GENESIS Origin Godalming, Surrey, England Genres Progressive rock, pop rock, rock, symphonic rock Years active 1967–1999, 2006–present Labels Virgin, Charisma, Decca, EMI Associated acts Garden Wall, The Anon Website www.genesis-music.com Members Tony BanksMike RutherfordPhil Collins Past members Peter GabrielAnthony PhillipsChris StewartJohn SilverJohn MayhewMick BarnardStev e HackettRay Wilson Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently consist s of its three longest-tenured members - Tony Banks (keyboards) and Mike Rutherf ord (bass, guitar) were founding members and Phil Collins (vocals, drums) first joined in 1970. Past members Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute), Steve Hackett (guita r) and Anthony Phillips (guitar), also played major roles in the band in its ear ly years. Genesis are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists of all time, with approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide.1 In the late 1960s, with the release of their first album, Genesis's music was in itially regarded by the band and the fans as a pop experiment, referring to then -popular melodic pop.2 Then, over the course of a year, (beginning with their se cond album in mid-1970) they quickly evolved into a progressive rock band with t he incorporation of complex song structures and elaborate instrumentation. Their concerts became theatrical experiences with innovative stage design, pyrotechni cs, extravagant costumes and on-stage stories. This second phase was characteris ed by lengthy performances such as the 23 minute "Supper's Ready" and the 1974 c oncept album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. In the late 70's and early 80's th e band's musical direction changed once again, becoming more pop oriented and co mmercially accessible. This resulted in their first top 40 single in the US with "Follow You Follow Me", their first number one album in the United Kingdom, Duk e, and their only number one single in the United States, "Invisible Touch". Genesis has undergone several personnel changes throughout its history. Stage fr ight forced founding member Anthony Phillips to leave the band in 1970. In 1975, Collins, then the band's drummer, replaced Peter Gabriel as lead singer after a lengthy search for a replacement. To facilitate Collins's move to lead vocals d uring concerts, Bill Bruford and Chester Thompson played drums for the band as t hey toured, with Collins joining in briefly during lengthy instrumental passages . In 1977, guitarist Steve Hackett left the band. After Phil Collins left the ba nd in 1996, Genesis recruited Ray Wilson (formerly of Stiltskin). Wilson appeare d on the 1997 album Calling All Stations, after which the band announced an inde finite hiatus. However, in 2007, Banks, Collins and Rutherford reunited for a 20 -city tour of Europe and North America, which included a free concert at Rome's Circo Massimo in front of 500,000 fans. Genesis were among five bands inducted i nto the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. The future of the band remains uncer tain with Collins's retirement from the music business and the other members' so lo work. History 1967–1970: The beginning Genesis was formed in 1967 when Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks were students at Ch arterhouse School in Godalming. Formed out of school bands Garden Wall and The A non,3 Genesis's original line-up consisted of Peter Gabriel (vocals), Anthony Ph illips (guitar), Tony Banks (keyboards), Mike Rutherford (bass & guitar) and Chr is Stewart (drums).4 The group (minus Stewart) originally formed as a songwritin g partnership with no intention of performing, but with more and more bands writ ing their own songs, there was no demand for a team of young and inexperienced s ongwriters.5 Charterhouse School alumnus Jonathan King attended a concert at Charterhouse in 1968 while the band was still in school. Following the concert, another student gave King a tape of songs the band had recorded and King thought enough of them to sign them to a recording contract. King was a songwriter and record producer who had a hit single at the time, "Everyone's Gone to the Moon". King named the band Genesis (after previously suggesting the name Gabriel's Angels6), recalling that he had "thought it was a good name... it suggested the beginning of a new sound and a new feeling." The resulting album, From Genesis to Revelation, was released on Decca Records i n March 1969. During the sessions, Stewart was replaced by John Silver on drums. The band recorded a series of songs influenced by the light pop style of the Be e Gees, one of King's favourite bands at the time. King assembled the tracks as a concept album, and added string arrangements during the production. Their firs