Join the In the Prog Seat crew for an album war between the first solo albums from members of Genesis, Peter Gabriel ‘Peter Gabriel’, Steve Hackett ‘Voyage of the Acolyte’, Mike Rutherford ‘Smallcreep’s Day’, and Tony Banks ‘A Curious Feeling’.
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I walked up Solsbury Hill recently. Lovely spot just outside Bath, UK.
1. Voyage, 2. Smallcreep, 3. Curious, 4. Car
Gabriel. Hands down.
Voyage is by far the best. However, Steves solo quality slowly went downhill from there…even though there are some good listens. Gabriels's music has been described as "world music". Well, I don't like world music I guess. Banks "Curious" is decent, but relatively bland, as are the other members solo works.
Peter Gabriel always ahead of his former band mates. In variability, imagination, in every respect.
I haven't listened to Mike's and Tony's records but to answer Pete's question at the end, yes, I would have the other two in a different order so Peter wins and Steve comes in second. My favorite Hackett solo record is by a long shot Spectral Mornings so…
Amazingly enough, only a year ago I wasn't into PG's solo catalog at all…! Around the time I got into prog-Genesis in 2004 I did try listening to it but it never clicked with me at all. Over the years I tried again a once or twice and…nothing. I didn't even like Solsbury Hill!
But around last November we had a Genesis Top 40 countdown-thread over at the Steve Hoffman Forum where around 100 participants submitted their own ranking of forty Genesis songs and then the thread host did the number crunching and presented the master ranking list in a countdown format over a three week period. These are loads of fun and the discussion is great. During this countdown Peter's solo career of course came up and I finally decided to take one last shot at it by watching a concert video from 1978 on YouTube. I LOVED IT!!! I then went and listened to his debut album on Apple Music and I LOVED IT. Now I'm a huge fan of almost all of his studio albums and yes, I adore his latest record as well, I/O. It's immensely listenable!
So, Eric, if I can go from being completely indifferent for twenty years to being a big fan, well, I guess there is still hope for you as well! 🙂
Gabriel’s first album is the masterpiece here.
The Geese and the Ghost needed to be recognized….Anthony Phillips solo albums are wonderful.
I'm in for "The Pedal Board Show" !
Steve Hackett is my #1 amongst these four, and I think it's head & shoulders above the others. Excellent discussion as always gents!
Noel McCalla is great! I think he started out in a band called Moon in the 70s. Good call from Eric & Christian.
For me, 1) Smallcreep's day, 2) Car, 3) Voyage of the acolyte, and 4) Curious feeling. But, truthfully they are all great albums.
Great episode, gentlemen! For me, my ranking of these goes like this:
1. Steve
2. Peter
3. Tony
4. Mike
All are fantastic but I feel like Steve’s Voyage Of The Acolyte is almost a lost Genesis album.
"Voyage of the Acolyte" – the missing link between "Selling England" and "The Lamb"
1) Voyage of the Acolyte
2) A Curious Feeling
3) Car
4) Smallcreep's Day.
To me as a guitar player, Tony Banks is Genesis and their manager even said Genesis was Tony Banks' solo project.
Even some of his worst work is near the top of this list because it's all about melody for me and the development of it.
Check out this Faye Dunaway movie score by Banks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIocCoonTOY
To my ears "Gheese" is, both in terms or composición and production, way better than "Acolyte". It's more coherent, the themes build up more fluidly, the sound is clearer (Phil's voice!) And there are even three memorable songs there. That said, let's acknowlege that "Hyerophant"'s final buildup from 5.55 onwards is as good as a Beethoven piece.
Hackett's first album would rank high in Genesis catalog…best of the 4 first album, though I do like the "Peter Gabriel" self titled quartet better as a whole.
Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, do The Pedal Show! " I'd Pay A Dollar For That". BTW, this is a great episode Genesis are awe inspiring.
My ranking:
1 – Steve
2 – Tony
3 – Mike
4 – Peter
There's no other way, Hackett, Gabriel, Rutherford, and Banks in that order.
I truly hate how Steve is buried in the mix in all his Genesis records, but the major culprit is "Seconds Out". People keep orgasmin on that live album but I can't hear Steve AT ALL! It's a live album that not even as a completionist will touch with a ten-foot pole. A disgrace and a disrespect for someone who tried his best to bring great music to the band.
As for Tony Banks it still puzzles me why his solo career is so shockingly mediocre. I guess his creativity was sparked by his tyranny in the band, no other way to put it.
He always tried to outshine his band members, but when Tony was on his own, who was there to torture and impress?
I don't love PG's Car as much, it has grown on me and I love now Bob Ezrin's production, and Steve Hunters solo in Here Comes The Flood is phenomenal. I will alwaysnprefer the eerie and epic album version than the stripped down version PG and Fripp are fond of.
Indeed Excuse Me really kills it for me, it's the Who dunnit of this record.
I never liked Moribund… but in a way, Peter starts his solo career with a song that could've been in a Genesis album, a kind of obituary of his Genesis days, then moves into the real start of his career with Solsbury Hill.
Phil Collins 1st album had more success than them all combined, ok, not prog, but had some brilliant songs, from astounding drummer to pop singer that was a huge worldwide success, he can’t be overlooked by anyone from any genre.
I’d rather he just stayed a drummer though, apart from Face Value I wasn’t really a fan of his solo work or Genesis stuff from Abacab onwards, but Wind and Wuthering, A trick of the tale and Then there were three were brilliant.
Out of the other 4 members, Tony Banks was always my fav.
The Fairy Glen
try playing in air…tormented below mediocre drummer ask me
They're right, 'Face Value" definitely wasn't prog, but it's probably the most honest, because it's Phil's true feelings about what he was going through at the time. Phil says he played "In The Air Tonight" for the band before "Face Value" was put together. But Tony says he doesn't remember that, and he says if he had heard it, he would've wanted Genesis to do it.
Voyage of the Acolyte sounds like an unreleased Genesis album.
Mad props to Mike Rutherford’s Smallcreep’s Day. A fantastic record for the time.
My ranking is
4. Tony Banks-A Curious Feeling
3. Peter Gabriel-Car
2. Mike Rutherford-Smallcreep’s Day
1. Steve Hackett-Voyage of the Acolyte
1. Peter Gabriel
2. Voyage of the Acolyte
3. A Curious Feeling
4. Smallcreep’s Day
“Smallcreeps Day” is the winner. An absolutely stunning, wonderful album. My all time favourite album of all time!
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Cool episode. Love when the episodes go tangential. That discussion on The Who and what the band might have been like with Collins on skins, was fascinating. Great stuff, chaps… 👏👏👏
Don’t get the beating up of Gabriel.
“In the Air Tonight” was on the soundtrack for the movie Risky Business. This helped it become popular.
Thanks for mentioning Phil. He had no problem using Daryl Stuermer.
1. Voyage of the Acolyte
2. Peter Gabriel 1
3. Smallcreep's Day
4. A Curious Feeling
Best cover- A Curious Feeling
I really like Smallcreeps Day and cannot believe that he's disowned it. The only one I haven't heard is Banks so can't really score them.
Apologies if already covered [I did look] but how about a Yes Album War episode. Beginings; Fish Out of Water; Alias of Sunhillow; Ramshackled?
I can't understand people who aren't interested in lyrics but just music. The clue is in the word 'song'. If you're not taking notice of the lyrics then you're not listening to the song i.e something that is 'sung' ie 'lyrics'