“Telling it my way…” Richard MacPhail’s My Book Of Genesis reviewed by Alan Hewitt.

If George Martin was the fifth Beatle, then the sixth member of Genesis in their early days has to be Richard Macphail. Mentor, sound engineer, booking agent, and picnic hamper packer extraordinaire, Richard was there at the band’s inception and through to the beginnings of their rise to success. This is his telling of how it all happened…

This is not merely a book focussing on the early days of the band although that is of necessity an important part of the narrative. After all, Richard “was there” so to speak but what is refreshing here is the candour with which he remembers those early days. There are a plethora of amusing anecdotes some of which have not been shared before and there is sufficient detail in here to satisfy most fans.

From my point of view, the most interesting aspect of the book is those chapters which cover Richard’s story AFTER he left working with the band. His musical story didn’t end there, as we discover with stories about early solo tours with his good friends Peter Gabriel and Peter Hammill. Once again, Richard’s honesty about these events is refreshing as well as being highly amusing.
Richard’s career outside of music is also a fascinating one and is given equal billing along with the music. And the end result is an extremely enjoyable, informative and above all honest look at a life that has most definitely been lived to the full. Thank you Richard, for sharing your “Book Of Genesis” with us, it is a delight and one which Genesis fans, and those with a broader interest in music will thoroughly enjoy.

Fans in the UK and Europe can purchase a signed and dedicated edition of the book from Richard’s web site which is: www.mybookofgenesis.com or for those outside the UK/EU it can be ordered from Wymer Publishing: www.wymer.co.uk