t single, "The Silent Sun", was released in February 1968. The album sold poorly but the band, on advice from King, decided to pursue a career in music.7 King h olds the rights to the songs on the From Genesis to Revelation album and has re- released it many times under a variety of names, including In the Beginning, Whe re the Sour Turns to Sweet, Rock Roots: Genesis, ...And the Word Was and, most r ecently, The Genesis of Genesis. Silver was replaced by John Mayhew before the recording of Trespass. Genesis the n secured a new recording contract with Charisma Records.8 The band had built a following through live performances which featured the band's hypnotic, dark and haunting melodies and Gabriel's numerous eye-catching costumes, and these perfo rmances also captured the interest of Charisma founder Tony Stratton-Smith.9 Trespass, which was made from many of the songs the band had written during thei r earliest live shows, was the template for the band's albums in the 1970s – lengt hy, sometimes operatic pieces resembling the style of progressive rock bands suc h as King Crimson, Yes and Gentle Giant, along with the occasional shorter and m ore accessible, sometimes humorous, number. Trespass included progressive rock e lements such as elaborate arrangements and time signature changes, as in the nin e-minute song "The Knife". Ill health and recurring stage fright caused Phillips to leave the band in the s ummer of 1970.10 Phillips would later record many solo albums, sometimes in coll aboration with other Genesis members. Phillips's departure traumatised Banks and Rutherford, causing the band to doubt whether it could continue.11 However, the remaining members decided to carry on, replacing Mayhew and Phillips with Phil Collins on drums and Mick Barnard on guitar in the autumn of 1970. Barnard's ten ure was short-lived, and the band brought in Steve Hackett, formerly of Quiet Wo rld, on guitar in January 1971. 1971–1975: The classic era Collins and Hackett made their studio debut in 1971 on Nursery Cryme, which feat ures "The Musical Box" and Collins's first lead vocal performance in "For Absent Friends", the song was also the first written by new members Collins and Hacket t within the band. Two engineers were hired and then quit before John Burns took over during the recording of their next album,12 and this began a successful th ree-album collaboration between Burns and the group. Foxtrot was released in Oct ober 1972 and contains what has been described as "one of the group's most accom plished works",13 the 23-minute multi-part epic "Supper's Ready". Songs such as the Arthur C. Clarke-inspired "Watcher of the Skies" solidified their reputation as songwriters and performers. Gabriel's flamboyant and theatrical stage presen ce, which involved numerous and elaborate costumes and surreal spoken song intro ductions, made the band a popular live act.14 Genesis Live, was recorded on the Foxtrot tour in 1973, shortly before the band's upcoming album was released.15 Selling England by the Pound was released in November 1973 and was well received by critics and fans.16 Gabriel insisted on the title, a reference to a current Labour Party slogan, in an effort to counter the impression that Genesis was bec oming too US-oriented.17 The album contains "Firth of Fifth" and "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)"; these songs became part of their live repertoire, with the latter becoming their first charting single, reaching No. 17 on the UK sing les charts. During this period Hackett became an early user of the electric guitar "tapping" technique, which was later popularised by Eddie Van Halen, as well as "sweep-pi cking", which was popularised in the 1980s by Yngwie Malmsteen.18 These guitar t echniques were incorporated in the song "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight". At th e same time, the band signed with new manager Tony Smith, who published all subs equent Genesis songs through his company Hit & Run Music Publishing. In 1974, Genesis recorded a double disc concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broa dway which was released on 18 November. In contrast to the lengthy tracks featur ed on earlier albums, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is a collection of shorter tracks, connected by a number of segues. The story describes the spiritual journ ey of Rael, a Puerto Rican youth living in New York City, and his quest to estab lish his freedom and identity.19 During his adventure, Rael encounters several b izarre characters including the Slippermen and The Lamia, the latter being borro wed from Greek mythology and influenced by a poem by Keats. The band embarked on a world tour to promote the album, performing it 102 times in its entirety, with Gabriel adding spoken narration.