Favourite Genesis Album

Posted by: MDS on 04 August 2013

I’ve just had installed a new piece of kit for home demo, about which I will post separately in due course, and have been running through familiar albums including Genesis. This has prompted me to consider the question: what’s my favourite Genesis album and what do others think? To kick things off I’m going to give my vote to A Trick of the Tail.   

 

 

For me this album has such a splendid variety of great tracks. Beginning with the haunting and instantly recognisable first few notes of Dance on a Volcano followed by the melodious, delicacy of Entangled; the delightful changes of pace in Mad Man Moon. Robbery, Assault and Battery used to leave me a bit cold until I got a Naim system after which I appreciated its complexity. Phil C’s vocals on Ripples carry wonderful emotion with the song taking a lovely detour of interplay between guitar and keyboards and piano half-way through. Then of course the title track and finally the magnificent Los Endos, reprising what had gone before and which always makes me want to play the whole album all over again.

 

I think this was first Genesis album on which Phil Collins leads the vocals after the departure of the hugely talented Peter Gabriel but I don’t think his loss shows on this album, though arguably it does on some of the later ones.  

 

Any other votes? 

 

MDS

 

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by Wugged Woy

MDS, there's one Genesis album miles above any other :

 

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by Arfur Oddsocks
Originally Posted by Wugged Woy:

MDS, there's one Genesis album miles above any other :

 

Is the correct answer!  A truly wonderful piece of work and fabulous as a live concert back then.

The third and last time I saw them live, fanfookintastic!

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by Paper Plane

Selling England By The Pound. Mind you, I'm not a Genesis fan really.

 

steve

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by eazyryder

Its got to be Invisible Touch for me  (Nooooo only kidding) lol

Tough question 

Undecided between Foxtrot and Selling england by the pound 

And possibly Nursery cryme and A trick of the tail 

Well ALL of the early stuff was fantastic

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by Tabby cat

I like all the albums with Steve Hackett.I think he added alot of atmosphere to their songs.Blood on the rooftops from Wind and Wuthering was a good example.

Did'nt really like the stuff after Genesis the album which came out in 1984.It all seemed to be poppy AOR.

 

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by MDS

Wugged Woy/Arfur Oddsocks - I agree that The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is a great album but for me the greatness is the first disc eg Fly on the Windshield and The Chamber of 32 Doors but I've never really 'got' the second disc. Perhaps I am missing something here.

 

As for seeing them live, I saw first saw Genesis when they launched Nursery Crimes when, unbelievably, they were the warm up act for Vandergraph Generator! I was hooked from that point.  

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by Richard Dane

Trespass, mainly because of the sublime The Knife, but it's all great really.

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by fatcat

A Trick of the tail by a large margin.

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by MDS
Originally Posted by Richard Dane:

Trespass, mainly because of the sublime The Knife, but it's all great really.

Richard - I agree about The Knife being the sublime. The climax always gives me goosebumps.  And the opening lyrics of Looking for Someone, along with those from Dancing with the Moonlit Knight from Selling England by the Pound  are for me the most memorable from Genesis.   

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by floid

Everything from Trespass to Duke. After that they became Phil Collins backing band which was a shame really.

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by Quad 33

This is very good.

 

 

Graham.

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by Arfur Oddsocks
Originally Posted by MDS:.

 

As for seeing them live, I saw first saw Genesis when they launched Nursery Crimes when, unbelievably, they were the warm up act for Vandergraph Generator! I was hooked from that point.  

likewise, Birmingham roller rink or ice rink , also with Lindisfarne IIRC, it 's all a bit blurred now.

Posted on: 04 August 2013 by Tony2011
Originally Posted by Chief Chirpa:

I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where Phil Collins' presence became more apparent.

I think Invisible Touch was the group's undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism.

Take the lyrics to Land of Confusion. In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've heard in rock.


CC,

 

Sorry to disagree.

 

Genesis are at their best live IMHO! Trespass or Selling England by the Pound are good recording albums. I do listen, when in the mood, to this:

 

 

The knife, Watcher of the Skies and a the amazing The Musical Box.

Posted on: 05 August 2013 by Harry

I'd go with The Lamb although Genesis Live is also a good collection. In the late 80s and 90s I turned my back on a lot of my old favorites, later to discover them all over again and be more entertained than ever. There were exceptions, Genesis being one of them. Trespass, Nursery Cryme and The Lamb have withstood my test of time. Or to be more accurate, my test of time. To me. Selling England sounds like sugary chocolate box drivel despite several attempts to get back into it and Trick onward strongly tends towards unlistenable. Most of the recordings were pretty rubbish too, but that's something we endure and forget whenever possible. 

 

I'd say I'm a bigger Steve Hackett fan nowadays, and particularly so after my wilderness/reappraisal period. But you like what you like and at the time I thought it was all good stuff and vastly preferable to 99% of what was on the shelves. If somebody asked me what is the best place to dip in it would be a case of "which Genesis do you want to hear?" Three very distinct bands down the years.

 

I would also cite Voyage Of The Acolyte, one of the finest albums Genesis never made and Tony Banks' first two solo albums, A Curios Feeling and The Fugitive. Some material the contributors couldn't (or chose not to) get past the Genesis committee, plus some longer pieces which got cannibalised into Genesis' output stand very tall in their own right and it could be argued were too good for the collective. That's certainly how it strikes me from about 1975 on.  More so into the early 80s.I don't think any Peter Gabriel recommendations are necessary - take your pick. All different (some more different than others) and no duffers.

