From Genesis To Revelation feature on Ant's website

  • Fascinating, insightful and informative, not only about the album but about the band's entire history.


    In the earlier FGTR thread I asked about John Silver's drumming abilities. I guess the article answers that question. ("According to King: 'neither Chris Stewart or John Silver were very good drummers and they knew it'".)


    And I never realized before that "The Magic of Time" contains the phrase "silent sun"!

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


    ...crows simply drank at home.

    Edited 2 times, last by DecomposingMan ().

  • The part about Ant's failed romance with a ballerina named Lucy is also interesting. I'm sure that story is behind more of his songs than just the obvious "Lucy" ones.


    I never imagined that the premise of "Lucy Will" was based on anything more than Ant's imagination, much less that it was literally true right down to the lady's name. It's ironic, though, that Ant was famous in his own right by the time of that song's release, given that its "narrator" is implied in the lyrics not to be famous.

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


    ...crows simply drank at home.

  • An insightful read written by someone who clearly sees a few gems twinkling from underneath some of that surface paint..

    It's always interesting to read a fresh perspective.


    Thanks for drawing our attention to it.

  • I was told this album was so bad and not worth a listen by older, wiser Genesis aficionados when I was young, that of course I wanted to seek it out for myself and listen to it.


    My friend taped it for me and couldn't even be bothered to write out the track listing for me, instead getting his sister, who I fancied like crazy and still keep in touch with even today to do it for him.


    I still have the cassette with her lovely elegant writing on it.


    One day, many years later when we were both older, we hooked up together after many, too many years apart, so the line 'She looks at me and gently smiles as if she knew I'd ask her all the time.' has always had a special significance for us both.


    Yes, the album is not Genesis at their best, but they were only young lads doing their best and giving it a damn good go against all odds.


    It definitely is their first album and I find some of the lyrics still resonate with me after all this time no matter how young, naive and inexperienced the fledgling band were at the time.


    The album caught me at a similar age to the guys when the they wrote it, so maybe that makes me a little more forgiving and tolerant to this oft overlooked recording.

    "She looks at me and gently smiles, as if she knew I'd ask her all the time..."

  • Thanks for this!

    This is indeed a very detailed essay. I don't agree with everything, but it certainly makes you think abut that first album a little more.

    It has always been put aside, just unlike debuts by other bands and probably it's time to treat this album differently.

    That won't change my impression that their later work is far better.

  • Read this again recently and noted an interesting bit of trivia that I must have missed the first time. Apparently "In The Beginning" was, at some point, the last remaining FGTR song in the band's live set.

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


    ...crows simply drank at home.

  • A really enjoyable read. Andy Thomas is such a good writer, he makes the band's earliest efforts sound a lot more appealing than they are. I might even dust off the album for a rare listen!