GENESIS: Activate Your Prayer Capsule

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New Year, New Band. Genesis are definitely a band that I have come to late. They were probably my brother's favourite band when we were young. He was even in the fan club and everything. At that time, I must admit I found them a bit tedious, they just seemed a bit involved for my taste, although I liked the mad grandeur of 'Supper's Ready' from quite an early age. Anyway, over the Christmas period, the office was deserted and I was mucking around with those C-list tasks that you only get done at this time of year with Spotify on the headphones, when I clicked on their latest compilation of Genesis/Hackett/Collins/Gabriel/every-other-sod-who's-ever-been-involved material 'R:Kive' and found myself warming to them again, especially the previously impenetrable early stuff. Add to that series 2 of the rather hit-and-miss, but affectionate BBC Gabriel piss-take - Brian Pern: A Life In Rock (highlight - Brian Pern's Musical Version of The Day Of The Triffids, ripped off by Jeff Wayne who was in the next door studio) and the time seems right to investigate them further. From now on, I will indulge in a little more research as I wend my way through the rock aristocracy's back catalogues, but don't be alarmed, knee-jerk prejudice and gut feeling will still be my guiding principles.

FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION

Released: 28th March 1969

From Genesis to Revelation is the debut studio album by English rock band Genesis, released on 28 March 1969 on Decca Records. The album originated from a collection of demos recorded in 1967 while the members of Genesis were pupils of Charterhouse in Godalming, Surrey. It caught the attention of Jonathan King who named the group, organised deals with his publishing company Jonjo Music and Decca, and studio time at Regent Sound Studios to record a series of singles and a full album. A string section arranged and conducted by Arthur Greenslade was added later on some songs. By the time Genesis had finished recording, John Silver had replaced original drummer Chris Stewart.

The album and its singles were a commercial flop, and received a mixed to negative reaction from critics. By mid-1969, the group had severed ties with King and resumed education until they reformed and turned Genesis into a full-time band. The album spawned three singles; "The Silent Sun" and "A Winter's Tale" were released in 1968, followed by "Where the Sour Turns to Sweet" in 1969. In October 1974, after the group had grown in popularity, it peaked at No. 170 on the Billboard 200 in the US. King retains the rights to the album which has been reissued multiple times since, including a 1974 release as In the Beginning and a 1987 release as And the Word Was.... A reissue in 1990 and 2005 included a bonus disc with extra tracks.

The founding line-up of Genesis consisted of guitarist Anthony Phillips, bassist Mike Rutherford, lead vocalist Peter Gabriel, keyboardist Tony Banks, and drummer Chris Stewart, all pupils of Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey. The five had played in the school's two active bands; Rutherford and Phillips were in Anon while Gabriel, Banks, and Stewart made up Garden Wall.^[6] In January 1967, after both groups had split, Phillips and Rutherford continued to write songs and invited Gabriel and Banks to participate. During the Easter school holiday the five entered a primitive recording studio run by Brian Roberts in Chiswick to record the material.^[7] They assembled a tape of six songs originally intended for someone else to perform as the group saw themselves foremost as a collection of songwriters. This included five songs from Phillips and Rutherford: "Don't Want You Back", "Try a Little Sadness", "That's Me", "Listen on Five", and "Patricia", an instrumental, plus one from Gabriel and Banks, "She Is Beautiful".^[6][8] "Patricia" was later reworked into "In Hiding" and "She Is Beautiful" was later known as "The Serpent".^[9][8] Banks described the material as "straight pop music" as it was the direction the band wanted to explore.^[9] At this point, the group were known as The New Anon.^[10]

From Wikipedia

Where the Sour Turns to Sweet

In the Beginning

Fireside Song

The Serpent

Am I Very Wrong?

In the Wilderness

The Conqueror

In Hiding

One Day

Window

In Limbo

The Silent Sun

A Place to Call My Own

First of all, the album art. This thing has been reissued so many times there is no, as far as I can see, definitive cover for it. The album has a lot of history and I always got the impression that the fans never really regarded it as a 'proper' Genesis album. That may be down to the involvement of the now unclean Jonathan King, who took a bunch of Charterhouse schoolboys and stuck them in a recording studio in the days when a certain amount of dues-paying was expected before such opportunities could be offered. Apparently King still owns the rights to the album. At this time the core members (i.e. the ones that endured) were Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford. We'll not trouble ourselves with the comings and goings of peripheral personnel, this ain't Rock Family Trees. This is clearly a band finding their feet and trying to please King as producer.

Allegedly there is a loose theme of the bible (hence the name), but it's hard to spot at times. The styles range from sixties psychedelia in the opening 'In The Beginning' and 'In Limbo', to folky stuff in 'Fireside Song' (you can just see a bunch of earnest young posh kids sitting cross-legged strumming their guitars in some country cottage by a roaring fire), with hints of Tommy-style rock opera throughout. 'The Serpent' has some groovy bass guitar and nice drumstick tapping action. It makes you realise that it is all done by a human being, knocking a couple of pieces of wood together - no electronics involved. 'In The Wilderness' has elements that reminded me of the still-to-come 'Supper's Ready'. Maybe its Gabriel's voice and the references to battles and all that. 'In Hiding' helped me put my finger on who are the modern heirs to this album's sound. It's the Fleet Foxes. It's that male harmonising and a production sound like it's been recorded in a wooden box. Amazon should definitely adjust their 'if you like this' algorithm and link them up. 'Silent Sun' is reputedly a Bee Gees style song to maintain King's interest. You can sort of hear it in the harmonies and the Gibb-esque vocal (not sure it's Gabriel though). I was expecting this to be quite 'difficult' but it's fine. No twenty minute tracks, quite well constructed songs, but no strong hint of where they were going.

TRESSPASS

Released: 23rd October 1970

Trespass is the second studio album by the English rock band Genesis. It was released on 23 October 1970 on Charisma Records, and is their last album with original guitarist Anthony Phillips and their only album with drummer John Mayhew.

Genesis turned professional in autumn 1969, and began to rehearse intensely and play live shows. After several months of touring they secured a recording contract with Charisma Records, and entered Trident Studios in London in June 1970 to record Trespass. The music marked a departure from more pop-oriented songs, as displayed on their first album From Genesis to Revelation, towards folk-flavoured progressive rock. This ranged from light acoustic pieces with multiple twelve-string guitars such as "Dusk", to the heavier live favorite "The Knife". The sleeve, featuring a knife slash across the front, was the first of several to be designed by Paul Whitehead.

