An Illustrated History of A Band called Genesis

Winding Their Way To One More Classic Studio Release

After a successful tour of “A Trick of the Tail” Genesis was back in the studios at Relight Studios/Hilvarenbeek, NL between September and October of 1976. They were embarking  on the next studio release that would stamp its authority as one of the alltime greatest prog albums for 1976.

It would be a different approach, a more melancholy, gentler sound with softer mellotron and in fact more keyboards than previous albums. It has become a symphonic classic as a result and many reviewers complained that Hackett was not used appropriately, although his presence is definitely there.

“Wind & Wuthering” is the eighth studio album by Genesis, originally released in December 1976. It reached number 7 in the UK and stayed on the charts for 22 weeks. In the US, "Your Own Special Way" became the band's first charting single with Collins as lead vocalist, reaching a maximum of 62, and the album itself reached 26 on the US charts.

The title of the album is an allusion to Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”. The actual word ‘Wind’ comes from "The House of the Four Winds" which was a Chinese restaurant in Manhattan. Hackett gave the album its title and it was used in the bridge of "Eleventh Earl of Mar". This track refers to John Erskine, an historical figure, the “Florentine Pogen” 11th Earl of Mar by one reckoning.

The word "Wuthering" refers to Bronte’s novel as does some of the song titles particularly the instrumental tracks 7 and 8, specifically quoted in the last paragraph of the novel; "I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth."

“Wot Gorilla?" is a reference to touring drummer Chester Thompson having been mentioned in "Florentine Pogen", a track on Frank Zappa's 1975 album “One Size Fits All”. It is perhaps one of the filler tracks as far as some critics are concerned and yet is as good as they get with very powerful melodies and virtuoso musicianship.

"Afterglow" was composed by Banks, who described it as a spontaneous piece written in about the same amount of time as it takes to play it, and consequently [it] has a spirit about it that comes from being less contrived. [Chapter & Verse, p. 177].This cynical comment is typical of the tensions felt in the band at the time. In 1975 Hackett completed his first solo album “Voyage of the Acolyte” which was successful and had the blessing of two of the members who actually appeared on the album, namely Mike Rutherford on bass guitar, bass pedals, Fuzz 12-String, and Phil Collins on drums, vibes, percussion, and vocals. 

Line-up / Musicians

- Steve Hackett / electric & acoustic guitar, Mellotron, harmonium, bells, autoharp, vocal, effects 
- John Hackett / flute, Arp synthetizer, bells 
- Mike Rutherford / bass guitar, bass pedals, Fuzz 12-String 
- Phil Collins / drums, vibes, percussion, vocals 
- John Acock / Elka, Rhapsody, Mellotron, harmonium, piano 
- Sally Oldfield / vocal 
- Robin Miller / oboe, cor Anglais 
- Nigel Warren-Green / solo cello 
- Percy Jones / extra bass on "Tower" 
- Johnny Gustafson / bass on "Star" 
- Steve Tobin / parrot and cough

Banks further went on to state that “Afterglow” resembles "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and in spite of these in house criticisms it became a live favourite on Genesis tours for over 10 years right up to the 1987 Invisible Touch Tour. It even appeared on the more recent 2007 Turn It On Again: The Tour in a medley featuring "In The Cage", "The Cinema Show", and "Duke's Travels." There were various uses of unusual instruments to create the symphonic sounds generated, for example a Moog Taurus bass pedal was used on “Afterglow” creating  a droning effect that is heard throughout the song, thus a soundscape of ambience is felt.

In the case of “Wot Gorilla?” it was originally going to be replaced with Hackett’s "Please Don't Touch" but apparently due to internal problems, this was rejected in favour of “Wot Gorilla?” The rejection of Hackett’s song further cemented his decision to leave indefinitely.

The album gave each member a chance to write at least one song, and Rutherford came up with the poppiest song, and perhaps a genuine precursor to the pop radio friendly sound that would come in the ensuing years. "Your Own Special Way" was a Rutherford composition and far removed from the rest of the album as a mainstream radio hit. Steve disliked this approach preferring a more progressive, jazz influenced sound, a sound he would inject into his solo career, and he threatened to leave. Banks all but took over the album and even in the mixing Hackett was invisible at times. Hackett was asked in an interview: What were the primary reasons for your departure from Genesis?

