As shown in the previous post, I have a special place in my heart for Genesis. I knew some of their hits, but took a deep dive around late 2001 by starting to listen to albums such as Duke, A Trick Of The Tail and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. It didn’t take long before I was completely hooked and yes, I like all eras!

It was clear to me from the start that their early singles weren’t big hits and thus rare or hard to find. It was therefore always a dream for me to own just one or two Gabriel-era singles (up to 1974).

The 1973 Dutch I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) was the first Gabriel-era single that I bought. Probably 15ish years ago. A few more were bought over the years, including Happy The Man (UK) and Watcher Of The Skies (Germany) with picture sleeves. Still The Knife remained high on my want list.

That single was finally removed from the list on 13 April 2024 when I was able to buy it from an Italian collector and picked it up at the world’s largest record fair in Den Bosch, NL. It is a great looking copy, especially when considering that it is 53 years old (released in 1971)!

This was the first Genesis single in the UK with a picture sleeve and it is a curious one, since Phil and Steve are not featured on the recording, though they are in the band photo. The single only features one song, The Knife, split across two sides, where it simply cuts the song off after 3:16 minutes on the A-side and continues for the remaining 5:39 minutes on the B-side. No fading, nothing. The 2007 remix of The Knife on The Tour Edition compilation Turn It On Again fades out at the end, making it not a true rendition of Part 1.