Posts by Liquid Len

    That’s a great question and very hard to answer. In terms of studio work I’d go for the spell that produced Selling, The Lamb and Trick. Here you have a band so full of composers and arrangers at the peak of their powers in a particular style that they were straining to stay together and so one had to go. But the collective efforts produced sublime music in that prog style that never lost its humour, drama, sense of melody and purpose. For live work, Daryl and Chester brought with them an edge that complimented the improvements in technology and available resources to produce a stunning live show. So that early 80s period is probably the peak for live stuff. I was thinking recently that in the 1979-81 period when I discovered the Genesis family of music they managed to turn out Duke, A Curious Feeling, Smallcreep’s Day, PG3, Face Value and Spectral Mornings, Ant also produced Sides, Back to the Pavillion and 1984. That’s a lot of very good music to produce in the period between the studio and live peaks I’ve highlighted. What a band!

    So true! What an incredible run of music!

    I'm a Prog fan, so their earlier stuff influences me the most. Selling England By the Pound is regarded as their best album Genesis has done by fans all over the globe.:)

    I totally agree about Selling England, I adore it too. It makes me think of ‘Sum of the Parts’ where Phil is listening to Fly on a Windshield, and the part comes on where the drums kick in, and the whole band crashes in on the song. He says that’s the best they ever sounded. Selling England is right there alongside it, polished and perfect, in my opinion.

    I can't be as specific as you but I agree performance wise I think 80-83 they were at the peak of their powers. Composition wise I think they had different peaks and troughs. 77-78 was a bit of a low point, 74-76 and 80-81 were high points. So to combine performance and composition I do think the Duke and Abacab albums and tours were it.

    Totally. I mean the London Lyceum shows in May 1980....wow. Phil is singing with gusto. He’s singing with this chip on his shoulder, almost like with a snarl-the band is grooving behind him with power; magnificent. The crowd is rowdy. I’m just blown away by those Duke concerts in London that spring. I wish they had a live version of them available I could get obtain. Couldn’t have been there though, as I was only a 7 month old baby at the time. All in all just incredible.

    Can you imagine how much dough Steve would’ve had if he had stuck with Genesis as they went through the 80’s pop-rock era!? My goodness the guy would blow his nose with hundred dollar bills! :P


    I’m not suggesting he should’ve done so, but I have to think somewhere in the back of his mind (and with Ant, etc) the wealth Genesis and Peter amassed from around 1978 onward....HUGE!!

    What’s crazy about that theory is that I don’t think there would have been a “pop rock era” Genesis had Steve stayed and had any major influence on their music. At least not to the extent of Invisible Touch. I mean they were already getting more poppy after the Lamb, but the two, four man Genesis albums definitely retained their proggy elements. We’ll never know.

    What would you consider the absolute peak of Genesis, artistically speaking? Thinking in terms of songwriting, but also powerhouse live performances. Recently listening to Duke and watching some of the concerts from the Duke tour, I would say the spring of 1980 was their zenith. Your thoughts?

    Love, Love Selling England...to me there is not a weak spot on the album. I’ll even defend Epping Forrest to the bitter end. It works.

    Mrs Backdrifter and I allow ourselves a take-away blowout dinner once a month. Tonight's the night. Just a couple of minutes walk up the road we have what's probably the best Chinese takeaway we've ever known. It's absolutely outstanding. My mouth is already watering at the thought.


    Still not fully decided what to order but one thing I do know: this is the occasion I order their crispy aromatic duck for the first time, I haven't tried it from there yet. Veg spring rolls will as usual be had. But what else... nice 'problem' to have. Whatever it is, it will be washed down with ice-cold Westons vintage cider.


    What are your dinner plans? And what would you get if you were ordering in some Chinese food (assuming you like it of course)?

    I too have tried to avoid Chinese food over the last few years, because of all the loaded salt and MSG, however I do usually love it. My preference would be shrimp fried rice with a nice crispy egg roll. It can’t be too greasy of an egg roll though. I love General Tso’s chicken too, big fan of that.

    Nice job on the interview, Christian.

    It was also gratifying to read that Under A Mediterranean Sky sold well and that Steve was pleasantly surprised by how strongly it did.

    Always nice for artists to have to that reward and incentive to continue being creative.



    I agree with Witchwood, it’s nice to hear a musician hint at the monetary success of his work. After all, while these are highly artistic and creative individuals, this is also their livelihood, and they watch their bottom line just like all of us.

    In some ways, PG leaving was the natural course of things. Ive seen the guys all saying that they were frustrated with the band being labeled as Peter first, and everyone else secondary. That type of a dynamic can tear a band apart. Still interesting to wonder “what if”.

    I bought the five boxed sets in December, I got lucky and found someone selling them all in great condition for about 1100 dollars. I put myself on a payment plan and just about have them paid off. They are quite amazing. They are the SACD hybrids. I wish I had a 5.1 system to listen to them at full sonic capacity. Does anyone know the best 5.1 system to purchase at a reasonable price? I have no idea what I would be looking for.