34 years ago Genesis released ''Duke''

Duke is the tenth studio album by British rock group, Genesis. Recorded in October-December 1979, the album was released in March 1980 where it became the band's first record to reach #1 in the United Kingdom. In the U.S., the album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard charts, and received an RIAA certification of platinum. Much like the preceding ...And Then There Were Three..., Duke presents a more mainstream sound while retaining a strong progressive influence. It was the final Genesis album to be produced by David Hentschel, who had produced all the Genesis albums since A Trick of the Tail in 1976.

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The release of Duke followed solo albums by Genesis members Tony Banks (A Curious Feeling) and Mike Rutherford (Smallcreep's Day).

In the interim, Phil Collins had taken an extended leave of absence in order to try to save his first marriage. During this time he wrote a number of songs which would ultimately be included on his first solo album, Face Value, released in 1981. Banks and Rutherford chose two Collins songs, "Please Don't Ask" and "Misunderstanding", for inclusion on the album.

The songs "Turn It On Again" became the band's second U.K. Top 10 hit, while "Misunderstanding" reached the Top 20 in the U.S.

Duke was initially to include a 30-minute suite of 'Behind The Lines/Duchess/Guide Vocal/Turn It On Again/Duke's Travels/Duke's End' that told a story of the fictional Albert. The band eventually separated these songs on Duke, partly to avoid comparisons to the band's other epics such as "Supper's Ready". However, Genesis did perform this suite live on the Duke Tour in 1980, with Collins introducing it as "The Story of Albert."

A digitally remastered version of Duke was released on CD in 1994 on Virgin in Europe and Atlantic in the U.S. and Canada. The CD included the album's original booklet, artwork and lyrics.