From Wikipedia

Looking for Someone

White Mountain

Visions of Angels

Stagnation

Dusk

The Knife

Now we're getting somewhere. 6 tracks, clocking in at an average of 7.08 minutes and, stat fans, a standard deviation of only 1.72 minutes. That's consistent artiness my friends (and you don't get this level of analysis anywhere else either). Also, its now clear to me that those who accused Marillion of being a complete Genesis rip-off were not so far from the mark. The former's 'Grendel' is clearly modeled on 'White Mountain' (and probably some more stuff still to come)  and Tony Banks' keyboards are echoed all over Fish and Co's oeuvre. I've realized something about Gabriel's voice too. It often comes across as if he's trying to sing an octave higher than he's capable of. That means he usually sounds a bit strained but since he's maintained the style throughout his career I guess it's what he's comfortable with. It struck me that the drumming is the most impressive thing on the album. It's incredibly complex in places. Apparently the drummer at the time, John Mayhew, was given the boot on the basis of his drumming skills (according to Wiki-opinion-masquerading-as-fact), but he seems to be doing a sterling job here. There's bits of flute all the way through as well, notably in the opening 'Looking For Someone' and the closing 'The Knife'. The latter is probably regarded as the albums best known and stand-out track, but I enjoyed 'White Mountain' much more. A tale of two wolves, Fang and One-Eye. I can't quite figure out who we're supposed to be rooting for, probably the elderly One-Eye. It's all quite Richard Adams, but don't expect something along the lines of  'Bright-Eyes' from Watership Down.

Wasn't sure about the meaning of 'Visions Of Angels' other than it's a song of lost love. 'Stagnation' features Gabriel slipping into an echo chamber for a couple of lines. 'Dusk' has some nice folky harmonies. Finally we get the whole shooting match for 'The Knife'. Organs, twiddly bass, complex drumming and fantasy themes. They get the bulk of the lyrics out of the way early on before indulging in some ethereal noodling and then a bit of a rock-out.. The artwork is a kind of unfinished gothic composition with a knife rip through it and the knife still sticking out on the back cover. Bet they wish they'd issued it with 3-D specs.

NURSERY CRYME

Released: 12th November 1971

Nursery Cryme is the third studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 12 November 1971 on Charisma Records. It was their first to feature drummer/vocalist Phil Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett. The album received a mixed response from critics and was not initially a commercial success; it did not enter the UK chart until 1974, when it reached its peak at No. 39. However, the album was successful in Continental Europe, particularly Italy.

Following extensive touring in support of their previous album Trespass (1970), which included the recruitment of Collins and Hackett, the band began writing and rehearsing for a follow-up in Luxford House, East Sussex, with recording following at Trident Studios. Nursery Cryme saw the band take a more aggressive direction of some songs, with substantially improved drumming. The opening piece, "The Musical Box" combined the band's trademark mix of twelve-string guitars with harsh electric guitars and keyboards. The song, a macabre fairy story set in Victorian Britain, became the inspiration for the album cover, and went on to be a live favourite. Collins brought a new dimension to the group, covering the majority of the backing vocals (including his first lead vocal with Genesis on "For Absent Friends") and bringing in a sense of humour on tracks like "Harold The Barrel". At Hackett's suggestion, Banks made more prominent use of the Mellotron on several tracks.

From Wikipedia

The Musical Box

For Absent Friends

The Return of the Giant Hogweed

Seven Stones

Harold the Barrel

Harlequin

The Fountain of Salmacis

A nostalgic tear came to my eye as I listened to this (well almost). So much was familiar but I had not heard it in ages. The line-up for this and the next few albums is considered the definitive one for most of the die-hards. Gabriel, Rutherford, Banks and new recruits, Steve Hackett and Phil Collins. The uninitiated would probably opine that Genesis were a bunch of humourless musos in those days, wilfully obscure and complicated, but I'd argue that Nursery Cryme shows them to be having a bit of a giraffe at the same time. 'Return Of The Giant Hogweed' and 'Harold The Barrel' in particular have Bonzo-levels of humour, albeit fairly black.

It's a terrific album and I can see why this particular incarnation is so well regarded. I think 'The Musical Box' is considered a fan-fave. it's whimsical and shows off Gabriel's cracked vocal style to the full. They break all their own rules on 'For Absent Friends'. It's short and almost poppy in a late-era Beatles way. It's obvious where Messers Day and Whitehouse got their parodical Day Of TheTriffids inspiration when you listen to 'Return Of The Giant Hogweed'. A cautionary tale of the perils of importing invasive horticultural species into the UK. Pippa Greenwood would have a blue fit. It's mad and funny with top lyrics such as "Kill them with your Hogweed hairs, HERACLEUM MANTEGAZZIANI! Gabriel must have almost certaiinly used this song as an excuse for a bit of dressing up on stage.

There's a bit of pomp and grandeur on 'Seven Stones'. My personal favourite is probably 'Harold The Barrel'. For you Springsteen fans out there (there must be one or two), think of a middle-England, prog-rock version of  'Johnny 99'. Harold cuts off his toes and serves them for tea in his Bognor restaurant, then does a runner before ending up on a window ledge threatening (and ultimately following through) to commit suicide. The lyrics are delivered by various characters, including Mr Plod, Harold's mum and Harold himself. I'm  tempted to say that Collins' stagey background played a part in this one.

'Harlequin' has a gentle beauty and the closing 'Fountain Of Salmacis' is a retelling of a Greek legend originally told by Ovid (I TOLD you I would be doing more research). It has a suitably epic quality and tells of the seduction of Hermaphrodite by the nymph Salmacis and the subsequent creation of the fountain that turns all who touch it into a hermaphrodite. I loved listening to this, not only for the memories but because it's just great.

FOXTROT

Released: 15th September 1972

Foxtrot is the fourth studio album by the English progressive rock band Genesis, released on 15 September 1972 on Charisma Records.^[1] It features their longest recorded song, the 23-minute track "Supper's Ready".

The album was recorded following the tour in support of their previous album, Nursery Cryme (1971), which saw them gain popularity, including a well-received slot at the Great Western Express Festival, Lincolnshire in May 1972. The album was written over the summer of 1972 and combined songs that had already been performed live with new material worked out in jam sessions. Recording began in August with John Anthony, but sessions were prone to tension and disagreements. After a short Italian tour, sessions resumed with Dave Hitchcock as producer. The cover was the final Genesis work to be designed by Paul Whitehead, featuring a fox wearing a red dress. Frontman Peter Gabriel wore the dress and a fox's head on stage for the following tour, which gathered press attention and raised the group's profile.

From Wikipedia

Watcher of the Skies

Time Table

Get 'Em Out by Friday

Can-Utility and the Coastliners

Horizons

Supper's Ready

a. "Lover's Leap"

b. "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man"

c. "Ikhnaton and Itsacon and Their Band of Merry Men"

d. "How Dare I Be So Beautiful?"

e. "Willow Farm"

f. "Apocalypse in 9/8 (Co-Starring the Delicious Talents of Gabble Ratchet)"

g. "As Sure as Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet)"

By now Genesis have pretty much reached their full pomp, which I expect will continue to Gabriel's departure. Their confidence is typified by the 23 minute 'Supper's Ready', of which (much) more to follow below. Sticking a 23 minute track on side two of the album had the side effect of meaning that your vinyl copy had a very satisfying almost unbroken sheen of recorded groove across its entire surface. just a little narrow band around the outer edge for Steve Hackett's 'Horizons'. But let's deal with Side 1 first.

