The River of Constant Change: The Genesis Album-by-Album Thread

I'd call From Genesis To Revelation an acquired taste, but Trespass is Genesis through and through, and no fan of the Gabriel years should be without it... It is the record with which the band comes of age, a huge step forward from their first album and the introduction of the Genesis sound...

Their first record sounded shy and tentative at times, but they are much more confident here, as one can see by the way the new album starts...

Looking For Someone is a little masterpiece, pure symphonic-rock, and arguably the best on the whole record... Starting gently and quietly, it soon develops into a rollercoaster of dynamics that takes you through several different moods, by the clever use of variations on the themes that are presented early on... I call this song the template of the style they'd display through the Gabriel years, and it's easy to see how they'd reach the heights they reached when an early effort can be THIS good...

In my opinion, only The Knife reaches the heights of the album opener, and only because it's so unbridled and violent, one doesn't expect it after listening to all that's featured on the album before the final track... another GREAT track that would go on to become a classic...

Overall, this album is a fine collection of diverse songs which, neatly tied up by the organ and acoustic guitars, take the listener through several different moods, and is better when taken as a whole...

There's a couple of songs I'd say remind me of FGTR, Visions Of Angels and especially Dusk, but the band has matured composition-wise, and they make them much more interesting than anything on their first album...

As I said, it's a huge improvement on all counts... The band sounds much more inventive and are starting to develop as players... Of note are the delicate work of the acoustic guitars, present throughout the record and much more intricate than on FGTR, something that will become a bit of a trademark in later years, and the bass work... we are hearing Michael Rutherford already making use of the style and sound he'd keep using in the following years... On the vocals department, the band are still using the type of backing the had used throughout their formative years, while Peter Gabriel still shines on top...

Trespass has the band with one foot in the past, but with another firmly planted in the future...

 

TRESPASS . only the sound quality left me from purchasing this record. So i don't have a clear idea how this actually sounds. a bit rougher and less refined than Nursery Crime, Foxtrott and esp Seling England By The Pound- the stuff that made Genesis giants in the ealy Prog Rock history. "The Knife" could actually make a lasting impression in my memory so many years after it was played to me on an average Record Player nearly 30 years ago.
Most Charisma LP's never sounded good back in the days. They were pressed up in high quantities and sold cheap in the mid 70ies , as low as 11.90 to 13.90 DM. The average price for a new LP was 16.90 DM for Top Sellers and between 17,90 to 19,90 DM (depending on german / european or US Import) or more for back stock or special stuff. Those cheap mass products came from Holland and had no Gate-Fold Covers and mostly only standard inner sleeves. The sound was muddy and the Vinyl thin and of lower quality. The Gate Fold 'Nursery Crime' and 'Selling England By The Pound' actually sound pretty good , when you come along a german pressing. Maybe this is of interest for earches thru second hand bins...

That knowledge wasn't very popular back then. Those cheap Holland copies had a bad rep. That didn't stop them to flood the bedrooms of young students by the ton LOL

 

I love Trespass!

I even love the antiquated sonics of it, like it was recorded at that cottage.

However, I do feel that half the album (Looking For Someone, Stagnation, The Knife) is far, far better than the other half (White Mountain, Visions of Angels, Dusk).

Anthony Phillips focuses on and is praised for his acoustic guitar work, but I feel it's his electric playing that shines here. Possibly my favorite guitar parts of any Genesis song are in The Knife. I absolutely love that tone and style. To me, that sounds so much better than stuff you hear by famous "guitar heroes." I just don't understand why more people don't see it. Fantastic!

 

Nursery Cryme
Released November 12, 1971 as Charisma CAS-1052 (UK) and Charisma/Buddah CAS-1052 (US)

1. "The Musical Box"
2. "For Absent Friends"
3. "The Return of the Giant Hogweed"
4. "Seven Stones"
5. "Harold the Barrel"
6. "Harlequin"
7. "The Fountain of Salmacis"

In the wake of Trespass, guitarist Anthony Phillips decided to leave the band, and not long after, drummer John Mayhew was asked to leave. The pair were replaced with Steve Hackett and Phil Collins respectively. Though some would leave, these would be the last people to actually join Genesis until 1996. The lineup at this point is what you'll hear fans refer to as "the classic five".

Genesis would take just over a year to release their next album, Nursery Cryme, and it was definitely worth the wait. What Hackett and Collins brought to the band was a level of musical prowess and ferociousness that was missing beforehand. On songs like "The Musical Box" and "The Fountain of Salmacis", Phil Collins and Steve Hackett really get to show off and the album is better for it. Nursery Cryme is also probably the hardest Genesis ever rocked on record.

Overall, the album is one of Genesis' best, and no collection of the band's music is complete without it.

