Bookmarks: Tribute Albums ~ Tribute Bands ~ Genesis Discography (On-Line Book)
Also see: Peter Gabriel ~ John Wetton ~ Steve Hackett ~ Anthony Phillips ~ Mike Rutherford ~ Musical Box
From: Luna Negra S.C.
If I had to choose a "perfect" prog. track, I think it has to be "Firth of
Fifth" (from "Selling England by the Pound" by Genesis), or "Sound Out
The Galleon" (from "Olias of Sunhillow" by Jon Anderson).
From: "willfred"
I guess I'll preface this post by saying I seldom listen to Yes or Genesis anymore. Their
influence upon my tastes was definite (KC and TD being much larger), but not as large as
others. So, keeping this in my mind here are my faves by Yes and Genesis.
Yes....... 1. Close To The Edge; 2. Relayer; 3. Yessongs; 4. Drama; Genesis....... 1.
Selling England By The Pound; 2. Nursery Cryme / Foxtrot; 3. Wind And Wuthering; 4.
Seconds Out. Steve Hackett never got enough credit for his contributions, IMO. Spectral
Mornings is definitely still one of my favorite albums.
From: Derrick Beckner
"Watcher of the Skies, Genesis Revisited" really is very "different"
and has some real outstanding moments. My favorite is a orchestrated version of Firth of
Fifth which kicks in with full electric on top of the symphony for the classic crescendo
and solo. Fountain of Salmacis is done in a similar manner, and a real hip version of Los
Endos. Features Bill Bruford, Chester Thompson, John Wetton, Ian McDonald, Tony Levin and
the Royal Philharmonic. Has a few original tunes as well. The only real barker is Your Own
Special Way, which I think was pretty awful the first time around, but was written by Mike
Rutherford who took over lead guitar after Hackett left.
"George Khouroshvili"
Hi, I can recommend you also another tribute to Genesis (if you don't have it yet). This
is another Purple Pyramid release, featuring JOHN WETTON (!), PATRICK MORAZ (!), Brand X,
etc. The songs are different from Genesis revisited (for example In the Beginning, Dancing
with a moonlight knight, Cinema show, The Broadway melody of 1974). I found that release a
little worse than GR, but still it's quite interesting, and all the covers done carefully.
From: Derrick Beckner
Some tributes are pretty weak, actually most are. But Genesis Revisited was done by a
member of the band, Steve Hackett, and two musicians that had toured with the band,
Bruford and Thomspon, so I saw it as less as a tribute than a reinterpretation of the
work. Like the title says, "Revisited". :) The music was fabulous, the vocals
were somewhat weak, John Wetton sang Watcher of the Skies okay, but Your Own Special Way
(a weak tune to begin with) was bad. On the others, Wetton just can't convey the power and
the range of Gabriel, especially 20 years younger. And Hackett did computer altered voices
for many songs, which worked okay on Dance On A Volcano, but not on some others.
From: August Smarra <>
Subject: Daryl Stuermer
While we're discussing Genesis replacements, I bought a Daryl Stuermer LP a few
years back that was pretty decent Fusion. Since I liked that, I thought I'd try
his new CD, "Another Side Of Genesis". Sounds interesting, huh? Well I
don't recommend it unless you want to hear Smooth Jazz versions of Genesis
tunes. Some people might like it but it wasn't what I was expecting at all.
From: Rob
I helped run a fairly large Yes/Genesis rarities site (with a lot of MP3 files) until it
was shut down last October, and I used to be a duplicator for Yesoteric (a 25-volume tape
collection of Yes rarities) so I've had some boot experience. I think that, while I
prefer official archival releases over bootleg recordings, there will always be
interesting material out there in the gray market no matter how many official releases
there are. For example, I've heard two different versions of "Long Distance
Runaround" from the Relayer tour by Yes with two wildly different Patrick Moraz
keyboard solos after them. Neither version of "LDR" itself remotely resembles
any legitimately released version (though I think a show from that tour is available on LD
in Japan for exorbitant prices with poor sound.) Genesis should be given an award
for producing their recent boxed set, and I can't wait for the second one if it ever
appears. Everything sounds great and there's stuff on there I never knew existed. On the
other hand, I'm not throwing away my copies of Lamb-era bootlegs yet because the new
vocals Gabriel added to the boxed set are noticeable. (The same goes for Yes' two
"Keys to Ascension" sets, for which Jon Anderson redid most of the vocals and
many people feel the originals were a better performance even if he lost the words here
and there.)
