Thursday, March 24, 2016

Genesis: From Genesis to Revelation [AKA In the Beginning] (1969)

Untitled
This record has been released so many times and on so many labels, it's hard to keep track. The first release on Decca in 1969 is a valuable record. But, there are dozens of releases on vinyl that are easily found and far cheaper. So, take your pick.

The lineup for this version of Genesis was Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Anthony Phillips, with Chris Stewart joining later on drums. He was later replaced by John Silver, who was later replaced by John Mayhew. Note, that Phil Collins and Steve Hackett joined the band later.

The liner notes describe how the band could not be called Genesis because there was an American band with that name. If you read the Wikipedia entry, there are lots of details about the record, like who owns the rights, etc. This album was not included in the 1970-1975 box set. That's curious, but probably has a lot to say about how the band felt about the record. It was not a commercial success by any means and it is not representative of the Genesis sound we know.

It's worth noting that the songs are not the prog pieces that Genesis became known for in the 1970s. These tracks are more straight forward, albeit tracks with some pretensions. I think all of the members were still in their teens, so this was really probably more of a learning experience for them.

I didn't own a copy of this record on vinyl until recently, when I saw the limited edition (1500 copies) 180 gram version from 2014 at a huge discount, so I think I paid about $10.

I would say that unless you are a rabid Genesis fan, there is no need to own this record. The band hit its stride a little later on. Still, it is interesting to hear what they were doing in the very late 60s.

Sorry for the terrible photo. I didn't want to remove the shrink wrap, so the reflection from the overhead light is a killer.

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