Contents 1 Overview 2 Festive Fifty Entries 3 From The Horse's Mouth 4 Sessions 5 Show Appearances (Excluding Sessions) 6 Links

OverviewEdit

Genesis featured in the 1976 Festive Fifty and never threatened the chart again. 'Supper's Ready' (FF 1976 #31) is Genesis' summa cum laude: when Peter Gabriel was still dressing up in grotesque cabaret years before David Byrne copied the idea, Tony Banks looked happy, Mike Rutherford had never even dreamed of Mike And The Mechanics and Phil Collins was a drummer and nothing else. This 23-minute tone poem occupies almost the entire second side of a truly fine album, Foxtrot. Adapted from Teenage Kicks (blog)

• The band were formed in 1967 as fellow students at Charterhouse School, and were given their commercial break by an ex-pupil, Jonathan King. They began as a pop outfit but evolved into a progressive rock ensemble given to ambitious stage shows, lyrics and song lengths.
• The line-up that recorded the two Peel sessions (after early members Anthony Phillips and Chris Stewart had left) was: Peter Gabriel (vocals and flute), who left for a solo career after the 1974 LP The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway and the subsequent tour; Tony Banks (keyboards); Mike Rutherfoird (bass and vocals); Steve Hackett (guitar); and Phil Collins (drums and backing vocals), who moved to lead after Gabriel's departure.
• After Hackett's departure in 1977, the group continued as a three-piece to massive commercial success and abandonment of their music by Peel, who was to describe them, amongst other bands of that era, as 'firmly entrenched dinosaurs'.

Festive Fifty EntriesEdit

• 1976 Festive Fifty: 'Supper's Ready (LP-Foxtrot)' (Charisma) #31

From The Horse's MouthEdit

• John Walters: "I used to go and see Genesis, and after about three minutes, I thought, 'Oh I wish this would stop!"
  
• John Peel: "I can't listen to Genesis any more."
• (JP: 'Well, I hope you were listening to Anne Nightingale's 'Rock In Russia'. Right towards the end of it, a woman was saying that she was sitting in a taxi in Moscow recently, and heard them play a Genesis song followed by a Van Halen song. As if they didn't have life hard enough as it was!') (28 December 1987 show)

SessionsEdit

Before their Top Gear debut, Genesis had auditioned for Radio 2 Night Ride in April 1970, earning an 'enthusiastic pass' from the panel, and recorded a session for Bob Harris in May 1971. The former is credited by the BBC as being a Peel session[1], thus is included in the listing below. It is possible that this is because the BBC's computer still associated the 'Night Ride' moniker with Peel even though he had already ceased presenting it.

• Recorded 1970-02-22, first TX 01 April 1970 (Radio 2 Night Ride)

The Shepherd / Pacidy / Let Us Now Make Love / Stagnation / Looking For Someone / Dusk

• 1. Recorded 1972-01-09, first TX 28 January 1972, repeated 17 March 1972. No known commercial release.

Return Of The Giant Hogweed / Harold The Barrel/ The Fountain Of Salmacis / Harlequin (TX 17-03).

• 2. Recorded 1972-09-25, first TX 07 November 1972, repeated 02 January 1973, 06 June 1977. No known commercial release.

Watcher Of The Skies / Twilight Alehouse / Get Them Out By Friday

(Details for last two from Ken Garner's The Peel Sessions (BBC Books, 2007), p. 288, with many thanks.)

Show Appearances (Excluding Sessions) Edit

• 06 February 1976: A Trick Of The Tail LP and Phil Collins interview
• 17 December 1976: 2 tracks from LP Wind & Wuthering
• 28 December 1976: 'Supper's Ready (LP-Foxtrot)' (Charisma) Festive Fifty #31
• 17 February 1978: 'Follow You Follow Me (LP-...And Then There Were Three)' (Charisma)
• 22 February 1978 'Ballad Of Big (LP-...And Then There Were Three)' (Charisma)
• 24 March 1978: 'Down And Out (LP-...And Then There Were Three)' (Charisma)
• 01 September 1983 (TOTP): Mama (TOTP appearance)

LinksEdit

• Official Site
• Teenage Kicks: Apocalypse Now
• Fades in Slowly: Genesis’ first session: February, 1970