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Formed by Peter Gabriel, Genesis' singer leader and theatrically visual front man up to his shock departure from the band in autumn 1975, from among school-friends at England's famous Charterhouse Public School - a background which didn't assist their acceptance in a rock culture which prefers its heroes, if not genuinely working class, at least superficially so.Of original four - Gabriel, Banks, guitarist Anthony Phillips and Rutherford - the first three (with Gabriel then playing drums) performed in the school group Garden Wall, although they have said that they came together initially through mutual interests in song-writing.
In fact, it was primarily as a vehicle to publicise and sell their songs that Genesis came into being post-Charterhouse and art school/university, a fifth member, John Mayhew (drums), having by this time augmented the line-up.
However, they were notably unsuccessful in this aim until they came to the attention of producer, singer and all-round pop entrepreneur Jonathan King in the late '60s. King, it transpired, was also an ex-Charterhouse schoolboy, though not a contemporary. King produced their first album, 'From Genesis To Revelation' (1969), also suggesting the group's name. The public showed little interest. Neither did King or Decca Records subsequently and, after a year with the company, their contract was allowed to lapse. (This debut album has since been re-issued under title 'In The Beginning' - London/ Decca, 1974.)
At this point the group were on the verge of splitting, but determined to soldier on. There followed a period when several people showed interest - including Guy Stevens, then producing Mott The Hoople with whom Genesis struck up an early friendship, and the Moody Blues, who toyed with the idea of signing them to their newly inaugurated Threshold label - but nobody came up with a firm offer until Tony Stratton-Smith, boss of the small Charisma company, took out an option.
The group cut 'Trespass for Charisma' in 1970 before Mayhew and Phillips quit the line-up. Phil Collins, ex of Flaming Youth and who, like Steve Marriott, had as a child actor played the Artful Dodger in a stage production of "Oliver Twist", took over on drums. A guitarist however, proved harder to come by, and Genesis played gigs for some six months as a four-piece before the arrival of Steve Hackett.
Both new members made their recording debut on the altogether more adventurous 'Nursery Cryme' (1971). which reflected embryonic period of what was to become Genesis' distinctive style. At around the same time the band began to experiment on stage with the visuals and theatrics on which they would subsequently found their reputation. It was here that Peter Gabriel, bedecked in an ever more outrageous wardrobe of theatrical costumes, came into his own as the focal point of the group.
The 1972 set 'Foxtrot' contained two of the band's best-known numbers "Watcher Of The Skies" and "Supper's Ready", and marked their debut in U.K. albums lists. Their British tour in the winter of 1972-73 enhanced their growing reputation, evidenced by the chart success of the 1973 'Genesis Live' collection.In autumn of the same year came the remarkably successful Selling 'England By The Pound' album which supplied the band's first British hit single "I Know What I Like". By the time of the ambitious conceptual double-set "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" (1974), Genesis' reputation as a major British band was already secured. They followed the album's release with their most adventurously-produced tour presentation, Gabriel acting out the story of the album's lead character which drew sell-out audiences in Britain and considerable public attention in American concert halls.
However, in late 1975 after a spate of music business rumours, Peter Gabriel - who was Genesis in the minds of many of the group's fans in the same way that Paul McCartney is Wings announced that he was leaving to work solo.
Most observers were at the point ready to write off the group's future - Gabriel looks irreplaceable. However, the ban confused pundits by declining to bring in a new face; instead, drummer Phil Collins stepped forward from the drum stool to take lead vocals with quite remarkable self confidence. The resulting album 'A Trick Of The Tail' (1976) won almost unanimously excellent reviews, when it had seemed just few months earlier that Genesis were all washed up.
To enable Collins to sing on stage the group added American jazz drummer Chester Thompson to the line up in late '76 after a temporary period using Bill Bruford.
