Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Yeppers!
Peter motivated me to pick up flute and Tony is a very good guitarist. How many other bands would have up to three 12-strings going on stage at one time? I am sure we are still leaving out skills and instruments from each of the guys...(for instance Hackett plays harmonica well)

And have you ever seen a mellotron up close? My goodness what a Rube Goldberg mechanism! My roommate had one and we would marvel at all those tapes, playback heads, and springs. Watching the springs draw back the tapes was mesmerizing and they made a slithering sound as they moved back to the start position. They were nightmares to keep regulated. It is no wonder that Wakeman set one alight outside his house!

In the beginning (no pun intended) Genesis was first and foremost a 12 string band. Pete and Tony had collaborated early on as they had been mates in school, but the main shtick of the combo was this big gorgeous 12-string sound that was the Rutherford/Phillips "weave" (I still get chills thinking about it). Many of those early compositions had seeds that were primarily the arpeggiated figures of Mike's 12-string prowess. This spectacular talent culminates for me in the intro for "The Cinema Show." The novelty of his unique 12-string tunings (he even admits now that he can't remember some of them) his melodic and harmonic voicing in 12-string and bass (including the Taurus pedal) and his technical skill (the guy was FAST) will always be for me the most memorable musical legacy about Genesis.

In current interviews about the band, Rutherford along with Gabriel seem to cherish the time the most, yet Rutherford appears the most humble. He has aged into a "gentleman musician" of the highest order.

sasquatchgeoff wrote:In the beginning (no pun intended) Genesis was first and foremost a 12 string band. Pete and Tony had collaborated early on as they had been mates in school, but the main shtick of the combo was this big gorgeous 12-string sound that was the Rutherford/Phillips "weave" (I still get chills thinking about it). Many of those early compositions had seeds that were primarily the arpeggiated figures of Mike's 12-string prowess. This spectacular talent culminates for me in the intro for "The Cinema Show." The novelty of his unique 12-string tunings (he even admits now that he can't remember some of them) his melodic and harmonic voicing in 12-string and bass (including the Taurus pedal) and his technical skill (the guy was FAST) will always be for me the most memorable musical legacy about Genesis.

In current interviews about the band, Rutherford along with Gabriel seem to cherish the time the most, yet Rutherford appears the most humble. He has aged into a "gentleman musician" of the highest order.

Well spoken!
And of course, Anthony Phillips has continued that tradition since then. His solo CDs often feature 12-string. I wish Mike and Ant would work together once more.