Genesis are one of my latest 70's rock discoveries; of course I knew the band and sometimes heard post
A Lamb Lies Down On Broadway hits on the radio, but I was far from realising that Genesis were amongst Kings of early 70's progressive music.
Not only the band's gem but also one of the best prog albums ever made.
It is clear that Genesis has two phases: a Peter Gabriel one and a second phase following his departure, where sound and song composition changes drastically. What is less clear is which of the Peter Gabriel era albums is the best? I still can't answer this after listening to them extensively for more than a year, but here is a track by track review of what is generally considered not only the band's gem but also one of the best prog albums ever made:
Selling England By The Pound.
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Dancing With The Moonlit Knight
"Can you tell me where my country lies?" After spinning my father's old LP for the first time and hearing the soft guitar riff, I still didn't realise what adventure I was getting into. The keyboard choirs and piano sections then explode as the "Captain leads his dance", leading to an accelerated riff with tapping guitar. Gabriel's high voice pierces the rhythm as we are slowly led to a shimmery flute/keyboard segment that goes until the song's closing. I knew then I was into something special!
I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
The title song of the album cover, featuring the story of a lawn mower listening to gossips on a bench! One of the first songs that had great success internationally, with such a simple but catchy riff. This is a major turning point in my opinion as the chorus has a synthie, floaty keyboard part that would define Genesis's sound in the years to come (
Abacab comes to mind). Nothing much to say about this song except it's hard not to sing along!
Firth Of Fifth
This song starts with a minute and a half piano intro so complex that the band plainly skipped the intro when they played live, starting instead at "The path is clear". It is a song of great beauty and harmony, with what is considered to be one of the most emotional guitar solos of the band (I disagree, think
The Lamia or
After The Ordeal). Great song overall.
More Fool Me
Acoustic guitar only and Phil Collins on the singing. A beautiful love song, with lots of emotions in it. It's nice to see Gabriel left a place for Phil to sing for himself, it makes for a nice addition to the album and a shift in the mood too, closing side A perfectly.
The Battle Of Epping Forest
Another nice lengthy song, but probably the weakest of the album (one has to be). Gabriel goes deep into the narrative of a fight between rival gangs. The bass is groovy though and there are nice guitar segments, but I frankly don't like the voice in some parts and it is maybe a couple minutes too long getting repetitive in the end.
After The Ordeal
One of the most beautiful guitar pieces of the band; it really feels like something big like a battle or an adventure has just come to an end. The piano and guitar complement each other perfectly in a delicate but harmonious manner. Then in an instant the song softly shifts from acoustic to electric, ending with a melodic electric guitar solo backed with keyboard and flute.
The Cinema Show
I'm not ashamed to say this song brings shivers and tears, just like the
Lover's Leap segment of
Supper's Ready! An all guitar intro with again a shift from acoustic to electric when reaching the chorus, then back to acoustic and beautiful flute. After the chorus is played twice we're in for an amazing, unbelievable 5 minute long keyboard solo, Tony Banks demonstrating all his skills and amazing talent. Then to a perfect song ending, bringing back the
Moonlit Knight riff in the last seconds...
Aisle Of Plenty
...On to
Aisle of Plenty. Such a well done album closer, acting more as a closing section to
The Cinema Show and the album than a song in itself, with the
Moonlit Knight riff again bringing the cycle to a full circle. I can't listen to
The Cinema Show without listening to
Aisle Of Plenty - that's what I mean. They did something similar on the
A Trick Of The Tail album, where the album closer,
Los Endos, brings back riffs from two other songs,
Dance On A Volcano and
Squonk, and I think it's beautifully done.
~~~
Well this album had to end and what an album it is! It integrates so many key elements of 70´s prog in a perfect manner, no wonder it's considered a gem by many. For a long while I considered Emerson Lake and Palmer to be the Kings of Prog, but this album and all the Gabriel era ones changed all that, it was a revelation to me and I have a hard time stopping listening to them. I have yet to discover the post
A Trick Of The Tail material in more detail, but as I said, in my opinion Genesis was never really "Genesis" again
after the Gabriel split.
Raphael Gouin Loubert
Our guest writer this week is Raphael. A huge fan of Krautrock and 60-70’s rock Raphael also enjoys more contemporary artists like Radiohead, Godspeed You Black Emperor, White Stripes, and Half Moon Run. He hangs out at the Krautrock Facebook Group and his reviews can be found on
www.progarchives.com .
Other reviews by Raphael:
Tago Mago by Can
Amnesiac by Radiohead
