Category: Single

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Where the Sour Turns to Sweet (1969) – Genesis

In June 1969, Genesis released their third and final single for Decca Records: “Where the Sour Turns to Sweet” backed with “In Hiding.” It was intended to spark interest in their debut LP From Genesis to Revelation, but like its predecessors, it went largely unnoticed.

From Genesis to Revelation

By this point, Genesis had already released two singles on Decca: “The Silent Sun” and “A Winter’s Tale,” both in 1968 and both produced by Jonathan King. King also produced the band’s first full-length album, From Genesis to Revelation. The lineup at the time featured Tony Banks (keyboards), Peter Gabriel (vocals), Anthony Phillips (guitar), Mike Rutherford (guitar/bass), and John Silver (drums).

The album, loosely a concept work about the history of mankind, was still musically rooted in soft pop rather than progressive rock. Much to the band’s dismay, King added string arrangements to many tracks, softening the overall sound and steering it further from the band’s original vision.

Like the singles before it, the album failed to attract significant attention. In an effort to salvage interest, Decca decided to release a third single from the LP: “Where the Sour Turns to Sweet.”

Where the Sour Turns to Sweet

The track had actually been part of Genesis’s live repertoire for a while. Back in 1967, they recorded it, along with three other songs, during a one-hour session at Regent Sound Studios in London (where many rock legends had also worked). Jonathan King brought the young band in to record a demo, which was then sent to Decca. The label was impressed, and the band was signed.

They attempted to re-record “Where the Sour Turns to Sweet” at Advision Studios as their debut single, but the session was a disaster. Inexperience on both the band’s and producer’s parts led to the idea being shelved. Instead, “The Silent Sun” and “A Winter’s Tale” were released the following year, along with the full album in 1969.

Finally, on June 27, 1969, “Where the Sour Turns to Sweet” was released as a single (using the album version) with “In Hiding” as the B-side. It became Genesis’s third and last Decca single. Like the others, it failed to chart. There were even plans to release a remixed version of “In the Beginning” as a fourth single, but they never materialized.

Musical Highlights

“Where the Sour Turns to Sweet” opens with a bluesy piano phrase and finger snaps, giving it a laid-back, jazzy feel. Unfortunately, Arthur Greenslade’s added strings somewhat obscure the song’s raw energy. Peter Gabriel’s voice, even at this early stage, stands ou. His playful delivery and dynamic phrasing give the lyrics character and charm. It’s arguably one of the album’s standout tracks, though the fade-out feels abrupt and slightly uninspired.

Tony Banks and Tony Blackburn

Keyboardist Tony Banks once recalled being sent out to accost BBC DJ Tony Blackburn on the street to persuade him to play the single on his radio show (though Mike Rutherford claims that this was done when “A Winter’s Tale” was released.) “I told him, ‘Well, don’t play the A-side—play the B-side,’” Banks later said, referring to “In Hiding.” The situation was awkward for everyone involved, but the band was desperate enough to take the chance.

The End of the King Era

By the end of 1969, after three underwhelming singles and an album that missed the mark, Genesis was ready to move on. Jonathan King had taken the group as far as he could. The band withdrew to the countryside to reflect and write new music that would take them in a very different, much more adventurous direction.

Still, King left them with one important legacy: the name Genesis.

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A Winter’s Tale (1968) – Genesis

On 10 May 1968, Genesis released their second single. Like its predecessor – and its successor – it failed to make an impact. Here’s the story behind A Winter’s Tale.

In 1968, Genesis were still schoolboys. The four classmates from Charterhouse were in their late teens when producer Jonathan King offered them a record deal. Tony Banks (keyboards), Peter Gabriel (vocals), Anthony Phillips (guitar), Mike Rutherford (guitar and bass), and Chris Stewart (drums) agreed. King chose to produce their first album himself, and it was he who came up with the name “Genesis,” symbolising both the band’s beginning and the start of his own career as a producer.

The first singles

Genesis had been writing pop songs while still at school, but by the time they signed their deal, they were already moving towards more adventurous material. Jonathan King, however, preferred straightforward pop. So, to please him, Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel wrote The Silent Sun, a deliberate nod to the Bee Gees, which King loved and released as their debut single. It flopped.

A Winter’s Tale

For their second single, A Winter’s Tale, Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel again collaborated. Like The Silent Sun, it’s a love song, but here, the band sounds more confident, particularly in the soaring chorus. Once again, Peter Gabriel’s distinctive voice takes centre stage, rising above a lush (and somewhat overpowering) string arrangement. Even at this young age, Gabriel’s vocal strength hinted at the frontman he would soon become.

