Genesis first came to prominence as a progressive rock band fronted by Peter Gabriel, who left after their classic album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974). After the departure of Gabriel, drummer Phil Collins took over on vocals. Gradually, the band morphed from a prog-rock outfit into an accessible, middle-of-the-road, pop-rock trio.
Playlist 1
We start with the double-LP The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974), the peak of Genesis’ Peter Gabriel years. Is this the greatest prog-rock concept album ever? Perhaps. Here’s a one-hour condensation of the album. I’d say it’s the best place to start your Genesis listening.
After Lamb, prog-rock aficionados should proceed to Playlist Two, mainstream rock fans should skip to Playlist Three, and alt-rock-leaning listeners might simply choose to skip them both. Suit yourself, I say.
Playlist 2
Playlist Two rewinds a little to highlight some of the pieces that led up to Lamb. Prog-rock devotees will find much to love here; even for the rest of us, this should prove a good listen. Aside from the first and last pieces that bookend the playlist, the sequence here is chronological.
Playlist 3
As far as early-‘80s mainstream pop-rock goes (not a negligible qualifier, I know), Genesis had some quite good stuff. Back then, 14-year-old me really dug this stuff. As I grew older—and they grew even more popular—I liked it less. Nowadays, I can handle a little mainstream stuff now and then, and I enjoyed putting this together.
Here’s a generous sampling. It’s chronological, except for the last track, which sounds better where it is. I’ve made sure to include a few deeper album cuts, rather than just parrot all the hits.
Cover Art:
- The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Genesis: Source, Discogs.com, Fair use.
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