Why Tony Banks, the quiet genius behind Genesis, is hesitant to create new music at 75

At 75, keyboardist Tony Banks should astir apt beryllium savoring the near-mythic afterglow of the enactment helium created with the set Genesis during the ’70s and ’80s — rewriting and expanding the tenets of British progressive rock, and selling implicit 100 cardinal records successful the process.

One would ideate that, similar astir surviving prog legends of his generation, Banks would beryllium readying his adjacent solo album, followed possibly by a lengthy circuit featuring impermanent appearances by immoderate of his erstwhile bandmates.

But the somewhat somber antheral connected the different broadside of our Zoom transportation is surely not arsenic convinced of his ain staying power. During a lengthy speech held portion promoting the reissue of the classical treble LP “The Lamb Lies Down connected Broadway,” Banks sounds astatine times arsenic nostalgic and melancholy arsenic the pastoral soft lines that populate specified exquisite Genesis anthems arsenic “Ripples” and “Carpet Crawlers.”

“I’ve got 1 oregon 2 things astir that I deliberation would enactment — maybe,” helium hesitates. “But that would impact getting the full machinery going again, and if it’s good weather, I’m retired successful the garden. I’m not a young antheral anymore, adjacent though I inactive person philharmonic ideas. Just don’t clasp your enactment for immoderate operation involving [former Genesis bandmates] Mike [Rutherford] oregon Phil [Collins.]”

In presumption of mainstream visibility, the bona fide Genesis stars were its 2 charismatic pb vocalists: archetypal Peter Gabriel, past drummer-turned-pop prima Phil Collins. But you lone request to beryllium marginally acquainted with the band’s 15 workplace albums — released betwixt 1969 and 1997 — to recognize that it was Banks and bassist-guitarist Rutherford who created astir of the group’s astonishing soundscapes.

Emerging successful the progressive country astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic the different icons of post-Beatles stone — King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer — Genesis was astir apt the champion of the bunch. Banks was lone 21 erstwhile they released “Nursery Cryme,” a haunting LP that combines the melodrama of post-romantic classical with esoteric folk-rock. The lyrics respire similar literate miniatures, gleefully exploring societal satire, the fantastic and macabre. The medium ends with an eight-minute retelling of a Greek story — Salmacis and Hermaphroditus — drenched successful Mellotron and erotic pathos.

“We were fortunate that popular euphony hadn’t gone precise acold astatine the time,” Banks says. “Obviously groups similar King Crimson had tried a fewer things, but determination was inactive abstraction to spell places that hadn’t been explored much. You could archer a communicative and let yourself 10, 15, adjacent 25 minutes to get it across. And successful those days, we benignant of got distant with it. We managed to transportation connected capable of an assemblage to marque it practical. I don’t deliberation people’s attraction span would spell for that benignant of happening today. And they accidental that your astir originative play is astir apt up to the property of 28.”

The late-era Genesis canon appears to disprove that theory. In the ‘80s, aft Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett had jumped ship, Banks, Collins and Rutherford decided to worker connected arsenic a trio. They built their ain studio, started jamming unneurotic and composing worldly from scratch, and focused — mostly — connected shorter songs. In concert, they conjured up a beauteous racket by having Collins duet with American drummer Chester Thompson during the benignant of lengthy instrumental passages that were prog’s badge of honor.

Banks’ refined melodic sensibility and blase chord progressions were the glue that held the magic together. Inspired by Rachmaninoff, his soft intro to the 1973 epic “Firth of Fifth” summed up the essence not lone of Genesis, but of progressive stone itself arsenic a harbinger of change: passionate, majestic, intoxicated by its ain consciousness of longing (“a batch of radical play it precise good connected YouTube, but they spell excessively fast,” helium points out. “If you play it accelerated it conscionable sounds tricksy.”)

Even aft the set “sold out,” with immense vigor hits similar “Throwing It All Away” and “That’s All,” Banks didn’t recede; instead, helium went covert. 1986’s “Invisible Touch” was an updated prog manifesto camouflaged arsenic popular artifact. Its closing track, a harmonically suspended instrumental titled “The Brazilian,” flirted with the avant-garde by repeating the aforesaid anti-melody, anchored connected a jungle of percussive clangs and hyperkinetic Simmons drum rolls. It was arsenic superb arsenic thing the set had done successful the ‘70s.

“Our champion euphony was not our singles, it was the worldly that went a spot further,” helium explains. “I avoided utilizing regular chord sequences due to the fact that I felt it was lazy. A batch of modern popular goes done variations of C, A minor, F and G, past wobble on connected apical of it. That doesn’t involvement maine arsenic a writer. I was ever trying weird things.”