As a sideline, Collins also recorded with 1975-formed jazz rock group Brand X, appearing on their two albums 'Unorthodox Behaviour' and 'Moroccan Roll' [extract from The Illustrated New Musical Express Encyclopedia of Rock by Nick Logan & Bob Woffinden, 1977. p91-92]
The group seemed to be on its way to bigger success than it ever had during Gabriel's tenure, as 1977's 'Wind and Wuthering' became another smash. But then Hackett announced that he was leaving on the eve of the release of a new double live album, 'Seconds Out'; he was replaced on the subsequent American and European tours by Daryl Steurmor, but there was no permanent replacement in the studio. In 1978, Genesis released 'And Then There Were Three', which abandoned any efforts at progressive rock in favor of a softer, much more accessible, and less ambitious pop sound. After a flurry of solo projects, the group reconvened for 1980's 'Duke', which became their first chart-topper in England while rising to number 11 in America.
The continued changes in their sound helped turn Genesis into an arena-scale act: 'Abacab', released in late 1981, was another smash, and 1983's self-titled Genesis furthered the group's record of British chart-toppers and American Top Ten hits, becoming their second million-selling U.S. album while also yielding their first American Top Ten single, "That's All." Two years later, the group outdid themselves with the release of their most commercially successful album to date, 'Invisible Touch', which went platinum several times over in America. Its release coincided with the biggest tour in their history, a string of sold-out arena shows that cast the group in the same league as concert stalwarts like the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead. Their 1991 album We Can't Dance debuted at number one in England and got to number four in America; it was Collins' last album with the group, and with new vocalist Ray Wilson, formerly of the group Stiltskin, Genesis resurfaced in 1997 with 'Calling All Stations', which recalled their art rock roots. Neither the critics nor the fans warmed to the album -- it sold poorly and the tour was equally unsuccessful.
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Awed Man Out - 1975 British Tour
(Takrl 1975)
The Amazing Kornyfone Recording Label
Source: London, Wembley Empire Pool
15/04/1975, London.
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When Genesis finally reached the UK in April 1975, they were at their performing peak. "The Lamb" show had already been played in it's entirety some 75 times by this point and so British audiences were treated to some of the finest performances of the entire tour. Only Peter Gabriel's impending departure cast a cloud over the band's mood, something that went unnoticed by the enthusiastic audiences. On April 14th 1975, Genesis performed "The Lamb" at Empire POOL in Wembley, London, the first of only 15 "Lamb Shows" to be performed on British soil.
The following night's show was recorded by the BBC, but only highlight of this recording ever reached the airwaves, leaving fans to wonder whether or not the complete soundboard recording may still be in existence in the vaults. The famous partial broadcast gave birth to what is probably the most "bootlegged" Genesis concert ever. From the original vinyl LP, "Awed Man Out", to "The Light Goes Down On An Empire" a Japanese CD release, this recording has gone a string of different versions, varying in quality as well as content. This particular release (by TAKRL) is rated as an A recording - and is one of the best sounding bootlegs in my record collection. If memory serves me right, I purchased this from the Victoria Market, Melbourne in 1976-77 for about $10.
Format: 12" single, 33 RPM. Plain White Sleeve with insert of various colours (yellow/blue, red/blue, red/white, brown/pink and so on) on plain white, plain mustard. Second pressing, always with paper insert, on "SPINDIZZIE" labels or "WORLD RECORD" labels. Third pressing, again with paper insert, on "SPUNK" labels. The tracks on the cover are different. There is a fourth very rare limited edition (100 copies) of the first pressing with multicoloured vinyl.
.Rip was taken from my near Mint Vinyl copy at 320kps and includes front cover scan plus associated photos of their 1975 British Tour . Because there is no song separation on this bootleg (typical of these early bootlegs), I have ripped each side of the album as a single mp3, to retain the true concert production captured on the bootleg. As mentioned, the recording is excellent stereo.
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Track Listing
A1 Cuckoo Cocoon 2:21
A2 Back In N.Y.C. 6:10
A3 Hairless Heart 2:20
A4 The Carpet Crawlers 5:35
A5 Lilywhite Lilith 2:40
B1 The Waiting Room/Anyway 13:03
B2 Ravine 4:40
B3 The Light Dies Down On Broadway 3:35
B4 Riding The Scree 4:02
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Band Members:
Peter Gabriel (lead vocals, flute & percussion)
Phil Collins (drums, percussion, vocals)
Steve Hackett (guitar)
Tony Banks (keyboards, vocals)
Mike Rutherford (bass, vocals)
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Genesis Link (115Mb) New Link 09/09/2024
Top boot!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much.