Hackett: “It came to a point where I simply couldn’t handle playing “I know what I like in Your Wardrobe” any longer.  I also didn’t feel enough of my writing and playing was being included into the music. 

http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/musicians-corner/interview-with-former-genesis-guitarist-steve-hackett-1

When Peter Gabriel was still in the band, Banks created most of the musical ideas and Gabriel generated the lyrics of most tracks; a driving force of the band was always the musicianship and lyrical ideas. Hackett and Banks arranged the songs as a majority and thus the Genesis sound was created. To take Hackett out of the creative process is to sap dry the progressive edge already removed in some ways with Gabriel’s departure. Once Gabriel departed all the members desired to be composers, and banks was all for it because he knew he was a step ahead of all the others especially with his “Voyage of the Acolyte”. Solo albums always seemed to cause dissension in the ranks of artists in bands and Genesis was no exception. Hackett had become quite vocal about his feelings toward the new musical approach, no longer the silent member, and he was even a strong competition for Banks. Banks made his intent clear by refusing to appear on Hackett’s album, as he said in an interview that he believed making solo albums was not healthy for Genesis, though he remained silent when Collins and Rutherford did likewise in years to come. Even the videos produced for the songs reveal tension with Banks, Collins and Rutherford appearing to be three great friends but Hackett looks disenfranchised and aloof in comparison.

Banks has said in an interview his feelings were similar in embarking on a solo project:

Banks: “Well, the first time I ever thought about doing a solo project was after Peter [Gabriel] left the band around “Trick of the Tail”. Then I thought, if Genesis is going to carry on, we really need to put all of the best ideas into that next album.”

http://www.worldofgenesis.com/TonyBanks-Interview2009.htm

During the making of “Wind and Wuthering” in 1976 Genesis was undergoing its most significant change in both personnel and musical direction. The band was changing and it was drawing nigh to the 80s when music itself underwent a massive transformation. Punk rock in 1977 was a massive disruption to the music industry and prog was on the way out as a dominant form. All these factors contributed to the band becoming a trio in the ensuing years in their most difficult era.

Some interesting comments I have read from proggers on the ProgArchives are enlightening:

Refugee:
"The vine" sounds very much like "divine". Try it out in the lines:

He walked into a valley,
all alone.
There he talked with water,
and then with the vine/divine.

Isn’t it much like Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane? That again may mean that he’s about to be sacrificed – which he indeed is in a way.

7headedchicken:

I always heard "Afterglow" as being about giving yourself up to God.  Maybe with those two songs there is a connecting theme, but I'm having trouble applying "All In a Mouse's Night" and "Blood On the Rooftops" to that theme, except maybe the line "seems Helen of Troy has found a new face again" from "Blood On the Rooftops" could be parallel to the part in "One For the Vine" where the leader sees another figure in the crowd "vanish into air" to pursue his same path.

Mwood:

I looked up the lyrics to "Florentine Pogen", and sure enough, it contains this bit:

Chester's go-rilla
She go oink
Chester's go-rilla
She go quack
Chester's go-rilla
She go moo
Chester's go-rilla
She go

Ivan_Melgar_M:

About One for the Vine, I always thought it could be the conclusion of THE KNIFE. In the song from Trespass, the leader offers freedom in exchange for sacrifice, in "One for the Vine", some followers are disenchanted of promises and violence.

What I can't understand is why they made a song about John Erskine 22th or 11th Earl of Mar),  the most incompetent characters of the 15 Jacobite Rising.

twosteves:

I think one of the greatest prog tragedies is the hate Banks has for Hackett---to the degree they never worked together again---they were the perfect prog keys and guitar combo in Genesis and made amazing music. I mean after Phil left the pop group---the ego involved to think they could carry on with CAS---they could have gotten Hackett back and made some real prog knowing they had nothing to prove anymore---but Banks just loves to exclude Hackett.

