The Genesis Trivia Quiz

  • Is it that both songs ( portions of Suppers Ready) are written in the 1st person?

    That's it! Well done. Yes, it's only really the framing "story" of Supper's Ready that's in the first person (one of the only things I don't like about SR - it starts off as if it's going to tell a story but then it just... doesn't)


    You're up next

  • one of the only things I don't like about SR - it starts off as if it's going to tell a story but then it just... doesn't

    That's interesting - for me that's a strength. I like that it was never conceived as a 'story song' and just started wandering off in different directions as they expanded on it. Imposing a story on it would've been too 'forced' in my view - and maybe a bit too 'prog cliche' as a 20-minute track with a beginning/middle/end story, which just wasn't them - and might well have skewed it in some way we'll never know. It reflects their organic manner of working - "oh this is good, let's do this" - and also the way we think, which is to jump around a bit rather than linearly.

    Abandon all reason

  • That's interesting - for me that's a strength. I like that it was never conceived as a 'story song' and just started wandering off in different directions as they expanded on it. Imposing a story on it would've been too 'forced' in my view - and maybe a bit too 'prog cliche' as a 20-minute track with a beginning/middle/end story, which just wasn't them - and might well have skewed it in some way we'll never know. It reflects their organic manner of working - "oh this is good, let's do this" - and also the way we think, which is to jump around a bit rather than linearly.

    I see what you're saying, but for me it sometimes reminds me too much of what SR is - a collection of songs bolted together (even though it was of course done masterfully). Plus it has the structure of a beginning / middle / end story, it's only the lyrics that don't match that. I was interested by the comparison Phil makes in his autobiography between SR and Tubular Bells and I suppose SR works better if you think of the lyrics as more impressionistic, almost like another instrument.

  • I see what you're saying, but for me it sometimes reminds me too much of what SR is - a collection of songs bolted together (even though it was of course done masterfully). Plus it has the structure of a beginning / middle / end story, it's only the lyrics that don't match that. I was interested by the comparison Phil makes in his autobiography between SR and Tubular Bells and I suppose SR works better if you think of the lyrics as more impressionistic, almost like another instrument.

    You say that as though it's a bad thing! Again, for me it's a positive - plus as you do acknowledge, they did it so well.


    I'd forgotten PC's comment, I think it's a good point.

    Abandon all reason

  • That's it! Well done. Yes, it's only really the framing "story" of Supper's Ready that's in the first person (one of the only things I don't like about SR - it starts off as if it's going to tell a story but then it just... doesn't)


    You're up next

    That was a good question!


    Here is my question: Genesis rarely had special guests or one-off line up changes. However, 1982 was an odd year that featured a total of 12 musicians on a Genesis stage at one point or another. Who were these 12 musicians?

  • That was a good question!


    Here is my question: Genesis rarely had special guests or one-off line up changes. However, 1982 was an odd year that featured a total of 12 musicians on a Genesis stage at one point or another. Who were these 12 musicians?

    I had no idea! Great question. I'm going to take a complete guess - obviously the usual 5-man touring line-up plus Gabriel and Hackett = 7. The other 5 though, could it be the Phenix Horns? (I've no idea how many of them there were!)

    Abandon all reason

  • I had no idea! Great question. I'm going to take a complete guess - obviously the usual 5-man touring line-up plus Gabriel and Hackett = 7. The other 5 though, could it be the Phenix Horns? (I've no idea how many of them there were!)

    You are very close, just missing one musician

  • Great question. I don't want to set the next question though, so please give it to one of the others! I think there were four in the horns but didn't Bill Bruford join them for part of a gig?

  • Great question. I don't want to set the next question though, so please give it to one of the others! I think there were four in the horns but didn't Bill Bruford join them for part of a gig?

    Looks like you have put the rest of the answer together with Backdrifter and Simon1967. The 5 touring members, PG, Hackett, the 4 Phenix Horns, and Bill Bruford briefly joined them for an encore in Los Angeles.


    Since Thelawnmower doesn't want the next question, Backdrifter you answered the rest of the question first. Your turn?