The Genesis poll

Sorry, this entry is only available in Ελληνικά.

Intro: Dimitris Kaltsas

The news of the forthcoming Genesis tour, which was rescheduled for April 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, surprised many of us. The reappearance of Banks, Rutherford and Collins for the first time in 14 years is hardly justified if we ignore financial reasons or the incurable nostalgia of some of the band’s fans. The return of the legendary band to the spotlight was the ideal occasion to do something that we would do anyway at some point.

The band formed at Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey in 1967 by pupils Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Michael Rutherford and Anthony Phillips, evolved unpredictably and proved to be the one of the most important groups in the history of rock music. The original singer-songwriter / pop-rock style in the late ’60s was quickly combined with great folk elements and transformed into adventurous compositions which defined the early British progressive rock sound, although Genesis was by no means a typical example of the genre. 

The arrival of Steve Hackett and Phil Collins skyrocketed the compositional and technical level of the band. Genesis brought theatricality to rock, invested on narrative instrumental parts, identified with the symphonic element and lyricism in rock sound, put the lyrics in the foreground, satirized substantially and timelessly, made records that today may sound dated, but are unsurpassed artistically. They raised the bar unbelievably high with their artistic achievements in the period 1970-76, and managed to be the only top prog band that never did the same thing twice. For too many differenet reasons, what we hear especially in Trespass (1970), Nursery Cryme (1971), Foxtrot (1972), Selling England by the Pound (1973), The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1975) and A Trick of the Tail (1976) will always stand out. 

In retrospect, taking a look back to the glorious period of Genesis, i.e. until their second live album (Seconds Out – 1977), the fact that the band’s classic line-up could not have remained stable for long now seems logical. Can you think of any other band with such important personalities who all embarked on such amazing solo careers later on?

The shift in their sound towards more pop and less adventurous forms from the 80s onwards brought commercial success and co-formed an almost completely twofold discography with 15 studio albums from From Genesis to Revelation (1969) to …Calling All Stations… (1997).

We chose our 5 favorite albums and songs of the band. Summing up the opinions of 22 editors, Selling England by the Pound proved to be our favorite album by far, with Nursery Cryme beating Foxtrot by one point for the second place, followed by The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Trespass and A Trick of the Tail.

So, aggregately, the ranking of Genesis albums based on the preferences of the 22 editors of Progrocks.gr is as follows:

 AlbumScoreIn top-5
1Selling England by the Pound9522
2Nursery Cryme6820
3Foxtrot6721
4The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway3413
5Trespass2814
6A Trick of the Tail2713
7We Can’t Dance52
8Duke32
9Wind and Wuthering22
10And Then There Were Three11

(each one of us ranked his/her  five most favorite albums. Scores were obtained by assigning to each list no.1 as 5, no.2 as 4 and so on)

Regarding the songs, the result was just as interesting. 32 different songs were included in our top-5 lists, and The Musical Box is our most favorite, followed by Dancing with the Moonlit Knight, Supper’s Ready, Firth of Fifth and The Cinema Show:

 SongScoreIn top-5
1The Musical Box5114
2Dancing with the Moonlit Knight4613
3Supper’s Ready4412
4Firth of Fifth3510
5The Cinema Show2910
6In the Cage156
7The Knife155
8The Fountain of Salmacis114
9Watcher of the Skies95
10The Battle of Epping Forest72

 

