POP MUSIC REVIEW
GENESIS GOES BY THE SONGBOOK

Genesis represented big-time, secure, established rock in handsome fashion Monday night at the Inglewood Forum. The group - now a trio supplemented by drummer Chester Thompson and guitarist Daryl Stuermer - is in the bigger-is-better wing, treating rock as a grand sound-and-vision spectacle.

Genesis and similar progressive units have become one of today's mainstream items, and as such the band plays it rather safe. On the positive side, that means we get surehanded execution and strong production values. But those qualities don't compensate for the lack of intimacy, spontaneity, provocativeness and surprise.

Most of Genesis' peices establish the same sort of topography - lead guitar peaks engineered by Stuermer (filling in capably if anonymously for Steve Hackett) spreading into Tony Banks' lush keyboard valleys. Moments of tough rock excitement occasionally emerge from the generally restrained surroundings, but in its newer music Genesis seems more interested in maintaining the status quo than broadening its ambitions.

Originally, the facet that separated Genesis from the mellotron brigade was the offbeat nature of the departed Peter Gabriel's lyrics and stagemanship. Today, Genesis' verbal content is virtually nil, and vocalist/drummer Phil Collins serves as emcee. His hammy monologues range from the 'jes folks style of "people's bands" to introductory tales inherited from Gabriel but transformed from whimsical/surreal to grossest common denominator.

You don't have to be a new wave partisan to feel that rock's really important events are taking place on a smaller, more human scale. With the infusion of new, young artists, the overall scene has become less top-heavy and Genesis and its ilk are now harmless diversions rather than bulky obstacles.

Transcribed for The Path by Joe Harden

Joe's story:

...And Then There Were Three... Tour 1978

I don't have any exciting stories to tell about this concert other than that it was an incredibly engaging show (in spite of missing Steve Hackett) mainly due to the fact that I was able to experience it from a much greater vantage point than I had for any other concert before (or after). My seat, acquired by the same means as the previous year although this time with much better results, was third row from the stage, just to the right of the center section (Tony's side). Rather than the stage and the performers appearing as slightly out-of-focus objects far off in the distance as they had in previous shows, this time their closeness overwhelmed me. It was comparable to the difference between watching waves from the safety of a nearby cliff gently rolling in to the shore versus being out in the water just as a fifteen foot swell crashes down on top of your head. The music and lights and mirrors were like those giant waves crashing down all around me, completely engulfing my senses with their power. If I had to say there was a down-side to the show, it would be that Genesis didn't play "Undertow" - one of my favorite songs from their '78 album. But on the other hand, Genesis more than made up for the absence of that song by playing "The Lady Lies," "Ripples," "One For The Vine," and the completely unexpected performance of "The Fountain of Salmacis." Experiencing those songs live was pure ecstasy.

Joe Harden

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