Genesis Biography

With 1970's 'Trespass', however, Genesis set their stall out, showing the direction their future work was to take - a collection of folky prog rock, the LP actually contained only six tracks, albeit lengthy ones - again, a harbinger of things to come. Shortly after the album's completion, Phillips left the group for personal reasons, and John Mayhew (who had replaced Silver on drums) parted ways with Genesis after only one album. Despite this Spinal Tap-esque roster of past drummers, the next skinsman they were to recruit was much more of a stayer- Phil Collins came on board in 1970, and remained at the core of Genesis for a quarter of a century. Guitarist Steve Hackett was also hired to replace Phillips, and the band set about their most creative, fertile period.

Next album 'Nursery Cryme' (1971) was recorded so soon after Hackett's arrival that he barely had time to contribute (and Rutherford provided almost all of the guitar parts) - and was another step up in the band's evolution. The epic length of the tracks on the album was becoming a constant, and despite treading a fine line between self-indulgent whimsy and creative genius, Genesis were obviously thinking outside the box. The album did not chart in the UK until its re-release three years later, but helped to grow their fanbase, particularly amongst the more cerebral sections of the listening public. It was an important landmark, as it also featured Collins's first vocal performance (on 'For Absent Friends'). Genesis's live performances at this time were gaining attention too, as Gabriel was using various theatrical elements - costume, masks, make-up, story-telling, and some 'alternative' physical stuff - to embellish the lengthy and complex musical structures being played out behind him.

'Foxtrot' (1972) was the work of a band in its creative prime, and was also their biggest commercial success up to that point, reaching number 12 in the charts and marking the beginning of the chart success their subsequent work was to enjoy. Hailed as one of the high-points of art/prog rock, Foxtrot added a rockier feel to the folk elements, and those who were fond of the lengthy musical journeys would not have been disappointed with the 23-minute length of 'Supper's Ready'. (23 minutes? Seriously...you could get a three course supper ready in that time...)

All flippancy aside, 'Supper's Ready' has come to be viewed as the band's high point, a complex piece of music complemented with intelligent, thoughtful prose that marked them out from other prog rock groups. And with Foxtrot, Genesis had scored that rare feat of combining creativity and innovation with genuine commercial success. A live album (recorded whilst they were touring 'Foxtrot') went to number nine in the charts, the high sales no doubt attributable to people who had been to see the weird and wonderful Gabriel in action. Their next studio album, 1973's 'Selling England By the Pound' fared even better, reaching number three, and even contained a single: 'I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)' reached number 21, a rather unlikely pop chart success for a song about a man who mows lawns.

The band's (and particularly Gabriel's) ambition seemed to know no bounds by this time. 'Selling England By the Pound' had been a huge success, a concept album depicting a wistful yearning for rural, medieval England. And rather than consolidate their position and play it safe, genesis undertook a bigger project still, a double length concept album entitled 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' (1974). The album was essentially a long musical story, concerning the fraught journey through the dark underbelly of New York City by a young Puerto Rican immigrant called Rael - say what you like, you could never accuse genesis of resorting to cliché.

The lyrics, written entirely by Gabriel (whilst Collins, banks and Rutherford provided the music) were ostensibly about split personalities, and in some respects were all too close to home for Gabriel. As well as experiencing tensions within the band (exacerbated by the split between 'lyricist' and 'musicians'), Gabriel was experiencing personal problems at home, as his wife was having complications with her pregnancy. Touring the album cranked up the stresses, and as Gabriel's theatrics became ever more flamboyant and elaborate, concerns within the band were rife that the singer was overlooking the music in favour of the performance art. For all that 'The Lamb...' was a breakthrough for Genesis, swelling their American popularity and selling out venues for their laser-lit shows, it also proved to be another, less positive watershed - in 1975 Gabriel left the band, and many wondered whether they could continue without their creative front man.

Having auditioned several new singers for the group, Genesis decided that the best course of action would be for Collins to provide the vocals, as he had done just a couple of times on earlier records (Bill Bruford, formerly of Yes and King Crimson, provided drums for their live performances whilst Collins was singing). If they were wringing their hands, worried whether fans would go for the new, sans-Gabriel Genesis, they needn't have done - 1976's 'A Trick of the Tail' outsold all their previous efforts, and if anything their song-writing and performing had taken a more accessible form. Whilst the purists had had their serious doubts that the band without Gabriel could even continue, it appeared that his departure had merely beckoned a new chapter in their story, rather than finishing it all together.