Snow Dog:

The problem was the band didn't want anyone issuing solo albums until the future of Genesis was secure. That's why Collins album came out at the time of Duke. It was allowed then. I f Steve had been patient he could have stayed in Genesis and released solo albums.

Tracks on the album

Side one

1.    "Eleventh Earl of Mar" (music: Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford / lyrics: Rutherford) – 7:39

2.    "One for the Vine" (Banks) – 9:59

3.    "Your Own Special Way" (Rutherford) – 6:15

4.    "Wot Gorilla?" (Banks, Phil Collins) – 3:12

Side two

1.    "All in a Mouse's Night" (Banks) – 6:35

2.    "Blood on the Rooftops" (music: Hackett, Collins / lyrics: Hackett) – 5:20

3.    "Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers…" (Hackett, Rutherford) – 2:23

4.    "…In That Quiet Earth" (Hackett, Rutherford, Banks, Collins) – 4:50

5.    "Afterglow" (Banks) – 4:10

The single was "Your Own Special Way", released February 1977. The B side was “It’s Yourself” (Collins/Hackett/Rutherford/Banks).

A single called “Spot the Pigeon” was released on 20 May 1977. Tracks are as follows:

The musicians:

- Tony Banks / Steinway Grand Piano, ARP 2600 and Pro-Soloist synths, Hammond organ, mellotron 
Roland String synth, Rhodes 
- Phil Collins / drums, percussion, lead vocals 
- Steve Hackett / electric guitar, nylon classical guitar, 12 string guitar, kalimba, auto-harp 
- Mike Rutherford / 4, 6, 8, string bass, bass pedals, 12 String Guitar, Electric Guitar

Album production:

§  Produced By David Hentschel & Genesis

§  Recorded & Engineered By David Hentschel

§  Assistant Engineers: Pierre Geoffroy Chateau, Nick Bradford

****My Review:

“Wind and Wuthering” ended 1976 on a high note for prog and indeed for Genesis who had already found success with their masterful “A Trick of the Tail”. Just in time for Christmas, their latest album features some of their best material sans Gabriel. Each member of the band is in fine form and “Wind and Wuthering” is firmly entrenched as one of the favourites for the band members themselves. Tony Banks stated that it is among his two favourite Genesis albums, and Steve Hackett is also "very fond" of it and rightfully so as it features some of his most accomplished guitar work. Every song soars along on symphonic layers of keyboards and Phil Collins is excellent on vocals and drums. Mike Rutherford’s bass is a wonderful embellishment and the rhythms are complex and outstanding.

Here are the tracks, each one tells a story, and each have a soft spot in the hearts of Genesis fans wordwide.

'Eleventh Earl Of Mar' kicks off proceedings with a title that is dedicated to a metaphoric description of an old Scottish uprising. The song focuses on the true tale of John Erskine 22^nd or 11^th Earl of Mar, who is one of the most incompetent characters of the 15 Jacobite Rising. It is dominated by Tony Banks keyboard wizardry as is most of the album. The music is incredible and as good as the band gets, every member is in full flight but in particular Banks is having a field day overshadowing even Hackett who is usually in the limelight. Hackett is terrific on this album but it is really the last time he would record with the full band unfortunately, embarking on a solo career that was very successful and continues to be so. The lyrics are typical of Genesis, double entndres, quaint pop culture references, and quirky British humour abound; “The sun had been up for a couple of hours, Covered the ground with a layer of gold. Spirits were high and the raining had stopped,
The larder was low, But boy that wasn't all. Eleventh Earl of Mar, Couldn't get them very far. Daddy! Oh Daddy, You Promised.” Collins is in fine voice, confident and dominating, though he overuses the cymbal splashes on this track. The mellotron is an everpresent force and Rutherford shines on bass. The track features an abundance of synth riffs that remind one of the glorious 80s synth explosion. The melody is deconstructed with time breaks, signature shifts and solo performances. The middle section is tremendous with sweet melodic tones and Collins gentle approach. This is certainly one of the highlights of the album and very much like ‘The Battle of Epping Forest’ in many ways, in both theme and structure.

