Peter Gabriel
One thing I can say for certain, at least for me anyway, is that there is nothing like the experiences you have as a young person. They stay forever etched on your brain. Thus it was for me the very first time I heard "Watcher Of The Skies" by Genesis. That song was the beginning of a very long love affair with one of the most amazing progressive rock groups of all time. Keep reading to find out why they're on my list.
The more I think of it, I'm slowly realizing that WNEW FM was a truly amazing radio station. I've mentioned them in at least one other article. Well, here they are again. I was in my bedroom listening to the radio and on came "Watcher Of The Skies" from the album "Foxtrot." There was something always haunting about that opening sound. I later discovered, when I became a musician, that it was a Mellotron. That was one heck of an instrument and it defined the early Genesis sound.
Watcher Of The Skies was about seven minutes long, give or take a few seconds. It didn't sound it. I know that today you'd be hard pressed to hear anything like it on the radio with everything having to fall under that magic four minute mark, but back then, this song was just one of a long list of epic tunes. "Supper's Ready," from that same album, was about 20 minutes long. And yes, they DID play it on the radio.
A lot of people think that Peter Gabriel was the whole group and that after he left, that was going to be the end of Genesis. As you can see, that wasn't the case. Phil Collins easily picked up where Gabriel left off and, to be quite honest, didn't sound much different from Gabriel. In fact, during the early days, I had a hard time telling them apart. But the music was still great, whoever was singing.
Okay, so why is Genesis on my list? Well, they're living proof that you can actually be an accomplished musician and still rock and roll. Some of their songs were as heavy as anything by the Stones or anybody else you want to compare them too. And, at the same time, they could put together a symphonic masterpiece that could just blow you away.
Each album was a treat to listen to for the first time. You never knew what you were going to get because their music was all over the place, all while maintaining that Genesis sound. When I first heard "Afterglow" I thought to myself, "Peter Gabriel couldn't have done this any better." That one song, I feel, really cemented Phil Collins as the new lead singer of Genesis.
Sadly, Phil can't play the drums anymore (yes, he was the drummer until he was forced to take center stage) due to health issues, but he will forever be the heart and soul of that band even after Gabriel left for greener pastures. And he is probably the main reason why Genesis will always be one of my favorite groups of all time.
To YOUR Musical Enjoyment,
Steven Wagenheim
Whats On My YouTube Today?
Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
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