Genesis - Mind The Gap (2024)

Formed by five Charterhouse pupils in 1967 - Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Peter Gabriel, guitarist Anthony Phillips and drummer Chris Stewart - Genesis were named by former pupil and pop impresario Jonathan King who arranged for them to record several singles and their debut album, From Genesis to Revelation, in 1969. After splitting with King, the band began touring, signed with Charisma Records and became a progressive rock band with Trespass (1970). Phillips departed after the album's recording, with Banks, Rutherford and Gabriel recruiting Phil Collins on drums and Steve Hackett on guitar before working on Nursery Cryme (1971). Recorded at Trident Studios from August ‘71, Nursery Cryme was released in November and reached No. 39 in the UK, albeit not until 1974.

Though the group still had a minor cult following at home, they started to achieve commercial and critical success in mainland Europe with the album reaching No. 4 on the Italian charts. From November 1971 to August 1972 Genesis toured to support the album, which included visits to Belgium and Italy, where they played to hugely enthusiastic crowds. In March 1972, the band were back in the UK and on the 4th they performed at Watford Technical College, 15 miles outside central London, where they played before a very attentive and enthusiastic audience. The show was a great success, but still the band were only a cult act in the UK, and they knew they needed to gain more interest from the media at this juncture. The Watford show provided the ideal venue to market their new strategy and, on the night, not only did Peter Gabriel shower the crowd with hand-made rosettes, stating ‘GENESIS ’72’, but the band also managed to arrange for the gig to be recorded and broadcast on local FM radio.

Tracklist
1. Harlequin (4:32)
2. Stagnation (10:11)
3. The Fountain Of Salmacis (9:42)
4. Twilight Alehouse (9:42)
5. The Musical Box (10:47)
6. The Return Of The Giant Hogweed (9:20)
7. The Knife (8:38)
8. Watcher Of The Skies (8:13)
9. Happy The Man (3:14)