Awesome old Genesis video from '73. Good quality!

[nytemare]

"Watcher of the Skies" and "The Musical Box".

Gabriel looks a tad high, or low, in it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWhtQBoLvKs&search=genesis

[WCGreen]

1. That was the year I saw them in Cleveland.....

And then three years later....

After Phil Collins took over....

[nytemare]

2. I was two, and too young to understand this stuff.

I think Peter Gabriel scared me when I was younger. The video to "Shock the Monkey" scared me. For the last 15 years or so, I have loved the guy. He is quite the humanitarian, as well.

I have a DVD on the History of Genesis, and small clips of this video were on it.

[WCGreen]

5. When we left the Music Hall, the roof of a downtown building

caught fire...

And being that I was in an "altered State" well, I freaked and bolted out of the car and took off down the street so that the building wouldn't fall on me....

Good Times....

[nytemare]

7. LOL

So, probably you and Peter Gabriel were in altered states.

:D

[WCGreen]

8. That would be a good guess.....

My friends were dumb struck....

They caught up to me about three blocks over....

[nytemare]

9. That is funny.

It probably wasn't funny then, but it is now.

[WCGreen]

10. It's one of my only intack memories of the '70's....

[nytemare]

11. Sounds like a good memory.

One you can look back and smile on.

[nytemare]

14. Looks like Cleveland was where Peter decided to leave, interesting link

http://rec.horus.at/music/gabriel/Text/pg.faq


PETER : "The pressure was accumulating. I didn't want to be part of a
supergroup. I was beginning to dislike myself for what I was doing. I
finally cracked in Cleveland. I went into Tony Smith's room and told
him I was leaving. The rest of the band were told a few days later.

A lot of the friction arose because I wanted to take up on those
opportunities, and also, I was the first one to have kids. My first
child spent three weeks in an incubator and the doctors didn't think
she was going to live."

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Anyone who thinks prog rock or art rock is lame, is a fucknut.

This is what music is fucking about!

A truly incredible band, up there with Yes and Rush and Tull and some others.

Some of the most amazing and incredible musicians working in rock were in these bands.

And Gabriel is a goddamned genius, then and now.

[WCGreen]

4. You tell 'em R.......

[nytemare]

6. I wonder if any footage from Iraq comes from his cameras.

The foundation he created provides cameras to people where human rights are abused to film the abuses.

http://www.witness.org/

[HughBeaumont]

17. Don't you know it's pretty much a pre-requisite for music snobs

and rock critics to hate prog?

Why do you want to disrupt the natural balance of things?

The general Prog hatred among critics is getting to be REALLY fucking old.

[RandomKoolzip]

12. Actually, the guys in Genesis never did drugs.

Even P. gabriel.

Occasionally, some brandy. I read an interview once where Gabriel talks about accidentally eating a piece of cake that had been "laced" with pot and freaking out, in a bad way.

All the weirdness of early Genesis was just organic. Strange, eh?

[WCGreen]

13. Theatrical blokes is what they was........

[nytemare]

15. I always thought that first part of "Supper's Ready" was written about a

bad trip? He thought his wife was possessed or something, and saw her face change.

I may be wrong. Many of those early videos don't look like he is just acting strange, he looked pretty high. Not to say he is not a genius, but he did look pretty messed up.

[RandomKoolzip]

16. A common misconception.

When I first got really into early Genesis, it coincided with my interest in psychedelics. I used to listen to "Supper's Ready," also convinced that it was about experiencing hallucinations under the influence of acid. Being ON acid while listening helped a lot.

However, Gabriel has revealed in several interviews that the incident detailed in the first section of "Supper's Ready," with the face changing, the scenery dissloving, etc. is based on a real event that he and his wife experienced where, totally sober, each of them looked deep into the other's eyes, and underwent out-of-body phenomena.

Hard to believe, since "Foxtrot" is one of THE BEST acid albums ever recorded. But it's true: they were pretty much drug-free.

[Squeech]

19. Yup

"Supper's Ready" is extremely trippy. It shows how amazing Genesis was that they could write that without chemical enhancement :-)

But OTOH I think they knew on some level what there was about the human experience that the altered state brain would really lock into. I believe that they were trying to develop a repertoire based on the key stories and symbols that underlie (and arguably undermine) civilization. Is there a better-- as in, more starkly evil-- account of predatory capitalism in rock than "Get 'Em Out By Friday?" Is there a creepier depiction of fear of commitment than "Salmacis?" In the present case, "Watcher of the Skies" tells us that rapture is possible, but it's not gonna happen automatically like the theocrats would have us believe, we're gonna have to work at it. And "Musical Box" is all about the central preoccupation of modern man that the older and wiser and more learned he is, the less likely his naughty bits are to work properly, which we have also seen has become the foundation of a very lucrative pharmaceutical business, so it's unquestionably one of our major social preoccupations :D

The other reason "Supper's Ready" works for me is its dramatic arc. It starts with pretty stuff, albeit rather unsettling pretty stuff, then gets into increaingly twisted whimsy, then full-bore juggernaut doom music, and comes out the other side into an ennobling theme (which is actually a reprise of an earlier sillier theme), and I think all relationships to Joseph Campbell style quest myths is wholly intentional.

