Genesis

Released: March 31, 1978

Songwriter: Mike Rutherford

Producer: Genesis David Hentschel

Get out of the way, fat man. You got something to do
Go fill up your hands till they're shining up at you
You gotta get out while there's gold in the air
It's falling like water, coming down from the hills

Go West young man
Earn a dollar a day just like your family said
You're rolling your days right on into the night
The head of the line is going way out of sight
Go West young man like your family said

All along the wagons
All along the dusty trail
Seventeen years not over a day
Like children in the wild
Yer mother's milk still wet on your face
And no one to pray for your safe journey home

Out beyond the desert
Across the mountains by the falls
Servants who leave their master's house
Are walking all the way
The golden fields that beckoned you
Are darkened by the years

Go West young man
If you knew then what you know today
You'd be back where you started a happier man
And leave all the glory to those who have remained

So go West young man
Go West young man, like your family said

Genesis are an English rock band formed at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey in 1967. The most commercially successful line-up includes keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist Mike Rutherford and drummer/singer Phil Collins. Other important members were singer Peter Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett. The band underwent several significant changes in musical style over its career, from folk music to progressive rock in the 1970s, before moving towards pop at the end of the decade.

Formed by five Charterhouse pupils including Banks, Rutherford, Gabriel and Anthony Phillips, Genesis was named by former pupil Jonathan King who arranged them to record several unsuccessful singles and an album. After splitting with King, the group began touring professionally, signing with Charisma Records. Following the departure of Phillips, Genesis recruited Collins and Hackett and recorded several progressive rock style albums, with live shows centred around Gabriel’s theatrical costumes and performances.

Their discography includes fifteen studio and six live albums, six of which topped the UK chart. They have won numerous awards and nominations, including a Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video with “Land of Confusion” and inspired a number of tribute bands recreating Genesis shows from various stages of the band’s career. In 2010, Genesis were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their biggest hit to date is Invisible Touch which spent 3 consecutive weeks at #1.

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Genesis Archive 2: 1976–1992 (2000)

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