Genesis, the venerable British band that pioneered prog rock in the ’70s and churned out synth-pop hits like clockwork in the ’80s, called it quits last week, 55 years after forming at a posh public school in Surrey. Their decision was prompted by the declining health of drummer-cum-frontman Phil Collins, who since 2017 had to perform while seated.
Their history divides into two distinct periods — the Peter Gabriel years, and everything that came after. Gabriel was the most theatrical frontman in rock, not merely singing as various characters but also donning a series of complicated costumes to act out songs that routinely exceeded 12 minutes. Genesis gained a devoted cult following and decent album sales, but Gabriel left for a solo career in 1975, the year after their double-LP concept album “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” and immediately after its corresponding tour, which left the band deeply in debt.
This track originally appeared on that album. The lyrics make no sense out of context, and didn’t make all that much in it.
After Gabriel’s departure, Collins, one of the best drummers in prog, took over lead vocals, and Genesis turned into a more conventional rock band, though Collins’ similar vocal range allowed him to perform some of the old repertoire. When guitarist Steve Hackett left in 1977, bassist Mike Rutherford assumed his duties, and they continued as a trio. Their sound, defined by Tony Banks’ full prog keyboard array, fit the synth-crazy ’80s perfectly and a string of radio/MTV hits followed.
But when Collins started releasing solo albums and singles that sounded much like the full group, the overexposure turned the band, and Collins in particular, into a joke. Collins left for a time, but he and Gabriel were invited back in 1995 to record a new version of this track for their greatest hits album. For whatever reason they called it “Carpet Crawlers 1999,” with the two sharing lead vocals. They didn’t change much, but they did shorten it by leaving off the short intro section and cutting the last verse.
Collins rejoined the band in 2006 and they toured several times, but released no new material. “Carpet Crawlers” was the last song the band played at its final concert.