FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION

Jonathan King looks after young lads in need of a helping hand

This was Genesis first album (predating "Trespass", which many assume to be their first album), and was produced by pop music impresario Jonathan King. King's influence is strong, with strings overlaid on many of the short, pop orientated songs. The result is similar to the way Phil Spector hijacked the Beatles "Let it be" album. It would be interesting to hear FGTR without the strings, as I am sure it would sound far more like the Genesis with whom we are familiar.

In retrospect, the band's capabilities are clearly there, and some of the songs such as "One eyed hound" hint at what was to come on "Trespass". Much of the band's efforts to explore their capabilities are smothered by King's over production, and his efforts to make the band commercially successful. Even Gabriel's vocals only occasionally point to the power which would be unleashed on subsequent albums.

We should not however be too hard on King (in this context at least), he did after all discover them and set them on the road to becoming the band we all know and love. The poor selling original "From Genesis to revelation" LP is of course very rare and of significant value. It has however been re-issued on numerous occasions under titles such as "Rock Roots" and "The Compact collection", usually with 2-4 additional tracks such as the Bee Gees like "Silent sun" from the same period.

Most people/friends I know discard this as rubbish . OK , this is not good but it is very naive as the musicians were but certainly ambitious as they also were, and they will be more ambitious with further works . That alone makes this a Genesis album in its own right. If one listens to it well , (I realize that this may be hard to do) you will hear that a lot of the ingredients , that we all recognize and love in future albums , are already present here and there are some very good moments fully worth the patronym Genesis. On the other hand , this can be a messy affair but I will call it "un péché de jeunesse"

The first GENESIS album: we are still not in the 70's here so do not expect "Foxtrot" 's elaborated compositions.

We just have here tons of short, pop, mellow and accessible songs, where acoustic and soft electric guitars work together with piano and background mellotron. The bass is not timid. We have not to forget GABRIEL's voice, who sings rather like a good young boy coming good parents. I would say that the songs are even a bit sentimental.

Not bad for a bunch of kids that were at school, some poppy ballads, a couple of great tunes like Silent Sun and Am I Very Wrong? Others good and a few bellow the average, but lets be honest, Genesis was a school band searching for a hit and nothing more, but they made a better album than many pop professionals.

The music is nothing special, but Peter's unique voice and Tony's piano are outstanding, maybe Anthony Phillips great talent is wasted.

I understand why some people hate it and others love it, it's a good album but it isn't Progressive Rock at all. Of course it's better than anything Genesis released after Seconds Out, but that doesn't mean too much.

Good, if you are a collectot or a Genesis fan you can buy it as part of the history.

To me, I find this album to be little more than a historical curiosity. At this point, the members of GENESIS (Peter GABRIEL, Tony BANKS, Mike RUTHEFORD and Anthony PHILLIPS) were finishing up their education at the notoriously exclusive and snooty public school (that is, the UK eqivalent of a private or boarding school) called Charterhouse. "From Genesis to Revelation" sounds very little like the early GENESIS sound that's to be found on their following albums. As has often been said, the music has more in common with the MOODY BLUES and early BEE GEES, but in my book, it's more like those two band's worst aspects (like the BEE GEES' "I Started a Joke" which a lot of this album reminds me of or many of the overblown ballads the MOODY BLUES are known for).

The music is plastered with reall bad dentist office Muzak-style strings, out of tune piano, barely noticible guitars, and bad lyrics. "Fireside Song" to me is by far the worst thing on this album with inane lyrics that go: "Once upon a time there was confusion, disappointment, fear and disillusion". This album seemed more the product of producer Jonathan King (himself a former Charterhouse student) than what the guys of GENESIS had in mind. At that time, the legality of the name GENESIS was in question (because of an obscure American band that recorded for Mercury Records that existed at the same time, who vanished very quickly without a trace), so the original LP was simply titled "From Genesis to Revelation" with no mentione of the band's name, with most of the copies being sold under the religious section, explaining the pitiful sales (the musical quality also explains a lot as well).

The only good I can say of this album is Peter GABRIEL, his voice is still quite unmistakable. But luckily the band will be heading in the right direction by changing labels and being much more serious. As for this album, basically get a copy if you can find it for cheap.

Love this album. You have got to remember these were just kids and Jonathan King was producing so hence the Bee Gee type similarities. There are moments on the album where you can already pick up the potential of Gabriel's voice. It is not a bad album at all when you consider the time it was produced. What I found most unusual was the chenge to Trespass. This album but a seed, Trespass was already growing.....

My Stereo L.P. copy is called "Rock Roots: Genesis", released by Decca in 1976, and it was the first time this album was released with the 4 bonus tracks:two singles and their "B" sides (with Chris Stewart on drums, all Mono recordings). I begin with the review of the singles. "The Silent Sun" is a Mono version of the song called "Silent Sun" and also released in the original "From Genesis to Revelation" album. It sounds different, of course (it is in Mono), but as this single was recorded and released when original drummer Chris Stewart was in the band, I can`t say if Stewart is also in the album version of this song (John Silver played the drums in "From Genesis...") , and apart from the mixing, I can`t say if it is the same recording. This is one of my favourite songs in the album, but I prefer the Stereo version. Good orchestral arrangements. The B side of this single, "That`s me", is also good, without orchestra, with teenage lyrics. "A Winter`s Tale", the second single, is another good (love) song, without orchestra. "One Eyed hound", the B side of the second single, is also good, and also without the orchestra. Most of my favourite songs from the "From Genesis..." album are in the Side Two of the L.P. : "One Day", "Window", "In Limbo" (the best of all, with a very good lead guitar and very good drums, and here the orchestral arrangements really worked well with the song), and "Silent Sun" . "In the Wilderness" from Side One is also one of my favourites. This album is good, and it shows that Genesis had an own style since the beginning of their career. But this album was promoted in a wrong way: the original cover was a black cover with the words "From Genesis To Revelation" printed. Yes, it sounds like the Bee Gees in some places, but the Bee Gees of the sixties were in their peak, I think (in comparison to "Saturday Night Fever"), so, if they were an early influence, it was a good influence. GENESIS still sound inmature in this album, but being an album recorded when the members of the band were 16-18 years old, it is still good. The original full Mono album version of "From Genesis to Revelation" (originally released without the singles and the B sides, of course) is not only different due to the mixing. The songs also were edited differently. Some songs are longer, others are shorter, than in the full Stereo version of the album.

Far from a success back when it was released in March 1969 selling only 650 copies worldwide and mostly by christians, obviously because of the album title. This is a collection of short and folk influenced pop songs with a very young Peter Gabriel on vocal. Awful production and completely unnecessary string arrangements on nearly every track ruins this album for me. And the drums are nearly inaudible!

I picked up the Disky edition for a few bucks mainly because Im a Genesis fan. Listening to this and then follow it with 'Trespass' is quite a leap really, but Im forever thankful they went that direction instead. Not essential by any means but a nice enough item for fans. Loads of demo tracks from this album is also avalable on the 'Genesis Archive 67-75' boxset for those who would like them as well.

Unlike some other poor Genesis albums (which would come much later), 'From Genesis To Revelation' is less than exemplary due to outside influence. Then pop-mogul Jonathan King not only named the band and got them their record contract, but he had huge influence in shaping this album's arrangements, adding horns and strings to the band's disapproval, as well as snipping their tendency toward longer pieces.

There isn't a lot you'd call real prog here (or real Genesis either!), other than the interesting linking of one song to another by themed musical segues--and the insanely ambitious concept: the history of man's evolution in 12 pop-length songs. 'From Genesis To Revelation' is wrapped in a somewhat ethereal production (maybe "muddy" less kindly describes it), and the band's latent creative abilities are hugely dampened. Little of the forthcoming Genesis sound is heard, Tony Banks hardly audible but for the thin tinkling on what sounds like a child's plastic piano. Mellow acoustic harmonies and melancholy melodies offer a mere glimpse into what would become a large part of the Genesis approach. Peter Gabriel is instantly recognizable. He takes command confidently enough, despite his fairly unobtrusive presence. His voice carries otherwise average songs like "Where The Sour Turns To Sweet" and "Am I Very Wrong?", showing a good degree of maturity and command. When the band gets to flex its muscles a bit and go for heavier textures and relatively ambitious playing--as heard on wonderful songs like "The Serpent", "In The Wilderness" and "The Conqueror"--things reach a sublime level. (An interesting note: the opening segue into "The Serpent" incorporates what seems to be a foreshadowing of "Twilight Alehouse".) Then there's the dull plod of the rest of the album. "Fireside Song" sounds uncomfortably close to Spinal Tap's flower-power parody, and many other moments are mired in hokey brass enhancements. "In Hiding", "In Limbo", "The Silent Sun" and the nauseating boys-choir stylings in "Am I Very Wrong?" are pretty much abysmal. Too bad they didn't replace one of these songs with the hypnotic "Let Us Now Make Love", which found release on the first 'Archives' box set much later.

