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I COULD LEAVE
BUT I WON'T GO
THOUGH MY HEART
MIGHT TELL ME SO
I CAN'T FEEL A THING
FROM MY HEAD
DOWN TO MY TOES
Genesis
is the twelfth
studio album by
the English rock band
released on
October 3rd 1983
by Charisma
and
Virgin Records
in the UK
and by
Atlantic Records
in the
US and Canada.
Following the band's tour
in support of their
1982 live album
Three Sides Live,
Genesis took an
eight-month break
before they regrouped
in the spring
of 1983
to record a new album.
It is their first written
and recorded in
its entirety
at their studio named
The Farm
in Chiddingfold, Surrey,
and the songs were
developed through
jam sessions
in the studio
with nothing
written beforehand.
Hugh Padgham
returned as
their engineer.
Genesis
was the group's greatest
commercial success
at the time of release,
becoming the band's
third straight album
to reach No. 1
on the
UK Albums Chart.
It also reached No. 9
on the
US Billboard 200,
where it sold over
4 million copies.
Five singles
were released between
1983 and 1984;
"Mama"
was the lead single
and remains
the highest charting
Genesis single
in the UK,
reaching No. 4.
While "Mama"
stalled on the
US charts,
follow-up single
"That's All"
reached
No. 6 there
Background
In October 1982,
the Genesis
line-up of
drummer/singer
Phil Collins,
keyboardist
Tony Banks,
and guitarist/bassist
Mike Rutherford,
with live drummer
Chester Thompson
and live guitarist
Daryl Stuermer,
wrapped their
two-month tour
of North America
and Europe
in support of the band's
third live album,
Three Sides Live.
They had also performed
a one-off gig
titled
Six of the Best
with original
Genesis frontman
and singer
Peter Gabriel
and former guitarist
Steve Hackett
to raise funds
for Gabriel's
world music festival
WOMAD
after it ran into
financial trouble.
Genesis
then entered a
period of inactivity,
during which the band
pursued their
solo projects.
Writing and Recording
In the spring of 1983,
the band reconvened
at their studio,
named
The Farm
in Chiddingfold, Surrey,
to start work on
a new studio album,
their first since
Abacab
(1981).
Genesis
became their first
album written,
recorded,
and mixed
in its entirety
at the studio room;
previously they had
to write in an
adjoining space.
Having the group work
in their own space
without the
additional pressure
of booking
studio time
and fees
resulted in a
more relaxed environment.
They were joined by
engineer
Hugh Padgham,
who had also worked on
Abacab,
but this time carried out
production duties themselves
with
Geoff Callingham
offering technical assistance.
Mike Rutherford
recalled an
initial period
of slow and sluggish progress,
but after a
particularly productive session
on the third day
they had
"two or three"
songs worked out,
which increased their
interest and excitement
towards the album
and in performing
the new material on stage.
Before the sessions began,
the group considered
the idea of
Tony Banks
or
Mike Rutherford
taking on a
lead vocal on the album,
but opted out
as they had
developed material with
Phil Collins'
voice in mind.
Banks stated he
and Rutherford
took a more prominent role
in the backing vocals
on
Genesis
than on
previous albums.
Tony Banks
explained the album
was the result of
the group's decision to
"write an album and record it in
one go,
from start to finish".
The group considered
their strongest material
had been put together collectively,
so they decided to make
an entire album in
such a way as opposed
to developing someone's
pre-arranged ideas
Prior,
each member would contribute
fully or partially arranged songs,
which restricted development
or suggestions from
the other members.
This time tracks came
about through jamming
and improvisations
in the studio
that were recorded
onto tape,
ensuring the band
remained unified
and the songs
were kept fresh.
Banks noted that this
made recording
more exciting and spontaneous.
This collaborative effort
marked a return for
Genesis,
crediting each member
for writing the album
as opposed to
listing individual credits,
which they had not done since
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
(1974).
The collaborative effort
also had an influence
on the album's title,
as the group was unable
to come up with
a suitable name,
so they used
Genesis
to emphasize the fact
that it was
written collectively.
Songs
Genesis displays the group
moving towards shorter,
more straightforward,
and radio friendly songs.
Rutherford said that
the band had gone
as far as they could with
their progressive
and art rock direction
that they had adopted
since the early 1970s
and wanted to
write and record
in a more relaxed
approach as previously,
the band were more driven
to present what
they had to offer.
Banks considered
' the music,
' and overall sound of
'Genesis,'
something that the band
had longed for many years prior,
specifically its more aggressive edge.
He described side one
as the
"main act",
while side two
has the
"character pieces"
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