“Tony was a large power connected maine erstwhile I was a kid,” says Jack Hues, the erstwhile person of ‘80s radical Wang Chung, who worked with Banks connected the solo medium “Strictly Inc.” “I retrieve listening to ‘Watcher of the Skies’ each greeting earlier I went to school. I utilized to enactment it connected my small grounds subordinate successful my bedroom, and it seemed to beryllium the benignant of happening that I needed to get done the day. When I got the telephone to enactment with him, it was fabulous.”

“Out of each the Genesis entourage, I had the champion narration with Tony. I trusted him,” adds Ray Wilson, the Scottish singer/songwriter who became the band’s past vocalist connected the lackluster 1997 medium “Calling All Stations.” “He seemed to beryllium the backbone of the full thing. Very beardown minded, precise opinionated, but a bully person. Being onstage with him erstwhile we toured with Genesis had much than its stock of magical moments.”

“Calling All Stations” signaled the past clip that Genesis released immoderate caller music. Collins returned to the fold for a 2007 circuit — including 2 spectacular evenings astatine the Hollywood Bowl — and, aft his wellness deteriorated, a bittersweet farewell jaunt successful 2021-22. The agelong periods of inactivity whitethorn person affected Banks’ confidence, which seemingly was not precise beardown to statesman with.

“He ever had a tiny brew earlier a gig, conscionable to calm his nerves,” recalls Wilson with a smile. “Obviously this had thing to bash with his ability; the antheral is highly talented. ‘The Lamb Lies Down connected Broadway’ has a cross-fingered intro connected the keyboards, and this small tally earlier the archetypal verse comes in. Tony would invariably f— that up. Every present and again, he’d get it right, but I was ever thinking: Is helium going to f— it up tonight? That was funny, and it was besides portion of his charm.”

“I cheat, really,” says Banks. “I’m not a large method subordinate astatine all. Because I was ever penning for myself, I could debar the things I couldn’t play. Someone similar [former Yes keyboardist] Rick Wakeman has a acold amended method than me, but method has ne'er been my priority. I wanted to research what you could bash with the piano. It’s down to however you usage it, what you play. And what I play is what I like.”

In the past, some Collins and Rutherford joked astir Banks’ stubborn streak. It whitethorn beryllium the broadside of his property that allowed him to cultivate a solo vocation of uncompromising integrity and, successful commercialized terms, 1 criminally underrated.

It started with the conception medium “A Curious Feeling,” its obsessive autumnal gloom and ornate melodies made adjacent much memorable by the monochrome opacity of the production. Released successful 1979, a mates of years earlier Collins hijacked the charts with “In the Air Tonight,” it did moderately well. Four albums aboriginal — his past stone outing, “Strictly Inc.,” dropped 30 years agone — occurrence inactive eluded him.

“I don’t spot the constituent successful putting thing retired there, really,” helium admits. “Each 1 of my stone records sold astir 10% little than the erstwhile one. By the clip we get to ‘Strictly Inc.,’ I’ve got each the copies present astatine home. You whitethorn person 1 yourself, but the task didn’t truly enactment out.”

“Tony doesn’t endure fools gladly, and helium won’t play on with the benignant of happening wherever you bent retired with the close manufacture people,” says Hues. “Phil and Mike produced euphony that had much affinity with the Genesis hits. Tony wrote galore of those songs, of course, but his solo merchandise is not precise marketable.”

When asked if helium could ideate pursuing the vocation way carved by different prog stars similar his erstwhile bandmate Steve Hackett, who inactive releases caller euphony independently and tours the nostalgia circuit constantly, Banks does not dependable enthused.

“It’s a overmuch tougher satellite retired there, and radical conscionable don’t care.

“If Peter oregon Phil privation to bash something, it’s casual for them due to the fact that they person the stature, and they’re precise talented arsenic well. I’m chiefly a writer. I didn’t truly privation to beryllium a player. I lone played due to the fact that nary 1 other would play the worldly we wrote.”

Still, helium has not altogether abandoned his originative pursuits. Between 2004 and 2018, Banks released 3 albums of orchestral pieces that enjoyed mean acclaim successful England. And helium is inactive moved by the lukewarm reception fixed to the past Genesis tour.

“I was amazed that radical were inactive interested,” helium says. ”I thought it was going to beryllium rather tough, but we were capable to play large places.”

He pauses to reflect, past adds with a smile.

“Genesis lasted longer than I thought it would. But that’s the quality of recorded music, it’s ever retired there, isn’t it? People tin perceive to it and say, well, that’s really beauteous good. And I deliberation that’s truly nice.”