This album was licensed to the point of ridiculousness by Jonathan King, and goes by other titles like 'In The Beginning', 'The Silent Sun', 'Where The Sour Turns To Sweet', '. And The Word Was', and geez, about 20 others. (Collect 'em all!) It's not a great album by any name, thanks in large part to a (well-meaning) visionary who saw this band's potential but not its purpose. A footnote in the Genesis discography, a mere curiosity dotted by a few worthwhile tunes and a lot of flat-out crap.

This is an album that must be taken at face value. Jonathan King, the producer whose hit single "Everyone's Gone To The Moon" (a great song, incidentally) may have been a template for the overall sound on this album, obviously had more impact on the finished product than the band members themselves. Just like the pre-King Crimson album "The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles & Fripp" (which is actually a pretty good album), this effort is worthwhile as a glimpse into the beginnings of a great band. In addition, some of the songs, though hopelessly "of their time", are pretty good pop songs. I happen to like The Bee Gees' output up until their Disco period, and this material is about as good as their non- hit album tracks. Find a cheap used copy of the CD, and add it to your Genesis collection.

"We're waiting for you. Come and join us now. We need you with us. Come and join us now!" - GENESIS "Where The Sour Turns To Sweet"

Yeah! It's an encouraging lyrics. Whenever I facilitate a leadership / strategy workshop (hey, music has been in my blood since I was at fourth grade enjoying local bands like Koes Plus, Panbers, Golden Wing, The Rollies, etc. So I breathe, I sleep, I work with music!) I sometimes put this CD and played Where The Sour Turns To Sweet after the participants enjoyed coffee break. The reason is simple: I love Genesis and I think the above lyrical part is suitable to gather the crowd back to my class. People usually do not complain because the music is truly simple - no heavy guitar riffs, no soaring keyboard sounds - but it has wonderful melody! We're waiting for you. Come and join us now . uugghh man .. it's truly encouraging lyrics! And it's suitable for leadership subjects. Sometime I got a new prog friend as one of the participants approached me before my class started: "Gatot, do you like Genesis?". Wow . I got new prog friend since then ..!!! Prog rules!

One should not put one eye to this debut album even though the music is simple. Look, all the ingredients of future Genesis album are here: great melody, neat composition. What lacking was probably the complexity as a prog rock album. It's fine with me because almost songs are excellent. Please imagine if song like "Am I very Wrong" is rearranged with a bit of complexity, you would find it interesting. Echolyn did a tribute song to Where The Sour Turns To Sweet and it's an excellent composition! In The Beginning, Fireside Song, The Serpent are all great tracks!

I think we should put thing into perspective when we put a review of this album as that time the psychedelic music was the major movement in music industry with previously released Pink Floyd's Pipe at The Gates of Dawn. The only this=ng that this album doe not deserve five stars is because of the comparison with In The Court by King Crimson that had moved the prog music forward as compared to Genesis debut. The follow-up album, Trespass, was really a take-off in Genesis music direction. Keep on proggin' ..!

Progressively yours, GW

I am a big GENESIS fan, but let's be serious and realistic: "From Genesis to Revelation" is a very weak album.

Several substantially good songs ("Where the Sour Turns to Sweet", "In the Beginning", "The Serpent"...) are drowned among the amateurish production, additionally spoiled by inappropriate orchestral arrangements, with terrible sound. On the other hand it is amazing to see that Gabriel was already a developed singer and Banks an excellent pianist. Others are virtually non-identifiable on this record, which was notorious for its numerous re-packages by various labels. Mine is a Dutch release by Disky in 1996, including a standard singles "Silent Sun/That's Me" + "Winter's Tale/One Eyed Hound" as bonus, with previously unreleased "Image Blown Out" and an interesting early demo of "The Serpent" under the title "She's So Beautiful" with the same melody but different lyrics (teenage romantic desire instead of God's creation of man!).

Not recommended to anyone but a devout GENESIS enthusiast. Still, close to **1/2!

Because of the name of the band, this album was often put in the section 'Religion' in the record stores! Anyway, it achieved poor sales and Genesis decided to get rid off their producer Jonathan King. The main reason to do that was his commercial musical view, for instance to add polished violin arrangements to some compositions, the band was absolute furious about this!

In general this album is a pleasant mix of pop, rock and classical featuring the emotional, very distinctive voice from Peter Gabriel, the lush 12-string acoustic guitars and the tasteful keyboards from Tony Banks. Some tracks sound very promising but most of the songs are no more than nice progressive pop. No wonder that Tony Banks once said Jonathan King wanted Genesis to sound as a 'Bee Gees pastische'...! The great compositional skills from the band members lift "From Genesis to revalation" to a good album, no more or less.

This is certainly one of my own favorite underdog records! Some of the songs here are very good, though there are also evidently non-essential tracks included. Some of the duller ones may also have nice parts, but I'll focus on my favorite tunes.

"In The Beginning" has a nice aggressive feeling in it, with straightforward acoustic guitars, and Peter is doing preachy vocals about the creation of man: "It has begun, you're in the hands of destinyyyYYYY!". The song begins with strange organ sounds, and is a quite good one really. "The Serpent" continues with the biblical genesis-themed lyrics. There's a very funny chorus going from one single note behind the singing at the verse, which I found as really pleasant detail. There are also no orchestrations and only little of keyboards used on the song. "In The Wilderness" is also a great performance, Peter gets to do some powerful singing, and the composition is nice, leading to interesting spheres of moods. "The Conqueror" has gospel-oriented feelings, achieved with acoustic piano and guitar driving the song towards, and Peter is again singing about "The day of justice". I don't find it surprising this LP was first sold in sixties at slots of religious record instead of pop, as I think it is such to a very high degree from lyrical and emotional aspects. As counterpart for this, I also have the satanic albums of Black Widow on my record shelf, so they can counterbalance each other, and do some physical fighting when people are not witnessing it. "Window" has also very peculiar feeling of The Genesis sound in its beginning, though it's a quite dull song otherwise. "Silent Sun" was some sort of hit I believe, and it sounds like it, slightly boring tune.

I have this as DCC re-release, so I have heard some of the bonus tracks. There's a small funny detail at least in my copy, "Silent Sun" is named as "Silent Gun" in the track listing. I'm not sure why it's also here as a bonus track. Maybe the re-releasers thought these are two different songs 'cause of this error, or there might be some unnoticeable tiny differences in the mix? It could be also a B-side of a single, named just differently. "A Winter's Tale" is great song with dual layered vocals, which in some parts have different lyrics, just like in the song "Fountain of Salmacis" to be recorded few years later.

I wouldn't recommend this as the first Genesis album except to those who like only 1960's music. But when one is familiar with the band's music, it's nice to find elements of their style yet in their birth process. These songs have very often some short piece of playing not related to the actual song in them, and there are also some fade-outs and various post-production stuff detected, which are probably producers ideas. Well, there are also some more songs from this era on the "Archive - vol.1" CD-box, if you want to check them out.

Well, I will have to agree with most all the reviews. Not really an album that IMO deserve much of my time. Proto-progressive at most, but nothing progressive to show for. Remember, this one is 1969 and they were very young! Still is part of my GENESIS collection! But, overall maybe 2 1/2 stars at the most.

Not so awful as some reviewers saw and not so spectacular as some unaware person should expect from Genesis. Songs are generally good, production is generally bad.

When doing the first hearing we could think about a band in the midway between Bee Gees, with their easy-cheesy tunes and Moody Blues, with more elaborated orchestrations; I wonder... try to realize some songs in a "Trespass" or "Nursery Cryme" kind of arrangement, for instance 'Silent sun' or 'Am I very wrong?': longer, more dramatic, with more extensive solo parts, etc. The result would be fine.

Even with the problems Banks, Rutherford and Phillips show a fair musicianship and Gabriel gives a demonstration of even better times to come. Phillips style, soft and discreet, could be better observed in his solo works.

Best tracks are: 'Where the sour turns to sweet', the shaking opener; 'Fireside song', with a dark intro; 'In limbo', very catchy and rocky. Other tracks are simply average, although easily hearable.

Knowing Genesis output in the following years, it is very interesting to make contact with the band childhood and first features, and to perceive that in some moments they show the same punch observed later.

Minus 1.5-star for the weak production, minus 0.5-star for the obvious commercial and poppish bias. Total: 3.

If only these young lads from Charterhouse had spent more time developing ideas and had used a more sophisticated producer than the awful Jonathan King, this album might have been something listenable. As it is, the tracks range from total bilge to some with clear promise (The Serpent, Silent Sun, The Fireside Song) but the string arrangements and poppy feel ruin almost everything. You can sense King's hand pushing them to release an album before they were really ready. Their playing shows some promise but is far short of what they would achieve later.

They didn't take long to get it right (indeed next time out) but this is definitely only for completionists.