'Watcher Of The Skies' starts with some baroque organ before breaking into the meat of the song. I think it's Banks' keyboards (but it could be the bass guitar) which sounds like he's jabbing his thumb on the same key in seeming random time. It's not random, more like a kind of groovy morse code. The lyrics are faintly mythological/religious/sci-fi inspired.'Time Table' is a bit of an oddity. It's kind of like their take on the idea behind Shelley's 'Ozymandias' (Percy Bysshe, not Pete of the Buzzcocks). You know the one. A crumbling statue is found in the desert with the inscription of "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair". Same idea, an old table that once was the dining place of kings is now covered in dust and home to rats. That's what I think anyway. Then we move onto social comment, that wouldn't be out of place today. 'Get Em Out By Friday' is similar to 'Harold The Barrel' from the previous album in that Gabriel delivers it as a kind of play, portraying the stand-off between property developers Styx Enterprises and their Harlow tenants. Evictions are followed by development before we're catapulted forward to 18th September 2012 (!) and the Genetic Control agency has decreed that everyone must be 4 feet tall so you can fit twice as many people into every apartment. It's funny and pretty biting too. The Sex Pistols were supposed to have liberated us from the excesses of the likes of Genesis and Yes, but those old hippies actually had a lot more to say than Rotten, Vicious and Co. I hesitate to call anything on this ordinary, but 'Can Utility and the Coastliners' comes closest. A Hackett composition about King Canute (d'you see?).

As already mentioned, side two opens with the small but beautifully formed Hackett solo guitar piece 'Horizons'. Now, 'Supper's Ready' warrants a post all to itself, and I could probably do no better than transcript the lyrics word for word in order to convey the sheer scale and madness of it all. They manage to take a journey through Edward Lear, Dr Seuss, Tolkien, the Book Of Revelation and William Burroughs, and that's just the obvious stuff. It's broken into 7 parts and I'm not going to attempt to discuss things like time signatures, that's all beyond my ken. My English teacher at secondary school, Miss Morley, always pointed out alliteration whenever she got a chance. She was obsessed. So I found it easy to spot and appreciate in the "Six Saintly Shrouded men" line in the first part 'Lover's Leap'. You can see them on the cover too, complete with seventh walking "in front with cross held high in hand". It ends with Hackett and Banks' gentle guitar and keyboards before  launching into 'The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man'. Here PG's voice soars as the sound fills out. Pink Floyd learned a trick here too that they used on The Wall, there is a child's choir at the end of the section singing, "we will rock you little snake". There is a reprise of the Lover's Leap melody before we go into 'Ikhnaton and Itsacon and Their Band Of Merry Men'. Strident instrumentation accompanies Gabriel's description of a fantasy battle. Things get calmer for 'How Dare I Be So Beautiful' as the aftermath of the battle is considered, but then we're jerked into the standout (for me) centrepiece of the whole shebang, 'Willow Farm'. I was always puzzled by the spelling of "focks on the rocks". There's silly voices aplenty and massive changes of direction, notably with the crashing of train doors and "All change!". Frankly it's all just crazy and Gabriel throws stuff in from left field, right field, Springfield and Gracie Fields. Eventually it all calms to some gentle flute before 'Apocalypse in 9/8 (co-starring the delicious talents of Gabble Ratchet). This is where all that clever-clever time signature stuff comes in. Banks' keyboards begin to assert themselves, supported by Collins' percussion. It grieves me to say it but this is another clear piece of evidence M'lud, that Marillion's 'Grendel' was almost wholly ripped off from Genesis's work. There is a section that is almost identical. It builds and builds until it just collapses in on itself and there is a reprise of parts 1 and 2 along with a touch of ....TUBULAR BELLS!. It's all rounded off with 'As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs' PG really sounds like he believes in it all by this stage. In fact I defy anyone to come up with a more committed 23 minute prog rock suite (and there are probably several to choose from).

The cover art? Well there's plenty going on. The fox is on an ice floe, not the rocks. Is that an alien fox hunter? And yes. there are the SSSM with the 7th in front. I enjoyed this. A lot.

SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

Released: 28th September 1973

Selling England by the Pound is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock band Genesis, released on 28 September 1973 on Charisma Records.^[1] It reached No. 3 in the United Kingdom and No. 70 in the United States. A single from the album, "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)", was released in February 1974 and became the band's first top 30 hit in the UK.

The album was recorded in August 1973 following the tour supporting the previous album, Foxtrot (1972). The group set aside a short period of time to write new material, which covered a number of themes, including the loss of English folk culture and an increased American influence, which was reflected in the title. Following the album's release, the group set out on tour, where they drew an enthusiastic reception from fans.

From Wikipedia

Dancing with the Moonlit Knight

I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)

Firth of Fifth

More Fool Me

The Battle of Epping Forest

After the Ordeal

The Cinema Show

Aisle of Plenty

It tookl me a while to get a grip on this, mainly because I'm just not all that familiar with most of it. You could argue that this is Genesis' breakthrough album, since they got a hit single out of it in 'I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)', which begs the question, what did a band need to do to get noticed in those days? Unlike Foxtrot it has two lengthy centrepiece tracks, 'The Battle Of Epping Forest' and 'The Cinema Show', but the other stuff scattered around these is interesting too. Dealing with 'I Know What I Like' first, I'd like to think that it is a bit more than a piece of garbled nonsense, but I'm not so sure. It's based on the album artwork, which finally brought home to me that the narrator is not, in fact a magical talking Qualcast that's been left on a bench, but rather mundanely, a gardener. Obviously, I was quite literal minded as a kid and this is one thing that I haven't revisited since then. The other thing I've always found puzzling about this is the tone that Gabriel takes when he says "Me, I'm just a Lawnmower". It's kind of weirdly strident and assertive. The outro features some odd percussion sounds in the background, which I think are meant to represent the lawnmower blades. Wiki-speculate gives a full (and admittedly coherent) explanation of the lyrics, but I'd just prefer to enjoy it for it's weirdness and the fact it managed to get to number 21 in the UK hit parade.

The opening track is 'Dancing With The Moonlit Knight'. It mentions "paper late", which was a song title on a later album - Abacab I think? There's a lot of traditional English imagery which is juxtaposed with some serious social commentary on the dangers of commercialism. Gabriel clearly liked showing off his classical credentials (hey!, we're all guilty of that right?) by chucking in plenty of Homeric and more broadly Greek mythological references, just like on the previous albums. There's plenty in 'Firth of Fifth' and in 'The Cinema Show'. For 'Firth of Fifth' the intro is a Joel-like piano which soon morphs into (and I'm sorry to keep harking back to this) something that Marillion took wholesale for the intro to 'Incommunicado'. It also has a nice twiddly bass middle section leading into a more classically 'Genesis' sound. 'More Fool Me' has Collins on lead vocals, which was also the case on 'For Absent Friends' on Nursery Cryme, which I missed at the time. Both songs give clear clues about where Genesis would go when Collins would take over the vocals full time, they are by far the poppiest songs on the Gabriel-era albums. The first 'long' track is 'The Battle Of Epping Forest' which is Gabriel's now customary 'musical play'. A tale of warring gangs, it starts with an intro that doesn't seem to belong with the rest of the song. PG edges towards a Dick Van Dyke accent when playing some of the parts. My ever reliable internet sources indicate that the band see it all as a bit of an over-ambitious mess, but I thought it was pretty good actually. Hackett gets another 'Horizons' moment with 'After The Ordeal' and  then we move into 'The Cinema Show'. It's long but lyrically sparse (and better for it I'd say). The Greek reference is Father Tiresias, who was a prophet of Apollo at Thebes and spent time as both a man and a woman. The song reflects on this - the male condition being the sea and the female the earth - and concludes that there is more earth than sea. So this is a feminist tract I guess. There's some Crosby. Stills and Nash-style harmonies in places. One thing I have noticed in nearly everything so far is that it is all drum and keyboard led and Rutherford's bass in particular is hardly noticeable, but I guess you'd know if it wasn't there. 'Cinema Show' segues straight into 'Aisle Of Plenty'. More comment on commercialism - it's a supermarket aisle see?

THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY

Released: 22nd November 1974

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is the sixth studio album by the English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released as a double album on 22 November 1974^[1] by Charisma Records and is their last to feature original frontman Peter Gabriel. It peaked at No. 10 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 41 on the Billboard 200 in the US. It is their longest album to date.

While the band worked on new material at Headley Grange for three months, they decided to produce a concept album with a story devised by Gabriel about Rael, a Puerto Rican youth from New York City who is suddenly taken on a journey of self-discovery and encounters bizarre incidents and characters along the way. The album was marked by increased tensions within the band as Gabriel, who insisted on writing all of the lyrics, temporarily left to work with filmmaker William Friedkin and needed time to be with his family. Most of the songs were developed by the rest of the band through jam sessions and were put down at Glaspant Manor in Wales using a mobile studio.

From Wikipedia

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

Fly on a Windshield

Broadway Melody of 1974

Cuckoo Cocoon

In the Cage

The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging

Back in N.Y.C.

Hairless Heart

Counting Out Time

Carpet Crawl

The Chamber of 32 Doors

Lilywhite Lilith

The Waiting Room

Anyway

Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist

The Lamia

Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats

The Colony of Slippermen"

a. "The Arrival"

b. "A Visit to the Doktor"

c. "The Raven"

Ravine

The Light Dies Down on Broadway

Riding the Scree

In the Rapids

it

Firstly, let's not get too hung up on the 'story' shall we? The concept of urban artist (some say vandal) Rael, a kind of Banksy forerunner, disappearing beneath New York City in search of his brother John and encountering various weird creatures is a tried and tested trope familiar to anyone who has encountered Narnia, Neverwhere, Pan's Labyrinth or Alice In Wonderland. It probably the last of these that the thing most resembles. All the events described suggest the most likely explanation is that Rael just breathed in too many aerosol fumes. My first impression was that I didn't realise how fully and frequently I must have listened to this in the past, but then I got to Side 3 and became a bit lost. My clear conclusion from this is that I was curious enough to start listening to it, but my young, gnat-like attention-span prevented me from sticking with it past the first 45 minutes or so. Nevertheless, against all perceived wisdom, this has to be just about their most accessible album so far. In 'Counting Out Time' they approach an out-and-out pop song, and 'In The Cage' was a key part of an 'old-medley' in the mid to late 80's live shows as part of a seemingly grudging nod to the Gabriel years as Collins rocketed to superstardom and errr...Miami Vice.

So it starts with the title track - is there a wasp in here? -and rippling piano. However I can't go through the whole performance describing everything. We all have better things to do. That irritating buzzing must be the fly that gets it in track two. Plenty of New York personalities get namechecked in 'Broadway Melody of 1974', including Howard Hughes (in blue suede shoes), Lenny Bruce and Groucho Marx. 'Cuckoo Coccon' is a gentle affair that I think probably stems from Gabriel coming up with the phrase, liking the assonance and alliteration (thanks again Miss M.) and constructing a lyric around it. 'In The Cage' is, in my view the core of the first two sides. It carries a heartbeat rhythm all the way through that gets steadily more frenetic as our Rael sees his brother run off ("My Little Runaway" - there's plenty of references to other songs throughout besides this Del Shannon number, 'Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head' and 'It's Only Rock and Roll' to name a couple), while he's stuck in a cage formed from Stalactites and Stalagmites that just aren't obeying the laws of nature. As noted already 'Counting Out Time' is a highlight, but it's also been driving me mad, there's a section which has a kind of pretend trumpeting on it. It sounds like the band making parping sounds with their lips, but is actually one of Banks' keyboard devices. It really reminds me of a Beatles song where they really do just make parpy sounds, just can't remember what it is. Now we start Rael on a number of encounters, with the 'Carpet Crawlers', then a 'Chamber of 32 Doors' with only one exit where he gets utterly confused (well wouldn't anyone?).

We leave him there at the end of record 1, but 'Lilywhite Lilith' arrives with a bang at the start of side 3 to show him the way out. It's a bit of an odd start to the second half and feels like the break was inserted simply because of running time, in reality it needs to follow straight on from the previous track on side 2. Then it all falls apart a bit with 'The Waiting Room', an unpleasant row with lots of breaking glass and discord. Gave me a headache. Death puts in an appearance in the guise of the 'Supernatural Anaesthetist'. Then we have a rather well, sexual encounter with the rather obviously named 'Lamia'. Three snake-like creatures with womens heads and breasts - very mythological. They give him a wash, lick it off, die and send him off to join the rest of their victims, 'The Colony of Slippermen'. These are what Gabriel was dressing up as when he donned the giant-bogey costume. Blah-di-blah-di-blah. It's all just about coherent in the end. Rael saves John and makes it back to street level. It is a great, great album, have no doubt, although I DO think that the quality drops off in the second half. It's immensely complex musically and Gabriel shows an incredible range of vocal styles. They really are at the top of their game here. It is probably fair to say that this sits up there with the great concept albums like Pink Floyd's The Wall and The Who's Tommy (which, let's be honest, don't really have what you'd call a coherent narrative either, although unlike TLLDOB both of those DID make it to celluloid). Just as a side issue, what's the distinction between Rock Opera (the Tommy end of the spectrum) and concept album (The Wall)? My one big gripe - the artwork. It's dull and gives the impression that they really did make a movie when they didn't. There's so many opportunities in the imagery of the lyrics that they could really have gone to town but instead we get Pete's photography 'A' level project.

A TRICK OF THE TAIL

Released: 13th February 1976

A Trick of the Tail is the seventh studio album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released on 13 February 1976 on Charisma Records and was the first album to feature drummer Phil Collins as lead vocalist following the departure of Peter Gabriel. It was a critical and commercial success in the UK and U.S., reaching No. 3 and No. 31 respectively.

Following Gabriel's decision to leave the band, the remaining members wanted to carry on to show they could still write and record successful material, as keyboardist Tony Banks and bassist/rhythm guitarist Mike Rutherford, not Gabriel, were the principal writers of the music. The group wrote and rehearsed new songs during mid-1975, and listened to numerous audition tapes for a replacement frontman. They entered Trident Studios in October with producer David Hentschel to record the album without a definitive idea of who was going to perform lead vocals. After the search for a singer proved unfruitful, Collins was persuaded to sing "Squonk", and the performance was so strong, he sang lead on the rest of the album.