‘One for the Vine’ continues the excellent soundscapes with one of the greatest Genesis tracks with a mellotron drone and blasts of wild percussion competing with Hackett’s sweeping riffs. The opening riff is sensational and well recognised by Genesis fans. The lyrics are inspired and as good as anything I have heard in the earlier releases; “Fifty thousand men were sent to do the will of one. His claim was phrased quite simply, though he never voiced it loud, I am he, the chosen one.” The protagonist  is called to serve as the chosen one, and immediately the majestic music echoes the sentiments of the one who will lead. It is regal and uplifting with some dark tones representing the conflict he feels within as he is forced to make the difficult choice. “In his name they could slaughter, for his name they could die. Though many there were believed in him, still more were sure he lied, But they'll fight the battle on.” The leader knows that many will die under his leadership but nevertheless must lead in order to instigate freedom. This may also represent the holy wars as told in The Bible, following the same themes as in other Genesis albums especially “From Genesis to Revelation”. It switches time sigs dramatically after the serenity of the symphonic musicianship. The tempo quickens and a wonderful synthesizer kicks into gear. A layered wall of sound pulsates along a dynamic percussive beat. Collins returns on vocals as the new time shift locks in. It is a complex track with many diversions. It is perhaps the best track on the album with a lot of progressive touches and an innovative structure, telling a potent story of maturity. The main protagonist is experiencing the changes of adolescence to adulthood as a reluctant leader forced into going in directions without choice that lead him to an eventual demise. Religious overtones abound, and there are multiple interpretations. The protagonist is on the verge of crossing the line between divine inspiration and delusion. He has many people around him who believe in him to the point that leads him to an ultimate decision to take up leadership with both reigns firmly in hand. It takes quite a deal of soul searching before he finally decides to fulfil his purpose instead of doing things his own way. As he takes on the responsibility to leading he crosses into adulthood. “This is he, God's chosen one, Who's come to save us from, All our oppressors. We shall be kings on this world.”

‘Your Own Special Way’ is certainly a poppier approach but has some very nice melodies and a catchy hook in the chorus. Collins is harmonised a few times on layered vocals and I particularly like the uplifting tones. The keys are terrific, but I wonder where Hackett is hiding on this.

‘Wot Gorilla’ is an instrumental that may feel like filler material but it is very well executed with some delightful atmospherics including a strange gliterring chime lending an ethereal feel. "Wot Gorilla?" may be a reference to touring drummer Chester Thompson, who had been mentioned in "Florentine Pogen", which is a track on Frank Zappa's ”One Size Fits All” album in 1975.

‘All In A Mouse’s Night’is an intriguing piece where a mouse speaks to a loving couple, Cinderella style. The lyrics are charming with a few dark nuances thrown in . Loving Couple:

The loving couple begins with talking to each other and the mouse chips in, which may or may not be imaginary; “I can't see you but I know you're there. Got to get beside you cos it's really cold out here. Come up close to me you'll soon be warm. Hold me tightly like we're sheltering from a storm.” The mouse then has some amusing dialogue to itself and we may surmise that it is on the head of the lovers who are experiencing detachment from reality; “Think I might go out for a stroll, Into the night, and out of this hole. Maybe find me a meal. Walking along this new shag pile, Presents a problem all the while. Nearly the door.”

The song continues with its quirky jaunty rhythms telling the tale of the mouse’s adventures; “Suddenly he bumps into wood, the door is closed. A voice from the bed, he'll be exposed. Which way to run, must make for the hole, The light's been turned on, he's blind as a mole in coal.”

