Who wrote what

  • I realize I'm very late to the party here, but did Philips write that F sharp bit? Why wasn't he credited for TMB if so? Or was he, and I just missed that completely?

    On Ant's compilation (ARCHIVE COLLECTION), F Sharp is credited to him and Mike. Ant has never been officially credited on TMB itself.

    Little known fact: Before the crowbar was invented...


    ...crows simply drank at home.

  • Thanks for the info. Seems odd to me. Maybe they offered and he declined? It seems like the basis for at least the start of the song.

    Well, remember that at the time the band's records credited everything to simply "Genesis." And there seems to have been a certain unconcern as to how accurate that really was. Consider, for example, that "Twilight Alehouse" was originally credited to "Genesis" (when the band included Phil & Steve) on the original single, and only received its correct credit (Peter, Tony, Ant & Mike) on ARCHIVE 1967-75 many years later. Also consider that the same recording of "Silent Sun" was technically credited to a slightly different Genesis when it was released as a single (when Genesis included Chris Stewart) than it was when released on FGTR (when Genesis included John Silver). And so on.

    Little known fact: Before the crowbar was invented...


    ...crows simply drank at home.

  • Well, remember that at the time the band's records credited everything to simply "Genesis." And there seems to have been a certain unconcern as to how accurate that really was. Consider, for example, that "Twilight Alehouse" was originally credited to "Genesis" (when the band included Phil & Steve) on the original single, and only received its correct credit (Peter, Tony, Ant & Mike) on ARCHIVE 1967-75 many years later. Also consider that the same recording of "Silent Sun" was technically credited to a slightly different Genesis when it was released as a single (when Genesis included Chris Stewart) than it was when released on FGTR (when Genesis included John Silver). And so on.

    Sounds about right, thanks. I haven't looked at the sleeve recently but my memory was that songs were credited to Banks/Collins/Gabriel/Hackett/Rutherford as opposed to 'Genesis' but I may have been wrong.

  • Unrelated to the current topic but real quick over to Pigeons:


    So at this point we know that Mike wrote the lyrics and Tony was primarily responsible for the music it seems like. But Phil is credited for the track too. What could he have contributed? Was it the melody?


    EDIT: And is there a thread where I can properly introduce myself? Sorry for just randomly appearing out of the sky.


    EDIT 2: I found it never mind.

    Edited 2 times, last by nts1drums ().

  • Say, I wonder who wrote the lyrics to the compositions after Gabriel left...


    Starting with A Trick Of The Tail, based on what I've seen...


    Dance On A Volcano - lyrics Mike

    Entangled - lyrics Steve

    Squonk - lyrics Mike

    Mad Man Moon - Banks

    Robbery Assault & Battery - lyrics Banks (Collins hasn't contributed lyrically at this point, exceptions aside)

    Ripples - lyrics Mike

    A Trick Of The Tail - Banks

    Los Endos - instrumental

  • Also worth noting that Steve Hackett posted a bit of a reflection on Hairless Heart, and he mentions on the track that he wrote the first half of the melody (the guitar part) while Banks wrote the 2nd half (the synth part).


    That pretty much puts the credit for Hairless Heart to Hackett/Banks.

  • I believe you're mostly right, although Tony has claimed the choruses of "Entangled," which may mean he wrote the lyrics as well as the music to those.

    Little known fact: Before the crowbar was invented...


    ...crows simply drank at home.

  • I believe you're mostly right, although Tony has claimed the choruses of "Entangled," which may mean he wrote the lyrics as well as the music to those.

    I seem to recall him claiming that he wrote the music to the chorus as well, though I don't remember if he mentioned lyrics as well for that one. I similarly wonder what Collins specifically did on Robbery Assault & Battery, maybe the time signature change? The bridge? Who knows.

  • I think the ones credited to a sole composer, such as Trick and Moon, will have both music and lyrics by that person.


