A teenaged Peter Gabriel in a promotional shot

I’ve always been rather lukewarm on the subject of Genesis. In fact, for the most part, growing up, I actually pretty much hated them. But when you’re—ahem—my age and you’ve already chewed through the catalog of just about every major and minor rock act under the sun, it gets to the point where you’re willing to listen again to things that you initially turned your nose up at.

First off, for clarification, I’m not talking about the post-Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins led version of the band at all here. There is no hope of redemption, critically speaking, for that band in my eyes. No way. Don’t get me wrong, I love much of Peter Gabriel’s solo work, but having said that—the Eno-drenched parts of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway aside—I could never get into the earlier era of Genesis, either. I tried, believe me but ‘twas not for sir. At least that’s what I thought until a friend of mine, a prominent DJ with great taste, recommended that I give a listen to the “forgotten” Genesis album, From Genesis to Revelation, recorded when the group were classmates at the prestigious Charterhouse School in Surrey, during 1968, and all between the ages of 16 and 18 years old. The album’s tracks were laid down over ten days during summer break and released the following year. No really, this was recorded when they were high school kids. And it’s incredible. The All Music entry describes From Genesis to Revelation as “largely of historical interest” but that’s nonsense. It’s a remarkable album, period. If it was made by a group who never recorded anything else, it would still be good.
 

 
From Genesis to Revelation is a loose song cycle, with no gaps between the tracks, (apparently) about God’s creation of the Earth and various books of the Bible. Produced by the now rather infamous pop music impresario Jonathan King (a former Charterhouse School student himself), From Genesis to Revelation, sold a depressing 650 copies when it came out due to its title and somber solid black album cover with embossed gothic lettering which led record stores to place it in the religious music section! In fact, what the album is, is an absolutely luscious sounding orchestral pop masterpiece, that sounds a lot like the early Bee Gees.

If you’re a fan of, say, Scott Walker, early Cat Stevens, and yes, the Brothers Gibb, this album will really blow your doors off. I still put it on all the time and I’ve become a bit of an evangelist for it, pushing it on other rock snobs who, like me, thought they hated Genesis. I’ve read that the group hated the added orchestral flourishes—arranged by Arthur Greenslade (who also worked with Serge Gainsbourg, Cat Stevens, Diana Ross, Shirley Bassey and Dusty Springfield)—which are a bit over the top in places, but given the fact that these kids were getting Moody Blues-level production value on their very first record made when they’re all high school students, I can’t see what they had to complain about! Certainly the album would be greatly diminished without King’s lush production and Greenslade’s after-the-fact orchestral arrangements.
 

 
In truth, From Genesis to Revelation’s only relationship to the later, prog rock Genesis sound is quite minimal. Aside from Gabriel’s voice, incredible even when he was a teenager, there’s virtually nothing in their original sound that they kept for their next LP, 1970’s Trespass, which they seem to consider to be their proper debut. When the “official” box set of Genesis albums came out, From Genesis to Revelation, which has been released and rehashed repeatedly over the years (also under the titles And the Word Was…Genesis and In the Beginning) under license by King, was not included.

Tracklist:
1. Where the Sour Turns to Sweet 0:00
2. In the Beginning 3:14
3. Fireside Song 7:01
4. The Serpent 11:20
5. Am I Very Wrong 15:59
6. In the Wilderness 19:31
7. The Conqueror 23:01
8. In Hiding 26:42
9. One Day 29:20
10. Window 32:42
11. In Limbo 36:16
12. The Silent Sun 39:46
13. A Place to Call My Own 42:00

Bonus tracks:
14. The Silent Sun (Single Version) 43:59
15. That’s Me 46:14
16. A Winter’s Tale 48:53
17. One Eyed Hound 52:25

Have a listen, I think this album is an unheralded, gorgeous minor masterpiece. There’s not a single weak song on it.