From Wikipedia

Dance on a Volcano

Entangled

Squonk

Mad Man Moon

Robbery, Assault and Battery

Ripples...

A Trick of the Tail

Los Endos

And so, Peter Gabriel throws his musical differences out of his pram and Genesis become a four piece with Collins taking over the vocals. It's interesting I think how close their two voices are. Makes you wonder if Collins was influenced by Gabriel in his singing style. The first thing you notice about post-PG Genesis is that the sound is much more commercial and there does seem to be more harmony (not in the musical sense) between vocals and music.

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is notable for Gabriel almost fighting with the melodies as he develops his grand vision. Here, Collins is much happier to work with his bandmates. The material feels more like a set of 'proper songs' too. The opening 'Dance On A Volcano' is a case in point. There is actually a 'hook' in the music. It still lapses into a fair amount of complicated messing about though. 'Entanglement' is a lovely piece, it reminds me of Yes' 'Wondrous Stories'. I always loved the lyric "With your consent we will experiment further still". I found 'Squonk' intriguing as a kid. I assume the rodent-like figure on the album cover was the eponymous creature. It has some woofer-challenging bass-work at the start and another memorable lyric "All in all we are a very dying race".

There's a couple of songs I'd term 'pleasant but unremarkable' in 'Mad Man Moon' and 'Ripples', although I do still like the latter in particular a lot.

My favourite on this album is 'Robbery, Assault and Battery'. In the vein of 'Get Em Out By Friday' and 'The Battle of Epping Forest' it's a story song complete with voice characterizations. Our anti-hero cat-burglar gets caught in the act by a security guard, but escapes by claiming to be the cleaner and then shooting his captor. The police rock up and try to talk him out, but he shoots one of them as well, then makes his escape via the roof, taunting the police that even if they get him, he'll just pay the bail and be free. Plenty of vicarious youthful pleasure at hearing a bit of swearing in the lyric "He's leaving via the roof, the bastard's got away". The middle section is a bit odd, Tony Banks seems to have been asked to come up with something complicated and unrelated to the rest of it. They finish off with some baffling layered vocal on the theme of "you've done me wrong, it's the same old song".

Another story for the title track, this time a creature leaves his City of Gold and visits the human race, who promptly catch him and make him take them to his home city. Luckily he makes his escape before they get there. It's piano led with a good catchy chorus. Finally we get 'Los Endos' which is something of an overture for the rest of the album (an 'Underture' I guess. The Who did one of them on the aforementioned Tommy). I was always fascinated by the Hogarthian artwork on this album, featuring various characters from the songs, it was very satisfying trying to match the characters to the songs.

WIND AND WUTHERING

Released: 17th December 1976

Wind & Wuthering is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released on 17 December 1976 on Charisma Records and is their last studio album to feature guitarist Steve Hackett. Following the success of their 1976 tour to support their previous album A Trick of the Tail, the group relocated to Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands to record a follow-up album, their first recorded outside the UK. Writing and recording caused internal friction, as Hackett felt some of his contributions were dropped in favour of material by keyboardist Tony Banks.

The album received a positive response from critics and contributed to the band's growing popularity in the US. It reached No. 7 in the UK and No. 26 in the US and sold steadily, eventually reaching Gold certification by the British Phonographic Institute and the Recording Industry Association of America. The single "Your Own Special Way" was the band's first charting single in the US, reaching No. 62. The band's 1977 tour, their last with Hackett, was their first with Chester Thompson hired as their live drummer. Three tracks left off the album were released during this time as an extended play, Spot the Pigeon. The album was reissued with a new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mix in 2007.

From Wikipedia

Eleventh Earl of Mar

One for the Vine

Your Own Special Way

Wot Gorilla?

All in a Mouse's Night

Blood on the Rooftops

Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers...

...In That Quiet Earth

Afterglow

This is a bit of a funny one. It's fine. Pleasant enough. But I think you can tell that the band is now in transition from a prog rock outfit to a pop-rock band. Steve Hackett left after this, reputedly because most of his songs were overlooked. I think you can detect that his grip is beginning to loosen. On the other hand, they throw in three instrumentals, 'Wot Gorilla?', 'Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers' and 'In That Quiet Earth'. Of these, 'Wot Gorilla?' probably stands out the most and starts with various percussiony bits which evetually resolve around a whispery synth melody.

Even the now customary dramatized song is a bit of a disappointment. 'All In A Mouse's Night' tells a fairly straightforward story of a mouse whose nocturnal wanderings are interrupted by the couple whose house he is invading. They dither about what to do with him and he escapes downstairs to the kitchen where he is summarily dispatched by the cat. The only unusual note is in the cat's claim that the mouse was 10 feet tall. We get the occasional rodent in our kitchen and find that a conventional mousetrap does the job just fine. We don't need Collins, Banks and co to eulogise the experience.

Of the rest, 'Eleventh Earl Of Mar' tells the tale of a foppish Jacobite rebel. 'Your Own Special Way' is a pleasant, fairly conventional ballad, and 'Blood On the Rooftops' features some nice classical guitar work from Hackett. It actually (and unsurprisingly) reminded me of another Genesis song 'Say It's Alright Joe', which I think is on the next album. Finally the last track is probably the best - 'Afterglow'. It has a slight ELO feel about it. I CAN enthuse about the artwork, for some reason I find it very restful.

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE

Released: 31st March 1978

...And Then There Were Three... (stylised in all lowercase) is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Genesis. It was released on 31 March 1978 by Charisma Records and is their first recorded as a trio of singer/drummer Phil Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks, and bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford, following the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett. The album marked a change in the band's sound, mixing elements of their progressive rock roots with more accessible material, and Collins contributing to more of the group's songwriting.

From Wikipedia

Down and Out

Undertow

Ballad of Big

Snowbound

Burning Rope

Deep in the Motherlode

Many Too Many

Scenes from a Night's Dream

Say It's Alright Joe

The Lady Lies

Follow You Follow Me

After what has come before it is a boringly literal title isn't it? But don't judge too quickly, this is actually one of my favourites (so it must be good, right?). There is no hiding the fact however that it is best described as a 'power ballad' album. Complex, interesting Power Ballads, but PBs nonetheless. There is a lot of layering of Collins vocal throughout, but again, ultimately it has the desired effect. 'Undertow' is a good example.

You really could see this being the first release for the X-factor winner as they make their annual bid for Xmas number one. "Stand up to the blow, that fate has struck upon you; Make the most of all you still have coming to you" exhorts Collins. He doesn't quite go so far as "here I am standing proud, the last one left in the crowd" (that's not bad actually) but you get the picture. Lots of positivity, and no signs of existential odysseys through the New York netherworld.