Black Holes or Revelations?

An intriguing debut that shows tantalising glimpses of the band's full potential - and goes a little way to realising some of that potential in several places. The initial impression is of a super-light folk song collection with little consequence, but closer inspection reveals a surprisingly subtle range of very musical expression and something on the outer fringes of Flower Power with a couple of dark twists.

For Genesis fans, an interesting historical document, for collectors, if you can find a first press, a real gem - since the value will continue to climb, even from the outrageous prices it currently commands - for folk fans, an interesting curio by one of Prog's greats, but for the average Progger (if there is such a person) a bland and mushy throwaway collection of insignificant trivia.

Musically, the melodies seem to be the biggest let-down as they wander up and down the major scale, sounding like Gabriel had raided the nearest English Hymnal. The harmonies and arrangements, though, are more interesting than King's bland production and naff string arrangements would have us believe.

But these are generalisms - if we listen in a bit more detail, then there are a lot of nice proto-prog touches that would otherwise be completely overlooked - incuding the fact that this is very nearly a concept album.

Starlight

"Where The Sour Turns To Sweet" is very interesting lyrically - almost prophetic in places. "Look inside your mind, See the darkness is creeping out, I can see in the softness there, Where the sunshine is gliding in, Fill your mind with love, Find the world of future glory". This could also infer the time before the universe began, where all was potential.

The introduction is fairly interesting - Banks' lonely piano lines accompanied by a finger- click rhythm are quickly joined by Gabriel's familiar tones inviting us to "come and join us now". This early statement of the chorus idea is followed by a piano and light guitar accompanied verse - and there may be a Mellotron in there - "Can you sense the change" modulates to a minor key, and the second chorus is more fully accompanied and more passionately sung using a variation on the original melody. After a second iteration of this pattern, featuring the notable line from Gabriel "Paint your face all white " the first chorus variant is re-used and extended as a burn-out. OK, it's nothing stunning, but it's not your average song structure.

Then there's a dark and throbbing keyboard and bass introduction to "In The Beginning" - the title continuing the prophetic vein - and the Biblical connections are re- inforced as Gabriel sings about the birth of planet earth - although in Darwinian terms rather than Biblical.

The melody is shockingly naff and robs the lyrics of their authenticity, while the accompaniment hangs around single tonal areas - although the line "It has begun You're in the hands of destiny" is colourfully arranged. It does get more interesting in the "C" section, however - the structure of this piece is ABABCABC - again indicating the fledgling Genesis' intention to break away from the run of the mill - everything as normal until the re-visted C section, which seques neatly into "Fireside Song" via a Banks piano line that modulates neatly before the horrible strings ruin everything. This also happens at the beginning of each chorus - a wonderful modulation is masked beneath unnecessary and vulgar strings that server up lashing of cheese faster than you can say "Edam".

Gabriel's lyrics this time revolve about the emergence of life, and you might make out fragments of melody from "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight" - because I certainly can.

The introduction to the Serpent is very badly produced, with a nasty drop-out at the end, but full of interesting key and tempo changes. Gabriel finds a darker melodic line to follow, keyboard lines shine through and the music ebbs and flows dynamically. Really, if some of those keyboards, drums and guitars were higher in the mix, we'd be entering into Doors territory - this could be such a powerful song, despite Gabriel's weak melodies. Lyrically, we consider the creation of man, woman Garden of Eden and serpent, but there are no real poetic fireworks here - this is just the next logical part of the story.

Banks' piano lines on "Am I Very Wrong?" remind me of Marillion's Fugazi, but the acoustic guitar and flute lines are pure early Genesis. The concept of the song structure, however, is pure Genesis with the lonely man questioning and worrying, while the chorus reassures (in abysmally precious vocal style) - in the first signs of theatricality from this band. The concept of the album, on the other hand, is virtually lost - this song just doesn't fit into it.

Burn in hell for your sins

Here, the album loses concept and direction, taking a massive nosedive;

"In The Wilderness" is a more intriguing title than song - it should have been called "Music, All I hear is Music"... although we're using the term Music loosely in this case to describe this rather naff and cheesey piece. Even Banks little improv at the end doesn't save it - it's FAR too short.

Anthony Philips reprises the "Music, All I Hear Is Music" theme as the intro for "The Conqueror" - but the awful drop-in makes it just sound like a mistake. A vaguely average song that isn't saved by the keyboard and guitar layers one iota.

"In Hiding" is a bit of a Gabriel showcase, with rich melodies, a little vocal harmony and very interesting lyrics asserting "I have a mind of my own". It's a pity Jonathan King didn't listen to this one as he could have learned something.

"One Day" shows Gabriel in a more poetic mood, while Banks and Philips wrap rhythms around each others parts...(don't even go there, it just gets a bit wearying reviewing music this average!) - if only those strings and horns would just shut up!!! You can kind of hear what King was trying to achieve, but no. Just no.

Supermassive Black Hole

So... 4 tracks to go, and the concept well and truly dead. Or is it? Who said the Revelations had to come from the Bible? The interpretation of Genesis didn't.

Ostensibly, 4 standard songs - but songs with lyrics that are pure Gabriel and melodies that hint of what he is capable of. Banks' keyboards are more interesting than the run- of-the-mill and Philips' guitar is unfairly suppressed in the mix dominated by horrible strings and horns that threaten to strangle the delicate songs underneath...

Witness these great lyrics from "In Limbo"

"Take me away From the power of my ambition And I'll be happy Peace - floating in limbo, Limbo - leading me nowhere, Peace - now without motion I cry - when will i die? God - where is my soul now? My world, please set me free"

Coulda Woulda Shoulda

It could have been so much better - and this album could have killed Genesis forever. Fortunately, as the evidence in these grooves shows, they were so much better than this artifact despite King's attempts to prove that he was better.

Side 1 gets 3.5 Stars because it sticks to the concept and develops nicely. Side 2 gets 2 Stars because of the quality of individual band members' contributions.

It's just a pity about the quality of the resulting album.

Buy out of curiousity by all means - but if you do, don't give up on it after one or two hearings.

I purchased this album together with their back catalogue in April 1974. Needless to say, it was quite a deception : some poppy songs with classical orchestra in the background.

No wonder that this album won't be a huge success: it doesn't a single great tune even if "In The Beginning" has some psyche flavour à la "Jefferson Airplane" and is one of the best track of the album.

The low of the album is reached with "Fireside Song" : a mellow song with no feeling nor melody. Very poor (same for "In Hiding" and "Silent Sun"). "The Serpent" has some insights of what "Genesis" will be be a year later. Unfortunately, the orchestration is quite useless.

Their first album though, won't be remembered as a great one. Mostly poor compositions. And I can tell you, I purchased this one just after "Foxtrot", so the disappointment was enormous. It is really not comparable with their later work even if on some tracks, Peter's vocals are precursory of "Trespass".

I can only rate this album for what it is and not as a "great" start of one of the most fabulous band (IMHHO).

Too many boring orchestrations, lacks of passionate songs : this album contains too many weak moments to be reasonably rated more than two stars. The band was really disappointed by the poor sales of this record and almost called it quit.

But then they signed a contract with Charisma...The story could begin.

OK. So this was their very first album. It sounds more like a demo for the Trespass album. It's also ruined by a very bad orchestration their producer added. Reminds me of The Beatles' Let It Be album also ruined by production in my opinion. Anyway, this is only for fans of Genesis and Peter Gabriel.

Being introduced to Genesis in the mid-1980s, I worked my way backwards through their catalogue from the self-titled Genesis album of 1983. As I progressed with each album, they got better and better. What an amazing group this was. Alas, I finally reached their first album and was quite disappointed with it.

Here we have the humble beginnings of what will become one of the greatest prog bands of the 1970s. It's basically a collection of mellow 1960s pop songs, sorely lacking the musical and lyrical skill of Trespass and all other albums that followed. Still, you can hear potential here and there on this oddity of a record. On some of the songs, Gabriel's voice carries that raw energy he would be widely known for on later recordings, especially on the song "In the Beginning." The music though, has an almost demo feel to it.

Not the best place to start if you want to get into Genesis. I would recommend starting with Trespass and then acquiring each album chronologically after that. Only for the curious, thus two stars.

Genesis debut is clearly much different from all the albums they did after it. But listening close you can hear hints of what was to come. Even today I listen to this CD with great pleasure. Ok, I´ll have to agree with most reviews here stating this is really a pop oriented album most of the time. So what? It´s good music after all and I still think it´s a tremendous first efford for such a young band. In fact a band that didn´t really exist: according to their offical bio Chapter and Vsrse, before going to the studio they were actually just two teams of songwriters (Ant Philips and Mike Rutheford on one side and Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel on the other).

