Big Genesis & Peter Gabriel feature in German Eclipsed-magazine

In its latest issue, the German magazine Eclipsed takes a special look back at the successful year of 1986 with a major feature on Genesis and Peter Gabriel.

The year 1986 was a special one for the Genesis family in many respects. It was marked by the albums Invisible Touch and So. But there was also the Steve Hackett / Steve Howe supergroup GTR and Mike + The Mechanics were also still present with their success of the first album. Needless to say that Phil Collins entered the charts everywhere a year before with No Jacket Required.

It may be of interest for the collectors among our readers – German rock magazine Eclipsed has a big feature in its current issue:

Press info: The latest October issue of German Eclipsed magazine (on sale now, also online) devotes its twelve-page cover story to the most commercially successful year in the Genesis universe, during which the core band – led by the three protagonists Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford, also produced a wealth of other hit material, most notably Peter Gabriel's major breakthrough So. Added to this were the albums and singles from the Steve Hackett/Steve Howe project GTR, Mike + The Mechanics – launched by Mike Rutherford shortly beforehand – and the then-omnipresent Phil Collins.

It was, of all people, the former frontman and visionary mastermind Peter Gabriel who, after a number of remarkable solo works – as experimental as they were sophisticated – managed the feat of producing a classic pop album without compromising on musical quality or depth. In its major special on Genesis and Peter Gabriel, eclipsed looks back at how he got not only his fans but even the chickens dancing with that very hit single Sledgehammer. After his former bandmates had given him a financial helping hand in 1982 with a performance at his WOMAD Festival, Gabriel 'thanked' them by using Sledgehammer to knock the single Invisible Touch – from his former band's eponymous album – off the top spot of the US Billboard singles chart.

Speaking of Invisible Touch: rarely have an album and a title track polarised opinion to the same extent as this Genesis album, which was a massive commercial hit. The eclipsed cover story also traces how this came about, the long lead-up to the album's release, and the special pop appeal that this exceptional band – first in prog and later in pop rock – has always possessed.

The introduction to the feature in Eclipsed:

Anyone familiar with Genesis and Peter Gabriel from the 1970s would never have imagined the massive impact that these former pioneers of progressive rock would have in 1986, in what was akin to an explosion. Phil Collins had risen to superstar status a year earlier with No Jacket Required. Now, Genesis with Invisible Touch and Gabriel with So simultaneously topped the charts in many countries. All the other band members, past and present, also released solo works that showcased the band's immense creativity. We analyse how such a resounding commercial success came about, take a closer look at the videos from the MTV era, the Genesis theme song and the other projects (Mike + The Mechanics, GTR, Tony Banks), and examine the band's unique spirit as masters of transformation.

You can find the latest issue of Eclipsed magazine in well-stocked German newsagents. It can also be ordered directly from Eclipsed magazine for €8.50 plus shipping (including a CD).