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Genesis – Anyway – The Lamb Lies Down in Broadway (piano solo sheet music)
Genesis: the story of a progressive rock band
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The origin of a great band
The seeds of the great genesis group began to germinate when two school groups known as Chaterhouse came together , made up of singer Peter Gabriel (born February 1950) and keyboardist Tony Banks (born 1950); and Anon, consisting of guitarist/singer Anthony Phillips (born December 1951) along with bassist/guitarist/vocalist Michael Rutherford (born October 1950). These four brilliant musicians, joined by unlikely drummer Chris Stewart , convinced producer Jonathan King to represent them and chose New Anon as their band name.
This last name lasted just long enough, as Jonathan King did not like it so much, who preferred the name Genesis, whose meaning refers to the first book of the Christian Bible. However, because there was another American band that had the name Genesis, and knowing that repeating the same name is quite unoriginal regardless of whether it is patented or not, they preferred to stay as From Genesis to Revelation which, despite Being a very long name, it was very attractive.
With this new name and line-up they released their debut album called, likewise, From Genesis to Revelation , managing to convince the discography of how valuable the group was and the potential it had accumulated. At this stage it should be noted that the great drummer Stewart only recorded the songs “ The Silent Sun ”, “ That’s Me ”, “ A Winter’s Tale ” and “ One Eyed Hound ” with the group; Well, apparently, the drummer got tired of the way his colleagues worked and decided, curiously, to go live in the south of Spain, far from any detail that associates him with the band.
The good news is that it didn’t take them long to find a replacement, therefore, with the services of John Silver who, in turn, would complete the work of the ex-drummer by recording the rest of the pending songs. The matter did not end there, but, in addition, the group fired Jonathan King, since he did not contribute what was expected of him.
Along the same lines, they managed to enlist the services of their new producer, Tony Stratton Smith , with whom they recorded the second album Trespass . In addition, there was a change in the line-up, the newly incorporated John Silver being replaced by drummer John Mayhew . However, the blow that hurt the most was the decision of Anthony Phillips to leave the group, who decided to leave to be able to train in the classical style and therefore create his own music. In addition, Phillips himself claimed to have a bad time because of his stage fright, which interfered with the work of the group. With this, the group says goodbye to the most creative member, accompanied by drummer John Mayhew.
Genesis the stage of Peter Gabriel (1970-1975)
This glorious stage begins with the search, by the group, to fill the two vacancies that, after the departure of Anthony Philips and drummer Mayhew, became available. For this they had the services of guitarist Steve Hackett and drummer Phil Collins . The two new members together with the rest of the group created the true identity of the group and the characteristic sound of the band.
The musical brilliance in conjunction with stage creativity, due to the change of costumes, makeup and the interpretations of vocalist Peter Gabriel, made the group’s tours a great spectacle. These details are already visible in works like Nursey Cryme or The Musical Box .
If we delve into the musical style, we see that it is much more complex than the progressive rock songs of that time, since the theme covers historical, futuristic, fantasy themes, and even contains some criticism of social behavior. This together with the show that we have talked about before and that, each time, was more elaborate, complex and creative including video effects, sounds, lights, visual effects (it must be remembered that this is dated in the seventies); made the viewer simply speechless
Along these same lines, the composition “ Supper’s Ready ” was the band’s hit, such has been its originality that some highly regarded music critics in the music world put it in the top 5 best songs in the history of progressive rock.
Also notable at this stage was the album Selling England by the Pound , considered by many to be the album that symbolizes the musical peak reached under the command of the great Peter Gabriel. Already in August of 1975, Gabriel, for personal reasons, decided to leave the group, closing, in this way, a first stage full of brilliance, maturity and creativity in every way.
The leadership of Phil Collins in Genesis
Before Gabriel’s departure, everything seemed dark, the public vision towards Genesis was quite pessimistic, since they could not imagine the band without its former leader Peter Gabriel. However, the members armed themselves with will and decided to find a replacement for the singer.
At first things looked bad, and they had to draw on Phill Collins ‘ experience as a vocalist and relying on his past as a theater actor. The quartet managed to get their claws out and release A Trick of the Tail , oddly enough Genesis’ best album to date, reaching number 3 in the UK and number 31 in the US.
Seeing that the matter was going smoothly, they looked for a drummer vacancy, since Phil Collins could not do both things at the same time. At first, they opted for the fame of Bill Bruford who belonged to bands of great prestige like YES or King Crimson ; However, his stay did not last more than a few months, being the drummer Weather Report , a former member of bands like Frank Zappa or Chester Thompson , who put on the crown. It must be emphasized that this stage has lasted three decades (1976-1996), being, without question, the best of all.
Genesis – Live – 1972 With Peter Gabriel – Belgian TV (Complete Show)
The worldwide fame of Genesis
Contrary to what used to happen with rock groups that started strong in the late ’60s, peaked in the ’70s, and waned as they entered the ’80s, with Genesis things didn’t go that way, but instead Just as wine gets better with time, with Genesis its highest point was achieved in the 80s thanks, without a doubt, to the creativity shown in its work and the brilliance when it comes to knowing how to follow trends and make timely improvements so as not to be forgotten.
came to light in the 80s This is how excellent albums such as Abacab , Genesis and Invisible Touch ” deserve great mention, . From this last album, the songs “ Throwing it all away ”, “ Tonight, Tonight, Tonight ”, “ In Too Deep ”, “ Invisble Touch ” and “ Land of Confusion entering the top 5 in the US with style. Of the aforementioned, Land of Confusion was a musical bombshell, being awarded the Grammy for best video and show of the year, highlighting, above all, the caricature of the former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the 40th president of the USA, Ronald Reagan.
This glorious stage ends with a lot of style thanks to the publication of We Can’t Dance in 1991, including various musical styles, with an incomparable production and Collins being the great protagonist of said work. This album managed to set the anchor by positioning itself as number one in England and achieving great worldwide achievements with songs such as “ No Son of Mine ”, “ I Can’t Dance ”, “ Hold On My Heart ” and “ Jesus He Knows Me ”. Without a doubt, it was the best way to close this chapter, since it was also one of the best-selling works to date.
Genesis the return of a legend
Finally the band Genesis will tour the United Kingdom again at the end of 2020, for this the fans have had to wait no more and no less than 13 years, after the last concert as a band held in 2007. It will be the same formation as the of the second stage after the departure of Peter Gabriel in 1975, although, yes, with some modifications. The three legends of that historic stage, Phil Collins , Mike Rutherford and Tony Bankd , will be present with their 69 years of age, in a tour curiously named as ” The Last Domino? ”
With some modifications, we mean that the position of the drummer will be occupied, this time, by Nicholas , the son of Phil Collins, in the place of Chester Thompson , who is in a state that not only prevents him from playing his favorite instrument, but also that prevents him from walking without the help of his cane. And as a fifth member we have bassist and guitarist Daryl Struemer.
Starting in Glasgow, it will continue with three straight days in Birmingham, followed by two shows in both Newcastle and Manchester. Then they will head to Dublin with two nights included and will also do a concert in Belfast and end the tour in style with two recitals in Leeds, Liverpool and London.
Genesis discography (studio albums)
Genesis discography (studio albums)
From Genesis to Revelation (1969)
Trespass (1970)
Nursery Cryme (1971)
Foxtrot (1972)
Selling England by the Pound (1973)
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)
A Trick of the Tail (1976)
Wind & Wuthering (1976)
. ..And Then There Were Three… (1978)
Duke (1980)
Cabbies (1981)
Genesis (1983)
Invisible Touch (1986)
We Can’t Dance (1991)
Calling All Stations (1997)