Saturday, February 13, 2016

Happy Birthday To The Most Intriguing Member Of Genesis

Happy Birthday Peter Gabriel. To celebrate his birthday, let's see if you know Peter Gabriel beyond Genesis. He is not only a "Prog God", Pete has many other facets of his life that are truly intriguing. Without a doubt, Pete is the most fascinating and diverse member of Genesis.

Political Roots:  His great-great-great-uncle, Sir Thomas Gabriel, 1st Baronet, served as Lord Mayor of London from 1866 to 1877

Connection to Royalty (kinda): Gabriel's first wife Jill was the daughter of the Queen of England's private secretary. They met when he was 15 and she was 16, and got married in 1971.

How Genesis Formed: Gabriel, along with Tony Banks and a drummer named Chris Stewart, formed a band called Garden Wall while at Charterhouse Public school in 1965. At the same time, Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips were in another band called Anon. Later, the two bands amalgamated into the first incarnation of Genesis.

Fun Genesis Fact: Peter was credited for inventing "stagediving" He performed a "stagedive" during the song "the knife". Once he even broke his leg, but crawled back on the stage and finished the concert.

His first four albums released in England and first three in America were titled "Peter Gabriel." The first 3 are sometimes referred to as "car," "melt," and "scratch," based on the album covers.

Careful what you wish for Atlantic Records: Gabriel's US label, Atlantic, dropped him after his third album because they thought it would be a commercial flop. They tried to buy him back two years later after the album did well.

His solo album "SO" might have been a acronym for "Sellout" It was his most popular release.

Political Activist Here are some highlights: Too many to mention, here are a few highlights. Pete has always been an advocate for Great Britain to remove itself from Northern Ireland. In 1992, he joined many leftist individuals that recognized the 20th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. In 2014, Pete joined the advocacy of a two state solution in Palestine.

Pete had a connection to Jesus Christ himself, literally: He composed the music for Martin Scorsese's movie The Last Temptation Of Christ. The soundtrack won a Grammy for best New Age performance.

Olympian: Gabriel performed John Lennon's "Imagine" at the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Human Rights: He has participated in several human rights benefit concerts, including Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! tour in 1988, and co-founded the WITNESS human rights organisation in 1992

Nobel Recognition: In recognition of his many years of human rights activism, he received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates

Monday, February 8, 2016

And Then There Were Three.....

Speculation is running high. Fans of Genesis are starting to be hopeful for a reunion. For many fans, they long for the 5 piece reunion of the early Genesis era. For 40 years, fans have been clamoring for the reunion that would include Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett. The closest they ever got was the WOMAD concert. Steve was there for the encores which was the only time the big 5 appeared on stage together after Pete and Steve left the band. Since WOMAD, some fans have increasingly believed in a conspiracy theory that Phil, Mike and Tony are to blame for the lack of reunion of the original lineup from the early 70s.

Conspiracy theories aside, Phil, Mike and Tony will most likely decide on a reunion soon. Logically, the big 3 represent 45 years of Genesis and deserve to decide which lineup will return to the stage. Peter and Steve were in the band roughly 7 years a piece and have little say in the matter.

Financially, Phil, Mike and Tony will fill the larger arenas because they represent the largest part of the music catalog. The same is true for the fan base. The largest part of the fan base is from 1976-1991. The classic lineup from 1970 - 1975 while popular, they would not attract as many fans.

Some fans think that everyone in the band is open to a reunion. The problem is that a reunion is simply is not that easy. Peter has always been resistant to a reunion. Steve is willing to participate in a classic lineup, however the possibility of him playing Invisible Touch one day most likely will not happen. Phil is injured and may have limited percussion capabilities, which means he would have to be out front and sing. Getting them to agree to a set and lineup with 2 lead singers would be extremely difficult and unlikely to make any sense.

From a friendship stand point. Phil, Mike and Tony have been there for each other for 40 years. Priorities changed over time. Once Duke came out, they would work on solo projects and then reunite. Familiar patterns of solo projects and Genesis reunions seem to go hand in hand. With Mike and The Mechanics recently touring, Tony working on repackaging his solo work and Phil possibly releasing new music and touring in 2016. It most likely means that they will reunite in 2017.

Some  fans unfortunately have unrealistic expectations of a reunion. They will bash and blame Phil for a future reunion. Hey, they should have listened to the message sent to fans back in 1978. When the band came out with And Then There Were Three as part of their catalog, the message was clear. Only three remained and that's how it will be.