'Wind & Wuthering'(1977) emulated this success, reaching number seven in the chart and containing another single - Mike Rutherford's 'Your Own Special Way' was probably the most poppy tune the band had ever committed to vinyl, and it charted well in the UK and the US. Again, this could well have been a signpost to the more chart-friendly sound Genesis were to adopt in the 1980s.

Steve Hackett was becoming increasingly disenchanted with his role in Genesis, and having already released a solo side-project ('Voyage of the Acolyte', in 1975) he decided to part ways with the band shortly after the release of the 1977 live album, 'Seconds Out'. Rutherford took on all guitar parts for subsequent recording, and session player Daryl Stuermer joined the band for live performances.

The group clearly didn't spend too long thinking up their next album's title, and the aptly named 'And Then There were Three' continued their transition to a much more poppy sound. Notably, the lengthy compositions didn't seem to be an over-riding concern any more, and the radio friendly song-length was de rigeur. The album hit number three in the UK, and single 'Follow You Follow Me' provided them with their first US singles chart hit. As their popularity grew, so too did the extent of their tours, such that 1978's touring to accompany the album was their biggest and most demanding yet.

After some time off in 1979 to catch their breath, Genesis returned with an even more commercially-oriented album, 'Duke' (1980). They were clearly doing something right, as the record lofted them to the number one spot in the UK (and number eleven in the states), and was a prime example of eighties pop music. Follow-up 'Abacab' (1981) was an equally unashamedly pop record, and again went to number one (as did the single of the same name in the US). Recorded at their newly built The Farm studio complex in Surrey, 'Abacab' was a much more minimalist record than anything they had done before, and featured Collins's 'gated reverb' drum sound - a powerful, punchy and yet controlled effect that has since become his calling card. This is the effect used so memorably on the drum-fill from Collins's 'In the Air Tonight', from his 1981 solo album 'Face Value', and which is now being mimed to by a man in a monkey suit to advertise chocolate. (Who knows, maybe Peter Gabriel is in the monkey suit? Or would he deem that too normal?)

In fact, there was solo work from all three members - Collins's 'Face Value' had been in the pipeline for some time, Rutherford had used that break in 1979 to work on his own stuff (by the mid-eighties his other group, Mike and the Mechanics, was enjoying considerable success), and Banks had been working on film scores. Still, the Genesis albums did not stop coming - after another live album, 'Three Sides Live', they scored their third number one studio album in a row with 'Genesis' in 1983. They managed to sneak in an old-school long one onto the album ('Home By the Sea'), but there was still room for populist fare such as 'Mama' and 'That's All'.

'Invisible Touch' had them at the UK number one spot again in the summer of 1986, its title track also becoming their first US number one. The requisite arena and stadium tour of the states ensued, and their fame was as big as it had ever been. What must have helped their popularity in the states must have been their original promo videos on MTV, and in particular the accompanying video for 'Land of Confusion' - in which Spitting Image puppet versions of the group shared the screen with Ronald Reagan in a Superman costume. (In a rather beautiful piece of irony, the video narrowly missed out on being voted 1987's Best Video at the MTV awards, losing out to the seminal stop-motion video accompanying Peter Gabriel's 'Sledgehammer').

After a lengthy sabbatical (maybe they used the time off to listen to 'Supper's Ready' a couple of times?), Genesis returned in 1991 with another MTV friendly piece of work, 'We Can't Dance'. This was largely carrying on where they had left off, some memorable videos accompanying leading tracks 'I Can't Dance' and 'Jesus He Knows Me' - the former a lampooning of various clichéd jeans adverts, and the latter an all-out assault on tele-evangelists.

However, this was to be Collins's last studio album with the group, and by 1996 he had decided to call it a day and leave after 25 years as a core member - albeit on distinctly amicable terms. Banks and Rutherford decided to continue with the band, and recruited ex-Stiltskin singer Ray Wilson. They released 'Calling All Stations', an album of new material the following year, which fared well in the UK and on mainland Europe, but poorly in the states. Despite having toured Europe, a mooted tour of the US had to be cut short because of poor album sales there, and Wilson was eventually shown the door in unceremonious fashion.

Another long lay off occurred - but sales stayed constant thanks to a couple of well-timed compilation sets. By late 2006 enough time had passed without a Genesis tour that Collins, Rutherford and Banks announced that they had decided to do the fashionable thing and reunite and hit the road again. 'Turn It On Again: The Tour' kicked off in the summer of 2007, and has seen the three band members, accompanied again by Daryl Stuermer and Chester Thompson, dusting off the back catalogue and filling arenas once more. The three have remained cool and coy on whether they intend to get back in the studio and lay down some new material, but then again, when box sets of the old stuff are flying out of the shops, do they really need to?

• Genesis Discography