Well, the way I look at it is, if you cut an act like Genesis down to three guys, one of them having to do double duty as a drummer and front man, and another having to do double duty as guitarist and freaking BASS player, you should just consider it an entirely different band and judge the output separately.
The later Genesis, if you listen to it without expecting the same thing as the early stuff, is not bad music. It’s just going to be a real disappointment if you were expecting the Gabriel-era sound.
And Gabriel’s solo work sounds nothing like his Genesis work, times change.
All in all, Genesis has had a rather stable cast... It was a stroke of genius to bring Phil to the front when Peter Gabriel left the band. Phil’s voice was a perfect match for harmonizing with Peter, and still works quite well for lead vocals.
Since moving out front, other than a short stint with Bill Bruford on the drums, Chester Thompson’s been playing with Genesis.
Mike Rutherford always played “second” guitar (and Tony would occassionally pick up a guitar too) while Steve was in the Band. After Steve left, they brought in Darryl S. for guitar and bass when Mike wanted to play guitar, but over the years, Mike has moved more and more to guitar.
Genesis is simply a band that has evolved over the years. If you really miss early Genesis, check out Steve Hackett’s “Genesis Revisited.” And if you miss early solo Peter, check out “The Security Project.”
Mark