 AlbumsSongs
Dimitris
Anastasiadis
Selling England by the PoundIn the Cage
FoxtrotRipples
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayFirth of Fifth
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
A Trick of the TailMama
Kostas
Barbas
Selling England by the PoundFirth of Fifth
FoxtrotThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
TrespassThe Cinema Show
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayIn the Cage
Vangelis ChristodoulouNursery CrymeThe Battle of Epping Forest
Selling England by the PoundThe Return of the Giant Hogweed
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayDance on a Volcano
A Trick of the TailThe Carpet Crawlers
FoxtrotDodo/Lurker
Ilias
Goumagias
Nursery CrymeI Can’t Dance
TrespassFirth of Fifth
We Can’t DanceLos Endos
A Trick of the TailThe Musical Box
Selling England by the PoundThe Knife
Paris
Gravouniotis
Selling England by the PoundFirth of Fifth
FoxtrotThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
TrespassThe Knife
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Dimitris
Kaltsas
Selling England by the PoundThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
FoxtrotFirth of Fifth
TrespassDancing with the Moonlit Knight
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayThe Cinema Show
Spyros
Konitopoulos
Selling England by the PoundThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
FoxtrotFirth of Fifth
TrespassDancing with the Moonlit Knight
A Trick of the TailThe Carpet Crawlers
Alexandros
Mantas
Selling England by the PoundThe Cinema Show
Nursery CrymeThe Fountain of Salmacis
A Trick of the TailFirth of Fifth
TrespassDancing with the Moonlit Knight
FoxtrotRobbery, Assault and Battery
Christos
Minos
Selling England by the PoundSupper’s Ready
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayIn the Cage
Nursery CrymeThe Cinema Show
A Trick of the TailThe Fountain of Salmacis
FoxtrotLos Endos
Eleni
Panayiotou
Selling England by the PoundMan on the Corner
A Trick of the TailFirth of Fifth
FoxtrotLand of Confusion
We Can’t DanceEntangled
And Then There Were ThreeLooking for Someone
Petros
Papadogiannis
Selling England by the PoundThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeDancing with the Moonlit Knight
FoxtrotSupper’s Ready
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayThe Cinema Show
TrespassThe Chamber of 32 Rooms
Panos 
Papazoglou
FoxtrotThe Musical Box
Selling England by the PoundSupper’s Ready
Nursery CrymeThe Cinema Show
A Trick of the TailDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Wind and WutheringWatcher of the Skies
Thanos
Patsos
Selling England by the PoundDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Nursery CrymeThe Cinema Show
TrespassThe Musical Box
FoxtrotWhite Mountain
DukeLooking for Someone
Goran
Petrić
Selling England by the PoundDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Nursery CrymeThe Knife
A Trick of the TailThe Musical Box
FoxtrotEntangled
TrespassWatcher of the Skies
Tasos
Poimenidis
FoxtrotDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Selling England by the PoundSupper’s Ready
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayWatcher of the Skies
Nursery CrymeThe Cinema Show
A Trick of the TailThe Musical Box
Kostas
Rokas
Selling England by the PoundDancing with the Moonlit Knight
FoxtrotThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
TrespassThe Battle of Epping Forest
A Trick of the TailThe Return of the Giant Hogweed
Thomas
Sarakintsis
FoxtrotSupper’s Ready
Selling England by the PoundDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Nursery CrymeThe Fountain of Salmacis
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayLooking for Someone
TrespassIn the Cage
Lefteris
Statharas
Nursery CrymeThe Musical Box
foxtrotDancing with the Moonlit Knight
TrespassThe Knife
Selling England by the PoundFor Absent Friends
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayFirth of Fifth
Panagiotis
Stathopoulos
Selling England by the PoundDancing with the Moonlit Knight
FoxtrotFirth of Fifth
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayWatcher of the Skies
Nursery CrymeThe Musical Box
TrespassIn the Cage
Alexandros
Topintzis
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayThe Knife
FoxtrotSupper’s Ready
Selling England by the PoundIn the Cage
TrespassThe Cinema Show
Nursery CrymeSquonk
Giannis
Voulgaris
Selling England by the PoundThe Cinema Show
FoxtrotDance on a Volcano
A Trick of the TailThe Musical Box
DukeHome by the Sea
Wind and WutheringWatcher of the Skies
Giannis
Zavradinos
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayThe Lamia
Nursery CrymeAnyway
Selling England by the PoundBack in N.Y.C.
A Trick of the TailThe Fountain of Salmacis
FoxtrotCan-Utility and the Coastliners

Εισαγωγή: Δημήτρης Καλτσάς

Η είδηση της επερχόμενης περιοδείας των Genesis, που αναβλήθηκε λόγω της πανδημίας του κορονοϊού για τον Απρίλιο του 2021, εξέπληξε πολλούς. Η επανεμφάνιση των Banks, Rutherford, Collins για πρώτη φορά μετά από 14 χρόνια δύσκολα δικαιολογείται αν αγνοήσουμε οικονομικούς λόγους ή την αθεράπευτη νοσταλγία ενός μεγάλου μέρους του κοινού διεθνώς. Η επαναφορά του θρυλικού σχήματος στην επικαιρότητα ήταν η ιδανική αφορμή για να κάνουμε κάτι που θα γινόταν έτσι κι αλλιώς κάποια στιγμή.

Αυτό που ξεκίνησε στο Charterhouse School, στο Godalming του Surrey το 1967 από τους μαθητές Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Michael Rutherford και Anthony Phillips εξελίχθηκε απρόβλεπτα και αποδείχθηκε πως ήταν η απαρχή μιας από τις σημαντικότερες μπάντες στην ιστορία της rock μουσικής. Το αρχικό singer-songwriter / εγκεφαλικό pop-rock ύφος γρήγορα συνδυάστηκε με υπέροχα folk στοιχεία και μεταμορφώθηκε σε περιπετειώδεις συνθέσεις που όρισαν τον πρώιμο βρετανικό progressive rock ήχο, αν και οι Genesis δεν ήταν καθόλου τυπικό παράδειγμα του είδους. 