Ironically the one song that is titled as a Ballad, doesn't fit that pattern. 'The Ballad Of Big' is this one's 'story' song. It's a bit trite, being the tale of grim Western lawman 'Big' Jim Coolie who takes a dare to drive a herd across the plain (not THAT dangerous I would have thought, haven't they seen City Slickers?) or suffer being accused of cowardice. He and his men get attacked at night by an "all-star Indian tribe". The adjective seems to be there just to make it scan, in which case wouldn't "Navajo" or "Pawnee" make a better choice? Are we to assume that the attacking Native Americans included Geronimo, Sitting Bull, Cochise and Pocahontas? Anyway, Jim and his men are wiped out, dying with their boots on, natch, but Jim continues to haunt the plains. It has a funny structure with massive changes of pace, but it is still quite satisfying.

Another stand-out for me is 'Scenes From A Night's Dream'. Nemo, suffers nightmares, but if your parents call you that then you're bound to be a bit mixed up right? It's based on a US cartoon from the early part of the 20th Century (I found that out by watching The Cabin In The Woods the other day). There's a funny two part harmony bit in the middle where Collins voice is layered over itself as he sings "Carnival of Nations". 'Snowbound' seems to be actually about a SnowMAN, and I was always a bit confused as to why it wasn't really called that. 'Burning Rope' features a satisfying bit of rhyming in "and the Man in the Moon who seduced you and finally loosed you". It also has a very good guitar solo in the middle. Finally we get a HIT SINGLE!. 'Follow You, Follow Me' got to number 7 in the UK and shows that as a threesome their commercial instincts were pretty much on the money. I never really deciphered the artwork and I'm not going to try now.

DUKE

Released: 28th March 1980

Duke is the tenth studio album by English rock band Genesis, released on 28 March 1980 on Charisma Records. The album followed a period of inactivity for the band in early 1979. Phil Collins moved to Vancouver, Canada, in an effort to salvage his failing first marriage, while Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford recorded solo albums. Collins returned to the UK after his marriage ended and wrote a significant amount of material, some of which was used for Duke and some was later reworked for his first solo album, Face Value. Duke contained a mix of individually written songs and tracks that evolved from jam sessions in mid-1979, while recording took place at the end of the year. The break in activity rejuvenated the band, and they found the album an easy one to work on.

Duke was positively received by music critics, who praised the album for bridging the band's progressive rock-oriented past, such as the closing ten-minute "Duke's Travels"/"Duke's End" suite, with their more pop rock-oriented, commercially accessible direction, as displayed on the hit singles "Turn It On Again", "Duchess", and "Misunderstanding". It reached No. 11 in the US, and became their first album to reach No. 1 in the UK. It has since been certified Platinum in both the UK and US.

From Wikipedia

Behind the Lines

Duchess

Guide Vocal

Man of Our Times

Misunderstanding

Heathaze

Turn It On Again

Alone Tonight

Cul-de-sac

Please Don't Ask

Duke's Travels

Duke's End

It arrives with a crash and sets the tone for a Big Sound all the way through. A bit too big I'd say. Collins' drums are getting too dominant. But, it's still a decent album - Wikirumour claims it is Banks' favourite - and they spun 3 singles out of it, 'Turn It On Again', 'Misunderstanding' and the less well remembered 'Duchess'. I don't think it's a concept album although the theme of the title links three tracks. It starts with 'Behind The Lines' which I remember well with it's "written in the book" refrain. It's almost jarring in places but not so bad that it makes it difficult to listen to. It segues straight into 'Duchess', a tale of the rise and fall of a singer and starts and finishes with a kind of heartbeat motif.

One thing that strikes you is that the lyric 'Tonight, Tonight" occurs in two songs ('Man Of Our Times' and 'Alone Tonight') and was subsequently resurrected on Invisible Touch (with an extra "Tonight" for good measure). I'm guessing Collins is the main lyricist now and it's surprising he hasn't noticed how repetitive he's being. 'Man Of Our Times' has that big epic sound but its a bit chaotic and doesn't really go anywhere.

'Misunderstanding' was a reasonable success as a single. I think the video featured Collins driving around LA in a convertible. In live performances he tended to do a kind of scat on the line "there must be some misunderstanding" which soon became very irritating. There seems to be clear indications that this is one of Phil's (many) break-up albums. He liked us to know what a bad time he was having with his love life as evidenced by the famous TOTP paint pot incident during is performance of 'Against All Odds'. He does cross the line into Poor Poor Pitiful Phil quite often here and much of the album is on this theme.

'Turn It On Again' reached number 8 in the UK and framed the band's sop to the diehards when they performed a medley of older songs in later live shows. The last two tracks are 'Duke's Travels' and 'Duke's End'. 'Travels' starts with the kind of drumming last seen being performed by about 2000 Chinese at the start of the 2008 Olympics but then settles into something resembling Riverdance in places.'End' is another underture, revisiting elements heard earlier. I really never liked the artwork on this. It's a style that is now quite common in various Nickelodeon kids shows, such as Adventure Time, but to me it seemed a bit slapdash and amateurish in 1980.

ABACAB

Released: 18th September 1981

Abacab is the eleventh studio album by English rock band Genesis, released on 18 September 1981 by Charisma Records. After their 1980 tour in support of their previous album, Duke (1980), the band took a break before they reconvened in 1981 to write and record a new album. Abacab is the first Genesis album recorded at The Farm, a recording studio bought by the group in Chiddingfold, Surrey. It marked the band's development from their progressive roots into more accessible and pop-oriented songs, and their conscious decision to write songs unlike their previous albums.

Abacab enjoyed a mostly positive reception from critics and was a commercial success for the band, becoming their second No. 1 LP on the UK Albums Chart and their first to reach the top ten of the US Billboard 200, peaking at No. 7. Genesis released four singles from the album, the most successful being "Abacab" and "No Reply at All". The album was certified gold in the UK and double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling two million copies in the US. The Abacab Tour visited North America and Europe in 1981, recordings from which formed most of their 1982 live album and concert video Three Sides Live. Three tracks left off the album were released on the EP 3×3. The album was reissued with a new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mix in 2007.

From Wikipedia

Abacab

No Reply at All

Me and Sarah Jane

Keep It Dark

Dodo/Lurker

Who Dunnit?

Man on the Corner

Like It or Not

Another Record

We're at the raggedy-arsed end of the Genesis back catalogue now. This isn't awful for the neutral at least, but the longstanding fans must have been wondering why they were still bothering. My view, having listened to everything so far, is that the Collins creative stranglehold had come to its ultimate fruition to the extent that this is almost a solo album. Wiki-preposterous claims it is 'art-rock'. Ha! That's what comes of letting the general public write your encyclopedia entries. The title track is named after the note sequence I think, which may tell you how much creative imagination was being expended. It has an extended instrumental at the end which quite often sounds like the Super Mario music. Collins sounds pretty disinterested in places, such as 'No Reply At All'. There's a stabby, brassy soul sound that you'll recognise from 'No Jacket Required' and the Casiotone drumbeat that introduces 'Keep It Dark' is straight off 'In The Air Tonight'.

