Your Kids Might Be Sampling Genesis Without Even Realizing It

The other day, I was listening to my son's music in the car and heard Logic's City Of Stars. I thought to myself, "Hey that's Steve Hackett in the opening." Sure enough, the intro was from Days Long Ago. I felt like such a cool dad hearing a sample of Steve's music. This is not the first time I have heard a Genesis sample in a song. Nor will it be my last.

Thanks to my son, I have heard samples of Genesis in Rap/Hip Hop songs. In fact, it is often my son who recognizes the sampling when I listen to Genesis songs. There is a fascination with Genesis. While Phil Collins has the largest amount of samples with his solo work, what might surprise fans is that Genesis is sampled extensively from their catalog of older songs from 1970-1977. In fact, Genesis is sampled more than Peter Gabriel and the other band members.

Sampling honors the past. If you would like to hear and research sampled songs from Genesis, copy and past the following link in your browser: http://www.whosampled.com/search/?q=Genesis

We will also archive the link on the right.

Facebook Pages Now On Positively Genesis

A new archival link can be found on the Positively Genesis Blog. We will be collecting Facebook Pages that are tributes to the band. If you would like to add or suggest a page, please let us know. This helps us create a larger database of archived collections for the band we love.

Don't Laugh....Stever Hackett Might Be On To Something

Today we read that Steve Hackett is in secret discussions with Peter Gabriel to discuss a Genesis Reunion. As usual, this kind of news is met with the usual skepticism. The Progs of course say things like, "All We Need Is Steve and Pete!" and the Modern Era wants Phil Tony and Mike as part of a tour. The bottom line is, our opinion does not matter. What we fail to understand is the window is closing for all the members. Steve is striking while the timing is right. And, I think Genesis Fans that have given up hope forget the one factor that is still dangling out there. Money. This is their last chance to pad the retirement accounts. Even with their wealth, never underestimate the power of money.


When I met and listened to Steve, he was blunt. He said, "Promoters want him to play Genesis because his tours get a much larger audience." I am quite sure all the members of Genesis know that a substantial payday will be for the taking with a reunion tour. Not one date like 1983, a series of concerts that travel the world for all of their fans.


Why am I so confident Steve has a chance? Think about 2016. Did you ever think Peter Gabriel and Sting would tour together? Such an odd pairing. It was however a wise one. They shared the stage because it lessens the wear and tear on their bodies and more importantly their voice. Then we had that magical moment when Pete gave us a taste of "Selling England......By The Pound." You think that was just for nostalgia? It was a great teaser when Sting sang it, and it was ramped up by Pete to get the Genesis fans to respond to the success of Sting singing the opening lyrics.

Picture From Daily Express

Aging rock stars reunite to pad the bank accounts. Steve is for sure going to discuss the benefits of a reunion with the fab 5, and reflect on the following: He will reflect how his tour was financially successful. So was Sting and Peter. Phil and Mike sold out in England at record prices for their show together. Why not strike when the iron is hot? Now here is the selling point that I think will work. Steve Hackett, who has the most energy for a 2.5 hr. show would be the bridge for a similar show like Sting and Peter had in 2016. Steve played with both eras and this would allow them to split the show for Peter and Phil. We often discuss Phil's health issues, however Peter has aged also and would benefit from a shorter set list. His voice is not as strong as Phil's in my opinion and sharing the stage would be a smart strategy. Mike and Tony can still play the songs during the entire show. You could also include Nick Collins if you wanted with Chester for the double drum portions from the Seconds Out Era of Genesis. This could appeal to Phil, as his son wants to play Genesis as stated in a recent interview. 

Forget Steve's bitterness from Sum of All Parts. I am sure some will use that as an argument against a reunion. They get along just fine and incorporating Steve back into the band would be easier than people think. I think the timing is right, and we may be in for a surprise. Even if Steve is a catalyst for Phil, Mike and Tony to reunite with Chester and Daryl, I think we have chances that one more Genesis tour will be a result of the recent chatter. No matter what happens, the fans will come out and support one last tour, and the financial incentives will bring us something in 2018 in my humble opinion.

It Sure Is Tough To Be A Post Gabriel/Hackett Fan Of Genesis

When you read the comments in the Genesis forums, they can be pretty brutal regarding the modern era. Phil is crap, Mike and Tony are assholes, the list goes on and on. If you like all 3 eras, you will never get a break from the criticisms. It is what it is to be a fan of the entire Genesis catalog.

The dilemma for Genesis modernists is you can not explain yourself to progressive fans. You will be immediately dismissed, criticized, and downright insulted. It is offensive to them to like anything after Steve left. Even though "And Then There Were Three" earns some praise, for many Progressive listeners, this album was the beginning of the end of Genesis.

Fans of all eras are valid that many great songs and albums came after Wind and Wuthering. The band changed, no doubt about it. The important thing is they stayed relevant. They kept a delicate balance of long songs to compliment the short songs. They also honored the past and kept the 70s Genesis alive and well through medleys and reinventions of the prog-era music catalog. The band never ran away from their past as they made new music. They had to play a shortened catalog as new albums were produced. It only makes sense that some songs were not going to be played every tour.  And it made sense to have medleys that combined favored songs by fans.

