The Genesis Trivia Quiz

  • yes that it is..first band to have 5 top 5 singles from one album in the US

    When you think of all the great bands that came before..quite an achievement

    Whatever you may think of IT ..hats off and shows that they were on a roll at the time

    Over to you...

  • Thanks. I had wondered why The Beatles hadn't achieved something like this, but then remembered that most of their singles didn't come from their albums, but were separate releases.


    My question: 12-string guitar parts were a wonderful feature of many Genesis songs through to the late 70s. Mike in particular, used alternative tunings for his 12-string. For example on The Musical Box, he tuned the 3 highest pairs of strings all to F# (live was a slightly different tuning). For the first half of The Cinema Show, he did something particularly interesting with the tuning, very different from standard alternative tunings. What was unusual about his tuning for the first half of The Cinema Show? Bonus if you know the actual tuning (because he apparently has forgotten).

  • I heard that they were the first band to have five singles from one album (IT) in the top 5 or 10, which is interesting since they were such an album-focused band until the 80s.

    I really didn't know that or at least that they were the first. That's quite fascinating. Don't think I bought any of them. I'm such an Album focussed buyer!!😃

  • Thanks. I had wondered why The Beatles hadn't achieved something like this, but then remembered that most of their singles didn't come from their albums, but were separate releases.


    My question: 12-string guitar parts were a wonderful feature of many Genesis songs through to the late 70s. Mike in particular, used alternative tunings for his 12-string. For example on The Musical Box, he tuned the 3 highest pairs of strings all to F# (live was a slightly different tuning). For the first half of The Cinema Show, he did something particularly interesting with the tuning, very different from standard alternative tunings. What was unusual about his tuning for the first half of The Cinema Show? Bonus if you know the actual tuning (because he apparently has forgotten).

    Most of the paired strings are tuned to different notes. Somebody in the old forum posted a youtube link of a guy who showed the exact tuning and played the intro in the original way. I can't guess the tuning, I'm not a guitarist, but I know the lowest pair is tuned in an octave, the second pair in a fifth, one of the higher pairs in a sixth and the highest or second to highest is in unison. Anthony Phillips uses a lot of similar crazy tunings, which is what made me realize Mike did this too in The Cinema Show. I don't even know how that song can be played with a standard tuning. A cover band I saw perform that song played it with three guitars to make it sound like this...

  • Most of the paired strings are tuned to different notes. Somebody in the old forum posted a youtube link of a guy who showed the exact tuning and played the intro in the original way. I can't guess the tuning, I'm not a guitarist, but I know the lowest pair is tuned in an octave, the second pair in a fifth, one of the higher pairs in a sixth and the highest or second to highest is in unison. Anthony Phillips uses a lot of similar crazy tunings, which is what made me realize Mike did this too in The Cinema Show. I don't even know how that song can be played with a standard tuning. A cover band I saw perform that song played it with three guitars to make it sound like this...

    Correct! Usually the pairs of strings on a 12-string are tuned in octaves or unison, even in alternative tunings. For The Cinema Show, Mike tuned two sets of strings not in octaves but in a fifth and a sixth as you noted. The second half of of the song he switches guitars to one in standard tuning. Here is an example of someone doing the intro in this tuning:


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    Your turn!

  • Wow, now I have to come up with a question... I'm not too good at this but let's try, this one should not be too hard:


    As already discussed in other threads, there were various instances that Genesis members worked together outside of Genesis: Peter recording demos with Phil, Mike and Ant; Mike and Phil guesting on Steve's solo debut, etc. However, Mr. Tony Banks always used to stay apart from collaborations with other bandmates or ex-bandmates outside of the band. With only one exception: Name the Genesis member Tony worked together with and the project it was for. (Sidemen like Chester and Daryl not counting as band members)

  • Wow, now I have to come up with a question... I'm not too good at this but let's try, this one should not be too hard:


    As already discussed in other threads, there were various instances that Genesis members worked together outside of Genesis: Peter recording demos with Phil, Mike and Ant; Mike and Phil guesting on Steve's solo debut, etc. However, Mr. Tony Banks always used to stay apart from collaborations with other bandmates or ex-bandmates outside of the band. With only one exception: Name the Genesis member Tony worked together with and the project it was for. (Sidemen like Chester and Daryl not counting as band members)

    With Rutherford on the soundtrack for The Shout - that's the only one that springs to mind.

    Abandon all reason

  • With Rutherford on the soundtrack for The Shout - that's the only one that springs to mind.

    Tony is also credited on Ant Phillips' Wise After The Event (for loan of gear) and Mike + The Mechanics' first two albums (concerning the Genesis session leftovers A Call To Arms and the Black And Blue riff).

    But of course these cannot be considered collaborations as on The Shout 8)

  • Exactly! I guess next time I'll have to find a more difficult question.


    Your turn :)

    Use three songs to link Genesis to Frank Sinatra. There is a legitimate, if slightly tenuous, 3-song link I'm thinking of but of course if anyone can come up with a different but legitimate one, fair enough.

    Abandon all reason

  • Thanks!


    Here is my question - Way back in 1971 Genesis was put on a tour with two other popular Charisma groups. Who were these bands?

    I know this but will leave it to others.


    My Sinatra link was Charlie Drake - You Never Know (Collins/Phillips/Gabriel) --> Bobby Darren - Splish Splash --> Sinatra - Mack The Knife.

    Abandon all reason

  • I know this one .Lindisfarne and Van Der Graff Generator . One of my best friends was a huge fan of VDGG way back in 70s though much later than 71 , I never saw the appeal. Lindisfarne a saw several times in the early 80s, a great live band . Saw them again at a festival a couple of years back . Still really really good.

  • I know this one .Lindisfarne and Van Der Graff Generator . One of my best friends was a huge fan of VDGG way back in 70s though much later than 71 , I never saw the appeal. Lindisfarne a saw several times in the early 80s, a great live band . Saw them again at a festival a couple of years back . Still really really good.

    You got it!