Genesis were bad to its fans.

When bands change and I don't like their new direction I take direct action and stop buying their music, it's an option open to all of us...

I would like to apologize for my earlier post where I placed Cheesecakemouse's style of writing into question and not his written intent. I wasn't mindful of the rules and guidelines for this website (one of the finest), but that has been now self-addressed. Again, sorry.

To weigh in on the issue, Genesis of 1978 was winding down its past glories of prog and looking for a way to change with changing times. They had just come off two very good albums that showed there was indeed life after Gabriel, and they were now looking for a way to sound fresh after Hackett jumped ship. ATTW3 was the result, and it came off as too little, too late for a prog entry. They knew it, learned from it, and trudged on towards Duke, Abacab, etc. They had evolved into musicians who just wanted to doodle around whatever was their fancy at the moment - period. I still love Collins' singing and not-so-present drumming; Banks remains one of the godfathers of the keyboard, and Rutherford stays that perfect country gentleman who can really rip it apart, bass-wise, whenever he gets the calling to do so. I do wish for one more Genesis album simply to see what's evolved for the three hold-outs since 1991. 

But they still can't buy love at PA ...

You know, I had another thought "were bad to its fans"?  Are they being nice to us now or something? 

Edited by Slartibartfast - June 06 2009 at 08:50

Music is an art form. and an entertainment..the soundscape or soundtrack to lives at best. I love my music and appreciate those who have contributed to my life's soundtrack, entertained me and offered me their art. Genesis through all the changes have done just that. Do I have a favourite era? Not really my most treasured Genesis albums cross eras - Foxtrot to Wind & Wuthering. If they had never developed, never embraced their own inate changing art, every album would sound the same. For me I believe the worst theing an artist can do is to abandon art and pander to an audience. Genesis didn't do that they developed and became more vitally connected to the times in which they lived. If Genesis really had abandoned the true nature of 'progressive' music they would have gotten on the hamster-wheel of repetition and tried to re-write Foxtrot over and over again...in othe r words pandering to the fans. There are truly sublime moments on later Genesis albums just as there are on the early ones. 

Petrovsk Mizinski wrote: Genesis were bad to it's fans. They ran them over with a truck and the fan blades bent and the fans stopped working

They threw us under the bus and deserve a little spanking.

I dunno if they were bad to their fans, they gave up on prog rock too easily and rather unexplainable (if i may say so) under the simple excuse that they were tired and bored to play prog rock - or so say Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins in their reissue interview concerning the Abacab album. They say they chose to play more "straightforward" music. But wasn't Duke pretty straightforward already?!

Anyway, I think the success of Collins' debut album changed things a lot. And they risked a lot going mainstream pop-rock, but fortunately for them, their music appealed to a new audience, the 80s MTV audience, they made videos. They fitted in nicely, no other ex-prog-rock band from the 70s had their success (Yes' 90125  did but that was it). They were lucky if you ask me. Collins recalls in that interview how they were booed in holland in 81 when they played songs from the Abacab album. Rutherford simply said something like - it was our album , we do whatever we want. Banks and Collins explained that Who Dunnit was meant as a joke - well apparently nobody got that one, i didn't get it. Tony metioned that You Might Recall was supposed to be on the Abacab album but they used Who Dunnit instead, choosing "the ugly instead of the beautiful".  Submarine was a B side on one of the singles. I find this song amazing, why didn't it make it on the record??

Edited by Cristi - June 17 2009 at 19:48

Genesis weren't bad to their fans. Their old fans just didn't like their new stuff.

I don't blame Genesis for their later music not pleasing me as much as their Gabriel era music. Pink Floyd went on without Barrett and Waters, and their style changed. If you don't like the music they make then don't buy it, I personally haven't got A Momentary Lapse of Reason because of the bad reviews/me not liking The Division Bell all that much. Genesis changed after Gabriel left and like someone has said earlier in this thread, maybe they could have got a new singer, but they didn't. There isn't anything you can do about their personal decisions, the most you can do is listen to the music. If you like it, then you buy it, if you don't, then you won't.

Totally agree. Most ungrateful b*stards in rock music.

And it was Phil's attitude and multiple nasty comments toward 70s fans, in particular, that made me vow to not give them another nickle after the Duke album.

I don't mean to hit below the belt, but the well-known problems in Phil's personal life are indicative of his problems in relations with other human beings, fans included. He owes some ammends.