All I Hear Is Music

In the Wilderness (Rough Mix) - Genesis
From Genesis Archive 1967-75 (1998)

It's no secret that Genesis is my favorite band of all time*. I think that trying to explain the why and how of it would probably be pointless - I can't even fully justify it to myself anymore. Genuine love of the music mixes with nostalgia and the feeling of discovery in such a powerful way that they become inseparable, forming themselves into my musical DNA. I suspect that this isn't uncommon for most people with regards to their favorite band - thus the Backstreet Boys embark on their seventh tour. Genesis are admittedly a weird band for a kid to latch on to - it's just that when most 13 year olds in 2000 were listening to Nirvana, Eminem, and Creed, I was listening to 70s prog-rock. Thanks, dad.

But anyway, I was paying my audio-tithe to Gabriel and co. recently when I stumbled across this gem. It's a demo from their first album, From Genesis to Revelation, released in 1969 when the oldest band member was 18. As you might imagine, it's a pretty crappy album - made worse by an idiot producer who decided that overdubbing horns and strings onto pretentious, amateurish songs would give 'em some real pizzazz (it didn't). Luckily, the version on the terrific Genesis box set has a stripped down and far superior version.

Ignore the lyrics please - they're pure silliness. Just enjoy a lovely song by a bunch of young kids on summer break, played with palpable enthusiasm and intimacy, and topped off by a minor miracle of a chorus.

*Peter Gabriel-era