THE FORMULA WORKS FOR GENESIS

From Orange County Register - May 22,1980 - by Jack Lloyd, Knight News Wire

Somehow, Genesis keeps beating the odds. Throughout the British rock group's history, which formally goes back to early 1967, the survival of Genesis has been threatened by key personnel changes on a regular basis. It is the stuff that traditionally destroys rock bands.

Yet with each seemingly disastrous departure, Genesis was able to do far more than merely survive. Indeed, after a re-evaluation of the situation, Genesis has gained strength with each crisis and gone on to even bigger and better things.

It's been a steadily building process leading to Genesis' current status, which has at last landed the group into the ranks of the rock elite - genuine superstardom.

Consider the "numbers," that precious element in the pop music business. Genesis' latest album for Atlantic Records, "Duke," has taken off in the market place faster than any previous Genesis release in this country.

Since forming, there have been eight different versions of Genesis, with personnel shifting in and out of the group. Among the key people who have abandoned the band are Steve Hackett and Bill Bruford. But no drop-out was more crucial than the departure of Peter Gabriel, a founding member who went his own way in early 1975 in search of solo fame.

Gabriel had been the front man, the highly visable, flashy lead singer who featured a bizarre assortment of costumes and masks during performances. He was the focal point of Genesis, and there appeared to be no way that the group could survive without him.

"Yes, at first we considered breaking up the band," conceded Tony Banks, the keyboardist who is one of only two original Genesis members. "But we finally decided against that. We decided that the group's writing strength was still there and we should find another singer."

After a lengthy search for a new lead vocalist it was discovered, almost in desperation, that the group's salvation was right there within its own ranks. Phil Collins, who became Genesis' drummer in 1970, became the lead singer.

"Phil had done some background singing with the group until then," Banks said. "The original idea was to continue looking for a new vocalist. We would use Phil on certain numbers but we felt we still required another singer for certain other songs. But Phil kept improving as a singer."

And Genesis thrived, becoming even bigger in this country than during the Gabriel era.

The first album featuring Collins was "A Trick of the Tail," which became the best-selling Genesis album to date. This was followed - after the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett - by " ... And then There Were Three," a "Gold" certified LP that included the hit single "Follow You, Follow Me."

The new one, "Duke," is expected to be the hottest Genesis album yet. The core of Genesis which began as a writing collective of four students at England's Charterhouse School - is now Mike Rutherford on guitars and bass, in addition to Banks and Collins. To augment the instrumentation on the current six-week U.S. concert tour - the group's first in two years - drummer Chester Thompson and guitarist Daryl Stuermer are also appearing.

Understandably, Genesis' high standing in England was established long before the group hit the jackpot in America. Banks maintains that while the group did not consciously set to conquer the U.S. market, certain alterations in the Genesis approach were made beginning with "A Trick of the Tail." Among these was a de-emphasis of those long, rambling, classical-oriented pieces in favor of shorter, snappier songs.

Banks also pointed to the importance of supporting a new album with a hot single release from that album. In the case of "Duke," the hot single is "Misunderstanding," an airy, infectious ballad that was clearly constructed with commercial potential in mind. One can even detect subtle touches of the Beach Boys in the backing vocals.

The formula is obviously working for Genesis.

Thanks to Jeff Kaa for providing this article for The Path