From Genesis To Revelation

The Genesis story began at the Charterhouse public school in Surrey. Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel and guitarists Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips were all classmates in two competing bands. Adding drummer Chris Stewart, they joined forces in 1967 with the hopes of becoming a songwriting collective. The band's earliest efforts were proffered through the old school tie, when pop producer and fellow Carthusian Jonathan King agreed to produce some demos. The contact eventually led to a recording contract from Decca. It's obvious the boys were middle class and that upbringing unquestioningly influenced their music, in fact it's a point that can't be avoided: indeed, the progressive aesthetic was never lowbrow nor pedestrian. Over the course of the next year, the band would record a pair of singles and their debut album From Genesis To Revelation at London's Regent Studios whenever the boys were on holiday, with John Silver eventually replacing Stewart on drums. It is of course a very early effort from the group, a pre-history full of the naiveté of both the era, and their ages. Chipping through the syrupy string arrangements, the album does reveal the talent of some very young artists. "Where the Sour Turns to Sweet" contains a strong melodic sense, while "Am I Very Wrong" benefits from some heavy phasing. Gabriel's vocals are particularly expressive, and in pop tradition, mixed right up front and center. There are also snippets of originality that would later evolve into Genesis' grand twelve-string sound and prog rock compositions. Witness the brief appearance of "Twilight Alehouse" between "The Fireside Song" and "The Serpent". Although the album and the associated singles sold minimally, the inauspicious debut did not go unnoticed, earning a fine review in London's underground newspaper, the International Times.