Unfortunately, A Winter’s Tale also failed to chart. It received little radio play and only a couple of published reviews. New Musical Express praised the song’s “pulsating crescendo” and thoughtful lyrics, but continued: “The melody could have done with a little more substance.”1

Mike Rutherford recalls in his autobiography that the band brainstormed ways to boost airplay. Peter Gabriel suggested they hand the single directly to BBC Radio 1 DJ Tony Blackburn. Tony Banks was tasked with waiting outside Broadcasting House. Nervous and unsure, he apparently came across a little too forcefully when Blackburn emerged – likely startling him and not helping their cause.2

From Genesis to Revelation

Shortly after the release of A Winter’s Tale, drummer Chris Stewart left the band and was replaced by John Silver, who would record their debut album From Genesis to Revelation. The album was an ambitious concept piece about the history of mankind, but musically, it still leaned far more towards soft pop than progressive rock. To the band’s disappointment, King added even more lush string arrangements, giving the album a gentle, almost easy-listening feel.

A third single, Where the Sour Turns to Sweet, followed, but like the others, it failed to chart. Eventually, the growing divide between King’s pop sensibilities and the band’s evolving musical ambitions led them to part ways.

What remains from this era is a fascinating and surprisingly strong collection of songs recorded by a band still in their teens. Among them is A Winter’s Tale, a glimpse of what was to come.

(And as a footnote for collectors: there’s a curious story about a cover version of A Winter’s Tale by Rita Pavone’s brother – but that’s a tale for another time.)

  1. Thompson, Dave, Turn it on again. Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins & Genesis. (San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2005), p. 18 ↩︎
  2. Rutherford, Mike (2014): The Living Years. London: Constable, p. 48. ↩︎
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The Silent Sun (1968) – Genesis

In February 1968, Genesis released their debut single, The Silent Sun, on Decca Records. At just 17 years old, Peter Gabriel was already making his mark. Let’s take a closer look at the band’s very first single!

Genesis at Charterhouse

In 1968, Genesis were still students at Charterhouse School. Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, and Anthony Phillips had formed the band as a way to escape the constraints of school life. At the time, the group operated as two songwriting pairs: Banks and Gabriel on one side, Phillips and Rutherford on the other.

While still at school, they recorded demos and sent them to Jonathan King, a former Charterhouse student who had found success as a musician and producer (his best-known hit being Everyone’s Gone to the Moon). King was particularly impressed by Peter Gabriel’s voice and signed them to Decca Records, intending to produce a full album. However, when the band presented their next batch of demos, he wasn’t impressed.

A Producer Who Loved The Bee Gees

Jonathan King wanted the band to deliver a potential hit. Knowing he was a fan of The Bee Gees, Peter and Tony deliberately wrote a song in their style—The Silent Sun.

‘I tried my best Robin Gibb impersonation,’ Peter later joked.1

King loved it and made it their debut single, later including it on the band’s first album, From Genesis to Revelation.

Musically, The Silent Sun blends folk and pop, with Tony Banks’ piano already playing a central role. The song primarily highlights Peter’s vocals, with orchestral strings added later by King in the studio. It’s also one of the rare official Genesis recordings to feature their original drummer, Chris Stewart.

‘We had been drilled by Jonathan King to write short pop songs, which I resisted,’ Anthony Phillips recalled. ‘I didn’t like The Silent Sun at all.’ He later reflected that it was probably for the best that the song wasn’t a hit: ‘If it had been successful, the band would never have developed its proper style.’2

Tony Banks, however, believed it had the potential to be a great hit. For Peter Gabriel, seeing the name Genesis in Record Mirror was a career-defining moment, while Mike Rutherford fondly remembers the thrill of hearing The Silent Sun on the radio for the first time in Anthony Phillips’ kitchen.

Reviews and Reception

Upon release, the Decca catalogue described The Silent Sun as ‘quietly attractive.’’.3 New Musical Express praised its ‘beautiful flowing arrangement of violins and cellos,’ though they speculated it ‘might be a bit too complex for the average fan.’4

A Single That Failed but a Band That Flourished

Despite their enthusiasm, The Silent Sun failed to chart. The accompanying album, From Genesis to Revelation, was also a commercial failure. Eventually, Genesis parted ways with Jonathan King, allowing them to explore a more adventurous and distinctive musical direction.

As the band gained fame, King repeatedly re-released these early recordings in various formats, capitalizing on Genesis’ later success. But for Genesis themselves, The Silent Sun remains a fascinating footnote in their history—their first step on the road to greatness.

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Sources

ANTHONY PHILLIPS FULL UNCUT INTERVIEW .PT 1:FORMING GENESIS/ EARLY RECORDING/DISCOVERING THEIR SOUND.

Decca Press release.

GENESIS REUNION 2014: THE THREE. Part ONE. NOW FULL UNCUT VERSION ! + improved audio!

Thompson, Dave, Turn it on again. Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins & Genesis. (San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2005).

  1. GENESIS REUNION 2014: THE THREE. Part ONE. NOW FULL UNCUT VERSION ! + improved audio! ↩︎
  2. ANTHONY PHILLIPS FULL UNCUT INTERVIEW .PT 1:FORMING GENESIS/ EARLY RECORDING/DISCOVERING THEIR SOUND. ↩︎
  3. Decca Press release. ↩︎
  4. Thompson 2005: 17. ↩︎