The article on the back of https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10227066603880741 from the Pop Rocky magazine Germany 1974. Translation: GENESIS - Pop Concert with a Concept Offering More... "That must be a vocal group, or something like that..." paused a lady dressed for the evening in the foyer of the Darmstadt State Theatre. During the intermission, between Harold Pinter's "The Lover" and James Saunders' "What a Pity About Fred," she had spotted the poster for "Genesis." The "vocal group, or something like that" toured German theatres in September with a six-person road manager and eleven tons of props. The British pop quintet, about to embark on an extensive tour of England and America, had come to Germany at the initiative of the Darmstadt Theatre. Since the end of 1972, Maarten Schiemer, author and former director of the now-closed, music-missionary Darmstadt "Underground" club, has been bringing pop groups to the theatre there An establishment he has since expanded into a theatrical tour. Following the example of the Basel Theatre (where, from 1968 onwards, such fabulous groups as Nice, Yes, Who, Colosseum, and Taste performed), Atlantis, Patto, and King Crimson have already graced the theatre stage—unusual for rock bands—in this way. This environment is less unusual for Genesis, who already present their music using theatrical means. Music so individual and independent that Peter Gabriel's group transforms astonished listeners into enthusiastic fans at almost every concert. In London, Genesis was already spoken of with reverence in 1971: In August, the group gave several concerts at the legendary Marquee Club; "Trespass," the second Genesis LP, was prominently displayed in the glass case at 90 Wardour Street. The in-house DJ, an image-obsessed man with a blasé "insider" air, placed the Genesis album on the turntable with the same care as if adjusting the position of the British Crown Jewels in their visible velvet tomb. Genesis works on their products with the same meticulous, almost consuming precision. Their aim: to offer more on record than a simple rendition of songs, and to deliver more at concerts than a "live" reproduction of the albums. The result is a concert-like concept pop that (with the exception of the weak debut album "From Genesis To Revelation") works exceptionally well on record. The works "Trespass," "Nursery Cryme," "Foxtrot," "Genesis Live," and "Selling England By The Pound" offer bizarre ballads, whimsical stories with macabre tendencies, garnished with printed poems and song lyrics. Utopian Visions à la Aldous Huxley Best example: On "Foxtrot," the utopian mini-opera "Get 'Em Out By Friday" with assigned roles and timings, visible on the record sleeve. The story: In 2012, a homeowners' league consults with the "Genetic Control Station." Result of the meeting: In the future people are produced with a ten foot reduction. The British citizens, enjoying their evening beer in the hypermodern "Puborama," take the news calmly. Homeowners can cram more people into fewer houses and are renovated. The prototype of a "Genesis" story—not meant as a clumsy political statement, of course, but rather a charmingly pop-infused Aldous Huxley vision. Genesis in concert: More of an event... What does it look like in concert? Musically incredibly impressive in the precision of the musicians, the use of the Mellotron as an integrated component of their own sound absolutely on par with "Yes" and "Moody Blues"—at times virtuosic, even if the communication of the lyrics doesn't always work More of an event than a concert: Genesis compositions abound in endlessly branching, bombastic arrangements, amplified by the use of a Mellotron to the monstrous sonic fullness of a sixty-piece orchestra. Dynamically masterfully held together and driven forward by the rhythm section of Michael Rutherford (bass) and Phil Collins (drums), with sonic imagery provided by Tony Banks, organ, piano, and Mellotron, all garnished by Steve Hackett's distinctive, reverberating guitar passages. Like silhouettes, the musicians, seated on white chairs against the cloth-covered, white stage backdrop, create a unique and immersive experience. The visual attraction is singer Peter Gabriel, made up, with changing costumes and masks. He attempts, with sometimes exaggerated theatricality, to stage the deliberately static fragile, rough voice. Herein lies a problem with the presentation: Although "Genesis," purely musically speaking, doesn't need visual enhancement, an understanding of the lyrics is essential if one wants to enjoy the overall concept. Since Peter Gabriel's singing is difficult to understand, and his facial expressions and costumes, on the other hand, are not focused on any readily understandable symbolism, it remains "only" a fabulous concert, not total pop theater. Visual presentation not yet entirely successful This became particularly evident during the theater tour with pieces from his latest album, "Selling England By The Pound." Anyone unfamiliar with the album—and at that point, no one in the German audience could possibly have known it—hoped that Gabriel would visually convey its content. But it remained unclear: During "The Battle Of Epping Forest," Gabriel pranced along coquettishly, his face painted green, a cross between a not-so-fresh drowned corpse and a hysterical witch. Who would guess that Gabriel was portraying the street battles of two rival gangs in London's East End? Ends illustrated? Or also "The Musical Box," the very popular composition in Germany from the album "Nursery Cryme." The story: Nine-year-old Cynthia Jane De Blaise-William, playing croquet, accidentally kills her eight-year-old playmate, Henry Hamilton-Smythe, with the mallet of this otherwise peaceful lawn game. Later, in Henry's nursery, she discovers the music box belonging to the murdered Henry, which she curiously winds up. Henry's ghost appears to her, but his "lifespan" is limited by the measured playing time of the music box. Henry ages as rapidly as the clock runs out; what remains is a child's body with the bearded, wrinkled head of an old man. Who, without precise knowledge of this complicated and contrived story, would understand why Peter Gabriel suddenly appears in concert wearing the painted mask of an old man? Genesis will have to work on ensuring that lyrics, facial expressions, and music complement each other and explain themselves. Otherwise, their performance (if they want to continue in this form) will resemble a play that cannot be understood without explanatory words in the program. Conclusion: A musically enormous group on record and in concert, but not (yet) always successful in its visual presentation. Without a doubt, Genesis is one of the most fascinating and promising new bands. Bert Hensel

