10 Rockers That Went Pop (And Nailed It)

We've already spoken at length about some of the more heinous things that Phil Collins did to Genesis once Peter Gabriel left. Had Peter decided not to leave to take care of his infant daughter, there's a good chance that the band could have continued on forever, with Peter still donning strange outfits onstage with the guys playing songs like Supper's Ready for prog fans everywhere. By the late '80s though, that prog weirdo had grown up, and So is where Peter shoehorned himself into the world of pop music.

Even though nothing has really changed about Gabriel's songwriting, this might be some of the most progressive pop songs you will ever hear, bringing in bits and pieces of everything from world music to R&B into the mix, getting a hit out of the deal with the song Sledgehammer. Outside of his playful side though, most of the songs on here have an almost meditative feeling to them, like the calm heartbeat structure of Mercy Street or using Kate Bush's voice as an instrument by itself on their duet Don't Give Up.

And for all those years making strong songs for Genesis, In Your Eyes still might be one of the most perfect songs that Peter ever wrote, bringing in different world musicians to create an entire world in your mind as he sings about his undying devotion. We might be far away from progressive rock here, but Peter wasn't thinking in terms of genre that much anymore. This was supposed to be music that could last far longer than our lifetime, and that's about as progressive as you can get.