Η είσοδος του Steve Hackett και του Phil Collins στο συγκρότημα εκτόξευσε τη συνθετική και εκτελεστική ισχύ του σχήματος. Οι Genesis έφεραν την θεατρικότητα στον rock ήχο, απογείωσαν την αφηγηματικότητα στα ορχηστρικά μέρη, ταυτίστηκαν με το συμφωνικό στοιχείο και την λυρικότητα στον rock ήχο, έθεσαν τους στίχους στο προσκήνιο, προβλημάτισαν και σατίρισαν ουσιωδώς και διαχρονικά, έφτιαξαν δίσκους που ακούγονται ηχητικά ξεπερασμένοι, αλλά καλλιτεχνικά είναι αξεπέραστοι. Κι αυτό, γιατί με τα καλλιτεχνικά επιτεύγματά τους στο διάστημα 1970-76 ανέβασαν τον πήχη δυσθεώρητα ψηλά και το κατάφεραν όντας οι μόνοι εκ των κορυφαίων του prog που δεν έκαναν το ίδιο πράγμα δύο φορές. Για διαφορετικούς και πάρα πολλούς λόγους, αυτά που ακούγονται ειδικά στα Trespass (1970), Nursery Cryme (1971), Foxtrot (1972), Selling England by the Pound (1973), The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1975) και A Trick of the Tail (1976) θα μνημονεύονται εσαεί. 

Ρίχνοντας σήμερα μια ματιά πίσω στον χρόνο, στην ένδοξη περίοδο των Genesis μέχρι και το δεύτερο live album τους (Seconds Out – 1977), φαντάζει πλέον λογικό το ότι η σύνθεση με την κλασική πεντάδα δεν ήταν δυνατόν να παραμείνει για πολύ χρόνο σταθερή. Υπάρχει, αλήθεια, άλλη μπάντα που να συγκέντρωσε τόσο σημαντικές προσωπικότητες με τέτοιες εκπληκτικές solo καριέρες στη συνέχεια (από όλα τα μέλη);

  Η φυσιολογική στροφή στον ήχο τους προς πιο pop και λιγότερο περιπετειώδεις φόρμες από τα 80s και μετά έφεραν την εμπορική επιτυχία και συνδιαμόρφωσαν μία σχεδόν απόλυτα διττή δισκογραφία που μετρά 15 studio albums από το From Genesis to Revelation (1969) έως το …Calling All Stations… (1997). Από αυτά επιλέξαμε τα 5 αγαπημένα μας albums και κομμάτια. Η άθροιση των απόψεων 22 συντακτών μας ανέδειξε το Selling England by the Pound με διαφορά κορυφαίο, με το Nursery Cryme να ξεπερνά στο νήμα το Foxtrot για τη δεύτερη θέση, ενώ ακολούθησαν τα The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Trespass και A Trick of the Tail.

Συγκεντρωτικά λοιπόν, η κατάταξη των albums των Genesis με βάση τς προτιμήσεις των συντακτών του Progrocks.gr έχει ως εξής:

 ΔίσκοςΣκορΕντός top-5
1Selling England by the Pound9522
2Nursery Cryme6820
3Foxtrot6721
4The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway3413
5Trespass2814
6A Trick of the Tail2713
7We Can’t Dance52
8Duke32
9Wind and Wuthering22
10And Then There Were Three11

(οι βαθμολογίες προέκυψαν αντιστοιχίζοντας σε κάθε λίστα το νο. 1 με 5, το νο. 2 με 4 κ.ο.κ. και αθροίζοντας στο τέλος για κάθε δίσκο)

Στα κομμάτια, το αποτέλεσμα ήταν εξίσου εντυπωσιακό. Στις προτιμήσεις μας περιλαμβάνονται 32 διαφορετικά κομμάτια, με κορυφαίο το The Musical Box, ενώ ακολούθησαν με μικρή διαφορά μεταξύ τους τα Dancing with the Moonlit Knight, Supper’s Ready, Firth of Fifth και The Cinema Show:

 ΤραγούδιΣκορΕντός top-5
1The Musical Box5114
2Dancing with the Moonlit Knight4613
3Supper’s Ready4412
4Firth of Fifth3510
5The Cinema Show2910
6In the Cage156
7The Knife155
8The Fountain of Salmacis114
9Watcher of the Skies95
10The Battle of Epping Forest72

 

