What if Hackett and Gabriel stayed ?

Progger wrote: Moogtron III wrote: There certainly wouldn't be A Trick Of The Tail ! Gabriel wouldn't let that happen: too retrogressive. No Wind And Wuthering either, for the same reason. I think more experimental stuff, because Gabriel and Hackett were more adventurous. Maybe some help from Robert Fripp, because on the Lamb they started with Eno. More single albums instead of double albums, I'm sure. Melodic, but adventurous. Also soundwise.   I disagree!!!! I think Wind and Wuthering would have been the direction they would have taken. Certainly the best would have been yet to come! I think Gabriel left at least two albums too soon! They left unfinnished buisness & never made a true masterpiece IMO but they certainly had the capability to do so, it just might have taken them another couple of albums to achieve it!

Don't get me wrong, I really like Wind And Wuthering, but musically it is retrogressive. Tony Banks said once that when you're talking about Wind And Wuthering, you're really talking about Foxtrot, but then 4 years later! I have to say, the sound and the production on Wind And Wuthering is much better than on Foxtrot. That is an improvement.

It's just that I'm convinced that with Gabriel they would have been more experimental, like with The Lamb, which had lots of strange sounds and a very unusual storyline. Wind And Wuthering is beautiful, and has lots of great musical ideas, but with Gabriel they would have made a much more innovating album.

If Peter would have stayed, I think poor Phil would've commited suicide, or would have suffered a nervous breakdown or something. So by 1978 or so, they would have hired a new drummer. Probably some exotic percussionist they found in a Dutch coffee shop. By the early 1980s, I think all the members of the band would have been listed as missing.

If Steve would have stayed, only, I think Genesis would have moved into really big things. But in a slightly different way than they did. More like Rock and Roll. Genesis were really on their way during the 1977 Tour. And...there would have been no large demand for groups like Styx or Kansas either! Genesis would have had the monopoly on that sound. No Styx, no Kansas! Maybe Rush would have grown old in the Canadian roadside grill circuit. The possibilities would have been grand.

razifa wrote: Personally, I think that Genesis was one the most responsable bands for the death of 70's prog. They carved a destination and was the inspiration of so many ancient and nowadays musicians. They matured the symphonic prog to levels unimaginable but then... WTF happend???? They became the most ridiculous bands from all times....  I think the problem was not only the departure of Gabriel or Hackett. I think the problem was the band itself. They lacked of ideas. Prove of that is that the solo carreer albums from Gabriel and from Hackett does not preserve the integrity of early Genesis. I don't mean that all of them are bad, but wake up Genesis was dead.  The times changed and with or without them the had gone downhill. Sooner or later they would have played joyful popish crap...!!! The 70's have gone away and Genesis with them!!!

If the rumors of a reunion are true...then they're not dead.

ldlanberg wrote: If Steve would have stayed, only, I think Genesis would have moved into really big things. But in a slightly different way than they did. More like Rock and Roll. Genesis were really on their way during the 1977 Tour. And...there would have been no large demand for groups like Styx or Kansas either! Genesis would have had the monopoly on that sound. No Styx, no Kansas! Maybe Rush would have grown old in the Canadian roadside grill circuit. The possibilities would have been grand.

Very provocative idea, athough I think that you overestimate how they would have affected Styx or Kansas whose sound seems to come as much out of Yes, ELP and even Mahavishnu Orchestra as anything else. As a born again Kansas fan, I think they are really underestimated.  I think that we as proggers have for so long been made fun of because of our musical taste because all the serious satire and social commentary was in punk after all. The question is what would have happened with Peter Gabriel if the musical world was ready for him?