The lyrics for instance are quite original and interesting. The orchestration do make them sound a little more appealing than their raw demos available later on the Archives boxset (which indeed sounded too unoriginal and a little too derivative). Anyway, the resulting album shows great promise, specially on tracks like Where The Sour Turns to Sweet, In Hidding, The Serpent and Am I Very Wrong? The rest of the songs are alt least good, and I think Silent Sun is a fine pop tune. Producer Jonathan King definitly saw their potential.

Although Tresspass would be a giant step forward, From Genesis To Revelation has a special place in my heart. It shows Genesis still struggling to find their sound, but talented as they were, even their early effords were better and bigger than much of other bands best stuff. 3,5 stars, really. Not really essential (except for the Genesis fans) but a very good start that survived the test of time.

I first encountered From Genesis to Revelation about the same time I became a big Genesis fan in the first place, in '78 at the time And Then There Were Three came out. At the time, I was able to get exposure to the whole catalog. Certainly, my least favorite from the discography so far, back then. Still, I've always regarded as part of the family. It really shows the promise and potential that Gabriel, Banks, Rutherford, and Phillips had for the future as musicians. Also , quite a good effort in it it's own right, considering the age of thes guys. Maybe as time has gone by and a lot more music has entered my life, this material has been diminished a bit, but too much. I won't speak too much about the music. Because there are so many reviews that already go into detail.

The current CD version in my collection was sort of fast one by Decca released in 1987 to capitalize on the fame of the band at the time. They titled it And The Word Was.. Some bonus tracks were provided, but they sandwiched the main album between them, which I consider wrong, but I was glad to get it just to complete my old Genesis collection (I think I bought it early '90's). It starts out with a mono version of Silent Sun, which I wouldn't really rate a "bonus". That's Me follows, which was the B side of the single, no orchestrations on that one, I really like it.

They did leave LP's tracks in proper order. The music is a nice combination of mellow and harder tracks. It has a lot of progressive elements to it and yet still has one foot stuck in some of the '60's sound. The last two tracks on the CD are from their second single demonstrate this in particular. But I think songs on the album really are musically half way to Trespass.

The album certainly is an essential for any big Genesis fan and an excellent addition for those of the '70's era band. It's not a masterpiece of progressive as much as a historical artifact, that may or may not be of interest to the average prog fan. If you're in the latter category be sure to try it before you buy it. I give it the benefit of the round up.

Footnote: There's a really good version of In the Beginning on a tribute album called The Fox Lies Down performed by Mother Gong. Yes, that Gong.

"From Genesis to Revelation" is the debut full-length studio album by UK pop/rock and progressive rock act Genesis. The album was released through Decca Records in March 1969. "From Genesis to Revelation" was recorded in August 1968, except for "Silent Sun", which was already recorded in December 1967 and released as the band´s first single in February 1968, featuring the B-side track "That's Me", which was not included on the original version of "From Genesis to Revelation". Genesis formed in early 1967 and most of the material featured on "From Genesis to Revelation" are re-arranged versions of demo tracks from 1967, which were written while most members of the band were still pupils of Charterhouse in Godalming, Surrey.

Most people are familar with the commercially successful Genesis from the 80s/early 90s, and some people are familiar with the 70s progressive rock period of the band too, but not that many people are familar with the 60s pop/rock of "From Genesis to Revelation", and there´s a reason why that is. While tracks like "The Sour Turns To Sweet" and "In the Wilderness" are solid enough, and "The Serpent" even hints slightly at a progressive rock sound, the remaining material on the album simply aren´t that interesting. As the album also features a sound production/mix that leaves a bit to be desired, and Genesis obviously hadn´t matured yet as musicians, "From Genesis to Revelation" ends up a rather unremarkable 60s pop/rock release.

There are so many other contemporary releases, which offer a lot more to the listener, and some of their later progressive rock peers like Yes and King Crimson, were for example light years ahead of Genesis on their late 60s releases. This one can easily be skipped on your Genesis journey and you wouldn´t miss a thing. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

From Genesis To Revelation is a very sweet sounding debut record from a band that would go on and define what Symphonic Prog was all about. The album is acoustically based, mainly 12 string guitars and Piano, with a subtle rhythm section. Peter Gabriel's vocals are clear and perfect, maybe a tad innocent, but still demonstrates a singer with a fine set of vocal chords. The lyrics are generally fantasy oriented, with well crafted choruses and memorable melodies. The songs are all short, they flow into one another, giving the record a continuum which tends to hook the listener onto what they were doing (not that it was the first, or last album to do so, but it is an early example). Arthur Greenslade's orchestral arrangements are integral to most compositions, they are somewhat 'cheezy', but in all fairness, I couldn't imagine what the songs would sound like without them. Occasionally, sound effects have been employed to enhance certain songs, and Banks uses an organ on what I think is the best track, 'The Serpent'. Hints of things to come on that one. It does sound dated by today's standards, but maintains a certain 'magic', making it more than just a completists acquisition. 3.5 stars.

Review 8, From Genesis To Revelation, Genesis, 1968 StarStar

A rather weak album, in my opinion: a load of pop songs, none of which are very compulsive, and the few flashes of excellence are soon obscured by massed string/horn parts and appalling choruses. However, it's occasionally good for background music, and, apart from The Conqueror, I wouldn't consider any of the tracks irritating. The concept in itself is feebly done (producer Jonathan King's fault, since he suggested it) and the lyrics vary from terrible to passable. I prefer a couple of the stringless mixes to those included on the album, and the original 'She Is Beautiful' floors the reworked version 'In The Beginning'.

Where The Sour Turns To Sweet has a fairly nice melody and vocals, but the lyrics are a little poor, and for no real reason, the end result doesn't make a real impression. The string and horn overdubs here are generally tolerable.

In The Beginning begins with a promising chaotic sound into a bass part into a song dragged down by the poor sound quality and slightly pretentious lyrics. I like the components, but the recording isn't very clear, and you can't really hear anything except Gabriel properly: Rutherford and Philips are good musicians (at least, they are later), but it seems that here, as on the rest of the album, they can't be heard properly.

Fireside Song goes on too long with too little variation, and the lyrics are pretty ineffectual. Gabriel's unsteady voice and the whiny strings do nothing to alleviate this. However, the starting piano theme is passable, and the acoustic parts are sometimes good. The end result is dull and cheesy, sadly.

The Serpent starts off quite well with a sort of hollow drumming thing and excellent acoustics and a decent bluesy rocking guitar part, then it moves to a rework of what was originally 'She Is Beautiful', not bad, with a decent bass part and bits of organ if you listen hard enough, as well as good electrics, and enjoyable drumming, but the vocal harmonies (aaaa) (aaaa) (aaaa) everywhere really make it difficult to listen to the music, and the lyrics are feeble, compared to the original piece.

Am I Very Wrong has one of the highlights of the album: the excellent pensive acoustics-trombone-and-vocals of the verses, with great piano parts between them, unfortunately, it then goes on to have a silly, moderately mindless chorus that ruins everything. Could've been a pretty good song, but wasn't.

In The Wilderness actually isn't too bad, though the childish dun-dun-dun-dun thing leading to a passable chorus annoys me if I'm listening properly. The verses have a hint of Gabriel's future ability and range as a singer, but it doesn't quite work here, for whatever reason. The strings don't hurt me. The piano solo end is a decent touch.

The Conqueror opens with a guitar repeat of the In The Wilderness themes, and then a fairly mindless and unclear acoustics and piano tune with fairly weak harmonies and appalling lyrics. On the plus side, the electric guitar in the background and then soloing over the top of the theme is good, however, the piece overall is very weak.

In Hiding has the same problems as the much of the rest of the album: repeated and uninteresting music, and a weak chorus. Gabriel's voice here is pretty good, but that's about the only thing I like about the song.

I like One Day, silly horns and strings, yes, repeated chorus, yes, fairly weak lyrics, yes, but it seems to work here. The bass-and-piano are good, the xylophone or vibraphone or whatever it is additions to the start are nice, and it all works together quite neatly.

Window starts promisingly with a bit of acoustic guitar and piano, bass in the background, a quiet and haunting vocal with (what sounds like) trombone in the mix, slowly building to... a bland and generic chorus with irritating strings and fairly idiotic lyrics. The verses are generally quite good, though they could have lost the violin, but the end result is an unmemorable song.

In Limbo again starts with a decent theme, and this time it's the vocals that bring it down, and the choruses are also annoying. The ending limbo section suffers from poor mixing, in my opinion, I love the electrics and hectic background music, but it's not very audible behind the weak brass and vocals in the foreground.

The Silent Sun is a little uninteresting: an essentially generic ballad crossed with a generic pop song. The harmonies are badly done, the vocals aren't that great, and the violin is completely redundant here. Just unmemorable.

The concluding A Place To Call My Own is probably the best thing on the album. Banks and Gabriel give their first real indication of their future vocal and piano talents, and the instrumental end is quite good, with the strings/brass being used in a more constructive way. I don't love the final 'lalalala' thing that much, but it's a decent effort.

