Peter Gabriel wonders if Genesis took themselves too seriously

Peter Gabriel says Genesis’s differing creative visions and his family’s needs contributed to his decision to leave the band in 1975. He believed the remaining members could succeed without him, while they were worried about the group’s future, and he now wonders whether they all took their work too seriously.

Gabriel recalls that Phil Collins disliked his theatrical costumes and preferred an image closer to that of a jazz musician, though Gabriel saw both men’s ideas as central to Genesis. He describes his relationship with Tony Banks as a mix of friendship and rivalry, and says his first solo single, “Solsbury Hill”, helped him build confidence outside the band. He also recalls that “Sledgehammer”, his biggest global hit, was recorded at short notice rather than written with hit-making in mind.