The idea that Phil Collins single-handedly ruined Genesis by turning them “pop” has long been disproven, not least by Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, who happily claim equal credit. The other idea, that they just went rubbish after Peter Gabriel left, was also a myth – at least regarding the first few, rather beautiful, post-Peter albums.
Yet there remains a unique charm to Genesis Phase One, where a very English sense of melancholy and melodrama pervades the wilful prog complexity, underscoring the emotion. Their intellectual whimsy and surrealism may never be cool or sexy, but there’s an enduring magic to their escapism. And within that idyll the young Gabriel addressed all manner of hot topics, from marketing to masturbation to the housing crisis, from birth to lawnmowers to the apocalypse.
