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MUSIC HISTORY:
JAZZ / ROCK / BLUES / ETC.
Reviews, News, Commentaries
and Music Biographies by Randy
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New additions and monthly updates to the Music History site have been put on extended hiatus. All information is still available for viewing, and the option of posting to the Guestbook is still available.
Thanks for reading-
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Jazz, Rock, Blues, and beyond; found here is the unique work and perspective on music of Randy: Musician, Music Historian, and Freelance Music Journalist. This site includes writings on Crosby, Stills & Nash -- whose site Randy has been a contributor to since 1997 -- Steve Winwood, Marvin Gaye, Grant Green, Steely Dan, Andy Summers, and many others. You'll find concert reviews, album reviews, book reviews, historical and biographical information, as well as general analysis and opinion that ranges through the varied histories of jazz, rock, and blues.
Click the link for the index page (above) for a complete listing of site contents.
All written works contained herein are under the exclusive ownership of Lark Publishing, Inc. (Randy). All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited. No text may be used in whole or in part without expressed written consent of Lark Publishing, Inc.
Have a question or a suggestion? CONTACT
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Milestones
Available Freelance Music Journalist - Twenty-six years of advanced research with extensive knowledge of jazz, blues, rock and folk history; development of personal book and magazine archive; critical analysis of jazz and rock journalism book / magazine publications; specialization in biographical and discography information; freelance music website editorial experience; general review experience; completed works available for commercial publication; library collection-development experience (music recordings); music-reference research experience; music reference-book purchasing consultant; twenty-three years of experience as a professional musician including personal study of guitar, bass, and songwriting; thirty-two years singing experience; working knowledge of applicable equipment and recording techniques; familiarity with business contracts, live performance agreements and copyright law.
All writing contracts include a provision that indicates ownership of copyright is retained by writer. Send all inquiries to the e-mail link above.
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Genesis circa 1980: Duke (Atlantic Records).
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Commentary
(May 2002)
Remembering Genesis: After the Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1976-1983)
There have been many varied perspectives and opinions concerning Genesis since the band's first record was released in 1969. By and large, the consensus among the more notable of rock critics has been little more than distain for any period of Genesis' history. This is surprising, considering the band's talent, aesthetic and focus in comparison to other progressively oriented contemporaries like Yes, King Crimson, or Pink Floyd. That aside, many fans have always had a particular interest in the period following Peter Gabriel's departure in 1975, as the band's approach became more accessible. This assuredly is no reflection on Gabriel or his art (I have always enjoyed 1973's Selling England By The Pound, a favorite of the Gabriel era); it was just interesting to many that a band could lose its front man and artistic spearhead and then manage to find a new approach, a wider audience, and (over time) a new direction with such great and engaging artistic success.
Always more focused than Yes and less pretentious and overblown than Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Genesis was a model of what was interesting about "progressive" rock in the first place. A Trick of the Tail (1976), their first effort without Gabriel and thus the front-man debut of Phil Collins, showed all they were capable of: interesting songs, polished production, expressive vocals and advanced musicianship, all with a sense of purpose. Essentially this was a strong start; it's almost as though the band didn't miss a beat with Gabriel's departure, and while Wind and Wuthering (1977) solidified their achievement (with less sterling results), both of these albums stand as important stages in the band's development. The band had successfully redefined itself with these two releases, but now also clearly needed somewhere else to go. After the recording of Wind and Wuthering, the band's lead guitarist Steve Hackett decided his run with Genesis was at an end, and he left the band to pursue a solo career. Mike Rutherford now took an expanded role as both the band's bassist and guitar player for their studio efforts.
The faltering point came in 1978 with ...And Then There Were Three..., which is what could be described as an interesting failure. The band was clearly in a period of transition, precariously attempting to balance the old "progressive" rock sensibilities with more accessible elements, but to some degree the band appeared to have run out of fresh ideas. None of the songs really say anything new about the band, about the state of progressive rock and/or its approaches, nor anything else. While "Down and Out" and "Many Too Many" indicated that Genesis still had much to offer, and "Follow You, Follow Me" was a pretty indicator of things to come, little of the music or lyrics the band submitted for the ...And Then There Were Three... sessions came up to their usual standard. While certainly not abysmal (which many other critics less-than-kindly indicated), at this point in time Genesis was desperately in need of a new approach. With punk demanding that rock's excesses be dropped away lest the applicable bands be overun and forgotten, clearly something had to break if the band was to have a future.
The break came in 1980 with the release of Duke, where the band found a way to reconcile elements of its old sound and aesthetic within a more streamlined, less esoteric context. From "Behind The Lines" to "Duchess" to "Turn It On Again" the band sounded reenergized and reinvigorated, with more of a sense of purpose than they'd had since Selling England By The Pound. Duke also realised the greatest chart success of Genesis' career thus far, with "Misunderstanding" and "Turn It On Again" receiving extensive FM airplay. For many, Duke was Genesis' finest moment on record.
Taking their cues now from more modern or current elements, the band managed to expand their horizons even further with 1981's Abacab, probably the best example of any progressive rock band successfully updating their sound without losing sight of their strengths and weaknesses. Radio latched on to "No Reply At All" and "Man On The Corner," the old school Genesis fans appreciated "Dodo/Lurker," no one quite understood "Whodunnit?," but the album was a landmark of advancement for the band that showed how much talent, scope, and music was contained in the partnership of Rutherford, Banks, and Collins.
After Abacab, Genesis was again able to consolidate the advances they had made since recording Duke with the release of their self-titled album Genesis in 1983. This album has been criticized by many fans as well as being celebrated, and was the band's best seller up to that time. The album comes acoss as another well-crafted balance between their progressive past and their more accessible present. "Mama" stands as classic as any Genesis, with their progressive aesthetic intact, yet modernized. With a sound closely related to Brian Eno's "In Dark Trees" (from 1975's Another Green World) the band managed to sound menacing and engaging simultaneously without putting off newer listeners. Tracks like "Home By The Sea," "Second Home By The Sea" and "Silver Rainbow" continued their now standard experimental trend with refreshing results.
Yet longtime fans of the group criticized this album for being too "pop," too commercial. While tracks like "That's All" or "Illegal Alien" may have fit this bill, the remainder of the album is clearly every bit as fresh and interesting as Abacab or Duke, building upon the sounds they started on those albums. "It's Gonna Get Better" was certainly "Follow You, Follow Me" with an expanded, outward-looking perspective, and every bit as interesting. Fans of Genesis tend to see their work as too commercial when they fail to realize that where they came from was radically esoteric, experimental, and almost completely non-commercial ("Return of the Giant Hogweed" is hardly fodder for mass appeal). In light of their earlier work, anything and everything that was merely more streamlined and stylistically cohesive would appear more commercial, even when that isn't really the case ("Mama" and the songs mentioned above are hardly commercial).
Gabriel-era Genesis has its great points and peaks, but the band's work immediately after his departure as well as into the early eighties ('80-'83) deserves respect and balanced consideration.
Copyright © 2002 by Lark Publishing, Inc. (Randy). All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
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