The bonus tracks I have on my 2 CD compilation thingy make it much easier to piece together the problems: recycling of material to fit producer Jonathan King's concept results in weaker lyrics, and the strings and horns seem to be added a lot when not needed. I prefer Patricia without the vocals to the piece it became (In Hiding), Try A Little Sadness is a weak pop song, with basically the same random strumming and good piano with a couple of tolerable musical moments in there that can actually be heard. She Is Beautiful is essentially a better version of The Serpent with piano taking the lead, better lyrics ('cool as ice, but brittle as glass') and the (aaaa) being less dominant. Although I think the final mix has better basic material, this one sounds better. Image Blown Out is a fairly silly, whimsical composition, tolerable once if you're in a good mood.

The Silent Sun's single version isn't really that much different, but the slightly more audible bass is good. Retains the problems of the original, but slightly less dull. That's Me is an enjoyable pop song, although the vocals in the chorus grate a little. The guitar solo (and guitar in general) is fun, and the lyrics are tolerable. It sounds as if the band had fun playing/writing it, something not always evident here, and Philips (guitarist), whose playing made Trespass for me, doesn't seem to be on such a leash here. A Winter's Tale has a quiet organ in the background, which gels amusingly with the pop chorus. I enjoy listening to it, but partly for the wrong reasons. A better song than the album proper. The One-Eyed Hound is a bit weaker, with an annoying refrain ('This man committed a sin, this man, he never can win') absolutely wrecking the song, which would otherwise be passable. The rough mixes generally strike me as being equivalent to or better than the album pieces in quality/sound quality.

Only recommended if you want to see the first stages of Genesis' development and the opportunity to rant about poor producing in reviews. I feel the album could've done with more music time instead of chorus repeat time, and the strings rarely work well here. This seems to me like a mix of poor production, poor mixing and a musical immaturity or a lack of direction in the band. Nonetheless, there are occasional glimmers of promise, and Genesis would go on to produce no less than seven very strong studio prog albums in a row after this.

Rating: 2 Stars. Flashes of promise, but mostly weak.

Favourite Track: That's Me, or, in the album itself, A Place To Call My Own

Two updates on this: 1) I enjoyed this album a lot more when in the right sort of relaxed mood for it (much like Dire Straits' debut). Still think the production brings it down, and keeping to the rating, but admit the review is perhaps a bit missing the point. 2) I now ADORE That's Me. Superb, superb song. Great guitars, lovely and weird vocals from Peter, and great lyrics. The drumming also feels quite right for it. A serious favourite now, and all because it came up on shuffle.

At last, I own every album in the GENESIS catalogue. I found this record on a discount price in a record store and I couldn't stop myself from buying it. Now that I've listened to it, I don't regret my decision, even if the album is quite weak.

The music, as has been said before, is very different to what GENESIS would deliver starting with "Trespass" and on. This is pop music ,60's pop music to be correct, so it sounds very innocent, very unpretentious, very modest. All the songs are extremely short, and none of them has any long instrumental section. The sound has a little bit of folk, a little bit of hippie, and a little (very little) of psychedelic.

There are, though, some minor hints of the future band that would emerge out of this. There are moments where Banks shows he's no typical keyboard player, and sometimes the melodies (which aren't so good as those GENESIS was able to produce later on) are darker than it appears. Peter Gabriel, on the other hand, while restrained and pretty much completely relaxed, starts to give little clues here and there of the amazing frontman and singer that he would become.

But even for a pop/rock record from the 60's, most songs are weak, and the music itself lacks energy, lacks more soul. In a way, it's not good pop/rock because it doesn't feel like true, honest pop/rock. Neither does it sound, of course, like progressive-rock, not at all. So, we can say that what this album truly lacks is character. Who would imagine, saying that of a GENESIS record?

After all, it was the product of 5 very young people who still had to wait a few years to give us what they were truly capable of. To say they just got better with time is quite a monstrous understatement. Even their next album, "Trespass", is so many miles ahead of "From Genesis to Revelation" in quality that it's outstanding only one year separates one from the other.

All in all, an album that GENESIS completionists should have, even if only for filling the gap in their shelves. And don't get me wrong: after a few tries, some songs actually become quite decent ("That's Me", "Am I very Wrong", "In limbo", among a few more), so there's nothing to lose in buying this record.

And, yes, as it doesn't have "Illegal Alien", it still rates higher than 1983's "Genesis" and, as a better song collection -with no electronic drums- , than 1986's "Invisible Touch".

Not even Proto-Prog

This very first Genesis album has very little to do with the rest of the band's output. The music found here is very much a child of its time, which is the 60's. And comparing this with similar bands such as The Beatles, The Zombies, or whatever, it does not stand up very well. We have here a large number of three to four minute, rather mundane Pop tunes. There is not so much as a hint of what was to come on Trespass and later albums.

I really think that for all purposes other than stilling your curiosity and completing your collection, Trespass should be considered to be Genesis debut album. Let's just pretend From Genesis To Revelation was made by some other band and move on to Trespass!

This album is recommended for completionists only and for them it is really only either a collectors item or a historical document rather than an enjoyable listen in its own right.

What a poor debut album for a band like Genesis!This album is so naive,like the little boys that made it.The musicianship is very weak and it is normal for teenagers.I think this album doesn't hint at what will come later.There are some good ideas,but they aren't enough for 2 stars.For me 1.3-1.4!

Here it is...where my favorite band (up to 1975 of course) started. While it is not at all like Foxtrot, it is still a great album. It is sort of like a concept album, but is more proto-prog than full-blown prog. Now like, I said don't expect anything like their later works at all. This album is a lot like early Moody Blues records more so than Yes records. This album is focused a lot more on mellow pop music than Foxtrot or Nursery Cryme, but I still love it almost as dearly. This album could be a pleasent surprise for many people, but many probably couldn't shake the image of early Genesis making pop music. If you can however push that aside, you will find some of Genesis' most beatiful melodies, Peter Gabriel's best singing, and Tony Banks' best piano sound.

I understand it's hard to take this early sound of Genesis, in contrast to later perfect albums in early 70s. But being this released by some one-shot band, ratings would be higher I suppose. For me, it's easy. I evaluate these songs as 1969 proto-prog band. Maybe not completely, but at least to some extent, this should be applied. Because take for example their "Nursery Crime". Considered by most as very good album, but worse than "Foxtrot". But if you'll think about Nursery without thinking about Foxtrot, you're possible to get 5-star album. It's hard and I'll try to fight with it.

This is not so strong as their later albums, it's (after all) their debut. Acoustic guitars mostly, use of strings, half prog folk and half early symphonic prog. Not like their future albums at all. But far better (for me) than their 80's work. Songs are quite short, but nevertheless, they're consistent and long enough to be interesting.

It's not a bad album. But even when you leave your mind used to epics Foxtrot and Selling and compare it independently with other prog folk releases of late 60's you know, still, the result is not so great. The problem here is annoying repeating here ("We're waiting for you. Come and join us now. We need you with us. Come and join us now!" over and over again). And it's not problem of just this song, it's ever-present. Symphonic elements are nice, but more like solid background to tender music (hey, we're talking about Genesis, right?). So if you want acoustic Genesis without Genesis, that's a choice for you. You know, it's hard to depart from you were taught all your life (I suppose that's true for most of you, readers). Piano, acoustic guitar, sometimes always chamber-like a capella voice of Peter Gabriel (reminiscent of what will come later).

3(+), rating worse would be illogical hatred of "different" things.

In the beginning, schoolmates create a band...

One could be forgiven for thinking this must be a great relic. After all, the first Yes album is dated but good and rocking, and the first Floyd album is a masterpiece. Certainly Genesis' debut had to be as great too? Many proggers hunted down this collection hoping such logic would pay off, only to be disappointed to varying degrees. For the Genesis debut is nowhere near the otherworldly genius of Piper or the already formidable chops of Yes. Long before names like Phil Collins or Steve Hackett were but a glimmer in the eye of Genesis lore, school mates Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks (of a band called Garden Wall) were collaborating with Ant Phillips and Mike Rutherford (of Anon.) The resulting music caught the ear of rising musical man Jonathan King who got the lads into the studio in the summer of 1968. Upon completion and apparently without permission King took the new material and layered it with strings and horns making what could have possessed more original personality into a finished product that sounded a bit commercial and ordinary. Phillips was the most openly critical of what King saw as the chance to get the band viable:

"Ah, the strings on "From Genesis to Revelation." I was the one who really blew my top about it....the originals were rough but at least they had some power....in those days you couldn't get back to a previous version, it was too late, there was no undo button. And I completely freaked out. I can only quote all my other friends saying 'He's butchered it.'" [Anthony Phillips]

"The part that the band really didn't like was that I added the strings....I think they work terribly well, actually. It gives the songs a sweetness that wasn't there in the original thing and covers up some of the slight amateurishness of the basic tracks." [Jonathan King]

And yet it has its moments. The music is 60s pop to an extent, sometimes sounding a bit like the Moodies "Go Now" or The Hollies, maybe a bit of Cat Stevens' "Mona Bone Jakon", etc. But there was more depth and a trace of that English & dark folk/rock vibe underneath that Genesis fans will recognize as the foundational sounds of the later group. Gabriel's warm and soulful voice is already a showcase. The acoustic guitars have a briskly strummed pace, controlled, with Ant peeling off a modest solo here or there. Tony has some lovely piano episodes. But the band's talents are certainly modest, as is the sound and production which are pretty weak, to be expected as this was recorded in about 3 days. I can see what excited King however as the songwriting shows some real potential. Especially cool is the fantasy vibe of "The Serpent" and the foreboding piano lines of "Am I Very Wrong" which also sports Gabriel's flute playing. Tony plays a minute long piano solo to introduce "Fireside Song" which is rather somber and yet hopeful, quite lovely. Other tracks sport short piano ballads with a bit of folk influence, a dramatic young Gabriel, some "la la" backing vocals, occasionally a bit of light rock and soul. But these short tracks never develop to the point of any interesting instrumental jamming that would become commonplace later. The best moments sounds like simplistic and shortened demos from Trespass, far below that level of execution, yet with some of the same naïve wonder and innocence.

