Collins became the new drummer

The search for a new guitarist and drummer began with advertisements placed in copies of Melody Maker . The invitation was spotted by drummer Phil Collins , formerly of Flaming Youth , who already knew Stratton Smith. He recalled, “My only knowledge of Genesis was through seeing the ads for their gigs. It seemed like they were constantly working. … I thought ‘At least I’m going to be working if I get the gig’.” Roger Taylor , subsequently of Queen , turned down an invitation to audition. Collins went to the audition at Gabriel’s parents’ house in Chobham , Surrey with his Flaming Youth bandmate, guitarist Ronnie Caryl . As they arrived early, Collins took a swim in the pool and heard what the other drummers were playing. “They put on Trespass and my initial impression of a very soft and round music, not edgy, with vocal harmonies and I came away thinking Crosby, Stills and Nash “. Gabriel and Rutherford noticed the confident way Collins approached and sat at his drum kit and knew he would be the right replacement. Banks said, “It was a combination of things. He could make it swing a little bit … he could also tell good jokes and make us laugh … And he could sing, which was an advantage because Mike and I were not very good at back-up vocals”. In August 1970, Collins became the new drummer for Genesis. Caryl’s audition was unsuccessful; Rutherford thought he was not the player the group were looking for.