Rating: 4.5/5

 

Unlike Trespass, where Genesis brought their live set into the studio and documented it, Nursery Cryme saw the band writing songs specifically to record an album. They were gigging constantly throughout 1971 leading up to the August sessions in London's Trident Studios, but the songs speak more to the time spent at manager Tony Stratton-Smith's country house that summer composing and rehearsing. Perhaps some of the absurdest English humor of the Bonzos, whom Strat also managed then, rubbed off, but the album has a decided Victorian twist to it. While some of the songs presage the disjointedness that is a weakness of early Genesis (and prog in general, IMO) there are true flashes of brilliance. 'The Musical Box' in particular achieves a fine balance of the pastoral and the violent and sounds simply gorgeous. Steve brings ferocity and vocal quality to the guitar that is at times startling, especially in MB and 'Fountain of Salmacis.' He and Phil are integrated fully into the band and bring a great new energy to it, even co-writing a song ('For Absent Friends') that marks Phil's first lead vocal with Genesis.

My favorite photograph of the band from this period, before Peter went to the reverse Mohawk

Credit: Armando Gallo

 

While Trespass was a good album, Nursery Cryme was a great one: In fact, I'd place it on my top five list of favorites by the band. "The Return of the Giant Hogweed," "Harold the Barrel," and "The Fountain of Salmacis" are all highlights. Truthfully "The Musical Box" doesn't do as much for me, although it's still a great way to start the record off.

While it doesn't affect my enjoyment of the music itself, I've noticed that the vocals sound less prominent in the mix of Nursery Cryme than on other albums. I'd be curious to see how well or badly a remix of this title would fare, although I plan on listening to my original Atlantic CD for years to come.

 

For me, the band still hasn't hit its stride with Nursery Cryme.
But I do love For Absent Friends with Phil singing.
This album really is hit or miss and, to me, it still feels like the band is gaining its footing.
Foxtrot, to me, is where they pull it all together.

 

I had already been turned onto Foxtrot and Live, when I stumbled upon Nursery Cryme at a local record shop (don't you miss those places, where they had bin after bin of new, sealed vinyl... ) So I was already familiar with "Musical Box" and "Hogweed" from the live album. The muddled production (on Nursery Cryme) didn't thrill me, but the material still shines through, especially the closing epic "Fountain." The jamming gets a bit tedious in "Musical Box" IMO, but overall another huge step forward for Genesis. Nursery Cryme shows a band growing, maturing and finding its musical soul with each successive album. Gotta love that great album cover, too.

 

Nursery Crime is, like Trespass, another transitional album. The addition of Phil on drums, and Steve on guitar changed the bands sound and gave them a harder attack, while Phil's drumming seemed to go inside the melodies and give them a far more layered effect. I find this album to be basically stunning on those grounds. This and all the PG-sung titles that follow are five-star recordings in my book. And don't forget the delightful Twilight Alehouse single.

Giant Hogweed also showed the lyrical concepts turning in a twisted direction, which I love.

 

"From Genesis to Revelation": I rather like this album. It has a 60's feel to it, with nice, short songs. Not typical Genesis, but interesting nonetheless.

"Trespass": This is where Gabriel-era Genesis really begins. The ingredients are there, they only haven't been mixed yet. The harder sound is on "The Knife" and the softer sound is on all the other tracks.

"Nursery Crime": The Genesis sound takes shape. I'm not an audiophile, but I can tell sound quality is this album's weakest point. "The Musical Box" is a classic. I'm not as keen on the others, not even "The Fountain of Salmacis".

 

Splendid album! Love 'Musical Box' '..Hogweed' and '..Salmacis' but also the two delicate short songs - 'For absent friends' and 'Harlequin'. This is the sort of album you might imagine being made in 1871, it's Victorian, it's English, its pastoral, it's pure escapism, I love it.
Mention must be made of the other songs which straddle the Trespass/Nursery Cryme/Foxtrot years which are available on the Archive box set - Twilight Alehouse, Happy the man, Let us now make love (absolutely beautiful), Pacidy, Shepherd and Going out to get you, thats basically an extra albums worth of material there and some of it is very strong.

 

"Happy the Man" was the single released around this period. "Twilight Alehouse" was released around the time of Selling England by the Pound.

Also, am I the only fan of "Harold the Barrel"? I absolutely adore that song...

 

Nope. I think Harold the Barrel is an absolutely genius piece of songwriting.

 

Not sure, but...wasn't "Twilight Alehouse" the B-side of the "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" single?

 

I believe so, but it was a Nursery Cryme outtake. Strange that it was an outtake by the way, because Cryme was by far the shortest Genesis album of the 70's, so it could have easily fit Alehouse. I should just burn a cd of Cryme with Alehouse and Happy the Man on it, since they both belong there and would bring the running time up to the same as all their other 70's albums.

 

'Twilight Alehouse' was being played live when Ant was still with the band, and of course was part of the set performed at the band's February 1972 appearance on Belgian television, which otherwise was a showcase for Nursery Cryme. But it was not released until the above-mentioned B-side in February 1974.

Steve Hackett, in Genesis - Chapter and Verse, p. 103, recalls 'Happy the Man' being used to open the set when he joined the band in early 1971. It was not recorded for release until the next summer and appeared as the A-side to Foxtrot's 'Seven Stones' in October 1972, the same month that album was released. It also marked producer John Anthony's last work with the band, though he remained close friends with Peter and his wife Jill.

