Mike's Rutherford's book "Rhythms of Life" is a blend of rock'n'roll biography and homage to the late father. Wide passages of the book are true treasure troves for the Genesis fan. We present here - as a look-up to the cover story of our last issue - an exclusive excerpt in which Rutherford remembers the time of the recordings of "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway".
Headley Grange in East Hampshire was a large 18th century country house that had seen better days. Led Zeppelin lived there during the recordings of Physical Graffiti, which didn't necessarily make the building any better. When Genesis arrived in June 1974 to write The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, there were rats everywhere and hardly any furniture. Rich, who had been there for a few days to clean up, told us about ropes he had found on a bed!
I lived in an apartment on Weymouth Street that crosses Harley Street. I had left Gay Tom with his silver platform boots behind, but I couldn't shake off my other roommate Bruce so easily. We could only afford one bedroom, with which the rotation system came to fruition again. But Bruce avoided sleeping on the sofa, because now I was the only one using the bed, not Tom claiming the mattress with one of his random acquaintances.
I was the first at Headley Grange and snatched the most beautiful room under the nail, which had its own bathroom and was covered with a carpet. When Tony and Margaret arrived, I didn't act like a gentleman and just ignored them. The two of them moved into a tiny room in the attic. (I hope I've become more generous by now. I used to flip a coin with Margaret while scrambling for a room in San Sebastian. Conclusion: I moved into a spacious suite with a beautiful view, while Tony and Margaret were allowed to look at the parking lot. An exchange? It didn't occur to me...)
