Tony Banks - the forgotten Genesister

So yeah, Genesis, fabulous 70s and 80s prog, horrible 80s and 90s chart toppers, and they all branched off into solo careers... Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Mike (Rutherford) and the Mechanics.

What about Tony Banks?

I'd never even heard of him til recently, but you know, he did some really grand pop music in the 80s. Some of it with Nik Kershaw on vocals which really worked well ("Red Day on Blue Street" especially). His own vocals are sweet and dorky if a little strained, but I do like his stuff mostly.

Suprised theres pretty much no mention of him on ILM.

I expect Geir to pop up if noone else, heh. What say ye?

Tony Banks' problem is he has never been much of his singer, so his solo stuff has had this confusing conglomeration of voices rather than one voice to identify the sound. Also I feel like he fell a bit too much in love with his Yamaha CP, and instrument that for me is kind of neither fish nor flesh in that it sounds neither like a proper piano or like a true electric piano.

I reckon the best of his solo albums are "A Curious Feeling", a rather great sounding 1979 solo debut, and "Strictly Inc", which included his most "prog" moment since leaving Genesis, the 17 minute plus "An Island In The Darkness". But he has sadly never come quite close to the greatness of his 70s work with Genesis.

He is a fantastic keyboardist, regardless of his missteps (which I'll admit there's a few of, heh). I found it interesting how well Kershaw fit in with his style, and I think Red Day should have been a single.

Sure his singing is weak, but I like that, he's sweetly dorky.

His singing is kinda OK, and in a way it would have worked better if he had chosen to sing his solo material himself. More control at least.

Of course, Kershaw added an element of his own style as well. So maybe they should have formed a group instead. (Like Banks has, indeed, done on a couple of occasions to get away with having to have someone else provide his vocals)

The worst singer in the band is Rutherford. Tony Banks isn't all that bad
as a vocalist for someone who is a keyboardist--he reminds me of Al Stewart,
actually.

Search: A Curious Feeling, Seven (the orchestral album he just made),
I think Still (found in cutouts everywhere) is a decent, underrated album
Destroy: Most everything else, especially Bankstatement

Oops, should say I haven't heard "Strictly Inc."

"The Lion of Symmetry" (on "Soundtracks") with Toyah singing is awesome.

Which album has the Fish songs on it?Some of those are pretty cringeworthy.

"Soundtracks" has a Fish song, but most I think are on "Still"

Banks wrote most of the Proggier-sounding Genesis songs once they were down to a trio, i.e. the ones I usually liked best as a kid. The Kershaw hook-up isn't that surprising - he definitely came from a Prog-fan background, his live band were usually pretty muso-ish and they did a lot of extended songs.

Since Mike Rutherford formed Mike & the Mechanics and Phil Collins is Phil Collins, Banks has a distinct and convincing advantage in the not-crap stakes. Those of us who respect quality (i.e. not the fans of aforementioned bollocksfests listed above) recognise Banks as the bloke what most likely influenced the very few good things Genesis has done since 1978.

okay that came out a but glib but I think my point is intact.

The albums from "Trick Of The Tail" through "Duke" came with individual song credits rather than just collective song credits, and did indeed prove that the best material was always composed by Banks.

In fact, even during the Gabriel years, Banks would compose much of the best material. Peter Gabrial at the time was more of a lyrics writer than a composer.