The members of Genesis and their favourite prog-rock records
Prog rock is a mess of a genre, and in that mess lies its beauty. Even an eclectic mind such as Frank Zappa was unable to properly pin down what it was about the genre that made people tick, though he tried.
“I would presume that people would accept this definition,” said Zappa when discussing what he believes the genre actually is, “Progressive Rock is anything that doesn’t sound like regular Rock. Regular Rock is everything that sounds like itself. All songs which sound the same, everything on MTV, everything on the radio, that’s Rock. Progressive Rock is stuff that doesn’t sound like that.”
Essentially, prog rock is a mess because its definition revolves around said messiness. It has the hallmarks of rock ‘n’ roll, but also allows bands to use various aspects of different genres, time signatures, and cultures in a bid to take the sound to a new level. It means we have a great deal of prog rock bands and artists out there who create layered and multi-faceted music that continues to surprise listeners and excite music lovers.
One of these bands is Genesis, who throughout their career were able to make engaging and exciting music that people everywhere were a big fan of. Each member of the band brought their own unique aspect to the band, as they had separate ideas, all of which came together to create a band who fit well within the loose definition that Zappa gave of prog rock.
The reason why each member was able to bring their own unique ideas to the band was because of how different their tastes were. When they came together in a bid to make music, the only thing that connected them was the term “experimental.” They wanted to put together sounds that strayed away from the norm of the mainstream and instead expanded upon what people thought a genre could be.
Of course, within these “experimental” music tastes, prog music, or music that some could label as prog, makes its way in at some point. So, let’s have a look at the kind of music that inspired the Genesis members and how this music might have helped influence their sound.
Genesis members and their favourite prog records
Phil Collins
Led Zeppelin aren’t usually a band that people consider pioneers of prog rock, but Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson once credited them with showing other prog bands how they could better define their sound. He credited their use of African and Asian styles of music within their approach to rock, and believes this was fundamental for the development of Jethro Tull and other prog rock outfits.
“I think what they showed to all their peer group as musicians was that there was, first of all, a very powerful and dramatic way to perform simple, direct rock music and also to introduce elements of more eclectic music,” he said. “Because Zeppelin, near the beginning, there were a lot of elements of folk music, and Asian music, and African music that crept into their stuff.”
It seems that Phil Collins would agree with this sentiment, as when he was asked to name his favourite songs of all time, he threw praise on Led Zeppelin, John Bonham, and their classic track ‘When The Levee Breaks’. As a drummer, it won’t surprise readers to hear that Collins was a fan of Bonham, and learnt a lot from the erratic way he played while still maintaining a clear rhythm that the band could follow.
When discussing the track ‘When The Levee Breaks’, Collins touched upon the different aspects that he enjoyed. “It puts it all into perspective, groove, sound, attitude,” he said, “It’s probably one of the best drum recordings ever made in pop music.”
Peter Gabriel
Two genres which are fundamentally entwined are prog rock and psychedelic rock. The two styles do a very similar thing, as they take rock music and then enhance it with various different sounds and effects. When Peter Gabriel was listing some of his favourite songs, he didn’t specifically name a prog outfit, but he talked very fondly of Jimi Hendrix, who had an experimental approach to music that could well fit within Frank Zappa’s definition of prog.
“I can remember where I was when I first heard Hendrix’s ‘Hey Joe’, which was at school in a particular room upstairs and it was, in fact, in the next-door room,” recalled Gabriel when discussing his admiration for the guitarist. “And my ear perked up and I went in and listened to it and just had to find out about who this artist was.”
He continued, “I think particularly when you’re growing up, songs are like memory stamps. I think people go through life and they have these intense experiences that are really beautiful. Or really horrible that just get locked into a certain song.”
Steve Hackett
Another band who are often mentioned within the progosphere but might not necessarily be a prog band are The Beatles. At the beginning of their career, they were writing upbeat and happy love songs such as ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’. However, as the band continued making music, they started incorporating many different styles, which led to them embracing various cultures within their music and creating in-depth concepts.
Their album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was a great representation of this, as it was a complex concept album that used instruments, rhythm, and other aspects of Indian music throughout. Steve Hackett was a big fan of the record, as he praised the “use of orchestra” and the variety of influences at play throughout the album.
Hackett also praised fellow prog-rockers Yes and their album 90125. He said that the production value of the album was a particular stand out and admitted that despite the time which has passed since the record’s release, it “still holds up”.