The article on the back of https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10227066603880741 from the Pop Rocky magazine Germany 1974. Translation:

GENESIS - Pop Concert with a Concept

Offering More...

"That must be a vocal group, or something like that..." paused a lady dressed for the evening in the foyer of the Darmstadt State Theatre. During the intermission, between Harold Pinter's "The Lover" and James Saunders' "What a Pity About Fred," she had spotted the poster for "Genesis."

The "vocal group, or something like that" toured German theatres in September with a six-person road manager and eleven tons of props. The British pop quintet, about to embark on an extensive tour of England and America, had come to Germany at the initiative of the Darmstadt Theatre. Since the end of 1972, Maarten Schiemer, author and former director of the now-closed, music-missionary Darmstadt "Underground" club, has been bringing pop groups to the theatre there An establishment he has since expanded into a theatrical tour. Following the example of the Basel Theatre (where, from 1968 onwards, such fabulous groups as Nice, Yes, Who, Colosseum, and Taste performed), Atlantis, Patto, and King Crimson have already graced the theatre stage—unusual for rock bands—in this way. This environment is less unusual for Genesis, who already present their music using theatrical means. Music so individual and independent that Peter Gabriel's group transforms astonished listeners into enthusiastic fans at almost every concert.

In London, Genesis was already spoken of with reverence in 1971: In August, the group gave several concerts at the legendary Marquee Club; "Trespass," the second Genesis LP, was prominently displayed in the glass case at 90 Wardour Street. The in-house DJ, an image-obsessed man with a blasé "insider" air, placed the Genesis album on the turntable with the same care as if adjusting the position of the British Crown Jewels in their visible velvet tomb. Genesis works on their products with the same meticulous, almost consuming precision. Their aim: to offer more on record than a simple rendition of songs, and to deliver more at concerts than a "live" reproduction of the albums. The result is a concert-like concept pop that (with the exception of the weak debut album "From Genesis To Revelation") works exceptionally well on record. The works "Trespass," "Nursery Cryme," "Foxtrot," "Genesis Live," and "Selling England By The Pound" offer bizarre ballads, whimsical stories with macabre tendencies, garnished with printed poems and song lyrics.

