Follow-Ups to Answer from Expert Joseph Dixon

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Jenn wrote at 2006-07-26 20:25:29
In response to Joe;



I believe you have left out one album. I only own it on cassette but believe me it exists! The title is Rock Roots by Genesis. I'm not exactly sure what year it's from, but it is very amateur sounding. It is very musical and poetic as Peter often is. It's my very favourite Genesis album.

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xKx14 wrote at 2007-07-16 17:58:46
It had a lot to do with his child also. A little During and after "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" was made his baby was sick.

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Andrew wrote at 2010-04-14 07:29:49
As Joe said above, Peter Gabriel left Genesis for many reasons, and here are a few that Joe didn't touch on yet:



In addition to the tension between him and his bandmates over the recording of The Lamb and his wife's difficult pregnancy, there were personal reasons regarding his ascension into superstardom and musical reasons as well.



Gabriel's shy and quiet demeanor offstage was starkly contrasted by his flamboyant, energetic presence on-stage demonstrated by his outlandish costumes and dramatic expressions. He would also act out characters in the story by changing costumes during the song and changing his voice as well. All of this led to Gabriel receiving almost all the media attention and the rest of the band not getting any recognition at all. Some referred to Genesis as Gabriel's band. This is not at all what Gabriel had wanted. The reason for his stage antics was simply to create a connection between the audience and frankly the odd things that Gabriel was singing about that made no sense to anyone else. He did it for shock value and to get Genesis recognized early on, which he succeeded at. He didn't want to hover over the rest of the band, and he didn't want his rockstar lifestyle to overshadow his love for the music - which it was starting to do. Gabriel stated that "The increase in money and power, if I had stayed, would have anchored me to the spotlights." He was starting to look at things from the "famous Gabriel" perspective. Something needed to change, and as Gabriel would say in his first single as a solo artist, Solsbury Hill, "To keep in silence I resigned."



But one more important reason for Gabriel's departure from Genesis is clearly stated in a letter he wrote in August of 1975 and personally handed to the English Press entitled "Out, Angel's Out - An Investigation". Written and published in the British Press so that Gabriel could explain himself correctly to his fans(he says he does not express himself adequately in interviews), his letter touches on many reasons for his leaving Genesis, including his desire for different musical styles. He states that his love for the type of music he made with Genesis was still there and that the tunes had not dried up to him at all. But his desire for something more than what could be done in a band setting was part of what drove him out.



"I believe the world has soon to go through a difficult period of changes. I'm excited by some of the areas coming through to the surface which seem to have been hidden away in people's minds. I want to explore and be prepared to be open and flexible enough to respond, not tied in to the old hierarchy."



He goes on to say, "My future within music, if it exists, will be in as many situations as possible."



His creative work with Genesis could not be pushed any further than it had already gone. It was time to move on to bigger things, which he certainly did (and still is). So, to stick with the Solsbury Hill theme, Peter Gabriel just "walked right out of the machinery."

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