The 1986 Genesis song Tony Banks will never truly enjoy: “Straightforwrd rock”
The entire history of Genesis tends to feel like a tale of two different bands. While the group had already secured their legacy as one of the most extraordinary progressive rock acts of all time with Peter Gabriel out front, they transformed themselves into a completely different sonic entity when Phil Collins took over, playing both prog and pop music in equal measure throughout their tenure. Although Tony Banks had been there through every iteration of the band, he admitted that one of their foundational hits wasn’t a particular highlight for him.
Let’s get one thing straight, though: Phil Collins did not ruin Genesis. Even though Gabriel may have had grand ambitions for what the band could be across every one of his masterpieces, Collins could steer the band throughout progressive territory just as well, making songs with some of the wildest arrangements ever seen in rock on albums like A Trick of the Tail.
Looking at the way the group began transitioning into pop stars, it practically came about by accident. After Mike Rutherford’s ‘Follow You Follow Me’ gave them their first mainstream success on the pop charts, the band became in vogue when the 1980s began, being heralded as frontrunners of synthesisers before the MTV generation kicked in.
As Collins balanced a solo career, Genesis would continue to toe the line between progressive songs with catchy hooks that might be able to get radio play. By the time they reached their self-titled album, they had understood what made a great pop song, putting together grandiose pieces on tracks like ‘That’s All’.
Becoming one of the biggest acts in the world by 1987, Collins would steer the band through one of their most high-profile chart successes with Invisible Touch. Starting with the power-pop infused title track, nearly half of the track listing would find its way onto the radio, from the heavy subject matter of ‘Land of Confusion’ to trimming down their epic ‘Tonight Tonight Tonight’ to radio-friendly length.
Even though both Rutherford and Banks were just as likely to go down the pop direction as Collins, the keyboardist thought that one of their essential tracks was never a favourite of his. Although the band may have had a watershed moment on the charts, Banks never thought that highly of the song ‘Invisible Touch’.
When talking about the track later, Banks thought that his distaste for the pop marvel simply came down to personal preference, saying, “For us, it’s a fairly straightforward rock song. I think it works really well because it’s concise. I never think I’m going to like it, but then when I hear it, I like it. Intellectually, I’m not too sure about it, but it works”.
Considering Genesis’ track record, it’s easy to see where Banks is coming from. While the hook is certainly catchy, it’s hardly breaking any new ground for the genre, which may be why the band elected to expand their horizons one album later by making epics like ‘Jesus He Knows Me’ for the record We Can’t Dance. ‘Invisible Touch’ may not be the most technically challenging piece of music the group ever made, but being able to make a catchy pop single in just under four minutes is the true art of any successful rock band.
