.
Music was all.
Bob Dylan's a poet, and a few aspire to be like him, he wasn't the Alice in Wonderland type - but no doubt could have if he wanted to. But he couldn't have told the weird and wonderful stories Gabriel did.
Peter Hammill in Van Der Graaf Generator was even better - but little humour. Fabulous voice though. British bands do this kind of thing FAR FAR better than American.
Gabriel was an intelligent feller with a witty and humourous approach to lyrics (Moribund the Burgomeister, Happy the Man) that all disappeared from Genesis when he left and the music suffered too.
Genesis post-Gabriel could never have wrote the beautiful "The lamia" from Lamb lies down. Gorgeous poetic beauty in words (with a lick of humour - humor to you) at the end. Even Dylan couldn't have equalled it.