Many progressives will never enjoy Domino, Home By The Sea, Duke's Travels and Dreaming While You Sleep. That is their loss and our gain. Whenever I hear they produced horrible music after ATTWT, I just dismiss their criticism, as I love all of the songs. I just categorize them in a different light. Even Invisible Touch is a great song. It is part of a pop category that I allow to exist in an long overarching career. It was a song written to entertain, just like Harold The Barrel. However much more of a hit because the fan reached a larger audience.

I recently saw Steve Hackett. While I am the first to admit he is brilliant, that does not mean that the modern five day trio were any better or any worse. I loved that Steve played Afterglow, but I missed the extended version with the amazing double drum ending of Phil and Chester. I loved the Musical Box, but can say Phil's screaming and theatrics were also a fun take on the song. When you see Steve in person, you realize Daryl added more of a fusion/jazz component to Genesis classics. I realized that there are subtle creative differences that both eras have that are simply brilliant. If you are a fan of all eras, you will notice the greatness of the modern era of Genesis by paying respect to Steve and Peter's era of Genesis. Unfortunately, by dismissing the modern era, you miss out on the greatness of each tour. Phil, Mike and Tony provide changes to the Progressive Era music that were fresh takes on the older material. In 2007, I loved Phil's romanticizing of Ripples with repeated choruses of sail away.....He was brilliant. It was haunting in some ways. Each tour has a unique take whereas Steve stays loyal to the original recording. It is each band members prerogative how to honor the music.

I have learned to ignore or incite those who limit themselves to one or two eras of Genesis. They are missing out, not me on the future catalog of music and concert tours. It is too bad they do not want to recognize or respect other people's opinions. Nor is it right in my opinion to speak so harshly about the band in the modern era. It will not stop them, but at least we who like he modern era can enjoy a much larger catalog of music, and recognize the genius of great songs that were created after Steve left the band.

That Night In Buffalo With Steve Hackett

Before I write this, I have a disclaimer. I never saw Steve Hackett live, nor did I see him play Genesis before I saw him on 3/4/17 in Buffalo NY. I am a big fan as with all members, however somehow I never saw Steve live. A friend of mind told me you have to see Steve, it will blow you away. I thought to myself, okay, I should go, as I heard for years Steve was amazing.

My buddy was meticulous in planning. He bought the tickets six months in advance. We were front and center for the show thanks to his hard work. A car length from the legend himself. I could see the mastery of his guitar work throughout the night.
We also were lucky enough to get VIP tickets. Not only was I going to the concert, I was going to meet one of my childhood heroes from Genesis. As the concert neared, I realized something special was brewing. This was the last concert in North America.  There was a philharmonic orchestra which in the past brought many magical memories. And, the band seemed really excited about this show. A few weeks before the show, social media posts hinted it was going to be epic. One member called it, "The Big One."
This concert was "The Big One." It has taken me a week to even write about my experience. This was not like the previous performances on this tour. Steve and his band revisited Genesis thoroughly. He only played 3 solo songs. The audience was treated to many songs from the past. The orchestra, like the fans were truly involved in this magical night. Supper's Ready was incredible. We were treated to the Musical Box and Afterglow plus many more favorites from the is time period.
Nad was an amazing vocalist. His range live was much better than anything I had heard on YouTube. He can sing Peter and Phil's contributions to the band, which is no easy task. Gary O'Toole was an amazing drummer, and to hear him sing Blood On The Rooftops, which was never performed live would give anyone goosebumps The song was one of the greatest songs ever written by Genesis in Steve's opinion, and I could not agree more. Hauntingly good!
Nick Beggs is a great bassist. He covers the Rutherford contributions with great class. Rob Townsend plays the Gabriel era sound with haunting control of the flute and percussion. He also plays the sax in some songs which I truly liked. The keyboards were played by Roger King and represented the Banks era of music with strong solos that only Genesis fans could expect.
The highlight of the night however was Steve Hackett. He, like the other members of Genesis is in a league of his own. His presence is all about the music. There was very little talking between songs which is different from Phil and Peter. He rolls with the music. You will see a grin or smile of enjoyment with each song. He loves the music and truly educates the audience how many of the signature pieces we may have thought were Tony's contributions were truly his. The sounds he makes on his guitar is truly unique and great to witness. It captivates the audience. All you hear is the history of Genesis. The audience quickly becomes polite and applauds only during breaks in the music, often to standing ovations.
Meeting Steve Hackett after the show allowed me to get to know the person. Humble and kind, Steve is all about Genesis. His solo career and albums are amazing, however he shared with us that Genesis has special meaning to him. He cherishes the time from 71-77. What surprised me the most is he gushes over Wind and Wuthering as the best album of the entire catalog. His take is that this album was the best marriage between classical and rock music that was ever produced. He felt it was their greatest work, and I agree with his assessment.
That night in Buffalo is one of those special nights that Genesis fans will talk about for years. The response on Social Media was so strong after the performance. All of the fan forums were a buzz with excitement. I felt lucky to be part of this special night. If Steve comes back next year for another performance, I am sure the show will be sold out quickly. The love if Genesis with the backing of a full orchestra makes for an epic night. This is the magic of Genesis. I am so thankful that Steve honors this era of Genesis.