Utopian Visions à la Aldous Huxley

Best example: On "Foxtrot," the utopian mini-opera "Get 'Em Out By Friday" with assigned roles and timings, visible on the record sleeve. The story: In 2012, a homeowners' league consults with the "Genetic Control Station." Result of the meeting: In the future people are produced with a ten foot reduction. The British citizens, enjoying their evening beer in the hypermodern "Puborama," take the news calmly. Homeowners can cram more people into fewer houses and are renovated. The prototype of a "Genesis" story—not meant as a clumsy political statement, of course, but rather a charmingly pop-infused Aldous Huxley vision.

Genesis in concert: More of an event...

What does it look like in concert? Musically incredibly impressive in the precision of the musicians, the use of the Mellotron as an integrated component of their own sound absolutely on par with "Yes" and "Moody Blues"—at times virtuosic, even if the communication of the lyrics doesn't always work More of an event than a concert: Genesis compositions abound in endlessly branching, bombastic arrangements, amplified by the use of a Mellotron to the monstrous sonic fullness of a sixty-piece orchestra. Dynamically masterfully held together and driven forward by the rhythm section of Michael Rutherford (bass) and Phil Collins (drums), with sonic imagery provided by Tony Banks, organ, piano, and Mellotron, all garnished by Steve Hackett's distinctive, reverberating guitar passages. Like silhouettes, the musicians, seated on white chairs against the cloth-covered, white stage backdrop, create a unique and immersive experience.

The visual attraction is singer Peter Gabriel, made up, with changing costumes and masks. He attempts, with sometimes exaggerated theatricality, to stage the deliberately static fragile, rough voice. Herein lies a problem with the presentation: Although "Genesis," purely musically speaking, doesn't need visual enhancement, an understanding of the lyrics is essential if one wants to enjoy the overall concept. Since Peter Gabriel's singing is difficult to understand, and his facial expressions and costumes, on the other hand, are not focused on any readily understandable symbolism, it remains "only" a fabulous concert, not total pop theater.
Visual presentation not yet entirely successful

This became particularly evident during the theater tour with pieces from his latest album, "Selling England By The Pound." Anyone unfamiliar with the album—and at that point, no one in the German audience could possibly have known it—hoped that Gabriel would visually convey its content. But it remained unclear: During "The Battle Of Epping Forest," Gabriel pranced along coquettishly, his face painted green, a cross between a not-so-fresh drowned corpse and a hysterical witch. Who would guess that Gabriel was portraying the street battles of two rival gangs in London's East End?

Ends illustrated? Or also "The Musical Box," the very popular composition in Germany from the album "Nursery Cryme." The story: Nine-year-old Cynthia Jane De Blaise-William, playing croquet, accidentally kills her eight-year-old playmate, Henry Hamilton-Smythe, with the mallet of this otherwise peaceful lawn game. Later, in Henry's nursery, she discovers the music box belonging to the murdered Henry, which she curiously winds up. Henry's ghost appears to her, but his "lifespan" is limited by the measured playing time of the music box. Henry ages as rapidly as the clock runs out; what remains is a child's body with the bearded, wrinkled head of an old man.

Who, without precise knowledge of this complicated and contrived story, would understand why Peter Gabriel suddenly appears in concert wearing the painted mask of an old man?

Genesis will have to work on ensuring that lyrics, facial expressions, and music complement each other and explain themselves. Otherwise, their performance (if they want to continue in this form) will resemble a play that cannot be understood without explanatory words in the program.

Conclusion: A musically enormous group on record and in concert, but not (yet) always successful in its visual presentation. Without a doubt, Genesis is one of the most fascinating and promising new bands.

Bert Hensel

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