Why did Gabriel leave?

Why exactly did Peter Gabriel leave genesis?

Adding some from above.. He just had his first child, he had to drive for about 5 hours just to see his wife and kid, also he was becoming a super star which he didn't like the idea.

Maybe somebody else has more clues about this.

 

I think it's only our desire Peter shouldn't had left, which drive us in seeking this answer. We will never know. It was his own decision and the reasons for it might be unknown for himself also. I refuse to fall in the category of those fans who are endlessly seeking for "hot" stories related to their favorite band. I have something else to do : to listen to the music.

If I have been contemporary with the Peter's leaving, I probably was interested in this kind of story. But now, after more than 30 years, what's the point? Peter left and never made the same music again, and Genesis never made the same music after his leaving. The synergy was gone forever.

On the other hand, in one of his solo albums - I think his first one - he made an allusion: to be "out of the machine". If he meant Genesis had been the machine, I only can congratulate him for the decision. It is not very hard to see that he's gotten tired on the last album with Genesis: TLLDOB. After their masterpiece (Selling England By The Pound), to follow up with a greater album was probably a killing task. Up to SEBTP it had been a natural progression. It had been what all of us used to love in progressive rock music. With TLLDOB the story changed: for many fans, this was their masterpiece, but for myself it was only a pale attempt to produce a better output using the same formula. The magic had been gone.

I don't know if PG got tired, or the band wanted to move in a different direction, or the time of change had came. I sincerely regret nor Genesis, neither other bands (including Peter Gabriel) produced the same music after that moment. The progressive rock had been approaching it's last days. But, in more than 35 years of listening to progressive rock, I learned one thing: to be grateful for what we got. And we have a wonderful world to explore: progressive rock, as it is.


Edited by napoca - May 25 2007 at 17:19

I think there was something about him doing a film soundtrack with WIlliam Freidkin and the rest of the band weren't happy about it.

im sure he just cared a lot less than us

Yes, in a documentary I have Tony Banks says 'Peter grew up quicker than the rest of us' and Peter expressed similar sentiments about the band not being able to fully understand his family commitments. Another one which caused friction was over Peter being asked to write for William Friedkin (of The French Connection and The Exorcist fame) and the band were totally against this too.

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: soundspectrum wrote: im sure he just cared a lot less than us   I disagree. Genesis was his child and if he made a solo song explaining why he left Genesis, I'm sure he cared.   Iván

WOW. If Genesis was Gabriel's child, I want to talk to his wife about birthing 4 musicians.
Personally, I wonder if Tony Banks didn't play a larger role than thought. His keyboard work did make for much of the Genesis sound through the years (including the post Gabriel era).

Well thanks..