The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs
The departure of Peter Gabriel from Genesis was a significant turning point in the band’s history. Both Gabriel and the continuing members have even wrote about the split in their music. “Solsbury Hill” is a reflection on Gabriel’s bittersweet departure the band, and the name of the Genesis album following his exit is …And Then There Were Three…. While the original Genesis lineup was a huge prog rock force to be reckoned with, I love Peter Gabriel’s solo work and the new era of Genesis much more. I understand the intent was to really push the progressive limits of the music, but, in my opinion, the original lineup took it too far. I can name at least 30 Peter Gabriel solo songs and at least 20 new-era Genesis tracks that I like much more than “Carpet Crawlers”. By narrowing down to three members, I think Genesis’ sound was simplified for the better, starting with the classic anthem and musical turning point “Follow You Follow Me”.
For me, the big change on the album was the flow of the music. It felt much more natural, less forced. An actual verse-chorus structure developed by Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks. And get this, the song was based in reality. It was a song of romance, not of mythic creatures and fairy tales. The realness of “Follow You Follow Me” was refreshing and relatable. Prog rock purists may scoff at it. But, at the same time, it wasn’t like the song was void of all progressive tendencies. The instrumentation, in particular, still held on to a musicality that pushed boundaries especially with Tony Banks on keys.
“I will stay with you will you stay with me. Just one single tear in each passing year there will be.”