Article: It's Time To Admit That Genesis Has Always Been a Great Band

[michelforest]

Genesis really xxxxed me off by quitting. They really were princesses "Oh, we can't play enormodromes anymore, we're quitting". Boo hoo !

They had the right singer who was pushing for something of a turn towards the Gabriel era and a strong foundation going forward. Plus an opportunity to step away from being the Phil Show and be a more serious act again.

That whole CAS period feels all wrong to me. The album was "meh", it sounded like a Mike & The Mechanics album to my ears, with longer songs. Wilson is a decent singer, but didn't have the charisma of Peter or Phil. I was ready to give them a chance, I even had a ticket for the show in Montreal (cancelled, as you know.) But after so many years with Phil on drums and vocals, it was impossible to "reboot" Genesis, I think. Unlike Yes, Genesis always had a very stable group with Banks, Collins and Rutherford. Replacing one of the three guys, especially the most well-known, was a long shot at best.

[rabin105]

Genesis was/is one of my favorite bands. I wanted to see them when they came to DC, but couldn't justify paying $300/400 for a ticket. So it looks like they've become the next band-I'll-never-see-again, like Rush or ELP. The only difference is, they are all still alive and don't hate each other particularly. They probably could have given us an album in 2007. For me it's always about the music and the next album, so I always found it unfortunate that they ceased as a creative unit. Some thoughts on Genesis:

1) After Calling All Stations, there was the possibility of a follow up album in 1999/2000. Since the CAS album wasn't a smash success like the previous two, they bailed and scuttled the ship rather than build back up with a new era, scaling back to theaters and putting out eclectic albums with Ray Wilson. So no new album y2k. We'll never know what could have come of this line-up. A shame that Genesis may appear to have been spoiled by their success. Between 78-92, Genesis was on the up and up, and deservedly. Such a unique group. Those chords! There are times that I know I could have benefitted from a new album of Genesis tunes, be it prog, poppy stuff or whatever. I guess they just weren't driven to continue the 'brand' in a creative capacity. They probably should have given their Ray Wilson era a chance to grow instead of giving up so easily.

2) Where Yes alumni has solo albums, bands and projects coming out on a regular basis, many of which either sound 'Yessy' enough or tick some sort of Yes box, Genesis-sounding stuff is fewer and further between. The only one really still flying the flag with regular releases of new material, always touring and putting out new albums, is Steve Hackett. And the quality is generally consistent. In the long run, I think Hackett may have been the most successful former member. His was a slow-burn success, always visible and available. He seems happy to ply his trade. Mike & Mechanics surfaces now and then, but Phil and Peter Gabriel haven't had a new album in some time. And Tony Banks hasn't put out a pop/art-rock album since the 90's. His material was closest to the Genesis sound in places, and I would love a non-classical one from him, to get that Genesis vibe. It is what it is, and these guys have already done the work, so they don't owe anybody anything. But a new Genesis album is something that would enrich the listener - and it could be done.

3)A new Genesis album could have been done at some point if they really feel the itch to do it, but they would have to want it. It could be done - Phil can't play drums anymore, that's ok. He can still sing and write songs. Bring in Chester Thompson or his son on drums. Genesis started as a songwriters collective, and the others can still play. Write some songs and see what comes up.

4)A supergroup with Hackett, Ray Wilson, Chester, and Daryl Stuermer on bass and some guitar. Not sure who's on keyboards, just don't use Roger King. I love Roger King's work with Steve Hackett and know he's Hackett's right-hand man, but his involvement would make it sound too much like a Hackett solo album. Maybe use one of the neo-prog guys, they all study Tony Banks. Could it be called Genesis 2.0 without legal issues? Dunno. But such a project would turn heads.

5)They were great as a prog band but were also rather great as a progressive synth-pop/art-pop kinda group. As much as I like Suppers Ready/Firth Of Fifth etc, I admit they had some great long tracks from the hit years - Home By The Sea and Fading Lights in particular are very powerful. The shorter accessible tunes are cool too, and if they were never hits or were never played to death on the PA system in your local barber shop or K-Mart, they probably would have been reappraised.

Yes, it's time to admit Genesis were one of the best bands ever.

there kind of is a second Wilson album if you take all the B sides and the one unreleased song from that era you wind up with a decent 48 minute album

in the Year 2000 ( i can come up with yes album titles genesis i dunno )

1. Papa He Said
2. Banjo Man
3. Phret
4. 7/8
5. Anything Now
6. Sign Your Life Away
7. Run Out of Time
8. Nowhere Else to Turn

am I saying any one would buy it... well Banjo Man is quite catchy and could of been a moderate hit for them but yeah

[cybrkhatru]

Calling All Stations felt unfinished to ne... many of the songs just faded out and didn't have proper endings, which was weird.

[Soundwaveseeker]

there kind of is a second Wilson album if you take all the B sides and the one unreleased song from that era you wind up with a decent 48 minute album

in the Year 2000 ( i can come up with yes album titles genesis i dunno )

1. Papa He Said
2. Banjo Man
3. Phret
4. 7/8
5. Anything Now
6. Sign Your Life Away
7. Run Out of Time
8. Nowhere Else to Turn

am I saying any one would buy it... well Banjo Man is quite catchy and could of been a moderate hit for them but yeah

Yeah, the CAS B-sides. I remember when the Genesis 2007 album reissue box sets came out with an extra disc of B-sides. They only used three of the B-sides - Anything Now, Sign Your Life Away and Run Out Of Time. I think I remember that when asked why they didn't include all of the CAS B-sides, someone said that they didn't want the disc to be too "Wilson-heavy". Shame.

