The prog rockers recorded their debut album during the school holidays and its minimalistic sleeve meant it was often filed wrongly in record shops…
After Genesis were discovered in 1967 while at Charterhouse school, From Genesis To Revelation was their debut album. It was released in March 1969 on Decca Records in the UK, and featured the original line-up of Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips.
At the request of their producer, Genesis composed a series of tracks that were based loosely on the bible, hence the title of the album. It was a grandiose statement for a young band, who recorded the album during their school holidays in 1968. Strings were later overdubbed on the record, which the band took umbrage with, but the gapless playback of the album and its adventurous concept led to it being almost completely different to anything else of its time.
From Genesis To Revelation was issued in a black sleeve with the title in gothic gold font on the top left-hand side. Due to the minimalistic nature of the sleeve, the album was often filed wrongly under religious music in record stores, making it almost impossible to find. Initial sales were a lowly 600 copies, of which roughly 150 were mono pressings. It didn’t help matters that the band’s name was omitted from the sleeve because Decca had recently discovered an obscure American act also called Genesis, and had asked the English band to change their name.
Thankfully, they never did, and would go on to have great success despite the slow start of their debut. Due to its poor sales, it has become an incredibly sought-after rarity, with mint-condition copies of the mono pressing selling for up to £1,500.
Glen Bushell