Genesis Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chris Stewart

Chris Stewart was born on March 27, 1951, in Crawley, England. At Charterhouse in Surrey, he was classmates with Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel. He was in the Garden Wall (a school band) with them. Later, Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips joined, and they formed the band Anon. Anon was renamed Genesis in 1967.

In 1968, band manager Jonathan King asked Stewart to leave. King did not think Stewart was a good enough drummer for the band to make it big. Stewart became a farmer in 1988 after buying a farm in Spain. He has also written at least five books, including "Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia" (1999).

Answer: From Genesis to Revelation

On March 28, 1969, the band's debut album "From Genesis to Revelation" was released in Britain on Decca Records. The album came from demos they created while students at Charterhouse. Chris Stewart was replaced as the drummer by John Silver before they finished recording the album.

They also released three singles from the album. They are "The Silent Sun," "A Winter's Tale," and "Where the Sour Turns to Sweet." Both the album and the singles were a flop commercially, but the critics had a mixed reaction to it. In 1974, the album was released in the United States, and it reached number 170 on the "Billboard 200."

Answer: Tony Banks

Anthony George Banks was born on March 27, 1950, in East Hoathly with Halland, England. His mother was a pianist and introduced him to music early on, including classical music and Rodgers and Hammerstein show tunes. His older brother introduced him to the more popular songs of the day. He started piano lessons when he was eight, and then taught himself to play guitar.

In 1963, he studied at Charterhouse School and soon became good friends with Peter Gabriel. They both played in the school band, Garden Wall, with Chris Stewart. The school had another band as well, Anon, with Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips. They recorded demos and eventually formed the band Genesis.

Banks had not planned to become a professional musician. He wanted to be a math professor. He then switched to chemistry, then physics, and then philosophy. However, he ultimately dropped out of college to play keyboard with Genesis. Banks and Gabriel were best friends in the group, but they were also the two who fought the most within the band.

In 1998, Genesis broke up, and Banks considered retiring from music. However, he then started composing music for orchestras.

Answer: True

"Trespass" was the second studio album by Genesis. It was released in October 1970. Only one single was released from the album: "The Knife." This was also the last album to have Anthony Phillips on guitar, and the only one to feature John Mayhew on drums.

The album did not chart in the UK or in the US. However, it did well in Belgium, reaching number one on the Belgian charts. That helped them continue as a professional band. A friend of theirs let them stay in an abandoned weekend home that his family owned. They stayed there for six months and wrote most of their songs for the album. Their goal was to sound different from other bands.

Answer: Phil Collins

Philip David Charles Collins was born on January 30, 1951, in London, England. When he was five years old, his family gave him a toy drum set that his uncles made. As he got older, he got better drums, and he practiced the drums by playing along to music on TV and radio. He considers Ringo Starr as one of his biggest influences.

When he was seven, he entered a talent contest. He sang "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," but halfway through, he stopped the orchestra to inform them they were playing in the wrong key. He did not win the contest, but his mother knew he had a future in music.

He first joined the Cliff Charles Blues Band and toured the country in the summer of 1968. He played with various bands for the next few years. Then in 1970, Genesis was looking for a drummer, and Collins auditioned. He became their drummer on August 8, 1970. For the next five years, Collins played drums and provided backing vocals. When Peter Gabriel left in 1975, Collins became lead vocalist.

In 1981, he also made his solo debut with his album "Face Value." He has been successful both as part of Genesis and as a solo artist. In 1999, "Tarzan" was produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Collins wrote and performed the movie's music.

Answer: Nursery Cryme

Genesis released "Nursery Cryme" in November of 1971. It was the first album with Phil Collins on drums and Steve Hackett on guitar. The album was not very successful in the UK when it was first released, but in other parts of Europe it did well, notably in Italy, where it reached number four on the charts. The album did not have any singles.

They recorded the album at Trident Studios in London, England. John Anthony produced it. The first song on the album was "The Musical Box." The song was over ten minutes long. It told the story of Cynthia, who accidentally decapitated her friend Henry while they played croquet. Cynthia returned home and played Henry's music box, which released Henry's spirit, now as an old man. The song came from Mike Rutherford experimenting with different sounds on his 12-string acoustic guitar.

Answer: Foxtrot

Genesis released "Foxtrot" in 1972; it was their fourth studio album. The album had their longest recording, with "Supper's Ready" being 23 minutes long. "Watcher of the Skies" was the only single from the album. It was the first album to chart in the UK, reaching number 12 on the UK charts.

Paul Whitehead designed the cover for the album, which featured a fox in a red dress. On tour, Peter Gabriel, the group's frontman, wore the red dress with a fox head. This helped gain attention from the press.

Answer: I Know What I Like

In 1973, Genesis released the album "Selling England by the Pound." In February 1974, they released "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" as a single. The song reached number 21 on the UK charts.

The song is about a man named Jacob who works as a groundsman. He has no desire to do great things and just wants to continue mowing the lawn. The cover of "Selling England by the Pound" featured "The Dream," a painting by Betty Swanwick. At the band's request, she added the mower to the painting for the album.

Answer: Best Concept Music Video

In 1988, the band won a Grammy for Best Concept Music Video for their song "Land of Confusion." The song was a single from their album "Invisible Touch," which came out in 1986. The entire band contributed to the music, and Mike Rutherford wrote the lyrics.

The song reached number four on the US charts and number 14 on the UK charts. In several other countries, including Canada and the Netherlands, the song also reached the top ten. Puppets from "Spitting Image" (a 1980s UK sketch show) were featured in the music video for the song.

Answer: Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford

Down to two members, Banks and Rutherford hired two drummers (Nir Zidkyahu and Nick D'Virglio) to do the album "Calling All Stations." It was released in 1997 and reached number two in the UK. It did not fare as well in the US and only reached number 54 on the charts.

The two, along with Zidkyahu, went on tour in Europe with added guitarist Anthony Drennan. They had also planned to tour in the United States, but the sales were so bad that the US tour was cancelled. In 2000, Banks and Rutherford announced they too would no longer be touring or recording as part of Genesis.

Since then, there have been reunion tours and compilation albums released. They have remained friends, but most wanted to go on to different things. After 2011, people have wanted another tour, but Phil Collins can no longer play due to a medical condition, and Collins has said Peter Gabriel most likely will not do lead vocals again. By 2015, Collins cancelled his retirement, but still no Gabriel. In 2020, Collins, Banks, and Rutherford planned for the "The Last Domino?" tour, but then COVID happened. In 2021, the tour started. Collins announced that, due to his health, it would be his last tour. The tour was stopped briefly when a band member got COVID.