To many with hopes that stretch back farther than necessary, a full Genesis reunion with Peter Gabriel would be about the best thing to happen to rock and roll. So, for better or worse, the principle five members of Genesis — Gabriel, Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Steve Hackett — sat down together on a soundstage and talked about their experiences with the band before the camera. Not quite the reunion most fans would like to see, but likely the only one they’ll get. Indeed, Sum Of The Parts, an updated Genesis documentary that first aired on the BBC in October 2014, covers a lot of ground, but there are some “parts” in the film that pretty much explain why Genesis, in any form, will probably never reunite again.
Seasoned Genesis fans typically divide the band into two eras — The Peter Gabriel Years and The Phil Collins Years (Poor Ray Wilson, who took the lead vocal spot on 1997’s Calling All Stations, the final Genesis studio album, is a mere footnote and completely absent from this story). So the film focuses primarily on Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, with Genesis and on their own. The early proggers will no doubt salivate at the early footage. Anthony Phillips, the band’s founding guitarist, gets a brief cameo and many of the British journalists and broadcasters who offer commentary throughout the film acknowledge his importance to the band’s history. His successor, Steve Hackett, is also recognized for bringing his own style and flair to the classic lineup of the early 70s. It’s unfortunate the guitarist’s subsequent solo career, with over a dozen albums, is never even mentioned in this documentary. At press time, Hackett is the only one of the five playing Genesis music on the stage.
Nevertheless, we are treated to Gabriel’s stories about sneaking in his costumes without the band’s approval, and the impact it had on the band’s musical identity and success. It goes without saying that the music didn’t need theatrics, but it certainly enhanced it. Most of their albums are talked about, and when it comes to The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, this is where the tension becomes apparent. With Gabriel asserting his prominence, other members of the band, especially Banks, became disenchanted. As the two men, now in their 60s, sit next to one another, talking that period, you can still sense a slight animosity, although both acknowledge they were young and idealistic at the time.
Of course, after The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway and the subsequent shaky tour, Gabriel left Genesis. The transition to Collins taking over is well covered, with even Gabriel commenting that they became more successful with him. After Hackett’s departure gets a brief review, the story of Genesis becomes one of a band that adapted to a changing musical climate. Weathering punk, their streamlined approach kept them grounded through the 80s, when everything changed overnight, thanks in large part to MTV. Sum Of The Parts takes square aim at how Genesis, Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel all became darlings of the video music age.
To the casual Genesis fan, this film covers a fairly broad spectrum of one of the most successful rock bands of the 20th century. Pivotal albums from Gabriel and Collins get as much of the spotlight as the hit albums the band had in the 80s. We even get a glimpse of the 2007 reunion tour with Collins, Banks, Rutherford, guitarist Daryl Stuermer and drummer Chester Thompson. The diehards will still find the gaps like the 1982 reunion and a slight lack of balance in other areas. Oh yeah, there’s a short detour to Rutherford’s side project, Mike & the Mechanics, and Banks’ solo work and more recent orchestral forays. But when it comes right down to it, Sum Of The Parts was made to focus on the parts that likely matter the most to the larger sum.
~ Shawn Perry