'Me and Sarah Jane' is a particular mess, veering from light reggae to, well, I don't know what. I should imagine that Billy Paul, who recorded 'Me and Mrs Jones', and his songwriters were having a good hard listen to the lyrics in their lawyers chambers. 'Keep It Dark' has this kind of sub-industrial backing and breaks into Collins droning the title. It's memorable, I'll give it that. Maybe they're trying to keep up with 'ver kids' their new fangled synth-pop. 'Dodo/Lurker' is a bit of a dog's-breakfast too. I have to admit to quite liking it when I was 13, but age brings wisdom and I can now recognize it for the heap of doo-doo that it is. Particularly annoying is the spoken bit where Collins is addressed by the lurker (I guess) and which then breaks into the most banal squeaky one-fingered synth tune you've ever heard. Crazy Frog levels of irritation. 'Whodunnit' is lyrically barren, repetitive and unpleasant. With a weird twist of irony, it's Collins solo contribution (there's one solo penned song from each member), 'Man On The Corner', which is probably the best song here. 'Like It Or Not' is bland and bearable and they give good advice in the final 'Another Record' by singing "just put another record on".

Well indeed. I've surprised myself at how much I disliked this, as I have no bad memories from my youth. I guess when you hear in context with everything that went before, you can see what a let-down it all is. I'm really worried about 'Genesis' and 'Invisible Touch' now. Oh, and look at the cover. Just not trying.

GENESIS

Released: 3rd October 1983

Genesis is the twelfth studio album by English rock band Genesis, released on 3 October 1983 by Charisma and Virgin Records in the UK and by Atlantic Records in the US and Canada. Following the band's tour in support of their 1982 live album Three Sides Live, Genesis took an eight-month break before they regrouped in the spring of 1983 to record a new album. It is their first written and recorded in its entirety at their studio named The Farm in Chiddingfold, Surrey, and the songs were developed through jam sessions in the studio with nothing written beforehand. Hugh Padgham returned as their engineer.

Genesis was the group's greatest commercial success at the time of release, becoming the band's third straight album to reach No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. It also reached No. 9 on the US Billboard 200, where it sold over 4 million copies. Five singles were released between 1983 and 1984; "Mama" was the lead single and remains the highest charting Genesis single in the UK, reaching No. 4. While "Mama" stalled on the US charts, follow-up single "That's All" reached No. 6 there and became the band's first US top 10 hit. The band toured the album in 1983 and 1984, recordings from which formed the concert video Genesis Live: The Mama Tour. In 1985, the album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and "Second Home by the Sea" was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In 2007, the album was re-released with new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes.

From Wikipedia

Mama

That's All

Home by the Sea

Second Home by the Sea

Illegal Alien

Taking It All Too Hard

Just a Job to Do

Silver Rainbow

It's Gonna Get Better

They jumped the shark with Abacab, but as they landed back on the water they just about managed to stay upright on their skis and this is a vast improvement. By now they were racking up plenty of hit singles too, not least of which is the opening 'Mama'. Controversial because someone claimed that it was about an unborn baby addressing their mother who was considering an abortion. I suppose you could read it that way, or it could just be the rather hysterical pleading of a man not wanting to be dumped. Given Collins track record I'll go for the latter. The song is of course notable for Phil's cackle. Live performances saw him going all Blair Witch on the audience with an uplighter on his face.

More dysfunctional relationships in 'That's All', which is a decent song and reached number 16 in the UK. They then give us 'Home By The Sea' and 'Second Home By The Sea'. It's a bit puzzling as to why they don't just present it as a single 11-minute track. The songs are linked thematically (all about ghosts) but the first is a more conventional song whereas the second is largely instrumental. I like them both and I think 'Second Home' is particularly good, quite epic in a way.

'Illegal Alien' also reached the lower end of the charts, although you never hear it now, possibly because it comes perilously close to racism at times, with Collins ramping up the Mexican accent on some lines. It just about stays this side of acceptable I guess, since the song is well executed and is largely sympathetic to the immigrant, although he does offer the 'services' of his sister at one point.

The rest of side 2 is good and listenable, but not particularly remarkable. I think my favourite track of the remainder is 'Silver Rainbow' which is big and anthemic. The lyrics are delivered in the present tense (actually in some subtle variation of the present I expect) which gives it an unusual feeling. Maybe I'm completely wrong, but there's something about the intro to 'It's Gonna Get Better' that reminds me of 'My Ever Changing Moods' by the Style Council. However, I listened to the latter afterwards and failed to convince myself. More dull artwork. Are they pastry cutters or toy blocks?

INVISIBLE TOUCH

Released: 6th June 1986

Invisible Touch is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 9 June 1986 by Charisma/Virgin Records in the United Kingdom, and on 6 June 1986 by Atlantic Records in the United States. After taking a break in 1984 for each member to continue their solo career, the band reconvened in October 1985 to write and record Invisible Touch with engineer and producer Hugh Padgham. As with their previous album, it was written entirely through group improvisations and no material developed prior to recording was used.

Invisible Touch was a worldwide success and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 3 on the US Billboard 200. It remains the band's highest selling album after it was certified multi-platinum for over 1.2 million copies sold in the UK and 6 million sold in the US. Genesis became the first band and foreign act to have five singles from one album reach the top five on the US Billboard Hot 100, with "Invisible Touch" being their first and only song to reach No. 1 on the charts. The album received mixed reviews upon its release and retrospectively, with its more pop-oriented approach and perceived similarities to lead singer Phil Collins' solo work receiving both praise and criticism. In 2007, the album was re-released with new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes.

From Wikipedia

Invisible Touch

Tonight, Tonight, Tonight

Land of Confusion

In Too Deep

Anything She Does

Domino

I. "In the Glow of the Night"

II. "The Last Domino"

Throwing It All Away

The Brazilian

Genesis complete the transition from prog rock pioneers to chart whores and estrange the people who showed faith in them in the early days. But you cannot deny that this is jam-packed with immediately catchy earworms. Also, if I'm honest, Collins sings pretty well on this too.There's also some fairly dark stuff too, which we'll come to in due course.

The title track, which opens the album was a US number one, although only number 15 in the UK. The only time I've seen them live was in support of this album, at Wembley, although we were about as far away from the stage as it is possible to be. By then they were not really interested in doing anything pre-1978, but they did do 'In The Cage'. Since Collins had to sing, they also employed drummer Chester Thompson, which was fine, but they couldn't resist the opportunity that doubling up on skinsmen meant they could indulge in lengthy drum solos. Tedious. Collins was pretty good at playing the crowd, as you'd expect, and I have generally good memories of it.

"Going down like a Monkey"? Let's move on. 'Land of Confusion' had that Spitting Image video and I think it's a great song actually. Norwegian band Katzenjammer did an interesting cover of it fairly recently. A bit confused by Phil's assertion that "My generation will put it right" since even in 1986, they were considered a bit over the hill. 'In Too Deep' is a well executed, I'm-feeling-sad ballad. Now, 'Anything She Does' has an intro that is pure gameshow music. Sounds like we're about to be treated to Lennie Bennett's Lucky Ladders or something. It does settle into a catchy popsong - and it's surprising this never made it as a single release, they released virtually everything else. It has some clanky sounding synth - very eighties. Given the general poppy, upbeat feel of most of the LP, the long track, 'Domino' is a bit incongruous. I think it's good, although it does seem like an only partially successful attempt to create something akin to their older stuff, but all that stuff about "the beautiful River of Blood" and "their bodies dissolve and I am alone" seems a bit extreme for the new, family-friendly Genesis.