From: "Grant Penton"
<>
Genesis, hmmm, that's going a long way back as far as Prog goes... A flash of brilliance
for a few LPs, such a short innovative career compared with Yes. Well, no point musing on
what went wrong after Gabriel & Hackett left, just to celebrate the music as it was
captured for all time. I was a fan back in the mid seventies- but not right away. After my
ears perked to the sounds of ELP, Yes, Strawbs, Gentle Giant, early Floyd, I heard Watcher
of the Skies & Supper's ready on the then-prog friendly FM station and wondered the
question never satisfactorily answered in any of the myriad of books out on them
(subsequent to the first Gallo book I got autographed at the Duke premier): why did Banks
take so long to get into synths?? Of course they were poor- and spent so much on the
marvelous lights and contraptions that could hoist Peter upwards. But the music seemed to
suffer- never a piano on stage, and a wait until the Selling England LP before we heard
any decent electronics- which were superb when delivered. I was mesmerized
by the Cinema
Show solo and still am today, but have always wondered how much better Foxtrot could have
been had the synths arrived a year earlier. I think Banks was best with mellotron use, and
the superb production of Nursery Cryme makes it succeed
as well as other pivotal LPs from
that time- Pawn Hearts, being 1 catalogue # before, springs to mind. I was unfortunately too young to see the classic band, but quite enjoyed them on the
mellotron farewell tour of '78- great renditions of Ripples and Fountain of Salmacis made
that a memorable experience...
From: "George Khouroshvili" <>
I was only 11 when I 1st heard Genesis. The song was "Land of confusion"
and I liked the video very much. The first records of Genesis I got were
"Invisible touch" & "We can't dance". I really liked some of this
stuff but was extremely bored with their ballads (I still can't hear the
sounds of "Hold on my heart" and "Throwing it all away"). Then I
bought the 1st solo album by Gabriel (because of Robert Fripp's participation).
And it was much better than the Genesis I knew for this time. But I was really
shocked when I heard "Lamb lies down...". Since I've bought this album I
became a big fan of the band and now I have all their albums, all PG solo albums,
and some Hackett's solo albums ("The Voyage of Acolyte", "Please
don't touch", "Time lapse", "There are many sides to the
night", "Genesis revisited" & "The Tokyo
tapes"). I don't
want to write something pathetic like "this music changed my life" or
something like that but I can't imagine
my life without listening to "Lights
Dies Down on Broadway", "Watcher of the skies", "Shadow of
Hierophant", "Here comes the flood" and many-many more songs from time to
time.
From: "drj_saro"
<>
>From: "Grant Penton" <> the question never
satisfactorily answered ... why did Banks take so long to get into synths??
while the financial side certainly had it's part to play, anyone who was there as it
happenned will tell you, it wasn't the _main_ reason that TB didn't use synths. t was for
feeling and texture; the layers of 'tron, piano, and organ along with the heavily effected
guitars made a sound unlike any other. combine that with the fact that TB's piano playing
is _so_ full of feeling (nearly impossible to acheive with the monophonic synths of the
time). (my fave example of TB on piano is the spine-tingling solo on 'Firth of Fifth' - it
far overshadows any of his synth work on that album, and that album contains his best work
on synths, imo.) TB took his time experiment with synths _before_ using them on record,
(source - interview with TB published in 75-76, and no i don't have it anymore, but i _do_
remember it.) waiting until he had developed technique and style that would stand up along
side of his organ and piano skills, and use them to further the ART rather than just use
the synths for the latest trendy sound-effect.
>but have always wondered how much better Foxtrot could have been had the
synths arrived a year earlier.
GAK! what do you imagine that synths could add to this?!?! (i am _not_ a synth-hater,
but those early albums were _so_ unique, i can't image why anyone would want to muddle
with them.)
From: Don Tillman
<>
> For those who may not be aware, The Musical Box is
for lack of better terms, a "Tribute" band for Genesis. The biggest point to
make is that they completely replicate Genesis concerts...
What a fascinating concept...it gives me goose bumps
to imagine people so dedicated as
to 'become' Gabriel-era Genesis, performing stuff from "Foxtrot" and
"Selling England!" They could wind up eclipsing the 'real' Genesis for
popularity in the prog world :) Someone sign them up for Progfest '99. What's really amazing is that there are, world wide, roughly a *dozen* Genesis tribute
bands performing shows complete with costumes, lighting effects and serious playing.
Someone who's really into it can probably supply a proper list, but a quick web search
found this:
(It's incomplete, but it does give you an idea.)
From: Mark Fonda
<>
> This reminds me- did anyone else download the absolutely incredible Genesis
discography by Scott McMahan? It's 459 pages of of virtually everything to know about the
band, and I hope Scott gets due credit for an amazing effort which he made available
gratis. I got it months ago- it is his final draft, and might be still there elsewhere.
For any fans who might be interested I could post it- it's 2.5 megs!
If anyone's interested, the Genesis Discography can be downloaded from: http://lighthouse.softbase.com/~scott/genesis/index.html
What is The Genesis Discography? It is the Genesis fan's companion, a compendium of
information about the band and its releases. Some of the stuff you'll find includes:
Information on band members and other personalities; Albums and singles and other releases
by the band; Solo albums and singles and other releases by all current, former, and other
band members and almost members; Bootlegs, radio shows, and other unofficial releases; A
complete Brand X discography; A brief history of Genesis; Explanation of Elements in Songs
(literary, historical, mythological, British references in songs are explained); The
Annotated Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (what is the Lamb about, anyway?); Tour Dates, Set
Lists, And Gear (what they played when using what instruments).
