Genesis Rebuilds Its Lineup with Phil Collins and Steve Hackett

When Anthony Phillips decided to leave Genesis in 1971, the band's future was uncertain. Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks decided to keep the group together and began working on a new lineup. Phil Collins joined after seeing a drum audition advertisement in Melody Maker. He won the audition, while Ronnie Caryl was not selected for the guitarist position. Genesis returned to the stage with Collins on 2 October 1970 at Medway Technical College in Chatham.

During the period when Genesis performed as a four-piece, Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford developed a strong musical rapport. Ronnie Caryl played guitar with Genesis at a concert in October, after which Mick Barnard joined the group and performed at concerts until January 1971.

Peter Gabriel was impressed by Steve Hackett's advertisement published in Melody Maker on 12 December 1970. Gabriel and Hackett communicated about Hackett listening to Genesis's Trespass album and seeing the band perform live. After meeting with Gabriel and Banks, Hackett was invited to join Genesis. He brought his distinctive approach to musicianship to the group as they began work on their third album, Nursery Cryme.