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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZGENESISUK art-rock band, became stadium/pop biggies. Began at Charterhouse school as songwriters calling themselves Garden Wall: Tony Banks (b 27 March '50), keyboards; Michael Rutherford (b 2 Oct. '50), guitar, bass and vocals; Peter Gabriel, vocals; Anthony Phillips, guitar. Jonathan King renamed them, godfathered pop LP From Genesis To Revelation '69 on Decca (London in USA). They practised for months and developed a theatrical stage show; Trespass '70 was on Buddah in USA as they gained cult following. Chris Stewart, John Silver, John Mayhew had passed through on drums, succeeded by Phil Collins; Phillips left, replaced by Steve Hackett (b 12 Feb. '50); they switched to Charisma for Nursery Cryme '71, Foxtrot '72 (first UK chart entry), Selling England By The Pound and Genesis Live '73 (first US chart hits). Charisma leased LPs to Atco, then Atlantic beginning with two-disc The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway '74, a concept starring Gabriel, who then left for a solo career; they auditioned singers but decided that Collins would do, hired second drummer for tours (incl. Bill Bruford '76); switched from costumes etc to laser/stadium shows. A Trick Of The Trail, Wind And Wuthering, Seconds Out, And Then There Were Three '76--8 were followed by Duke '80 (also the name of their custom label), Abacab '81, Three Sides Live '82 (one studio), Genesis '83: three of these were no. 1 in UK, three top ten USA. Invisible Touch '86 was no. 3 in USA, their best showing there, followed by We Can't Dance '91, also top five, and two live sets '92--3 The Way We Walk vols 1 and 2. Collins and Rutherford had plugged the gaps in the schedules, Collins becoming a superstar solo balladeer and Rutherford forming Mike and the Mechanics. Rutherford's successful quintet incl. vocalist Paul Young (ex-Sad Caf‚), with Paul Carrack (ex-Squeeze, Ace), drummer Peter Van Hooke and keyboardist Adrian Lee; eponymous debut '85 (still on Atlantic USA) was followed by Living Years '88 (top 15 USA), Word Of Mouth '91, Beggar On A Beach Of Gold '95. Collins finally left permanently '96; by this time Genesis had long since been written off by critics, but the band replaced him with Ray Wilson (vocalist with one-hit wonders Stiltskin), who wasn't even born when the band was formed. Calling All Stations '97 on Virgin was the first album in six years, sounding like a very tired dinosaur; Genesis Revisited '97 on Reef saw Steve Hackett and other grizzled veterans re-recording 'classics'. See entries for Gabriel and Collins. |