Genesis (band)

Genesis is a British progressive rock group that was formed in 1967 when founding members Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks were still students at Charterhouse School. Genesis was formed from the merger of two separate school bands — The Garden Wall (Gabriel, Banks) and Anon (Rutherford, Philips). The band was christened and managed by Jonathan King and later by Tony Stratton-Smith then Tony Smith. The band enjoyed considerable success in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Genesis' longevity is only outdone by the likes of the Rolling Stones and The Kinks.

Genesis with Ray Wilson

Rutherford and Banks elected to go on, and were able to fill in the gaps of missing members. Drumming duties were shared by Nir Zidkyahu, an Israeli session drummer who had recently played with The Hidden Persuaders, and Nick D'Virgilio of Spock's Beard fame. The difference in the two play styles was noticeable, as D'Virgilio played softer, simple rhythms in comparison to Zidkyahu's pounding of the skins. Regular touring guitarist Steurmer was touring, ironically enough, with Collins. Anthony Drennan, who had played with Paul Brady and The Corrs, was recruited as a replacement. Finally, Banks and Rutherford replaced Collins with ex-Stiltskin singer Ray Wilson. He was not the only choice for the post. Rumours began circulating that Paul Carrack and Paul Young, vocalists for Rutherford's solo group Mike & The Mechanics had been considered as possibilites. Others suggested Fish, former singer of the progessive rock group Marillion, or Sting from The Police, while Prog-rock purists hoped for the triumphant return of Peter Gabriel. However according to producer Nick Davis, the only other serious candidate was David Langdon, who had never sung with a band before. Hence Wilson got the job.

Related Topics:
Nir Zidkyahu - Israeli - The Hidden Persuaders - Nick D'Virgilio - Spock's Beard - Skins - Anthony Drennan - Paul Brady - The Corrs - Stiltskin - Ray Wilson - Paul Carrack - Paul Young - Mike & The Mechanics - Fish - Marillion - Sting - The Police - Peter Gabriel - Nick Davis - David Langdon

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The album Calling All Stations sold well in Europe but went nowhere in America, where hip-hop, alternative rock, and teen pop were supplanting classic rock on the charts. Genesis cancelled a planned American tour due to the album's commercial failure.

Related Topics:
Calling All Stations - Hip-hop - Alternative rock - Teen pop - Classic rock

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Genesis has, for all intents and purposes, disbanded, but the individual members (including Phillips and Hackett, but excluding Gabriel) are in regular contact, and have not ruled out some sort of reunion. Tony Banks describes Genesis as "resting," and Collins (who has begun to lose his hearing in one ear) has even expressed hope that the entire original lineup, including Gabriel, might play together again.

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The classic lineup did record a new version of "Carpet Crawlers" (though this was done over many separate sessions) for a 1999 greatest hits CD, and most of the original members were involved in the two Archive boxed-set compilations. SACD re-releases of most of Genesis' studio albums have been announced as of 2004.

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