Genesis 1967 to 1975: The Peter Gabriel Years

Gran trabajo de investigación. Súper recomendado a los fans de esta época.

This is the English language release of Mario Giammetti’s biography/chronicle of the period of Genesis’ history when Peter Gabriel fronted the band. It covers the band’s transition from schoolboy songwriters at Charterhouse Public School to becoming one of the top progressive rock acts of the 1970s. For many older fans of the band this is the so-called “classic” period encompassing six studio albums and an extensive touring programme. Although billed as a “biography” the book largely focuses on the music. It draws extensively on interviews with each of the band members and their associates, conducted by the author and Mike Kaufman (the latter extended from those included in the 2006-8 remix box set Extras DVDs) over the period 2000 to 2015 – so there is a small amount of new material to update the Italian language version published seven years ago. Giammetti’s book makes for a fascinating read and unearths a lot of new detail (to those unfamiliar with the Italian language) around the writing and recording of each of the band’s albums during this period. Three of the band members (Tony Banks, Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips) were also involved in listening sessions with the author on the albums, so were able to offer fresh perspectives on the material. For me (having recently completed my own book on the band’s output) this was the most interesting part of the book and there were a number of new details I discovered as a result. The book is well organised chronologically by album and tour and handsomely illustrated, with a number of rare photos. For a Genesis fan – particularly of that period in the band’s history – this is a must. It stands proudly alongside Armando Gallo’s classic I Know What I Like and the band’s own Chapter & Verse in its coverage and the insights it offers. The book ends with the words “To be continued” and I eagerly look forward to part two of the story. I hope too that Giammetti’s other output on the band and its members gets the translation treatment on the back of this excellent book.

An exhaustively researched history of Genesis, with deep dives into their formation and initial gigs and tours, plus first-person tales from the band members themselves. The second book, covering the era of Phil Collins on vocals, is a must read as well. I thought I knew everything about Genesis (first concert was the Lamb Lies Down tour with Peter still singing) but both of these books bring it to life as if you're there with them.

Perfect for all rock band Genesis fans.

As a long-time Genesis fan I hesitated for a while before finally committing to buying this and the accompanying volume and I am very glad I did. The focus of this wonderful volume is the music so we get lots of insights from the band members themselves on how the songs came about, how they were written and recorded. The structure is good, after a summary of each album we get a comment on each of the songs, followed by a review of the accompanying tours with a list of tour dates.There is plenty here even for the seasoned Genesis fan who may have thought they could not learn any more about this very wonderful but often perplexing band. A great buy!