This debut is mostly for fans of Genesis and/or 60s pop and there is surely enough little bits of the future here to please them. But the overall performance and sound are fairly weak and there are some duds as well. I think 2 ½ stars is probably the most accurate rating and yet it is a very affectionate 2 stars I give. I enjoy this music quite a lot despite the strikes against it. What a leap they would take on the next album!

This isn't a terrible record. Whenever it gets played, I don't put my hands over my ears and scream "Mommy! please make it stop!" Such ringing endorsements, however, hardly earn it a third star in my book.

Because of this album, I placed "early Genesis" on the backburner for years. So I hope you will forgive me if I don't allow the band's subsequent works to award bonus (or concession) points to "From Genesis to Revelation".

Here is how it happened. Because I was only familiar with the commercial Genesis music of the 1980s, everyone kept telling me "You simply must check out early Genesis". I finally acquiesced when one day at the record store I saw a copy of the album "From Genesis to Revelation".

Upon placing the needle on the LP, I couldn't believe my ears. This was what everyone was ranting and raving about??? It sounded like folk era Bee Gees. Well it sounded more like somewhat 'watered down' folk era Bee Gees to be brutally honest. (Early Bee Gees music was actually quite professional produced folk-pop. This was somewhat amateurish in comparison). I incredulously double-checked the album cover to see if perhaps I had purchased an album by some local band that also had used the name Genesis. Nope. This was "the" real Genesis of old. I immediately filed "early Genesis" into the "not for me" category.

I present this esperience as a "case study" to illustrate what I believe you really already know deep within your "heart of hearts". That - musically speaking - prog fans would not pursue and purchase this record were it not for their interest in Genesis based upon their subsequent output.

Later, once the age of internet radio brought a wider range of "try before you buy" prog music to my ears, I was provided the opportunity to hear 70's era Genesis and to hear the difference! And what a difference it is! But, had my exposure to "early Genesis" been left to the content of this album, I would never have sought out to learn or hear more.

That doesn't make this album worthless, however. This record is of interest from the perspective of early band history. And even were it not for prog music history's sake, fans and collectors of Genesis would still want to hear this debut because of how it, by way of contrast, makes the impact of the band's follow up albums all the more powerful.

But let's not kid ourselves. "From Genesis to Revelation" is for fans and collectors only. It is a 2 star album by a band that would soon shake the progressive rock world with a dramatic quantum leap forward on their very next album.

This is one of those albums that has been reviewed so many times I can't add anything new to it, and frankly Genesis is one of those bands that never really clicked with me despite growing up surrounded by their music and having many friends who were diehard fans. But it's in my collection so I knew I'd eventually get around to saying something about it. Today is that day.

I've no idea how many times this thing has been reissued. I know I looked this up though and found at least 25 of them. Mine is a 1976 vinyl release called 'Rock Roots 1', released by Decca UK in 1976 with liner notes that indicate the label clearly felt the band was on its way out after Gabriel's departure. With downloads and on-line ordering and multi-national global corporations being all the norm today it's easy to forget the days when an imported album was kind of a big deal, back when British imports generally had thinner sleeves and thicker vinyl than American releases. The import stamp is also kind of interesting, a blue- and-red button stamped with "Imported & distributed by Peters International, NY NY". I've no idea why this thing would have been imported to the U.S. back in 1976 since London Records already had a U.S. issued version of the original in their catalog. The thing would have cost more back then than most new albums considering the import tariffs, and since Genesis weren't exactly a household name in the U.S. at the time I have to believe this was either a special-order, or was intended for a very niche market. The cover is pretty cheesy: a heavily color-treated photo of an old Decca Stereogram 33rpm singles record player superimposed with a couple press photos of the band, the same photos used on the covers of several later reissues including the Dutch Black Box 2-disc CD set that was issued just a few years ago.

Well thanks to time and the band's fame after this record released, these songs are pretty familiar to most progressive music fans today. Certainly much has been said of the spotty production and over-the-top string and horn arrangements on most every track, although from my perspective these aren't as distracting as most hardcore fans of the band seem to find them and frankly they probably help spruce up what would have been rather sterile- sounding songs otherwise.

Gabriel's lyrics are much better than his vocals, which are simply average here but would blossom into the stuff of legends within a couple years of this release. On a view tracks the dates sound of the melodies and instrument-playing are quite strong, particularly "In Limbo", "A Place to Call My Own" and "A Winter's Tale", but elsewhere the songs stand up as pretty decent precursors of what would come later.

In keeping with the times and the post-psych commercial leanings of British labels of the late sixties, these are all short tracks with fairly accessible arrangements, certainly a far cry from 'The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' but decent enough if compared to their contemporaries rather than to their later catalog. There are also a couple of pre-album singles on this release (including their B-sides), but none of this is new to anyone who has picked up any of a number of later CD reissues.

Like I said, I'm not exactly a Genesis fan but when I play this record today and consider it solely on its own merits, it's not a bad record. Certainly not a masterpiece, and not even as good as another Genesis band (U.S.) debut called 'In the Beginning?' that was issued around the same time. But good enough to rate three stars on a scale of five, which is what I'm going to give it right now.

There, I finally got around to assessing this one and can slip it back into it's vinyl sleeve and stick it back in the stacks for another few years. Perhaps my kids (or grandkids) will rediscover it and help perpetuate the myth that is Genesis for yet another generation someday. One never knows?.

peace

From Genesis To Revelation is little more than a run of the mill pop album and without Peter Gabriel's distinctive voice you might not even recognise this as Genesis. I don't like the admixture of real orchestras and rock instruments at the best of times, but in this case the band's instrumentation is completely smothered by producer Jonathan King's heavy-handed orchestrations. King evidently wanted a commercial sound, but it's a real no-brainer that the album would have benefited from a more sympathetic producer. Furthermore, when it is actually possible to hear the band's instruments they sound distorted and muggy.

The album's lyrics is another contentious issue for me, and I'm sorry but I can't make allowances for the band member's tender years. There's a slight Biblical thread running through some of the songs such as IN LIMBO, bluesy-rocker THE SERPENT and the psychedelic IN THE BEGINNING. That's fine, but on other songs some of the lyrics are mawkish and downright face flush material. How about ''only Jack Frost saw the kiss she gave him in return'' from WINDOW, or IN HIDING's ''pick me up, put me down, push me in, turn me round''? The Musical Box it ain't, although there was maybe the germ of an idea among those words. I'm probably being unfair with this criticism, but hey-ho. It's not all bad news though and there are a few vague signs of the band's early potential, with some interesting little musical fragments and links between songs. I don't want to damn this recording with faint praise, but many of the songs are just nice. Introspective ballads dominate although the band does shift gear on occasion and songs such as THE CONQUEROR are good because of the absence of that darn orchestra.

This album is important in the history of Genesis but not in the history of Prog. It's definitely one for fans only. To be honest, if you're in the mood for some late '60s psychedelic pop you'd be better listening to Best Of The Bee Gees Volume 1... seriously folks.

Rarely has the debut album of a major group received this much of a slagging from both fans and critics alike. And on the surface, the flaws of the album are huge and very numerous, seemingly leaving criticism fully justified. In case you're unware, here's the general rundown: first, the band was in its formative stages, without either of its instrumental virtuosos (Hackett and Collins, both of whom would join in '71). Hence, the playing on this album is a bit unimpressive, apart from nice Tony Banks piano lines. Next, the band had not yet found its own distinct style, choosing to emulate the Beatles, Bee Gees and Zombies. And worst of all, producer Jonathan King, in an attempt to make the band seem 'sophisticated', forced the band to write around the concept of the creation of the world through the death of Adam (yes, I know the title implies the whole Bible, but trust me, it's fairly apparent that the story is all told from the point of view of God or Adam, and no other characters). Oh, and when they were done, he threw a lot of orchestration over the songs, except that King seemingly had no idea how to properly use string and brass arrangements in rock (unlike, say, George Martin).

