An Illustrated History of A Band called Genesis

1966-1967

a history of psychedelic music

Psychedelic music was in force. Genesis were signed to a contract with Decca records. They were intrigued by the psych rock coming out at the time.

 

The music had to have certain aspects to be good enough for the new psych generation of listeners: As a musical style Psychedelic rock often contains some of the following features:

The electric guitars were distorted with feedback, wah wah and fuzz boxes.

 

The mixing in the studio was not just about putting down vocals and music, but very complex and elaborate effects were added such as backward tapes and long delay loops, panning and phasing sounds, extreme reverb on the guitars and the vocals, even vocals that were backmasked or fed through effects machines. The music had to sound otherworldly and off the planet.

The use of exotic instrumentation was a key factor particularly the sitar and tabla and other Eastern, or Indian musical instruments.

There was an emphasis on the keyboard that dominated the music at times, especially mellotron, electric organs and harpsichord.

To enhance the experience of tripping out the music too was replete with lengthy instrumental and jamming and improvisation with lead and keyboard soloing and extended musical passages with varying time signatures, like a multi movement suite of songs merged together into one long track.

The complex song structures depended on changes in key, modal melodies, drones and time signatures.

The lyrics were surreal or dreamlike, esoterically- inspired and based on fantasy or non-sensical, and at times whimsical and humorous.

WHITE RABBIT - JEFFERSON AIRPLANE (excerpt)

 

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall

.....
When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"
Remember what the dormouse said:
"Feed your head
Feed your head
Feed your head"

 

Album covers featured trippy multi coloured images with Psychedelic references.

 

 

The concert performances were a light show to augment the music and liquid light shows replicated acid trips.

 

 

 

The image of the band transformed, no longer wearing suits like The Beatles, Kinks, Animals or the other British Invasion bands,

 

 

 

 

but now wearing multi coloured mesmirising silk shirts and very long hair became the norm.

 

Pink Floyd with Syd Barret the master of psych.

The Height of Psychedelia reached its peak in 1967 with the Beatles "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane", making way for a British "pastoral" or "nostalgic" Psychedelia. Then the album to follow knocked the Psychedelic wave out of the park with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

 

In America the Summer of Love of 1967 was in force when thousands of young people made the pilgrimage to Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, and the population grew from 15,000 to 100,000.

 

 

 

 

It was into this environment that Genesis released their first hit single.

Written with love by Atomic Scott

Researched from several websites and sources over 5 years.

The Brief Unillustrated Version

INTRODUCTION

Genesis are undisputedly one of the most influential and most revered bands in music history. They have a massive following due to a wide audience that enjoys at least something the band produced. The band’s output is incredibly prolific; whether it is the early Gabriel prog years, the best progressive albums definitively, or the Collins prog years, still worth pursuing, or the Collins pop years, less popular for prog fans but hugely popular for the charts where many people discovered Genesis in this period, they are one of the most important prog/pop bands in history.

The best line up is lead vocalist, flute player, Peter Gabriel, drummer, vocalist,  Phil Collins, lead guitarist, Steve Hackett, keyboardist, Tony Banks and bassist, Mike Rutherford, who played together from 1971's "Nursery Cryme" through to 1974's "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway".

Once Peter Gabriel left the band the sound completely changed. Collins took over as not only drummer but lead vocalist and for a few albums the prog style was maintained though not half as theatrical as Gabriel’s input, until Hackett left in 1978 and the band, now a trio, succumbed to peer and public pressure and transformed into a pop unit with Collins becoming famous for the power ballad. The radio was peppered with Genesis singles and they became famous worldwide. Their prog days were over once and for all apart from the odd throwback to the 70s era live in concert.

ANTHONY PHILLIPS(1965-1970)
PETER GABRIEL(1965-1975)
MIKE RUTHERFORD(1965-)
TONY BANKS(1965-)
PHIL COLLINS(1970-1994)
STEVE HACKETT(1971-1977)
RAY WILSON(1996-1999)
CHRIS STEWART(1967-1968)
JOHN MAYHEW(1968-1969)
JOHN SILVER(1969-1970)

DISCOGRAPHY

THE ALBUMS

1969 FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION
1970 TRESPASS
1971 NURSERY CRYME
1972 FOXTROT
1973 GENESIS LIVE
1973 SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND