- Most of the band met at school - Charterhouse School in Godalming. Before getting together to form Genesis, they played in other bands at school (Anon and Garden Wall). After those bands broke up, Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips wrote some songs together and invited the others to record them.
- Their first producer was Jonathan King, who also went to Charterhouse School. He helped them get a contract with Decca Records when they were still teenagers. It was he who suggested the name Genesis for the band, because they marked the beginning of his career as a producer. Before this they had considered calling themselves Gabriel's Angels or Champagne Meadow.
- Their first few records didn't sell. They were advised, at first, to go for pop rather than concept albums. Their first single was called Silent Sun, which didn't sell despite being played on Radio One. They changed tack after a second single flopped, and made a concept album, From Genesis to Revelation. This one didn't sell well either, because record shops placed it in the religious section on seeing the title.
- Genesis almost split up when Anthony Phillips left. He left because of ill health and also because he thought there were too many songwriters in the band. They decided to continue but as well as replacing Phillips, they decided they needed a better drummer. (they'd already had three - Chris Stewart, who left to concentrate on his studies, John Silver, who decided to study leisure management after school rather than embark on a musical career, and John Mayhew, a carpenter). They fired John Mayhew - Phillips would say later that he believed his working class background meant he wasn't the best fit with the others. By 1971, Phil Collins and Steve Hackett had joined.
- When Peter Gabriel left in 1974, Phil Collins took over as lead vocalist. In 1977, Steve Hackett left, leaving Genesis with just three members. That is why their 1978 album is called And Then There Were Three.
- Peter Gabriel used to wear some flambuoyant stage costumes, including a rubber "slipperman" outfit, a red dress and a fox head.
- Tony Banks wrote most of the songs. He has never sung lead on any track, however.
- ABACAB was originally an acronym to help the band remember the compositional sequence of the song.
- Phil Collins never wanted to be a singer. However, he performed much better than any of the other potential lead vocalists they auditioned.
- Genesis were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
NEW!
Obsidian's Ark
Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.
Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?
When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?
Themes:
Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.
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