More maundering from Phil on 'Throwing It All Away', it reminds me a bit of Stevie Winwood's 'Back In The High Life' which was out about the same time. Finally 'the instrumental 'The Brazilian' (it didn't have THAT meaning in 1986), which I like, especially the crashing cymbals (or electronic approximation thereof). Looks like they've given up on interesting album covers. 

WE CAN’T DANCE

Released: 11th November 1991

We Can't Dance is the fourteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 11 November 1991 by Virgin Records in the UK and a day later by Atlantic Records in the US. It is their last studio album recorded with drummer and singer Phil Collins before his departure in 1996 to pursue solo projects full time. The album marked the return of band activity following an almost four-year hiatus after touring their previous album, Invisible Touch (1986).

We Can't Dance was a worldwide commercial success for the band. It became the band's fifth consecutive No. 1 album in the UK and reached No. 4 in the US, where it sold over 4 million copies. Between 1991 and 1993, six tracks from the album were released as singles, including "No Son of Mine" and "I Can't Dance". The latter received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 1993. Genesis toured in support of We Can't Dance in 1992, playing large stadiums and arenas across North America and Europe.

From Wikipedia

No Son of Mine

Jesus He Knows Me

Driving the Last Spike

I Can't Dance

Never a Time

Dreaming While You Sleep

Tell Me Why

Living Forever

Hold on My Heart

Way of the World

Since I Lost You

Fading Lights

Never listened to this in full before now. That might tell you something, although I would never have counted myself a fan. The singles are familiar enough and I was quite surprised that 'No Son Of Mine', 'Jesus He Knows Me', 'I Can't Dance', 'Tell Me Why' and 'Hold On My Heart' were all off this album. I could've sworn that a couple were Collins solo efforts. 'No Son Of Mine' has that groany, Chewbacca noise in the intro and comes from the same stable as Mike and The Mechanics' 'Living Years' - father/son conflict. Quite bleak though - the message of zero forgiveness isn't one you get very often. Phil does some 'improvisational vocals' at the end, which are just irritating.

The Hooters got there first with satirising televangelism with 'Satellite' so 'Jesus He Knows Me' felt like an old idea even then. It is quite biting for Genesis though. Not sure about that cod-reggae bridge. 'Driving The Last Spike' is the obligatory Long Song. About 19th Century rail workers, we're straying dangerously close to the worthy territory previously claimed by Sting and his ramblings about shipyards. However unlike previous long/story songs by the band this is largely musically conventional and they play it straight. I think it's pretty successful as a song and credit must be given for doing the unexpected.

I never rated 'I Can't Dance' and that video where they rather awkwardly walked in Indian file was rubbish, but as soon as it started, J started singing along, so it must have something going for it. I still think it's dull. 'Never A Time' has an intro that is alarmingly reminiscent of Wet Wet Wet's version of 'Love Is All Around' for a moment. Gave me quite a turn. Fortunately it settles into a lazy Collins-by-numbers ballad, and so is easy to ignore. African riddims for 'Dreaming While You Sleep' - well you do don't you? I found it to be over 7 minutes of nothing very interesting happening, although there is a hint of Prince's 'Sign O The Times' which is mildly intriguing since Collins was accused of ripping off '1999' with 'Sussudio'. In fact the rest of the album is all a bit, well, meh. 'Tell Me Why' is familiar enough, but that doesn't make it any good. Same goes for 'Hold On My Heart'. 'Since I Lost You' is only remarkable for being about Eric Clapton's son Conor. So Genesis are going to go out with a whimper, and I hold no great expectations for the Collins-less 'Calling All Stations'. The 10+ minute final track, 'Fading Lights' is rather aptly named in that respect. The cover is a bit more interesting than the past few, but it's overall blandness does a very good job of conveying the content. 

CALLING ALL STATIONS

Released: 1st September 1997

...Calling All Stations... (stylised in all capitals) is the fifteenth and final studio album by English rock band Genesis. It was released 1 September 1997 by Virgin Records, and is their only album featuring Scottish singer Ray Wilson as frontman following the departure of longtime drummer/singer Phil Collins in 1996. The remaining members—founding keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford—decided to continue the band and write new music for an album, during which they auditioned singers and picked Wilson.

Calling All Stations was released to mostly negative reviews from music critics who chastised its lack of direction, but praised Wilson's performance. It sold poorly in comparison to their earlier albums; it reached No. 2 in the UK and performed well in Europe, but it peaked at No. 54 in the US.^[2][3] This marked their first studio album not to reach number one in the UK since 1978. "Congo", the first of three singles from the album, went to No. 29 in the UK.^[2] The Calling All Stations Tour saw Genesis tour Europe throughout 1998, but an American leg was booked and cancelled twice due to low ticket sales. The group disbanded at the tour's conclusion, focusing on archival and greatest hit albums until Collins returned in 2006 for the Turn It On Again Tour.

From Wikipedia

Calling All Stations

Congo

Shipwrecked

Alien Afternoon

Not About Us

If That's What You Need

The Dividing Line

Uncertain Weather

Small Talk

There Must Be Some Other Way

One Man's Fool

Ray Wilson. He was the defender whose botched headed clearance gave Helmut Haller West Germany's opening goal in the 1966 World Cup Final wasn't he? Well, yes. But his namesake was the former front man of jeans-peddling soft-grungers Stiltskin who got the Genesis gig when Collins jumped ship. I don't really understand why these big groups keep trying to carry on without the original frontman. Queen have been trying to get the car started again ever since Freddie Mercury died, with no appreciable success so far (although I once heard that George Michael might be up for it, which could've just worked). OK, so Genesis themselves successfully carried on when Gabriel left, but that was with an existing member taking over. Ray of Everton and England put his embarrassment behind him and took his place in English sporting legend as one of the Boys of '66, whereas Ray of Stiltskin disappeared without trace after this album, as did the Genesis brand (for that is what it now was).

This is a a heftier sound than what has come before, as you might expect given where Wilson came from. I've never really listened to a Mike and The Mechanics album, but I imagine this gives a good approximation. It's not even bad enough to be enjoyably offensive. The title track chugs along in an uninspired fashion and is followed by the first single, 'Congo' which is about as standard a piece of MOR as you are ever likely to hear, and it just fades, as if they have given up! 'It's Not About Us' could be Bryan Adams and worse still, 'There Must Be Some Other Way' sounds like Simple Minds. My usual schtick with the less inspiring albums is to listen to it once through and give my thoughts track-by-track, but I can't even get the enthusiasm up to do that for Calling All Stations. And it's not all Ray's fault, the instrumentation is very pedestrian. It's a shame to finish with this, as the catalogue as a whole has been immensely enjoyable and since one of my requirements is a sense of progression through the years, it couldn't get more marked than what happened with Genesis. I'm glad to have heard the old stuff again, I appreciated it much more than I did as a child, and that run from Nursery Cryme to The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway must rate as one of the most extraordinary creative phases in any band's career. They've sort of kissed and made up recently, so you never know, if Led Zeppelin can do it then it should be a piece of cake for Genesis.