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.)