Genesis

[Savage_Dreams]

i like all genesis. i used to think it was phils doing for the way they became poppy but i just dont really believe that anymore. if you watch the documentarys from the remixed remastered releases it just feels like it was all 3 of them equal in the direction of the band. why does no one bring up mike rutherfords pop success with mike and the mechanics as part of genesis' change? i also think they are all amazing musicians, but they were always more about the song than showing off with a solo or some crazy part just to show off.

 

[Jools4001]

+1 Loved the early stuff, and like the Gabriel solo work even more (that live 'Secret World' CD/DVD is just mind blowing).

Later Genesis... YUCK!

+1 to Hoover's post 7 also....

And a + 1 to most of that.

I'm another of those people who was an unashamed Genesis fanboy. I saw them for the first time in 1972 when I was 17. They were supporting a folky/rock band called Lindisfarne (who were the band I'd actually gone to see) at Bedford Corn Exchange, but from the moment the band started "Watcher of the skies" - in complete darkness apart from a UV light picking out Gabriel's eyes and batwings, I was hooked.

I was also hooked on Rutherford's Rickenbacker, I already had a passion for Rics from watching Chris Squire, but Mike Rutherford sealed it for me.

I saw Genesis a further 12 times live, the final time on 'The Lamb Lies Down' tour and religiously bought all their albums on the first day of release.

Genesis needed Gabriel. He bought a dark humour and a sense of menace to the band's material and that carried through to his solo stuff which (with the lamentable exceptions of Animal Nation and The Barry Williams Show) remains edgier to this day than the sacharrin that Genesis veered towards (even on Trick of the Tail did 'Squonk' really work either as myth, the stuff of legend or even humour? Not in my book, pretty lame IMHO)

Like others, I disagree that Rutherford is merely adequate as a bass player. He seems to structure his basslines to harmonise with the vocals or act as countepoint rather than follow the chord structure - it ain't roots fifths and pentatonics. It ends up being very unpredictable and quirky - ever really tried nailing the bassline to "Get 'em out by Friday" - I did a long time ago and found it deceptively easy (that is, it sounded easy but was harder than it sounded).

I've grown away from Genesis in the last 30 years. They were fabulous in their day, even iconic and awe inspiring, but times change and I find I've outgrown the stuff I used to be in awe of (although I'm still fond of it in a nostalgic kind of way). For my money, the big blockbuster songs that everybody seems to centre on (like Suppers Ready, Cinema Show or pretty much all of LLDOB) are all fine, but to me the one track that pretty much defines Gabriel era Genesis with lyrics drawn from legend, chiming acoustic guitars, sweeping Mellotron, Hammond organ, bass pedals, quirky Hackett solo and equally quirky bassline is...."Can Utility and the Coastliners"

 

[Sketchy]

Today is the first time in a long while I've heard Steve Hackett's Voyage Of The Acolyte, which has Collins and Rutherford on it, and I must say that I'm starting to think that Ace Of Wands is possibly the best Rutherford bassline I've heard.

The end section is insane.

 

[Ampig]

Voyage Of The Acolyte

Great album

 

[Hydromantic]

Another Genesis fan here! (until And Then There Were Three, included)

I wanted your opinion about the bass sound of Firth of Fifth. It's like the opposite of Squire or Lee sounds actually. How would your reproduce this kind of sound? Any idea of the gear used?

Thanks

 

[Relayer71]

I love anything Genesis before "And Then There were Three".

I would go another album or two further... Duke was a very good album if you removed about 3 or 4 songs (which would still leave you with enough for an album). There was a lot of good stuff on that album and it was the last one that felt truly "progressive".

After that they became more pop oriented and I really couldn't tell the difference between Phil's solo stuff and Genesis' work.

And while I'm a bigger fan of the Gabriel era, the post Gabriel albums had some EXCELLENT work, they just weren't as consistent. Also, Collins is one of my all time favorite drummers.

I'd say my favorite albums are "Selling England By The Pound" and "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway". After that it's a close call between "Trick Of The Tail", "Wind & Wuthering", and "Duke" (in the edited form I have it on my Ipod/PC, hehe..."Misunderstanding" and "Alone Tonight" are horrible tracks).

Also, as for people not being into them much, I think they've had more commercial success than Rush and Yes. They just don't remain as busy as these two bands, what with Phil Collins' solo work, the new singer which didn't work out some years ago and the fact that they're probably all filthy rich!!!

 

[powderfinger]

What about the RAY WILSON era!

 

[Relayer71]

I like Genesis' earlier stuff, really up to And Then There Were Three. But even still, as a bass player, Genesis didn't have a monster bass player like Rush or Yes did. Don't get me wrong, Mike Rutherford is good, but Geddy and Chris gets it done in a way that I like more.

Maybe that's true, but they had a bad ass drummer, keyboardist and singer/lyricist (Gabriel) and their guitarist wasn't a shredder but he could play.

Or maybe that's not true. There's a lot of impressive playing on the Genesis' albums, it's just never in your face but very subtle. The man also played a lot of 12 string guitar on the earlier albums AND all the guitars after Steve Hacket left. He was not your average bass player. To confuse him with Adam Clayton is a very big mistake

 

[Relayer71]

A lot of Rush fans would also say that every album since Power Windows has been a disappointment...
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Pfffft, "Power Windows" is up there for me with "Moving Pictures" and "Permanent Waves".

It's actually a great album... but I think the bad taste left by "Signals" and "Grace Under Pressure" (two really disappointing preceding albums, I really hate every track on Signals except for "Subdivisions") just colored fans' opinion of it. The album did get a little dull towards the end but the first 4 songs on PW were PERFECT, possibly their most perfect "side" since Permanent Waves.

 

[Relayer71]

I still have a Gentle Giant tune or two on my iPod But I digress ....

The Remastered special editions released about 2 years ago sound fantastic... GG were so underrated and I wouldn't say they sound dated at all... just unique. "In A Glass House" is a masterpiece... still.

(Oh sorry for the constant replies all, just got back to being able to sit up to use a PC - had heart surgery just a few weeks ago - and haven't been on TB in a while so sort of catching up)

 

[Relayer71]

Ho-humm

I like all of Genesis, for various reasons.
But don't mistake Genesis for being Phil's backing band (nor Peter's for that matter) as they've always been a writer's collective. And the unbalanced amount of focus directed on the lead singer was the reason Peter left, as I recall.

Genesis isn't the band to listen to for flashy bass chops, though. There are other qualities in their music that overshadows that.

Actually, I think a lot of songs were written by Tony Banks... keyboards were a huge part of their sound... but again, he played subtly, with skill yet restraint... something Rick Wakeman probably couldn't do, hehe.