Invisible Touch

Broadcast by the BBC as Together And Apart, Sum Of The Parts is the official authorised story of Genesis made with the full co-operation of the band members. It tells of the band s formation at Charterhouse (where Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel and Mike Rutherford were all pupils) in the late sixties and the release of their debut album From Genesis To Revelation…

Founded in the late '60s in Surrey, England, Genesis rose out of the ashes of earlier bands formed by schoolmates Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Michael Rutherford, and Anthony Phillips (who departed after 1969's Trespass, the album providing the final track on this stellar retrospective). Guitarist Steve Hackett soon signed on, as did drummer/vocalist Phil Collins, who'd later emerge (as would Gabriel) as a solo superstar. Following Gabriel's 1975 departure, Genesis grew from a progressive art-rock outfit into one of the biggest arena rock acts ever, with a long string of platinum-sellers and chart smashes.

Genesis started life as a progressive rock band, in the manner of Yes and King Crimson, before a series of membership changes brought about a transformation in their sound, into one of the most successful pop/rock bands of the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, the group has provided a launching pad for the superstardom of members Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, and star solo careers for members Tony Banks, Michael Rutherford, and Steve Hackett…

The first Genesis Archive made sense. It covered the Peter Gabriel years, an era that was not only supremely creative for the band, but filled with rarities, forgotten tracks, outtakes, B-sides, BBC sessions, and live performances begging for a collection. It was a box set for fans and it filled its purpose splendidly. Its sequel, Genesis Archive 2: 1976-1992, attempts to fill the role for the Genesis Mach II, otherwise known as the Phil Collins years, but the problem is, the Collins era was completely different from Gabriel's…

A compilation of the material Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks recorded for two mid-'80s films, Quicksilver and Lorca and the Outlaws, Soundtracks is very similar in instrumentation to Genesis' Invisible Touch. Keyboards and drum machines dominate the album, which, in addition to the instrumental suites, includes three pop songs. "Quicksilver Suite" tends to rely too much on the recurring theme to "Shortcut to Somewhere," but the breathy keyboard theme that opens the piece is quite touching, and Banks has a flair for building interesting layers of synthesizers.

A compilation of the material Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks recorded for two mid-'80s films, Quicksilver and Lorca and the Outlaws, Soundtracks is very similar in instrumentation to Genesis' Invisible Touch. Keyboards and drum machines dominate the album, which, in addition to the instrumental suites, includes three pop songs. "Quicksilver Suite" tends to rely too much on the recurring theme to "Shortcut to Somewhere," but the breathy keyboard theme that opens the piece is quite touching, and Banks has a flair for building interesting layers of synthesizers.