Posted on: 05 August 2013 by Kevin-W
Originally Posted by Tony2011:
Originally Posted by Chief Chirpa:

I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where Phil Collins' presence became more apparent.

I think Invisible Touch was the group's undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism.

Take the lyrics to Land of Confusion. In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've heard in rock.


CC,

 

Sorry to disagree.

 

Genesis are at their best live IMHO! Trespass or Selling England by the Pound are good recording albums. I do listen, when in the mood, to this:

 

 

The knife, Watcher of the Skies and a the amazing The Musical Box.

Tony, CC is being naughty.

 

That is a quote by the character Patrick Bateman from the novel American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis.

 

Bateman is a serial-killing yuppie on Wall Street who likes rape, torture and killing, as well as designer labels, big stereos, working out in the gym, PC-era Genesis, Huey Lewis & The News, Whitney Huston, etc.

Posted on: 05 August 2013 by tonym
Originally Posted by fatcat:

A Trick of the tail by a large margin.

And for me, although I do love Seconds Out and Genesis Live.

Posted on: 05 August 2013 by Premmyboy

My favourite is Selling England By The Pound. Firth of Forth is marvellous and also the great single I know what I like.

Posted on: 05 August 2013 by MDS
Originally Posted by Premmyboy:

My favourite is Selling England By The Pound. Firth of Forth is marvellous and also the great single I know what I like.

Firth of Fifth, actually, and I've always had trouble remembering the precise name of this track, too.  But I agree it's the best track on the album and I've enjoyed it countless times. The only downside of Selling England by the Pound for me is it's longest track - The Battle of Epping Forest.  I've never warmed to that one. The simple More fool me by Phil C is another captivating track.

Posted on: 05 August 2013 by Wugged Woy
Originally Posted by MDS:
Originally Posted by Premmyboy:

My favourite is Selling England By The Pound. Firth of Forth is marvellous and also the great single I know what I like.

Firth of Fifth, actually, and I've always had trouble remembering the precise name of this track, too.  But I agree it's the best track on the album and I've enjoyed it countless times. The only downside of Selling England by the Pound for me is it's longest track - The Battle of Epping Forest.  I've never warmed to that one. The simple More fool me by Phil C is another captivating track.


Bang on re. SEBTP. The final Aisle of Plenty is not so hot too (also too corny). However, some very best bits of Genesis are here.

A pity, so close to being a 'brilliant' album.

 

The latter 'Lamb Lies Down...' moves away from the rural middle England, dare I say, sweetness of the former, and IMO is a much more mature affair. Genesis experimented with new instruments/sounds, the songs were powerful and flowed,  Gabriels vocals were out of this world - lyrical, soft, hard, gentle, violent, distorted, in turns. To quote a review " (Lamb Lies Down On Broadway) is quirky, strange, beautiful, and terrifying at all different points". A really remarkable album.

Posted on: 05 August 2013 by Tony2011
Originally Posted by Kevin-W:
Originally Posted by Tony2011:
Originally Posted by Chief Chirpa:

I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where Phil Collins' presence became more apparent.

I think Invisible Touch was the group's undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism.

Take the lyrics to Land of Confusion. In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've heard in rock.


CC,

 

Sorry to disagree.

 

Genesis are at their best live IMHO! Trespass or Selling England by the Pound are good recording albums. I do listen, when in the mood, to this:

 

 

The knife, Watcher of the Skies and a the amazing The Musical Box.

Tony, CC is being naughty.

 

That is a quote by the character Patrick Bateman from the novel American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis.

 

Bateman is a serial-killing yuppie on Wall Street who likes rape, torture and killing, as well as designer labels, big stereos, working out in the gym, PC-era Genesis, Huey Lewis & The News, Whitney Huston, etc.

Hi, Kev.

 

I saw the film when it first came out and the  scene that stuck with me as  is the one  where Christian Bale asks other people, I think in the gent's, to keep quiet as he was trying to do some  drugs. Can't quite remember the exact line but never laughed so much. I think it was the performance that launched his career. Great film!

 

Posted on: 05 August 2013 by Kevin-W

Haven't seen the film Tony, but having read the book I can see why Bale would be perfect in the role of Bateman.

 

The book itself is quite problematic in that it's horrifically violent, particularly towards women, and overly graphic. Potentially it's a brilliant idea for a satirical look at 80s yuppie values, but Ellis isn't good enough a writer to bring it off.

 

The best bits are actually Bateman's descriptions of his CDs, including the Genesis passage CC quoted above; the escalating obsession with embossed business cards which ends up being a kind of attritional arms race; and Bateman and his friends' mutual inability to tell each other apart, with their blank, immaculately groomed features, buffed-up bodies, interchangeable jobs and club memberships and designer threads.

 

Martin Amis' Money is a more effective satire on the period.

 

However, to get back on topic, I don't really like Genesis although quite a lot of TLLDOB is pretty good.

 

Posted on: 05 August 2013 by Tony2011

Watch the film Kev. It'll have you in stiches

Posted on: 05 August 2013 by Kevin-W
Originally Posted by Tony2011:

Watch the film Kev. It'll have you in stiches

I will check it out, although I'm guessing it will be nowhere near as violent as the book

Posted on: 05 August 2013 by Jay Coleman
Lamb.

I must say, though, that the Lamb is the only one I've listened to in a long time. This thread may make me revisit the collection. I regret to say I did not purchase all English pressings at the time but I was young and foolish and didn't know better.
Posted on: 06 August 2013 by Massimo Bertola
Originally Posted by Wugged Woy:

MDS, there's one Genesis album miles above any other :

 

I agree, plus I love a few sparse songs here and there.

 

M.