Tag: guitarist

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18 July 1970: Anthony Phillips Plays His Final Show with Genesis

Cover for one of the various editions of 'From Genesis to Revelation'

On 18 July 1970, Genesis performed their final concert with founding guitarist Anthony Phillips at Haywards Heath. His departure would prove to be one of the most significant turning points in the band’s history.

From Charterhouse to Genesis

Anthony Phillips arrived at Charterhouse School in Surrey in April 1965. A talented young guitarist, he soon formed a band called Anon with fellow pupils Richard Macphail, Rivers Jobe, Rob Tyrrell and Mike Rutherford. The group played songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other popular acts of the day, performing mainly at parties and school events.

It was Anthony who first introduced original material into the band’s repertoire. One of his earliest compositions, Pennsylvania Flickhouse, was recorded during a short session at Tony Pike’s studio in Putney. Richard Macphail later recalled the band’s surprise at how long recording even a single song could take.

‘We piled all the gear in Ant’s mother’s Mercedes and got on a bus and I thought ‘An hour, on my God, what are we gonna do with a whole hour? Each song’s three minutes long, that means we’re gonna get about nine songs done.’ We just got one done and we had huge rails with Mr Pike because everything was of course too loud and he said ‘You’re gonna ruin my equipment!’, all that classic stuff that went on in those days in recording studios.’1

Anon eventually disbanded in late 1966, but Anthony and Mike Rutherford continued writing music together. Looking for a keyboard player, they approached fellow Charterhouse student Tony Banks. Tony agreed to participate on the condition that his friend Peter Gabriel could also contribute a song and provide vocals. Before long, former Garden Wall drummer Chris Stewart joined the project.

The foundations of Genesis had been laid.

The Heart of Early Genesis

After securing the support of producer Jonathan King, the band recorded a series of singles and their debut album, From Genesis to Revelation (1969). Although King believed orchestral arrangements would make the material more commercially appealing, the band were frustrated when strings were added without their knowledge. Anthony was reportedly the most outspoken in expressing his displeasure.

By 1969, the members of Genesis faced an important decision. Their parents expected them to continue their education, but Anthony and Mike had become determined to pursue music professionally. Peter and Tony soon shared that ambition, and by the end of the year Genesis had committed themselves fully to life as a working band.

During this period, Anthony was one of the group’s key creative forces. His twelve-string guitar work and pastoral songwriting style would become defining elements of early Genesis, particularly on Trespass.

The Burden of Life on the Road

While Anthony loved writing and recording music, he struggled with touring. ‘Yet, something was lacking‘, it is said in the press kit of Ant’s first solo album, ‘Phillips, perhaps because he was younger than the others found that life on the road was getting in the way of his writing.’2

As Genesis spent more time on the road, he became increasingly unhappy with the demands of live performance. The constant travelling, lack of sleep and primitive conditions began to take their toll. The band often slept in their van or on friends’ floors while criss-crossing the country for poorly paid gigs.

‘We literally pitched up somewhere in the Midlands and we had nowhere to stay’, Ant recalls. ‘Too far to go back and some guy said: ‘Well, I know a guy with a bloody big house in Buxton’ and we stayed on the drafted floor of a bloody big house in Buxton.’3

At the same time, Anthony began suffering from severe stage fright.

He later recalled: ‘I was in Watford Tech, I remember playing the opening thing of ‘Let Us Now Make Love’ and I looked at the guitar and I thought ‘I haven’t got a clue what comes next’ and then I saw myself playing, but it was really scary.’4 Richard Macphail remembered performances where Anthony appeared paralysed by anxiety.5

What initially seemed like a temporary problem gradually became more serious. After battling these feelings for several months, Anthony’s health deteriorated further when he contracted bronchial pneumonia. Doctors advised him to leave the band.

Leaving Genesis

In June 1970, Genesis recorded Trespass, their second album and the record that many fans regard as the true beginning of the classic Genesis sound.

Anthony thoroughly enjoyed the studio sessions, but once recording was complete, the band immediately returned to touring. Before long, he realised he could no longer continue.

Mike Rutherford still remembers the moment Anthony broke the news.

After a soundcheck at Richmond Rugby Ground, Anthony and Richard Macphail took him aside. As daylight faded, Anthony explained that he wanted to leave Genesis.

‘I remember driving out with with Richard Macphail who said ‘Can we have a word with you?”, Mike Rutherford remembers. ‘To the pitch at Richmond rugby ground after a soundcheck. Light was falling, it was a weird atmosphere and Ant said he wanted to leave. It was a huge shock to me.’6

Anthony’s final performance took place on 18 July 1970 at Haywards Heath.