Sorry if I'm not explaining this very clearly. I think it's probably my own life's work to explain prog rock to non-proggers, but I'm not smart enough yet. (Of course, I am posting this at 7AM...)

[nytemare]

22. I saw part of an interview with Peter on the incident.

Maybe I just assumed it was due to a bad trip.

Gotta love the guy. Weird as can be.

[HughBeaumont]

18. I like this one meself -

Amazing. No other word for it, really.

[Rabrrrrrr]

20. Crud - gotta signup to see that one.

What was it?

[nytemare]

21. Hogweed.

Not sure why it was flagged.

Tony Banks could fucking PLAY the keyboard.

[Giant Robot]

23. I think they were all pretty good musicians

But I don't think of any of them as great really at what they did. Well Peter Gabriel is a genius but thats another matter. But something special happened when they came together to make music. It was in each other's company that they became great. Hope that makes sense.

[nytemare]

24. I do look at most of them as being great, but maybe I'm biased.

They used different time signatures, I think in Supper's Ready, it alternated, that is hardest for the drummer. Phil could flat out play the drums, and showed feeling through technicality. Some of the keyboard solos Tony played rank up there with a lot of the Who's stuff. Steve was just an absolute artist. I don't pay much attention to bass, but Mike always seemed good.

I thought Lamb was their best stuff, it is sad that Peter and Steve left shortly after that. I still loved Genesis music after they left, but it just didn't have that same panache. Still, though, they continued to have longer, more experimental tracks on their albums, though not as experimental as with Gabriel and Hackett.

Thankfully, we have youtube so we can watch footage that couldn't be seen before.

:hi:

[Giant Robot]

25. I see your points but keep with my original thoughts

They were all pretty good, but together they were great. Phil had the chops to be a great drummer, and could hold his own against many. I think my views of him are colored by how disappointing his later work is to me. Oh well. Tony was good, but I don't think he goes up into some Yes or ELP works territory. Mike was average. He gets props because he was versatile as a musician; have seen him sing, play lead and rhythm guitar, bass, and keyboards. So kudos to him for that. Peter just was...wow. Steve very good at what he did, but I can certainly think of people better. Like I said, individually they were good, together they were amazing.

Nice to carry on our conversation from the other night here. Always good to talk about the good ole days of musical greatness.:hi:

By the way, love the Palpatine sig line!! Geek on girl!

[nytemare]

27. I totally agree about Phil's later work.

I think after "Both Sides" he just really got flat. Just no edge left. Dance into the Light was ok, but Testify just really didn't do anything for me.

But, Seriously was a good album. I loved "I Wish it would Rain Down" with Clapton on the guitar, and I loved the horns on the other songs. But, he just mellowed too much. I suppose that happens when we get older.

:shrug:

Glad you like the sig.

:hi:

[Giant Robot]

29. This conversation happened after Both Sides came out

Between me and friend, and it happened really in two seconds as I was walking by her.

Her: Best song on the album?
Me: I Wish it Would Rain Down.
Her: Why?
Me: Clapton.
Her: Good Answer.

That is one of my favorite Phil solo songs easily. Maybe number one. never thought too much about it. I've stopped buying his solo work now. I bought Dance in to the Light as I heard a lot of good reviews about it, comparing it to his older works as equal quality. I think I've listened to it maybe 3 or 4 times. Bleh!

[nytemare]

30. Bleh is a good word.

I liked some of the songs that didn't play as much on his older albums, like the cover of "Tomorrow Never Knows", and "We Said Hello, Goodbye".

[Giant Robot]

31. Even the covers...well could have been better somehow

Maybe its me? :shrug:

But I miss the Phil that was f'ing cool in concert that could actually rock! Saw him and Genesis a couple times and they were always loud and good and great shows!

I miss those days....

[nytemare]

32. "I Don't Care Anymore" was my favorite Phil song.

That was damned good.

[HughBeaumont]

34. Most likely the reference to "weed" offended someone . . .

. . . not getting that hogweed isn't referring to marijuana, but an actual nuisance of a plant that spread through England at the time.

[Cocoa]

26. Peter Gabriel influenced by Mick Jagger?

odd comparison I know, but in that video it just jumps out at you.

As does Steve Hackett's overlooked greatness.

[nytemare]

28. Yeah, may be some Jagger in there.

The Stones and Beatles had to have influences on them.

[wildhorses]

33. thanks for posting this..

trippy stuff...those were the days