GENESIS: 1975-2021 – THE PHIL COLLINS YEARS

Mario Giammetti KINGMAKER PUBLISHING

The post-Gabriel period mined in impressively obsessive detail.

There will always be a contingent of Genesis fans that stubbornly refuse to take much interest in the band’s post-Gabriel era, but that’s their loss. Because while the band went on to scale untold commercial heights, it wasn’t at the expense of creative potency. As Phil Collins tells Genesis’ unofficial historian Mario Giammetti in part two of his sizable history of the band: “The same people that brought you Apocalypse In 9/8 are bringing you We Can’t Dance.”

Giammetti’s narrative doesn’t hold back from criticism at times, or from a few rather reductive statements (“The three surviving members decided to play the immediacy card” – was it really that simple?), but mostly he leaves it to Banks, Rutherford and Collins, along with many other interested parties (Steve Hackett and Ray Wilson included) to tell a seldom-told tale in frank and often revealing terms.

As well as dissecting albums song-by-song, Giammetti looks in detail at the band’s tours, and another big USP for the book is the number of great photos Giammetti has sourced, including everything from live shots and contracts to gig tickets and magazine covers. Unless you’re continuing a bizarre 46-year boycott, this is a substantial and fascinating read.