 ΔίσκοιΤραγούδια
Δημήτρης ΑναστασιάδηςSelling England by the PoundIn the Cage
FoxtrotRipples
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayFirth of Fifth
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
A Trick of the TailMama
Γιάννης ΒούλγαρηςSelling England by the PoundThe Cinema Show
FoxtrotDance on a Volcano
A Trick of the TailThe Musical Box
DukeHome by the Sea
Wind and WutheringWatcher of the Skies
Ηλίας
Γουμάγιας
Nursery CrymeI Can’t Dance
TrespassFirth of Fifth
We Can’t DanceLos Endos
A Trick of the TailThe Musical Box
Selling England by the PoundThe Knife
Πάρης ΓραβουνιώτηςSelling England by the PoundFirth of Fifth
FoxtrotThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
TrespassThe Knife
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Γιάννης ΖαβραδινόςThe Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayThe Lamia
Nursery CrymeAnyway
Selling England by the PoundBack in N.Y.C.
A Trick of the TailThe Fountain of Salmacis
FoxtrotCan-Utility and the Coastliners
Δημήτρης ΚαλτσάςSelling England by the PoundThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
FoxtrotFirth of Fifth
TrespassDancing with the Moonlit Knight
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayThe Cinema Show
Σπύρος ΚονιτόπουλοςSelling England by the PoundThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
FoxtrotFirth of Fifth
TrespassDancing with the Moonlit Knight
A Trick of the TailThe Carpet Crawlers
Αλέξανδρος ΜαντάςSelling England by the PoundThe Cinema Show
Nursery CrymeThe Fountain of Salmacis
A Trick of the TailFirth of Fifth
TrespassDancing with the Moonlit Knight
FoxtrotRobbery, Assault and Battery
Χρήστος
Μήνος
Selling England by the PoundSupper’s Ready
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayIn the Cage
Nursery CrymeThe Cinema Show
A Trick of the TailThe Fountain of Salmacis
FoxtrotLos Endos
Κώστας ΜπάρμπαςSelling England by the PoundFirth of Fifth
FoxtrotThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
TrespassThe Cinema Show
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayIn the Cage
Ελένη ΠαναγιώτουSelling England by the PoundThe Musical Box
A Trick of the TailSupper’s Ready
FoxtrotThe Cinema Show
We Can’t DanceIn the Cage
And Then There Were ThreeLooking for Someone
Πέτρος ΠαπαδογιάννηςSelling England by the PoundThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeDancing with the Moonlit Knight
FoxtrotSupper’s Ready
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayThe Cinema Show
TrespassThe Chamber of 32 Rooms
Πάνος ΠαπάζογλουFoxtrotThe Musical Box
Selling England by the PoundSupper’s Ready
Nursery CrymeThe Cinema Show
A Trick of the TailDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Wind and WutheringWatcher of the Skies

Θάνος
Πάτσος

Selling England by the PoundDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Nursery CrymeThe Cinema Show
TrespassThe Musical Box
FoxtrotWhite Mountain
DukeLooking for Someone
Goran
Petrić
Selling England by the PoundDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Nursery CrymeThe Knife
A Trick of the TailThe Musical Box
FoxtrotEntangled
TrespassWatcher of the Skies
Τάσος
Ποιμενίδης
FoxtrotDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Selling England by the PoundSupper’s Ready
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayWatcher of the Skies
Nursery CrymeThe Cinema Show
A Trick of the TailThe Musical Box
Κώστας
Ρόκας
Selling England by the PoundDancing with the Moonlit Knight
FoxtrotThe Musical Box
Nursery CrymeSupper’s Ready
TrespassThe Battle of Epping Forest
A Trick of the TailThe Return of the Giant Hogweed
Θωμάς ΣαρακίντσηςFoxtrotSupper’s Ready
Selling England by the PoundDancing with the Moonlit Knight
Nursery CrymeThe Fountain of Salmacis
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayLooking for Someone
TrespassIn the Cage
Λευτέρης ΣταθάραςNursery CrymeThe Musical Box
foxtrotDancing with the Moonlit Knight
TrespassThe Knife
Selling England by the PoundFor Absent Friends
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayFirth of Fifth
Παναγιώτης ΣταθόπουλοςSelling England By the PoundDancing with the Moonlit Knight
FoxtrotFirth of Fifth
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayWatcher of the Skies
Nursery CrymeThe Musical Box
TrespassIn the Cage
Αλέξανδρος ΤοπιντζήςThe Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayThe Knife
FoxtrotSupper’s Ready
Selling England by the PoundIn the Cage
TrespassThe Cinema Show
Nursery CrymeSquonk
Βαγγέλης ΧριστοδούλουNursery CrymeThe Battle of Epping Forest
Selling England by the PoundThe Return of the Giant Hogweed
The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayDance on a Volcano
A Trick of the TailThe Carpet Crawlers
FoxtrotDodo/Lurker