    I've read that Banks is responsible for RA&B's lyrics (as well as the bulk of the music) and that he was aiming to continue PG's style of quirky/humorous story-telling lyrics. There are some tricksy rhythmic bits in the song that I'm guessing are the Collins-generated components. I also remember reading more than once

    that Hackett wrote all the lyrics of Entangled but yes he had the verse music pre-written, Banks liked it a lot and it spurred him to write the chorus music.


    By the way I like how in your post the two guitarists get the first-name treatment while the other two are surnames-only, which is my preference - I shudder slightly at the first-names thing.

    Abandon all reason

  • I think the ones credited to a sole composer, such as Trick and Moon, will have both music and lyrics by that person.


    I've read that Banks is responsible for RA&B's lyrics (as well as the bulk of the music) and that he was aiming to continue PG's style of quirky/humorous story-telling lyrics. There are some tricksy rhythmic bits in the song that I'm guessing are the Collins-generated components.


    By the way I like how in your post the two guitarists get the first-name treatment while the other two are surnames-only, which is my preference - I shudder slightly at the first-names thing.

    Haha oops, I didn't notice that until now. I think I prefer that for some reason.

    And I figured that Banks wrote the lyrics as well, I mean it'd be hard to write clever humorous lyrics, I just didn't think Phil would write those kind of lyrics (then again the man wrote the impressive lyrics to Inside & Out and Scenes From A Night's Dream, so who cares what I say).

  • Tony has definitely claimed the lyrics on RA&B. My guess (based on other Tony compositions) would be that the "tricky rhythmic bits", etc., are his as well. I would bet that Phil's credit was due to his contributing to the vocal melody.

    Little known fact: Before the crowbar was invented...


    ...crows simply drank at home.

  • Thanks for the info on that, that would've been my next guess.


    I've always wondered about the lyrics to It's Yourself. Of course it's not Phil & I honestly wouldn't believe it as a Tony kinda thing yet. Best guess would be Mike for me.

  • Alright I’m going to do Wind & Wuthering:


    Eleventh Earl Of Mar - lyrics: Mike & Steve

    One For The Vine - Banks

    Your Own Special Way - Mike

    Wot Gorilla? - instrumental

    All In A Mouse’s Night - Banks

    Blood On The Rooftops - lyrics: Steve

    Unquiet Slumbers For The Sleepers… - instrumental

    …In That Quiet Earth - instrumental

    Afterglow - Banks

  • Eleventh Earl Of Mar - lyrics: Mike & Steve

    Blood On The Rooftops - lyrics: Steve

    I know that "Eleventh" incorporates part of a song Steve had written, but I don't know whether that includes his words or only his music.


    Steve has said that he wrote the "majority" of the words to BOTR but Phil came up with the actual line "blood on the rooftops." It may just be me, but I've always thought that the words from "blood on the rooftops" through "word from Peking" stood out as sounding like they weren't written by the same person as the rest of the words.

    Little known fact: Before the crowbar was invented...


    ...crows simply drank at home.

  • I know that "Eleventh" incorporates part of a song Steve had written, but I don't know whether that includes his words or only his music.


    Steve has said that he wrote the "majority" of the words to BOTR but Phil came up with the actual line "blood on the rooftops." It may just be me, but I've always thought that the words from "blood on the rooftops" through "word from Peking" stood out as sounding like they weren't written by the same person as the rest of the words.

    Re Earl, my understanding was that it's a Rutherford lyric all the way through, and the tranquil middle section's music was the pre-existing Hackett piece.


    I agree with your take on the BOTR lyric.

    Abandon all reason

  • Ah that’s interesting to know. Thinking about it now the lyrics in the bridge of Earl do sound too similar to the rest of the song now that I think about. iirc didn’t Steve write the music to the chorus as well (which later is the home of his guitar solo)?


    I knew about the blood on the rooftops line that Phil wrote, but not that the rest of the lines said after that we’re also his. Venice in the spring does sound a bit too specific for Steve to write. Idk

  • Well I found the link, he refers to the chorus of Earl as the “stompy bit”, says he wrote that part (musically of course).


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