From: "Bjorn Lynne" <>
> ...But Marillion is the greatest example, or Genesis...w/o the
brilliance of a Fish or a Gabriel, they plain suck!!!!
I have to disagree on the Fish/Gabriel thing. In my opinion, the bands
didn't lose it because of Fish and Gabriel left. Genesis lost it a couple of
years later, when Steve Hackett left. They produced a couple of superb albums
("Trick of the Tail" and "Wind & Wuthering") after
Gabriel left, but before Hackett left. When Hackett went, that's when they
really lost it. As for Marillion, they produced a superb album ("Seasons
End") after Fish left. Fish even said himself once, that he had little
impact on the music of the group, he simply wrote the words and sang them.
Marillion continued at the top for about another year or two after Fish left...
*then* they started to lose it. Although they made a temporary comeback in the
mid-90's with their "Brave" album, which in my opinion is brilliant.
Their latest ("This Strange Engine") was extremely poor. :-(
Embarrassing for an old Marillion fan like myself!! Anyway, what I mean to say
is that these two vocalists were perhaps not as vital to the groups as it may
seem at first glance. I think other factors made them "lose it".
From: Salmacis <>
> ...But Marillion is the greatest example, or Genesis...w/o the
brilliance of a Fish or a Gabriel, they plain suck!!!!
Well, here I go again, but while I totally agree with the Marillion
reference (what the hell DID happen to that band, anyway!?), I must argue once
more. Genesis did anything but suck without Gabriel. In fact, I look at their
1976-1977 4-piece period as their most creative. Trick Of The Tail and Wind
& Wuthering, along with "Inside and Out" from Spot The Pigeon, and
the gorgeous Seconds Out, all show signs of a happy, creative band who were
finally given room to breathe. It was a blessing in disguise for Gabriel to have
left. I am glad he hung on as long as he did, don't get me wrong, Nursery Cryme,
Foxtrot, Selling England and The Lamb are all glorious classics for me, and have
been staples in my collection for 15 years, but the band could not have
continued that way. The problems that emerged in Genesis' later output were more
due, in my opinon, to Hackett's departure, which was the real blow to their
sound. Gabriel's departure did not affect the sound much, whereas Hackett has
been sorely absent ever since.
From: "Surjorimba Suroto" <>
Steve Lehrfeld wrote: >Anyone who is a fan of Duke / Wind & Wuthering
era Genesis >should check out Mike's "Smallcreep's Day". This is a
little known >gem that shows Mike's influence on Genesis during the late
70's, >early 80's. This album could have been "Trick of the Tail part
2".
I prefer to say Steve Hackett's Voyage of the Acolyte is the TotT part 2.
Mike Rutherford's Smallcreep's Day should be placed part 3. Yes, I agree
Smallcreep's Day is very good. But again it couldn't match the magic of Voyage
of the Acolyte. If anybody asked me what's the Genesis members' best solo album
, I would pick this first album of Hackett.
From: Salmacis <>
>Voyage of the Acolyte. If anybody asked me what's the Genesis members'
best solo album , I would pick this first album of Hackett.
Yes, this has long been thought of as the "missing" Genesis album,
and for good reason. Easily my favorite of the solo output (I know, it's hard to
say it's better than some of the finer Gabriel albums, but those are hardly
comparable. As far as prog goes...) and in fact, it beats out some of the
Genesis albums. Certainly better than most of ATTW3. If only he had been able to
add Banks to the mix, it would have been the entire band, performing Hackett's
solo work! Now THAT I would like to have seen. Similar to Van Der Graaf
Generator performing Hammill's solo albums on a number of occasions. In the same
way that Voyage is considered the "missing" or "lost"
Genesis album, I would say Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water ranks the same for
Yes. Easily my favorite of that band's solo output also. Olias of Sunhillow
comes somewhat close, I should give that an honorary mention.
From: Jeremy Robinson <>
Have listened to 'Calling All Stations' after a long gap: v. disappointing. It
doesn't sound like Genesis; whatisname is an OK vocalist, but nothing special.
The music and compositions go right back to the early 1980s,. For ex, the farty
fat synth solo on 'Congo', or the gated reverb 1980 Collins drum sound. I can't
tell the songs on 'Calling' from a million MOR FM radio soft rock American acts.
This is pipe and slippers music, geriatric, a gentle doze in front of the fire,
while Banks and Rutherford, two of rock's unlikeliest, reluctant stars, cosy in
their pseudo-rural lifestyle in deepest Surrey/ Sussex/ wherever, stare out at
the inhospitability of the contemporary cultural landscape (Eminem, dance,
Robbie, Manson). Let's face it, whichever way you cut it, 'Calling All Stations'
is appalling. It's one of those albums you wish they'd never made, or released
(like ELP's 'Love Beach').