For the remaining members, the departure felt catastrophic.

‘I thought it was the end of the group,’ Tony Banks admitted years later. ‘He was vital to its formation and in many ways he was the strongest member. We felt that whatever was special about us was a combination of the four of us being together in the same room so I assumed that when he left, that was it.’7

Mike Rutherford shared that sentiment:

Losing Ant ‘was the closest we came to busting up. For some reason we felt so close that if one left, we thought we couldn’t carry on. Of all the changes we’ve been through, surviving Ant leaving was the hardest.’8

Given those reactions, it is fair to say that Anthony Phillips’s departure represented the greatest crisis Genesis ever faced. Unlike Peter Gabriel’s departure in 1975, the band had not yet established itself commercially or artistically. In 1970, there was every possibility that Genesis might simply cease to exist.

Life After Genesis

Fortunately, the band decided to continue.

Anthony’s influence remained deeply embedded in Genesis’s music. The opening twelve-string section of The Musical Box, one of the centrepieces of Nursery Cryme (1971), developed from an earlier instrumental piece that he had written with Mike Rutherford.

After leaving the group, Anthony largely withdrew from the music industry for a time. He immersed himself in studying composition, orchestration, classical guitar and piano, broadening his musical horizons far beyond progressive rock.

In 1977, he released his acclaimed debut solo album, The Geese & The Ghost, which featured contributions from several former Genesis bandmates.

More than fifty years after leaving Genesis, Anthony Phillips remains an active and respected musician. His contribution to the band’s formative years cannot be overstated. Without his songwriting, musicianship and artistic vision, Genesis might never have become the band we know today.

His final concert at Haywards Heath marked the end of one chapter, but, in many ways, it ensured the beginning of another.

Title photo: Cover of one of the various editions of From Genesis to Revelation

Footnotes

  1. RICHARD MACPHAIL INTERVIEW Revised : GENESIS early years ↩︎
  2. “The Geese and The Ghost Press Kit“. Passport Records. 1977. pp. 2–3. ↩︎
  3. ANTHONY PHILLIPS UNFILTERED: GENESIS C0-FOUNDER IN CONVERSATION ↩︎
  4. ANTHONY PHILLIPS UNFILTERED: GENESIS C0-FOUNDER IN CONVERSATION ↩︎
  5. RICHARD MACPHAIL INTERVIEW Revised : GENESIS early years. In fact, Anthony Phillips has not played live to this day. ↩︎
  6. MIKE RUTHERFORD UNFILTERED: GENESIS GUITARIST/COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION. Now Revised ↩︎
  7. Bowler, Dave; Dray, Bryan, Genesis. A biography. (London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1992), p. 35. ↩︎
  8. Ibid. ↩︎

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‘Gabriel Out Of Genesis?’ – Melody Maker 16th August 1975

The Melody Maker rumoured in its edition of 16 August 1975 about Peter Gabriel’s departure from Genesis.

Peter Gabriel left the band after the 1975 tour

After the The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway tour in 1975, lead singer Peter Gabriel left Genesis. The band did not announce his departure right away, but instead went into the studio to record what became their next album A Trick of The Tail and audition new singers. By August 1975, the press had heard rumours about Peter Gabriel’s decision to leave Genesis. On 16 August, the Melody Maker put a picture with him wearing the batwings on the cover and featured the headline GABRIEL OUT OF GENESIS?

Here’s the text from the Melody Maker’s front page:

GABRIEL OUT OF GENESIS?

PETER GABRIEL’S position in Genesis was uncertain this week as mounting speculation suggested he had quit the band.

Gabriel had remained incommunicado since the end of Genesis’ British tour in the Spring – he has refused repeated requests for interviews and reliable sources told the Melody Maker this week that he has decided to leave the band.

The speculation comes as various members of Genesis are becoming increasingly involved in solo projects. Guitarist Steve Hackett has finished work on his first solo album and Michael Rutherford, the bass player, is also planning to record. Phil Collins, the band’s drummer, has been playing with his own pub group.

Commenting on the reports of a split, the band’s manager Tony Smith told the MM: “The group are being rather broody at the moment, but this happens every year when they are thinking and writing for the next LP.“

And Tony Stratton-Smith, head of Genesis’ record label, Charisma, said: “Peter has been involved with one or two summer projects including producing a single for Charlie Drake.” Both Smith and Stratton-Smith, however, denied a split in Genesis.

Genesis manager Tony Smith first denied the rumours, but a week later, the band announced it officially and explained that they were searching for a new singer. Hardly did they know that the singer was already in the group: Their drummer Phil Collins. But that’s another story.