So the obvious question comes to mind - WHY am I giving this album a 4-star rating??!!! Because beneath all of the superficial weaknesses lie two of Genesis' strengths, in just as full of force now as they would be later - incredible songwriting and incredible vocals from Peter. I don't know if I'm just listening to different songs than the rest of y'all, but almost a dozen of the songs on here (and yes, I'm counting the singles on the reissue, more on those later) are, at least in one aspect in each of them, absolute pop perfection. "Am I Very Wrong?," for instance, may have a slightly awkward and Disney-sounding chorus, but how about that vocal melody in the verses?! And the rest ... man. Man. Where "The Sour Turns To Sweet" (I know it's technically a bonus track, but it's impossible for me to think of this album and not consider this a prelude to the rest) is beautiful, "In The Beginning" has one of the most awesome vocal hooks I've ever heard, and "Fireside Song" is EVEN BETTER. Are you going to tell me that the chorus of that song isn't one of the most perfectly constructed tunes you've ever heard??!! And don't forget "In Hiding" or "Window," no sirree, the former with another perfect sing-songey melody and the latter yet another beautiful ballad.

And that sure as heck isn't all. "In The Wilderness" is a whee bit flacid in the verses, but that chorus ... "Music, all I hear is music, guaranteed to please ...". Guaranteed to please is right, dang it. And neither "The Conqueror" nor "One Day" fall short of the standard, the former a great energetic rocker and the latter one of the most perfect love songs I've ever heard.

Oh, and don't forget the bonus tracks. The single version of "The Silent Sun" is only slightly better than the album one (and that one's really dull, actually), but the other three are all highly recommendable. "That's Me" is, as usual, catchy as all get out, a great anthem of misogyny, while "A Winter's Tale" has yet another incredible chorus melody, while "One Eyed Hound" has great interaction between the piano melody and Peter's vocals.

Oh, I was going to tell you about Peter's vocals on this album, wasn't I. Now, at first glance, it would seem that Peter fails miserably in trying to vocalize the early chapters of Genesis, the logic being that since he's singing about such a profound part of Christianity, he should sound booming and authoritative to match the profundity. Well, quite honestly, I think that's bunk. How do you really think Adam would have been upon his placement on the earth - authoritative and patriarchal, ready to assume his place as the biological father of all of Man? Bull. He would have been filled with wide-eyed awe at all of the creations around him - his own body, the animals in the garden, not to mention Eve and this new, strange emotion called 'love'. And in THAT way, Peter pulls off the album to an absolute tee. The lyrics (which, btw, are NOT bad - they are youthful and naive in their feel, but naive does not necessarily mean bad or sloppy) and vocals on this album combine in such a way as to perfectly convey the 'story behind the story' with Adam.

In case you haven't been able to tell, I really like this album. If you dislike it, well, it's your own choice, but dismissing it so easily just based on the lack of competent instrumentation and stupid orchestration seems no less than a fatal mistake to me.

The first Genesis album. Released in 1969, this sounds more like something from 1966. This isn't even proto-prog. Most of the music here sounds like 60s Bee Gees. Clearly this is the work of teenagers who are not sure exactly what they are trying to do. There is nothing here that gives you a hint of what they will sound like on Trespass.

"In the Beginning" and "In The Wilderness" are in the league of decent songs. The former has some great feedback at the beginning, while the latter has the only good use of orchestra on the album. "The Serpent" has some good electric guitar and organ. "The Conquerer" is one of the better songs. At the end of "Fireside Song" you can hear a preview of "Twilight Alehouse". The best song is "One Eyed Hound" which is the b-side to "Winter's Tale". It may be a bonus track but it's the best thing on the whole CD.

This is only for people who want everything Genesis did. This is the worst studio album they ever did. The work of amateurs with no sense of direction. Awful production to boot. This honestly does not deserve anything more than 1 star.

I've owned this album forever but have always been close-minded when listening to it because I came to it after the entire Gabriel era was over and was, thus, tainted by the magic of "what was yet to come." But now, in my later years, as I study the band and it's history, hear their interviews (especially those with Ant Phillips), I can listen with an entirely different appreciation for the songs here. There are some pretty decent songs here--and yes, even some songs that give some indication for what was coming with Trespass and even Nursery Cryme. So, I cannot pan the album for not being proggy enough--the band wanted to go in that direction but were being reigned in by their record label and manager and even family members! The ideas and intentions are now more evident, the songs more pleasurable taken out of the context of the "but this is Genesis!" colored glasses. This is still kind of just for collectors, but, if you like Family and The Nice, you might like these songs--they're actually pretty good!

In a way GENESIS started out as they would end, namely being a pop band that blended in with the style of the day. Although I have a soft spot for great bands who had a quirky debut, I have to say that the debut album by GENESIS is the perfect representation of my hit / miss relationship with this band throughout their entire career. Of all the most popular progressive rock bands to have emerged throughout the days, it is GENESIS that I probably like the least in terms of total output in their discography. Although I wholeheartedly admit they have produced some amazing masterpieces, I find many of even their most revered albums to be lukewarm in my world. I think i'm in the majority with this one however.

Although they had their symphonic tendencies in play with their debut album FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION, it is clear that this was a symphonic pop band at this point. As a lover of pop music that is not what bothers me with this release. What truly bugs me the most about this first outing is simply the songs are BORING! The fact that Peter Gabriel, Banks, Phillips, Rutherfield and Silver would go on to anything great totally eludes the listener at this point. I mean even in the world of pop music of 1969 this is weak! The melodies aren't melodic enough. The symphonics aren't symphonic enough. Everything just seems like amateur hour. And so it is here.

It's obvious why this one wants to be forgotten and I am in the camp where I find this extremely boring despite my eclectic nature but there is little on here to warrant interest other than the historical interpretation of a famous band and their origins. There really is no standout track and although I have tried to find some redeeming value in this, I utterly fail every time. In the case of GENESIS I can only recommend totally skipping this debut and heading to the second release "Trespass" which is hard to believe that it is performed by the same band. If you want symphonic prog from the 60s, skip this and head straight to the Moody Blues. Yawn!

Review Nº 12

'From Genesis To Revelation' is the debut studio album by Genesis and was released in 1969. It was produced by Jonathan King, who discovered them in 1967 while they were pupils at the Charterhouse School. Despite be their first work, in some Genesis' catalogs, this debut album doesn't appear as part of the official group's discography.

The original line up of Genesis consisted of Peter Gabriel, Anthony Phillips, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, without any drummer. When their demo tapes caught the attention of King, with the addition of Chris Stewart on drums a schoolmate of them, they recorded their first single 'The Silent Sun'. 'From Genesis To Revelation' was issued several months later, in the same year.

'From Genesis To Revelation' has thirteen tracks. All songs were written by Gabriel, Phillips, Banks and Rutherford. The first track 'Where The Sour Turns To Sweet' is a very interesting song and, in my humble opinion, is one of the best and one of the few really good songs on the album. We can even say that this song has the seeds of what will be the future of their musical sound. The second track 'In The Beginning' isn't really a bad track. It's a nice rock song with some interesting musical parts. However, the sound quality of the song is a little bit poor and the developing of the song isn't particularly brilliant. The third track 'Fireside Song' represents also, in my humble opinion, one of the best musical moments on the album. It's a very beautiful song, very pleasant and nice to listen to. I particularly like the piano parts and the acoustic passages. Even the orchestra sounds beautifully on the song. The fourth track 'The Serpent' starts quiet and very well, with its bass line, good drumming and beautiful acoustic parts. However, it sounds too much to the 60's and makes me remember strongly The Beatles and The Doors. It's not a bad song but I can't see anything special on it. The fifth track 'Am I Very Wrong?' is one of the highlights of the album. It's a very good song with beautiful musical passages. The piano parts are great and very pretty to listen to, and they can move with me. This song has also one of the best vocal performances on the album and shows the real skills of Gabriel as a singer. The sixth track 'In The Wilderness' represents also, for me, another highlight on the album. This is a very beautiful song with excellent orchestration. The strings parts and the piano solo are very nice and bring to the song a very special touch. It's also a song with a brilliant vocal performance by Gabriel. The seventh track 'The Conqueror' is a song that opens with a guitar repeating the main theme of 'In The Wilderness'. It has some nice acoustic and piano parts but the harmony isn't particularly brilliant. In reality, this is a weak song, a little bit repetitive, and with nothing special on it. The eighth track 'In Hiding' is another weak song. Unfortunately, it has the same problems of the most of the songs on the album. It's also a repetitive song and where the theme doesn't develop very well. The Gabriel's voice sounds nice, but the rest of the song doesn't deserve more attention. The ninth track 'One Day' is fortunately better than 'The Conqueror' and 'The Hiding', are. This is a very nice song where all the musical instruments are performed nicely, and especially the piano and the bass parts are very good. The tenth track 'Window' is unfortunately another non memorable song. It has some interesting musical parts like the acoustic and piano parts, which are very pleasant to listen to, but only that is interesting. The rest of the song isn't also particularly brilliant. The eleventh track 'In Limbo' is another perfectly vulgar song, without any musical idea and that sounds too much to the 60's. It's another song with anything special on it. This is probably my less favourite song on the album. The twelfth track 'Silent Sun', as I wrote above, was released as the debut single of the band. So, we can say that it represents the beginning of all. Musically, we can say that it's a fusion between folk and pop rock with the heavy use of orchestral strings. Personally, I must confess that I like particularly of this song and it represents, for me, another highlight on the album. The thirteenth track 'A Place To Call My Own' is a very short track. It isn't also, in my humble opinion, a brilliant song. However, it has very nice performances by Gabriel and Banks, which shows their real musical talents.

