You’ve entered a realm where you will know what it means to be a lamb lying down beyond the silver rainbow while Duke dances on a volcano. Actually it’s just a few friends sitting around a table talking about their favorite band Genesis, but it promises to be as equally silly and surreal.
Join your hosts Simon Godfrey, Stacy Godfrey, Mike Lord, Eli Noetinger, and Tom Roché as they wax poetic on everything Genesis from the songs to the tours to the evolution of Mike Rutherford’s facial hair.
Thanks for another entertaining and interesting analysis. I first saw Genesis live in 1973 in Oxford then again in ’74. Been a lifelong lover of all their work (including Calling all Stations) so great to hear fellow fans. I look forward to your future broadcasts.
Hi. I’m new to your podcast. I’m a nerd for the band Yes since 1971, and when I first started listening to podcasts in general, I was drawn into the format through a UK podcast called “The Yes music podcast”, which I love still. When it comes to Genesis, I was just a minor fan. I only saw them live once, (Wind and Wuthering), and mostly to see Steve Hackett, who by far and away was my favorite part of Genesis. When Steve left, I took a listen to ATTW3, and Duke, and then I let Genesis go. Not only am I essentially ignorant of everything post W&W, but I even let their past catalog go as I turned back to other music (mostly Yes and Yesvrelated music, and Steve Hackett who I remain a serious fan of. All this long winded crap is just a lead up to a compliment. I stumbled across you podcast recently while looking for more Yes content. I started listening to a random episode about Foxtrot, I believe, and I was immediately hooked. I realized right away that I had always approached Genesis to lightly. I had never given them the analysis and respect that I had given to Yes. So listening to your podcast has opened a door to Genesis for me through your clips and commentary that I never would have imagined was in me. It’s like discovering a new band. So thank you. I’m working through the archived episodes, and taking notes, and am now looking forward to going back and buying these albums, even some solo things and post Hackett Genesis that I might never even have listened to. So thanks for doing this podcast, and who knows? I may end up loving, and enjoying a band that’s been hiding right in plain sight.
Hi. I’m new to your podcast. I’m a nerd for the band Yes since 1971, and when I first started listening to podcasts in general, I was drawn into the format through a UK podcast called “The Yes music podcast”, which I love still. When it comes to Genesis, I was just a casual fan back in the day. I only saw them live once, (Wind and Wuthering), and mostly to see Steve Hackett, who by far and away was/is my favorite part of Genesis. When Steve left, I took a casual listen to ATTW3, and Duke, and then I let Genesis go. Not only am I essentially ignorant of everything post W&W, but I even let their past catalog go as I turned back to other music (mostly Yes and Yes related music, and Steve Hackett who I remain a serious fan of.
All this long winded crap is just a lead up to a compliment.
I stumbled across your podcast recently while looking for more Yes podcast content. I started listening to a random episode about Foxtrot, and I was immediately hooked to your format and personalities. I realized right away that I had always approached Genesis a little too lightly. I had never given them the analysis and respect that I had given to Yes. So listening to your podcast has opened a door to Genesis for me through your clips and commentary that I never would have imagined was still awaiting me. It’s like discovering a new band. So thank you. I’m working through the archived episodes, and taking notes on albums and clips, and am now looking forward to going back and buying these albums, even some solo things I didn’t even know existed, and, “gulp”, post Hackett Genesis that I might never even have even listened to. So thanks for doing this podcast, and who knows? I may end up loving, and enjoying a band that’s been hiding right in plain sight.
Thanks for the kind words, Steve! Envious of your long history of prog love – I was BORN in 1971 (yikes!). I totally get what you said – even in our little group, we’ve found that each of us learns something new from the other, something that makes us revisit songs or albums with a new perspective and makes us think, “I’d never heard it that way before,” or “I never noticed that…” Plus, in preparing for each episode, we listen to the albums in a different way, even catching things that we might not have even after 10, 20, 30 years of listening to them!
Our Selling England podcast should be available in the next month or so. Thanks for listening!
Tom
I remember listening to a scratchy vinyl copy of Selling England at Nassau Community College around 1979 in the college library and just feeling like that album transported me to someplace I had never been before. I could just stare at that cover for hours it seemed .While it was not the first Genesis I owned(I think that honor belongs to ATTW3) it still to my ears is one of the finest examples of classic 70’s prog right up there with ELP Brain Salad Surgery, Kansas Leftoverture,and Yes Close to the Edge ,Fragile or Going For the One. I sometimes feel that despite the grandiose pomposity that sometimes affects 70’s prog (which I still love) it does not get the credit it deserves in todays 3 minute let’s add it to my Spotify playlist world we live in now. I think what I am trying to say is that I find it kind of sad that it feels to me that no one under 30 listens to albums anymore sometimes. FYI,I actually do not hate all current music despite my love of 70’s prog. I actually quite enjoy Imagine Dragons, Plain White T’s,and Lady Gaga. Anyway thanks for the great podcast and for letting me ramble on for a bit. Just curiously I wonder what areas of the country are more receptive to prog than others. I sometimes feel that the market for it is relatively small here in Tucson but that could be indicative of America in 2017 more than anything. And since we are divulging our agesI am 56.
Thanks, Richard! (Tom here). I grew up in Garden City, right next to NCC. Are you from there originally?
There is an annual progressive rock festival in Gettysburg, PA called Rosfest, and over the years, it has been encouraging to see younger and younger fans there. But overall, I agree that the act of sitting down and listening to a complete album-going on a musical journey that requires something of the listener and lasts more than 3 min-seems to be a dwindling pastime for the younger generations. A shame – and when you try to explain how awesome it can be, you end up sounding like an old codger – “In MY day …” 😉
I think geography and size have a lot to do with the reception of prog-perhaps bigger prog acts don’t see the worth (or could afford) to play smaller towns, so those towns don’t get the exposure that bigger towns might. Living outside NY, I’ve been fortunate recently to see Hackett, Mike + the Mechanics, get exposed to new prog at Rosfest, see several Genesis tribute bands … now I just gotta make sure it rubs off on my kids! 😉 I’ll be taking my 8-year-old to her first real concert in June- Queen + Adam Lambert – so hopefully she’ll get the bug!
Hey Tom!I grew up in right on the border of New Hyde Park/Floral Park and made the move to Levittown for a few years as a teenager and subsequently to Arizona where I have lived for the majority of my adult life. On the music side of things not all is really as bleak as I probably made it sound. We get a fair amount of mid to largish events here in Tucson that attract decent crowds, in fact my wife and I are going to see Journey with Asia(God Bless the late great John Wetton)Looking forward to seeing Geoff Downes again playing with the great Carl Palmer whom I haven’t seen live since 1977 with ELP.
Repeating the post I left on “Seconds Out”
Hello! So happy to have found this podcast. I just listened to this most recent, and am starting on the back catalog. Seconds Out was probably the second or third Genesis album I ever listened to. Hearing you all talk about it made me pull it out again… OMG I had forgotten how powerful it is. In my formative music years (late 1970s), Yes and Genesis were my #1 and #2 favorite bands. I saw Genesis during the And Then There Were Three tour. I kind of gave up on them when Abacab came out. I felt like they had moved too far from their “prog” roots. However, I have just listened to your Abacab episode and it has forced me to re-examine the album. There is some good stuff there. I am looking forward to re-living my love for Genesis as I work through your podcasts. Thank you!