So I went and made my own CD-r 'The B-Sides Collection 1971-1999', featuring mostly only all the B-sides of the singles, no 'remixes, etc.). Anthony Phillips era would have to have its own 1967-70 disc, but here it is:

DISC ONE

1) Happy The Man
2) Twilight Alehouse
3) It's Yourself
4) Match Of The Day
5) Pigeons
6) Inside & Out
7) The Day The Lights Went Out
8) Vancouver
9) Evidence Of Autumn
10) Open Door
11) Naminanu
12) Paperlate
13) You Might Recall
14) Me & Virgil
15) Submarine

Disc Two:

1) Feeding The Fire
2) Do The Neurotic
3) I'd rather Be You
4) On The Shoreline
5) Hearts On Fire
6) Papa He Said
7) Banjo Man
8) Phret
9) 7/8
10) Anything Now
11) Sign Your Life Away
12) Run Out Of Time
13) Nowhere Else To Turn
14) Carpet Crawlers 1999

Mostly CAS B-sides for disc two, but I suggest burning a CD-R of all the B-sides to get a lost album of songs not on their regular albums. Many of them are quite good and one of them was even a hit(Paperlate). Plus you can't go wrong when 5 of them are instrumental. Do The Neurotic is like an 80's Los Endos. Nowhere Else to Turn was supposed to be a single but they bailed. I suppose it could have been a ballad hit, but it probably was left off the album because CAS was already kinda ballad-heavy with maybe too much dark atmosphere and downbeat moments. Naminanu is Genesis as Brand X. Only two Gabriel era B-sides. I couldn't use 'Let Us Now Make Love' and all that, I put it on a separate collection. I should design box sets & collections or something.

[cybrkhatru]

Yeah, the CAS B-sides. I remember when the Genesis 2007 album reissue box sets came out with an extra disc of B-sides. They only used three of the B-sides - Anything Now, Sign Your Life Away and Run Out Of Time. I think I remember that when asked why they didn't include all of the CAS B-sides, someone said that they didn't want the disc to be too "Wilson-heavy". Shame.

So I went and made my own CD-r 'The B-Sides Collection 1971-1999', featuring mostly only all the B-sides of the singles, no 'remixes, etc.). Anthony Phillips era would have to have its own 1967-70 disc, but here it is:

DISC ONE

1) Happy The Man
2) Twilight Alehouse
3) It's Yourself
4) Match Of The Day
5) Pigeons
6) Inside & Out
7) The Day The Lights Went Out
8) Vancouver
9) Evidence Of Autumn
10) Open Door
11) Naminanu
12) Paperlate
13) You Might Recall
14) Me & Virgil
15) Submarine

Disc Two:

1) Feeding The Fire
2) Do The Neurotic
3) I'd rather Be You
4) On The Shoreline
5) Hearts On Fire
6) Papa He Said
7) Banjo Man
8) Phret
9) 7/8
10) Anything Now
11) Sign Your Life Away
12) Run Out Of Time
13) Nowhere Else To Turn
14) Carpet Crawlers 1999

Mostly CAS B-sides for disc two, but I suggest burning a CD-R of all the B-sides to get a lost album of songs not on their regular albums. Many of them are quite good and one of them was even a hit(Paperlate). Plus you can't go wrong when 5 of them are instrumental. Do The Neurotic is like an 80's Los Endos. Nowhere Else to Turn was supposed to be a single but they bailed. I suppose it could have been a ballad hit, but it probably was left off the album because CAS was already kinda ballad-heavy with maybe too much dark atmosphere and downbeat moments. Naminanu is Genesis as Brand X. Only two Gabriel era B-sides. I couldn't use 'Let Us Now Make Love' and all that, I put it on a separate collection. I should design box sets & collections or something.

I'll go to my grave saying that You Might Recall should have been on Abacab.

[1yesfan]

Great Band

[Yesed]

A great band, for obvious reasons. But not as good or, nowhere close to Yes. After Duke they are useless as a prog band. Abacab was tolerable. After that it wasn't Genesis, it was Phil Collins.

[Oldie on the Goldie]

A great band, for obvious reasons. But not as good or, nowhere close to Yes. After Duke they are useless as a prog band. Abacab was tolerable. After that it wasn't Genesis, it was Phil Collins.

My sentiments exactly. I always liked Genesis except for some of those Collins songs that played incessantly on the radio, but they were never on the level of Yes for me.

[Soundwaveseeker]

I'll go to my grave saying that You Might Recall should have been on Abacab.

On the Abacab documentary, Tony Banks said it was a toss-up between including that or Who Dunnit? on the album, a choice between the romantic or the ugly. They chose the ugly Who Dunnit because it was off the wall and very un-Genesis, and left off You Might Recall because they felt it was predictably Genesis and the thing people expected on a Genesis album. The ugly won out. I don't mind Who Dunnit because I like Devo and stuff like that too, but You Might Recall is a very fine song that probably should have been on the album. I might have moved Another Record to B-side status and placed You Might Recall somewhere on there instead. Maybe Submarine should have closed out the album. 'Me & Virgil' was never a contender, and one of the weakest tracks in the Genesis canon to me.

Interesting that with the 5 Abacab B-sides, that album was shaping up to be a double album and they considered it. With three sides worth of material, I wonder what would have made the fourth side? Probably solo stuff they were working on.