Alternative Weekend: Focus on ‘Genesis’ - The Collins Years Part On...

I have been posting most weekends using @detlev’s #metalweekend tag, but my main love of music is progressive and alternative music. Some of my posts have included these songs, but I feel they are not keeping with the spirit of metal.

I will continue to post article’s using #metalweekend occasionally but feel I have more to offer regarding these other genres that I am more familiar with.

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Introducing #alternativeweekend. Post an article that highlights THREE great songs that are either progressive or alternative and use the tag #alternativeweekend or use the ‘Focus on’ series if you like. There are no rules, just make your own!

If you have a short story or something to offer regarding an opinion on your songs, then share it with us!

There's a ton of information out there on how Phil Collins became the frontman of Genesis after the departure of Peter Gabriel so I won't go into the history of all this again.

To cover the ‘Collins’ period in one post would be a little much so I will split this into two parts. Whereas some of my ‘Focus on’ posts I can say I know some of the band’s discography, with this one I’m very conversant with most of the material except the final album, ‘We Can’t Dance'.

I’m personally glad that Peter Gabriel exited Genesis in 1974 for TWO reasons. The first is that he went on to become a great solo artist having much of his success in the next decade, and the second that Genesis evolved into a different beast that was less theatrical but lost none of its potency for quality.

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The band was to have more success without Peter Gabriel though mainstream mass notice-ability would come much later.

The first two albums in the post Gabriel era, in my opinion, were simply stunning and so I will focus on these first.

Genesis - Mad Man Moon (A Trick of the Tail – 1976)

A Trick of the Tail is regarded by many as the finest material that Genesis ever produced.

In 1976 punk was emerging but these guys were still telling us stories within their music of beasts that when captured dissolved into tears, robbers being caught red-handed and this one about deserts and muddy pitches in Newcastle.

I still have no idea what its about after hundreds of listens but its one of the highlights of this album for me. Mad Man Moon is a very symphonic and an almost classical piece of music at times which takes a few listens to appreciate.

I could have picked almost any of the EIGHT songs from ‘A Trick of the Tail', its simply that good.

Genesis – Blood on the Rooftops (Wind and Wuthering – 1977)

Wind and Wuthering has long been my favourite Genesis album though it doesn’t rank so highly with the masses and in popular ratings. I saw this clip from Wikipedia but can’t really understand it.

When recording finished, Banks expressed some concern that the album would be too "heavy" and "difficult" for people on their first listen, but he knew fans would give the material a chance.

I can never remember it being 'too heavy' but everyone has their own perceptions and opinions when it comes to music.

The use of french horns makes this song so seventies, an instrument we don't really hear anymore and that guitar work by Steve Hackett at the beginning is exquisite.

Sadly, Hackett left after Wind and Wuthering, and I know this album is closest to his heart as he plays many of the songs now in his Genesis Revisited concerts.

Genesis – Burning Rope (...And Then There Were Three... – 1978)

The album title, of course, refers to the departure of Steve Hackett and this album signalled a shift in the band to some shorter songs of varying quality. While I would not say they had gone off the rails, this is my least favourite album of the FOUR mentioned today.

However, it did spawn the top ten song, ‘Follow you, Follow me' which brought the band mainstream attention; me included.

Burning Rope is a no brainer for me, the highlight song of the album, with Mike Rutherford showing us his guitar skills in the centre part solo.

Genesis –Duke’s Travels (Duke – 1980)

I think I almost wore out my copy of ‘Duke’ I played it that much. This album was my introduction to the band and what an album to pick! Like the previous one, we see more short songs and some of the material that Phil Collins would record on his debut solo album,’ Face Value’.

Unlike ‘...And Then There Were Three...', ‘Duke' is solid and quality. There are throwbacks to the old Genesis and one you can hear is my pick of ‘Duke's Travels', which is a long meandering mostly instrumental track of over eight minutes with a simply stunning guitar climax in which Phil comes in and performs some end vocals.

Duke for me was the last of the great Genesis albums, and it was downhill from there. That’s not to say they didn't had their moments later but it was never the same.

Personally, this period of FOUR albums represents the pinnacle of their discography, though Gabriel fans would disagree.

Three of the four albums I mention are simply exceptional in their quality and music, and I would recommend ‘Duke’ as an entry point for anyone who wants to give them a try.