Hackett's first recording with Genesis was "Nursery Cryme" (1971). He helped shape the group's sound by strongly encouraging them to incorporate a Mellotron into the songs, and his guitar work is prominently featured through solos on "The Musical Box", "The Return of the Giant Hogweed", and "The Fountain of Salmacis". He became an early proponent of the guitar tapping technique normally attributed to Eddie Van Halen. Hackett claimed that Van Halen had told him that he learned the technique after attending a Genesis concert in the mid-1970s. "Foxtrot" (1972) included Hackett's guitar solo composition "Horizons", which he based on a Suite for Cello by Bach. "Selling England by the Pound" (1973) features Hackett using tapping and sweep picking, later popularised by Yngwie Malmsteen, both of which are used on "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight". The song "Firth of Fifth" contains one of Hackett's most well-known guitar solos and has remained a favourite in concert even after Hackett's departure. The writing sessions for "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (1974) was a difficult time not just for Hackett but the entire group, partly due to the personal lives of some members which affected the mood in the group. Hackett explained: "Everybody had their own agenda. Some of us were married, some of us had children, some of us were getting divorced. And we were still trying to get it together in the country". Hackett, in particular, was going through a divorce from his first wife. While Gabriel wrote the majority of the lyrics, all the band members co-wrote the music. Hackett had picked out "The Lamia" and "Fly on a Windshield" as his favourite moments on the album.