Perhaps the mouse is a metaphorical representation of sexual suppression that the lovers are feeling. In fact a cat comes into the story and chases the mouse to its final fate; “But now the cat comes in for the kill, His paw is raised, soon blood will spill, yes it will.” The cat has a cynical line of dialogue that further cements the sexual tension in the lives of the lovers. They are experiencing conflict that is represented by the cat and the mouse scenario; “Hard luck mouse, this is the end of your road. The signpost says inside me, let me bear your heavy load. But it's not to be, that final pounce, Knocks a jar upon his head, and lays him out.” In any case it is a fun song harkening back to the classic Genesis material on “Foxtrot” or “Selling England By The Pound”.

Other interpretations are that the mouse represents mental health and the protagonist loses it completely when the cat is devoured by the ten foot mouse. Also this could be a dig at the Looney Tunes cartoon where Sylvester is taunted by a ‘ten foot mouthsh’ and it is actually a baby kangaroo but Junior thinks it’s a real mouse and forces his father to fight it to no avail. A darker interpretation is that the loving couple discovered a mouse costume stored in an old casket in the basement. The male donned the costume in order to scare his female lover but it backfires as she has become a cat in costume also and “it only took one blow”, she performs oral sex thus finishing in the superior position of the relationship. Or did she kill her lover accidentally thinking he was a lunatic trying to kill her. Or did the man in mouse costume see a cat on his way upstairs and whack the cat dead. The song is nevertheless about the chase, submission and sexual tension, disguised in a cute tale, and is one of the great tracks on the album.

 ‘Blood on the Rooftops’ begins with a medieval style acoustic flourish, a piece de resistance for Hackett.

The lyrics are very strong: “Let's skip the news boy (I'll make some tea), The Arabs and the Jews boy (too much for me), They get me confused boy (puts me off to sleep), And the thing I hate - Oh Lord! Is staying up late, to watch some debate, on some nation's fate.”

The television is becoming a hypnotic device desensitizing the protagonist who is becoming lost in the fantasy of it all. A dramatis personae of his alter ego is the fantasy of escapist TV, and he indulges because his life is so empty. “Hypnotised by Batman, Tarzan, still surprised! You've won the West in time to be our guest, Name your prize! Drop of wine, a glass of beer dear what's the time? The grime on the Tyne is mine all mine all mine, Five past nine.” The lyrics are reminiscent of the Gabriel era and indeed Collins sounds similar in this vocal style. The references to pop culture are as strong as Genesis gets and are as blatant, but there are darker meaning beyond the surface particularly in the chorus that speaks of violence and despair, war and destruction, blood and decay: “Blood on the rooftops, Venice in the Spring, Streets of San Francisco - a word from Peking, The trouble was started by a young Errol Flynn, Better in my day  Oh Lord! For when we got bored, we'd have a world war, happy but poor.” There are touches of references to “Nursery Cryme” in the lyrics “When old Mother Goose stops they're out for 23, Then the rain at Lords stopped play.” The reference reminds one of the nusery rhyme lyrics and front ocver of the classic album, and the words are referring to a cricket match where the batter manages 23 runs before being stumped.

The album concludes with two masterful instrumental compositions that run together seamlessly and these are capped off with Afterglow, a fond song for the band. The instrumentals, ‘Unquiet Slumbers For The Sleepers’ and ‘In That Quiet Earth’, are decent enough to be taken in one sitting as one piece and certainly are a showcase for Banks’ killer keyboard finesse. They are pleasant ear ticklers with enough keyboard to satiate any mellotron addict, but I would have liked a more dramatic conclusion.

The titles of these instrumentals are taken directly from Emily Bronte’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ novel: "I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath, and hare-bells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth".

To conclude this may be the last great Genesis studio album and it capped off an excellent year for the band that had also presented “A Trick of the Tail” equally as good. It would be the last time Hackett would produce Genesis studio material but it was not the end for the band despite the massive upheaval of personnel.

The Album:

A Trick Of The Tail

UK:

Entered the UK charts on 28-Feb-1976

Reached Position #3 on 13-Mar-1976

Spent 39 weeks in the charts.

In a readers Poll voted as The Best Album in 1976.

US:

Entered the US charts on 20-Mar-1976

Reached Posiiton #31 on 15-May-1976

Spent 19 weeks in the charts.

Certified Gold by the RIAA in April 1990