I always loved 'Happy the Man' since a Genesis freak who I made friends with in Rochester NY, who worked at the Record Archive's Monroe Avenue store, put several different versions of it on a cassette for me. It was not released on CD until the tribute box to Tony Stratton-Smith came out in the early 1990s. Great song and I agree both tracks should go on any compilation pulled together to enjoy the band from this period.

I think 'Harold the Barrel' is one of the strongest songs on Nursery Cryme and helps blaze the humorous side of Genesis so often overlooked by critics. I love the way Phil's hi-hat ride opens the song.

 

"Seven Stones" was on Nursery Cryme.

 

Is that the Famous Charisma Box Set?

 

I'm hoping someone can answer this question...

I have a Charisma "Happy the Man" UK 45 with the yellow picture sleeve, but it's in storage along with some of my other Genesis rarities and not easily accessible to me. I can't remember for the life of me, does the original single version fade in like it did on that 1999 Gabriel-era box set? The only reason I ask is because on the new remixes, the song starts cold instead of fading in, and I seem to remember my single being like that, but I probably haven't played it in 7 or 8 years, so it's possible that it did fade in like on the 1999 box set. Anyone know?

 

I'm pretty sure the fade-in version is the original single version. I remember when the new remixed version came out on the new Turn it on again comp people were delighted at hearing the 'new' intro for the first time!

 

Thanks for the info.

 

I'm not sure why, but I feel like I've listened to this album much less than I had the other early Genesis LPs. But when I go over the track listing, I think it must be one of my favorites. There isn't a bad song on here. It's a shame most of it wasn't played live after 1972. And maybe that's why the material seems so unfamiliar to me - between live releases and seeing the tribute band The Musical Box, I may have just overdosed on FOXTROT and SEBTP.

"The Musical Box" is one of my absolute favorite Genesis tunes, up there with "The Knife". I never tire of hearing it.

I really need to pull out this album again soon.

 

Yes, done as a tribute to Tony Stratton-Smith in 1993.

I only have the UK single on a cassette, but it fades up gradually and has the "ahh ah" vox near the beginning, before the chorus starts. The version that was released on the 1998 Genesis Archive 1967-1975 also fades up at the beginning, and adds some additional percussion in the form of a small bell. This version also appears on the recent Starbucks compilation.

There is a remixed version with no fade up, no "ahh ah" and no bell on the Charisma compilation lp One More Chance released in 1973.

 

I love Nursery Crymes and rate it a notch above Foxtrot (and just below SEBTP) in my top three favorite Genesis albums short list.

1. "The Musical Box" - A total classic, Steve Hackett's first big contribution to their sound
2. "For Absent Friends" - Very pretty, nice vocals here.
3. "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" - Not a favorite of mine, I don't care for the lyrics much on this one.
4. "Seven Stones" - Beautiful, particularly the mellotron swell at the end
5. "Harold the Barrel" - Funny song this.
6. "Harlequin" - Great tune that gets overlooked by most reviewers, I love it, and it segues well into the next song.
7. "The Fountain of Salmacis" - My favorite song on the album. Phil's drum work here is fantastic. This song creates a unique mood thanks to the wonderful lyrics sung by Peter and also Tony's Mellotron.

 

I fell in love with Genesis because of this album. I had to get it, since i heard the Live Version of 'The Musical Box' at someone's house and was shocked by the dynamic changes of Peter Gabriels ranting on "Play me Old King Cole For i may join with you...oh my heart is so far from me, it hardly seems to matter now " and then that outbreak towards the ending climax "Why Don't You Touch Me, Touch Me Now". as a young Teenager this was somehow strongly attracting me.
So when i finally saw this LP with it's beautiful gate-fold cover i had to have it. The Look was so romantic, victorian, pure escapism. The small paintings to every song are so nice. I am sure everyone has a gate-Fold original album cover ? If not- go out and get one, even if you don't play records anymore.

All this was already very charming; when i finally played this LP it was even better, than i expected. The Musical Box opens this LP with 12 minutes of brilliant entertainment-a kind of mini opera . For Absent Friends is a lovely interlude , "The Return Of The Giant Hogweed" is average Prog-Rock, not great - but not bad, either. I am not excatly sure about "Seven Stones" ? Is that an instrumental ? Is it at the end of Side 1 or at the start of Side 2 ?
I cannot remember how that Song sounds tbh. it's been years since i listened to Nursery Crime. Harold The Barrel is another great song; one that is perfect for Peter Gabriel's comedian and acting persona. Next to
Harlequin is that picture of the lovely black haired Lady inside the gate-fold and this is in fact also a heart wrenching Love Song. One of the highlights on Nursery Crime. The final classic story of The Fountain Of Salmacis is the last Climax on this fine LP.
Prog-Rock doesn't get any better than this and the Mellotron part in TFoS was sampled 25 years later for a giant Trance Hit : "SACRED CYCLES" by Pete Lazonby.
Definitely one of the most loved records from my youth.