The Top 10 Heaviest Songs From Genesis

via Ryan Martin / Youtube

Genesis got lucky to have been blessed with two pioneering frontmen in their career. The first part of Genesis was largely creative and experimental, with Peter Gabriel bringing something out-of-the-box. And then came Peter Collins, who drove Genesis to perform ballads that not only showed a different side of the band but also led them to immense amounts of fame. But one thing remained constant between the two; they always have a thing to heaviness. Below, we introduce these 10 songs of Genesis thatโ€™ll guarantee its championship in the world of heavy rock.

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The Waiting Roomโ€ (1974) โ€“ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

โ€œWe just sat there and tried to frighten ourselves!โ€ Tony Banks once told this in an interview, upon explaining how the band come up with โ€œThe Waiting Room.โ€ Its heaviness emulsifies with its creepiness, something that Genesis has a knack for.

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โ€œBack in N.Y.C.โ€ (1974) โ€“ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

In โ€œBack in N.Y.C.,โ€ Genesis adopts a more hostile tone than in their previous songs on the album. Lyric-wise, Gabriel sings profanity in the line โ€œIโ€™m not full of shit,โ€ which is pretty much what youโ€™d expect from the songโ€™s heaviness.

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โ€œ… In That Quiet Earthโ€ (1976) โ€“ Wind & Wuthering

A total opposite to its title, โ€œ… In That Quiet Earthโ€ is fuming with blasting cymbals of Collins, a soaring guitar work by Steve Hackett, and Mike Rutherfordโ€™s genius bass lines. Weโ€™re telling you, that the song has its own story and is more than willing to state its parts.

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โ€œMusical Boxโ€ (1971) โ€“ Nursery Cryme

Genesis impressed their critics with Nursery Cryme, an album so ludicrous it reeks of insanity from its cover album down to the content of its songs. One, in particular, is โ€œMusical Box,โ€ which says the story of a young girl named Cynthia who beheads her friend Henry in a game of croquet. Henryโ€™s soul then gets trapped inside the musical box, re-emerges as an angry, old ghost, and attacks Cynthia. Wild.

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โ€œThe Return of the Giant Hogweedโ€ (1971) โ€“ Nursery Cryme

Gabriel has been known by many to be the author of some of Genesisโ€™ craziest lines ever. For this song, we have: Mighty Hogweed is avenged! / Human bodies soon will know our anger / Kill them with your Hogweed hairs! / Heracleum Mantegazziani.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTuJQL8GBqY

โ€œFly on a Windshieldโ€ (1974) โ€“ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

The song is developed into two parts: one thatโ€™s loud and one thatโ€™s quiet. Its shift from soft and mellow to pure heaviness is what Tony Banks labeled as โ€œthe single best moment in Genesis.โ€

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โ€œSupperโ€™s Readyโ€ (1972) โ€“ Foxtrot

The song is the starting point of the development of progressive rock, with the lengthy number finishing neatly at 23 minutes. However, โ€œSupperโ€™s Readyโ€ was not heavy at all times, some of its hefty parts can be heard in the โ€œApocalypse in 9/8โ€ section.

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โ€œDown and Outโ€ (1978) โ€“ …And Then There Were Three…

After the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett to pursue a solo career, the remaining members felt that they could carry on the legacy as a trio. ย โ€œ…And Then There Were Three… relived the old remnants of prog-rock, with songs that relied on heaviness, such as โ€œDown and Out.โ€

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โ€œSquonkโ€ (1976) โ€“ A Trick of the Tail

โ€œSquonkโ€ is based on the North American legend of the Squonk, who dissolves in a pool of tears when caught. The song was meant to sound like Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” with the main theme written by Rutherford and a middle portion written by Banks.

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โ€œThe Knifeโ€ (1973) โ€“ Live version

โ€œThe Knifeโ€ was built as a folk-rock tune, with nothing to be excited for. But in 1973, when the band performed this live, critics decided to label the song as the โ€œedgiestโ€ Genesis track ever. Why wouldnโ€™t they? You can listen to it below and see it for yourself.

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