Trespass by Genesis is a gem from 1970; aurally it represents the Renaissance fair, sword and sorcery, Dungeons & Dragons, magic and mystery aspect of Hippiedom. My oldest sister, who was free schooled in the Santa Cruz Mountains, was a Trespass devotee. She seemed to listen to it constantly. So I imbibed it growing up. Then, being a huge Peter Gabriel fan in high school and as a lower-division undergraduate, I again regularly listened to Trespass in the early 1980's. Finally, when I was breaking up with my girlfriend of 11 years in 2002, I returned to it once more. Repeatedly listening to Trespass and Richard Buckner's Impasse (2002) got me through.
Peter Gabriel is one of those artists who made the transformation from Hippie to Punk; well, if not a spit-soaked screaming Punk, then a member of the New Wave, a more record-industry, synthesizer friendly appellation. My sister and her girlfriends stuck with the Phil Collins-led Genesis after Peter Gabriel departed. They would listen to Trick of the Tail (1976) and Wind & Wuthering (1976) along with the Eagles' One of These Nights (1975) and Hotel California (1976). (If this doesn't capture the death of the Hippies as a counter culture I don't know what does.)
Too bad they didn't explore Peter Gabriel's first two albums (or if they did I don't remember hearing them). They might have saved themselves several years of heartache chasing after Hippie heaven when it had already disappeared. Both Peter Gabriel 1 (Car) (1977) and Peter Gabriel 2 (Scratch) (1978) showcase the new sound that was driving the Hippies to extinction.
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