Anthony Phillips, founding Genesis guitarist, joins Jason Barnard to discuss his new album Gemini – Pieces For Piano, a collection of 44 solo piano compositions marking his return to the instrument after two decades. Anthony talks about the creative process behind the album: the acquisition of a Steinway grand, his battle with wrist issues during recording, and the unexpected difficulty of titling so many pieces. He also pays tribute to two close friends who passed away, to whom tracks on the album are dedicated.
The conversation moves into Anthony’s classical music awakening post-Genesis, including formal studies at the Guildhall School of Music. The second half travels back to the formation of Genesis at Charterhouse, including the summer of 1967 when Anthony first heard a 12-string guitar and how that discovery influenced the sound of early Genesis. He also shares details about the long-awaited remaster of the band’s debut album From Genesis To Revelation, and explains how Peter Gabriel’s theatrical stage persona came about through necessity, filling time while Anthony and Mike Rutherford struggled to keep their temperamental 12-strings in tune.