Title photo: Melody Maker 16 August 1975: Gabriel out of Genesis?

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Steve Hackett’s First Gig with Genesis: A Nervous Start to a New Era

On January 14, 1971, Genesis played a gig at University College, London, marking the live debut of their new guitarist, Steve Hackett. For Hackett, this night would become a memorable, albeit nerve-wracking, chapter in his career with the band.

Joining Genesis: A Classical Touch

Steve Hackett joined Genesis in late 1970, following an audition that showcased his unique style. Hackett brought a blend of classical, jazz, and blues influences, developed since his childhood in Pimlico. Inspired by The Beatles, Bach, and George Martin’s orchestrations, Hackett’s approach to guitar was more compositional than flashy—something Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel recognized during his audition. “We thought that some of what he did would fit really well,” Banks later recalled, praising Hackett’s classical edge.1

Before the audition, Hackett had advertised in Melody Maker for years and had gained limited recording experience with the band Quiet World. But when he joined Genesis, he knew this was his opportunity to make a lasting impact.

The Big Night: January 14, 1971

By the time Hackett stepped onstage for the first time as a member of Genesis, the band had already begun evolving into a cohesive unit. Phil Collins, who had joined a few months earlier, had quickly become a vital part of their sound. Mike Rutherford, having the dual roles on bass and rhythm guitar, was developing as a rhythm guitarist, while Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks remained the creative core.

The University College gig, however, was not an auspicious start. Hackett was understandably nervous, and the evening presented several challenges. Equipment problems—a recurring issue for Genesis in their early days—plagued the performance. Hackett’s borrowed fuzz box malfunctioned.

“I found his playing a little stiff”, Phil Collins later said, “but I guess that was the Fripp influence. I like Robert, I played with him on his solo album, he was always very good to me, but I don’t think he’s a very intuitive player. He was a kind of sound man without the feeling. I think Steve took a little bit of that into his music. It wasn’t a groove, you know, and as a drummer that was really where I lived.”2

Adding to the chaos on that first night, Collins decided to test the limits of his ability to drum after consuming Newcastle Brown Ale. According to Collins, “I was doing perfect drum fills – three inches to the left of every drum.”3 The resulting performance left the band frazzled.

Misunderstandings and Lessons Learned

Backstage, Hackett misinterpreted a heated discussion among the band members as criticism of his performance. In reality, Banks and Rutherford were admonishing Collins for his ale-induced drumming experiment. Sound mixer Richard MacPhail tried to reassure Hackett after the gig, leading him offstage after saying, “It’s over now, Steve.”4 Despite his doubts, Hackett’s contributions impressed the group, and they encouraged him to stay.

Building Momentum

The difficult debut was only the beginning. Hackett and Rutherford soon developed intricate ideas for their twin twelve-string guitars, which was a hallmark of Genesis’ sound. The band spent the rest of 1971 refining their music, writing and rehearsing material for what would become their first album with Hackett, Nursery Cryme. During the “Six Bob Tour” with Lindisfarne and Van der Graaf Generator, Genesis started gaining traction with audiences, performing in town halls and small venues across Britain.

By mid-1971, Genesis was playing bigger stages, including the Reading Festival and their first overseas gig in Belgium. Hackett’s insistence on acquiring a Mellotron MK II and new equipment pushed the band towards a more sophisticated sound.

A New Genesis

Hackett’s intricate guitar work and compositional mindset enriched Genesis’ music. Though his first gig was rocky, Hackett proved to be a vital addition to the band, helping shape their identity.

While that night at University College on January 14, 1971, may not have gone as planned, it set the stage for the musical evolution to come.

Title photo: Wikimedia Commons, Jeff Wurstner / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

Sources

Fielder, Hugh; Sutcliffe, Phil, The book of Genesis. (London: Sidgewick & Jackson, 1984).

PHIL COLLINS FULL 2-HOUR INTERVIEW: HIS CAREER WITH GENESIS TO 1980.

STEVE HACKETT FULL INTERVIEW- Revised : MY GENESIS YEARS.

TONY BANKS UNFILTERED: GENESIS KEYBOARD PLAYER & COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION . FULL.. 1 Hour 53 Mins.

  1. TONY BANKS UNFILTERED: GENESIS KEYBOARD PLAYER & COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION . FULL.. 1 Hour 53 Mins. ↩︎
  2. PHIL COLLINS FULL 2-HOUR INTERVIEW: HIS CAREER WITH GENESIS TO 1980. ↩︎
  3. Fielder 1984: 54. ↩︎
  4. STEVE HACKETT FULL INTERVIEW- Revised : MY GENESIS YEARS. ↩︎