Richard Macphail celebrates Genesis anniversary...

Richard Macphail is celebrating the 50th birthday of Genesis' first album by releasing The Anon track 'Pennsylvania Flickhouse' as a single available for the first time on digital...

With impact date May 31 2019, to coincide with Richard appearing at Charterhouse (June 1 2019) and marking the 50th anniversary of Genesis' first album release. Further appearances are listed below. Also, Richard will present a special Genesis Anniversary edition of his radio programme on May 28.

The new release is from Richard's original acetate recording from 1966.

The Anon would merge with The Garden Wall to form Genesis.

A fascinating edited extract from My Book Of Genesis by Richard Macphail explains how Genesis took shape in 1969...

“It was during the summer of 1969 that we came to the inexorable realisation that this was serious; this was what they were going to do with their lives and I was going to be a part of it. I have to say that they were starting to sound great. There was always a niggling thought in the back of my head that these were my mates and that was why I thought they were so good. 

But that summer I began to think, ‘No, hang on a minute. They really are good. This stands up.’ They were working hard at it, getting their chops together, still writing and rehearsing. For them it was really all about the writing. It’s ironic that Genesis eventually became one of the most amazing and popular live bands, but actually in the early days we talked about the idea of performing behind a black curtain. Putting on a show was secondary. It was the music, the composition, the way of writing they developed. That was all that seemed to interest them. 

Anthony Philips and Mike Rutherford loved doing 12-string acoustic guitar compositions with unusual tunings and many of the songs were based on ideas that owed from that…this led to one of the things that hampered them: tuning their guitars, because they needed to retune them between numbers. When you are playing at a college hop full of sweaty bodies and suddenly the temperature and the humidity go up, a cheap 12-string will go all over the place. Tuning two 12-string guitars used to take forever, which is how Peter Gabriel came up with the creative solution of dressing up and talking to the audience. So began the madcap stories…

Decca let them go without any hassle. Genesis didn’t make any money out of the [first] album but they didn’t care...I bought a copy of International Times, the right-on leftie paper, and in it there was quite a favourable review. This was getting on towards the end of 1969. My immediate reaction was to dash into a callbox and ring Peter Gabriel and read it down the phone to him. He was really chuffed.

As the summer of 1969 moved into autumn, it became a sort of unspoken assumption that I was part of the group even though I wasn’t one of the musicians. There was no one else involved, just me and the other five. I took on the roles of manager and roadie without actually being appointed. Lots of bands had a mate who drove them around, and though I didn’t actually get a licence until later that year, that was me…”

( Extract © 2019 Richard Macphail )

Richard Macphail UK tour 2019...

• April 13 Birmingham, Crescent Theatre (with Book of Genesis)
• April 18 Nuneaton, The Crew / Queens Hall (with Visible Touch)
• April 20 Haverhill, Arts Centre (with Visible Touch)
• April 26 Trading Boundaries, Sheffield Green (with G2)
• April 27 Trading Boundaries, Sheffield Green (with The Watch)
• June 1 Charterhouse, Surrey (with Book of Genesis)

More information...

• My Book Of Genesis is now available as an Audiobook (read by Richard Macphail, with the Foreword read by Peter Gabriel)
• Pennsylvania Flickhouse is just out on digital for the first time. Impact date is May 31 2019. For a promo copy please contact us now
• Richard will present a special Genesis Anniversary edition of his radio show Rich Pickings on May 28th 2019
• The main colour image above shows Genesis with Richard at the sound desk in 1972
• For further information and images please contact us now...