Synopsis: An Independent Critical Review

When Peter Gabriel left Genesis in 1975 the critics claimed the band would wither and die. Phil Collins stepped out from behind the drum kit and the revitalized Genesis produced an amazing series of albums, which bridged the divide between art rock and commercialism. Using the actual words of the band and critics, Inside Genesis is the definitive critical review of the music of Genesis from Trick of the Tail to Duke. A period which saw Genesis grow from progressive icons to become one of the biggest grossing acts in the world.

Features:
Rare concert performances from the Duke tour.
Previously unreleased interviews with the band.
Extracts from performances of…Dance on a Volcano, Deep in the Motherhole, Follow You Follow Me, Dukes End, I Know What I Like, Turn It On Again, Duchess, Los Endos….and more.
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Inside Genesis 1975-1980 6.75

‘Inside Genesis’ is a very brief look at the band’s early post-Gabriel years; whereas ‘Genesis: The Gabriel Era’ covered as many years in two hours, this programme does it in one. Some of the commentators are recurring figures from the ‘The Gabriel Era’, but many are no-name people like a guitarist, a vocalist, and a keyboardist – all whose backgrounds remain otherwise unstated.

I mean, really, what makes these particular commentators special? Why are they considered capable critics of a complex band such as Genesis? For all we know, they could all be nephews and nieces of the producers and they conveniently happen to play instruments! That seems to be the only qualification needed, really (“Can you play a flute? Yes? That makes you an expert! You’re in!”).

As with the other programme, the keyboardist gets technical here – except that he spends far too much time explaining keyboard technique, leaving all the other instruments barely mentioned. It’s boring for anyone who doesn’t understand music theory – at the very least, they could have explained the technique behind different instruments to switch it up.

Most of the live footage is from one concert, during the ‘Duke’ era. It was very strange to see a goofy-looking Phil Collins play frontman in his wannabe ‘Magnum P.I.’ guise. At one point, he also shows off his percussive skill by doing a weird dance using a tambourine. Sure, it proved how adept he would be as a circus act, but it made him look like a total doofus.

By this point, Genesis decidedly became the most uncool band around, what with all that facial hair and the mullets completely obliterating any cool factor they may have once possessed. It only got worse with time, as they started wearing suits and looked like a bunch of accountants who played the local bar on Sunday nights. Geezus.

It looks to me as though the producers of the programme didn’t have the rights to Genesis’ material because everything they use here is in the public domain – they actually don’t even show the album covers or list their titles on screen (they are mentioned by some of the commentators, but that’s it). It makes for a fairly incomplete overview.

So, between a dearth of studio material and archival footage, an uninspiring show, and very sketchy and subjective overviews of the band’s late ’70s output, it doesn’t make for a tremendous package. I certainly can’t imagine ever watching this again – all that I learned here I could have picked up on Wikipedia.

For the curious or die-hard fans only.