Conclusion: I'm a big Genesis fan, and for me, Genesis is one of the best progressive bands ever, and is also my favourite progressive band too. Despite, 'From Genesis To Revelation' have some real very good songs like 'Where The Sour Turns Sweet', 'Fireside Song', 'Am I Very Wrong?', 'In The Wilderness', 'One Day' and 'Silent Sun', the album is in general very weak. The problem of this album is that it sounds like more an album of the 60's, and its music has more in common with the Moody Blues and the early Bee Gees, than the future sound of Genesis as a progressive group, especially if we compare it with their second studio album 'Trespass', released only one year later. So, despite this debut be not properly a bad album, it has nothing to do with the great and influential prog band as Genesis are.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Every thing has a beginning and here is the genesis of Genesis. "From Genesis to Revelation" suffers bad production from the hands of Bee Gees producer Jonathan King. The symphonic strings are a hindrance at times but certainly make this one of a kind as far as Genesis is concerned. The musicianship is good enough from Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford. Peter Gabriel shows the promise of things to come with some wonderful vocals throughout. The first half is better than the rest with class acts like Fireside Song and The Serpent. Then the orchestra becomes all consuming and swallows the songs whole towards the end. By the time The Window is finished I have all but lost interest as it is getting rather bland. The trumpet on In Limbo rekindles my interest but it is a slog to get through this rather dated trippy album.

There are some dark moments, some weird moments, some good melodies and some mediocre moments, but overall the album gels together well enough. It is more of a curio for those who wish to delve into the early years of the band. A bit like listening to The Golliwogs prior to the glory days of Creedence Clearwater Revival, or listening to The Murray Men before The Beatles. A nice piece of archival music for the connoisseur but little else. As a massive Genesis fanatic it was inevitable I would get around to this album, which is marginally better than the troubled 80s era, but it has no chance against the 70s albums of Genesis that are simply masterpieces.

This is essentially a bundle of demo tracks that Jonathan King had the nascent Genesis record and then, without their knowledge, tossed a load of syrupy orchestration on (as was the fashion at the time) and presented as a concept album. I want to be a little careful about what I say here because it's emerged in more recent years that King was very much not the benign, helpful starmaker that he likes to present himself as, but I want to keep this review mostly focused on the mishandling of this album rather than King's more serious crimes. (Suffice to say that it was probably a very sensible call for the gang, who were only teenage boys at the time they made this, to get as far away from King as they could.)

I can't really justify giving this album more than the absolute minimum rating for a very simple reason: it's a misrepresentation of who Genesis were even at this very early point in their development, let alone being falling far short of the standards they would later attain. As mentioned, the orchestration on this was imposed by King without the band being informed or involved, and as such doesn't reflect their musical intentions in the slightest; at its worst, it completely smothers what they were going for.

The Genesis Archive boxed set includes some of the demo tracks without the orchestra, which is far more interesting to anyone interested in exploring their pre-Trespass sound, but I can't imagine anyone putting those on regular rotation. As for this set of songs, it's some rather rudimentary psych-folk vandalised with the excessive strings. The overall effect is like going to a folk concert except an orchestra is rehearsing next door and the soundproofing really isn't up to scratch. Avoid, avoid, avoid, and particularly avoid the various poorly-mastered CD knock-offs that circulate.

Genesis debut album (1969) has taken inspiration from the Bible, thanks to the producer J. King. It is an immature and very pretentious album in music and lyrics, but full of creativity. It takes inspiration from pop (Beatles, Kinks, Rolling Stones), orchestral songs (50s style), psychedelic rock (Pink Floyd), classic music (Procol Harum, Moody Blues), soul and blues (Cream) and, for the singing, from the voice hoarse and vibrato of Roger Chapman (Family).

"Where the Sour Turns to Sweet" is an orchestral song, 50s style; "In the Beginning" has a beat sound, quite psychedelic (inspired by Pink Floyd?). In this song Gabriel's voice emerges; "Fireside" starts with a piano intro that shows the emerging Banks talent; it's a cloying song. "The Serpent" has a good rhythm, good Rutherford bass (drums by Silver are in the backgriund) and engaged progression. May be the best song of the Lp. "Am I Very Wrong?" is another well done song, with chorus similar to Mersey beat (Kinks? Beatles?). "In the Wilderness", with the piano played by Banks closes the second side, and take the scene with the string arrangements. Too much pretentious.

Opens side B "The conqueror", beat song with an arrangement quite psychedelic but very monotonous. "In Hiding" with the voice of Gabriel in evidence, is another orchestral song, too much orchestred (if Genesis had George Martin writing the notes of the strings and producing the music...). "One Day" again starts with the string arrangement, then arrives the brass arrangement: it is a very pompous song. The last two songs have a good melody but the arrangement ruins the result. "Window" has maybe the most progressive arrangement, in the beginning, but soon become an orchestral song; "In Limbo" is a beat song, with a good piano, is one of the best tracks. "Silent Sun" is a beat song with a good melody, "A Place to Call My Own" is the last song, a romantic piano ballad.

In this record Genesis are not a progressive rock band, but a band that show a talent for the melody and the beat rhythm, with an orchestral arrangement. The talent of the musicians in playing their instrument has not yet blossomed (Anthony Phillips is wasted on this Lp, doing only rearguard work with the acoustic rhythm guitar) and the songs are limited to orchestrating a pretty melody, but they are almost always swollen, out of focus, and with the string arrangement too much in evidence. Compared to their contemporary progressive rock bands, the Genesis debut album is of much lower quality than the debut of Family, Van der Graaf Generator, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, while it is similar to that of Yes. These correspondence will be significant.

Vote of the album: 7 Two (and a half) stars.

Bad production, poor song-writing, very weak drumming, horrific keyboards torturing the left side of the speakers, laughable orchestral arrangements on the right and a very predictable bunch of ideas were the totally forgettable presentation letter of Genesis.

Nevertheless, "From Genesis to Revelation" is an enjoyable album if you do not take it seriously and if you do not compare it with the other albums they made with Peter Gabriel on vocals. In addition, is a very funny piece of music history in the form of a commercially and artistically disastrous debut of a band destined to become one of the biggest of the 20th Century.

So if you like vintage 60's music with influences of acts like The Beatles, Love and The Moody Blues, or if you are a Genesis completionist, you can give "From Genesis to Revelation" a pair of spins. However, it is far from essential and you are not missing anything if you forget that this record even exists.

Best Tracks: The Serpent (it has some sort of catchy guitar melodies), In the Wilderness (surely very funny if you are drunk or on drugs) and One Eyed Hound (a glimpse of what this band would become in the future)

My Rating: **

Even without the virus of the incipient progressive movement inoculated in their veins, there are no major signs in "From Genesis to Revelation", their debut album, of what Genesis would come to represent for progressive rock from the later "Trespass" onwards; Rather, it is an accumulation of short songs in the style of the most classic pop rock of the late 60's, where the acoustic guitar of Anthony Phillips and the piano of Tony Banks support the rhythmic base on which most of the songs unfold, and with Peter Gabriel taking his first steps as a singer, timidly and with some flashes, far from the frontman he would become shortly after.

The album develops correctly, with interesting moments, as with the agile and sweet "Where the Sour Turns to Sweet", the brief introductory piano of Banks in the delicate "Fireside Song", the melancholy of "Am I Very Wrong?", the melody of "In the Wilderness", the very folk and with Dylanian airs "The Conqueror", or the arpeggios of the beautiful "Window". The rest of the pieces follow similar paths, without being out of tune, without any major pretensions other than being part of the presentation letter of adolescent musicians who still did not have a clear idea of the path they would follow.

The greatest value of "From Genesis to Revelation" resides not so much in its musical proposal, but in being the starting point of the musical adventure of Genesis in the genre that has it as one of its main references.

2.5/3 stars