“Bollocks”, “Wallpaper” and “Tubular Bells”: Despite the feud, did Genesis and Pink Floyd need each other?
When Brian Wilson died, one of the most heartfelt messages of mourning came from Paul McCartney. Despite the rivalry that existed between The Beatles and The Beach Boys, there was no escaping that the two greatly admired one another.
“Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special. The notes he heard in his head and passed to us were simple and brilliant at the same time. I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while,” wrote McCartney, “How we will continue without Brian Wilson, ‘God Only Knows’.”
What can we learn from this? Well, to put it plainly: rivalry is a good thing. While The Beach Boys and the Beatles went back and forth, never grew too nasty, there was no denying the fact that they were frequently in chart battles. This competition meant that both bands had to seriously up their game, as they were constantly trying to one-up the other in terms of innovation and creative breakthroughs.
This doesn’t just apply to the two ‘60s icons, either; there are many artists who have rivalries to thank for bringing out their best work. Kendrick Lamar is currently on one of the biggest hip hop tours of all time, and while he has always found success, his feud with Drake and the subsequent release of the hit track ‘Not Like Us’ have been a massive contributing factor to his increased popularity.
It begs the question: What other creative rivalries have resulted in bands and artists’ best work? Well, one of them could well be the back and forth that existed between Pink Floyd and Genesis. It came to light through various interviews, and Roger Waters addressed it when talking about how much some of the comments had frustrated him.
“There was a whole bunch of stuff about how if you’re listening to a Genesis album, you really have to sit down and listen,” Waters said when talking about some of the comments made by an unnamed member of Genesis. “It’s not just wallpaper, not just high-class musak like Pink Floyd or Tubular Bells.”
The unnamed complainant made their comments shortly after Peter Gabriel had left the band. Roger Waters had a theory that this resentment of Pink Floyd was less about the music his band was making and more about the fact that Genesis had struggled to have a hit. “My theory is that if Genesis ever start selling large quantities of albums now that Peter Gabriel – their Syd Barrett if you like – has left,” said Waters, “The young man who gave this interview will realise he’s reached some kind of end in terms of whatever he was striving for and all that stuff about good music is a load of fucking bollocks.”
Waters seemed to be onto something here, as when Phil Collins took over the band following Gabriel’s departure, Genesis started writing more radio-friendly, pop-oriented hits, which gave them a great deal more success. It seems that throughout the ‘70s, with this formula worked out, both Pink Floyd and Genesis knew their place within the prog rock and psychedelic scenes. Pink Floyd worked on drawn-out concept albums; meanwhile, Genesis focused on writing hits. The rivalry had spawned a specific sound from both bands, and it was within these respective sounds that both bands thrived.
The two remain another example of something true throughout creativity, even if creatives don’t dare to admit it: Rivalry is a positive thing.
