As Sure as Eggs is Eggs: A Younger Generation's Genesis Blog

Nursery Cryme, Part 1

2007-10-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

As I stated before, Nursery Cryme is perhaps my favorite Genesis album of all time. Not only is the music of high quality, but it has a certain sentimental attachment as well. It is an album much more English in tone than Trespass was, but builds a lot off of the epic-style energy brought forth in "the Knife". Some reviewers claim that there is filler in this album, but I don't really see it (MAYBE "Seven Stones", but I don't think so).

Trespass Conclusion

2007-10-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Trespass review was a more comprehensive look into how I feel about the album on a song by song basis. Where does this album as a whole rank on the Genesis scale? Honestly, it's probably towards the back of the middle in my mind. As an individual album, it's truly nothing spectacular outside of "The Knife", and maybe "Stagnation", although that song is unique in its style when compared to future works. However, when taken into context, this album is very important in regards to the prog-rock future of the band. Mayhew and Phillips were gone after this album, and the ushering of the golden era of Genesis would begin with the next album, Nursery Cryme.

I will review Nursery Cryme later this week, and I am excited as it is maybe my favorite Genesis album of all-time.

Trespass Review

2007-10-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

It's late at night, and I am bored, so I thought I'd write half of this tonight, and the other half either tomorrow or Monday.

I might as well outline my "review format". I am a strong believer in breaking down each song on its own, but then also writing a short review on the album as a whole. Most reviewers seem to do one or the other. I prefer both. Individual songs can be great, but what about the whole album? The Knife is a classic, yes, but that doesn't make Trespass a great album on its own. Get the drift? I am a critical critic also (I am not going to give every song or album a 9 or 10), unlike most Genesis fans seem to be.

In that case, here goes....

Trespass is a very interesting album. When I was little, I hated it. To me, it was boring. However, more than any other Genesis album, it has slowly grown on me as I have gotten older. As I vaguely mentioned earlier, "The Knife" is a classic, and is one of my favorite tunes of either Genesis era. I liked it right away. It was the rest of the album that made me want to go play some SNES, or just about anything else. That has changed, though.

Looking for Someone (6.5/10)

This is one of the more musically powerful songs on the album, which isn't saying much. Peter's voice carrying the beginning is unique, something we really wouldn't see again until "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" three albums later. It works much better there. I really think the lyrics in this song are not up to par, and are much more comparable to the easily forgettable (and rightly so) "From Genesis to Revelation". Again, though, the musicianship is pretty good, with the OBOE making an appearance, and Banks playing straight piano for most of the song. To me, it's a positive though because it definitively represents a shift from the King-era Genesis to the post-King era. Not a bad way to start off the album. I do like the spooky oboe at the end as well. Kinda creepy.

White Mountain (6.5/10)

This song gets hated on a lot in reviews as one of their worst songs in the ol' catalogue. I disagree, but only for a certain reason. It does not stand out much in any way, but it is essential to the future of Genesis, as Pete's storytelling style of lyrics was undoubtedly born in this song. It's about Fang and Great Fang (?) and the chorus lines are kinda catchy. That's about all it has going for it. The lyrics aren't even that strong, but again, Pete, telling stories, it's what Genesis would come to be known by in the next three to five years.

Visions of Angels (5.5/10)

This song is kinda boring. Again, this is another song looking backwards towards FGTR, but only partly. It's more of an evolution of those songs to the next step, as it sounds like a song about love, but not in the obvious fabric of previous Genesis efforts. Actually, I find the lyrics in this song to be kinda creepy. It's a happy sounding sad song! Weird. I don't really care for it though, personally. Pete just doesn't sound like the Pete I have come to know in his song.

Stagnation (7.5/10)

When I was younger, near the beginning of my Genesis-listening days, I used to skip this song. I actually continued to skip this song, save for a couple plays here and there. However, once I read Joe McGlinchey at Ground and Sky talking about how much he loved this song (I believe he said it was his favorite Genesis song of all time), I had to take a hard listen to it. Joe was right! This song is a pretty good one from back to front. It's a precursor of "Twilight Alehouse" , as in that it seems to be a song about drinking (as it's right there in the song). I like the buildup to the end, it's an effective climax in my mind considering the mood of the album thus far. At this point, it's my favorite song on the album. Pete's voice is also at its most effective on the album (until "The Knife" at least). I like this song, and would include on an early-era Genesis mix of sorts.

Dusk (4/10)

I hate this song. I have given it a chance too many times. It's just not a very good song. Considering it's sandwiched in between my two favorite songs on the album, you would be accurate in guessing I would go to the bathroom while I was listening to this song, or that I would find a McDonalds and order some snack wraps so I could turn the volume down in my car. Not to disrespect this song, but I don't really have anything to say about it.

The Knife (9.2/10)

Why a 9.2? I don't know. A 9 seems too low, and a 9.5 seems a bit too high. Instantly you can tell this song is about ready to explode your speakers when you put it on (hopefully you play your Genesis loud like I do). It starts off with a bang, and continues until the bridge in the middle, where you can tell stuff is about to go off. This makes it unique to the rest of the album in the fact that when it's not loud, you can tell it's about ready to get that way. A classic, as Phillips' guitar solo rocks the 5:30 mark and continues to build up until the end, which is one of my favorite portions of any Genesis song. I almost broke my hand jamming the end on my steering wheel (don't worry, I eventually do break a finger, you'll find out what song and what album later on). Banks' keyboard is awesome mixed in with the guitar riff; another sign of things to come. It's also a politically powerful song, but I gave up exactly what they were trying to get at a long time ago. Even after three years of college, I don't really know. Does anyone though, ever? Overall, perhaps the top song from their first two major outputs. A great way to end the album. If I was around in 1970, I would have been damn excited to find out what was coming out next.

So there's the song-by-song diagnosis. I'll be writing the album overview tomorrow.

Keep It Dark!

2007-10-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

This song is one of those that makes me laugh. Much of it is because of the Keep It Dark video. Here are the lyrics (courtesy of sing365.com):

Found that man reported missing,
He wandered in his home.
It don't seem to bad if you consider
Just what he's been through.

Seems he met up with a gang of thieves,
Who mistook him for a man of means,
They locked him up then found he had no money,
So they let him go again.
Now he's back at home and happy
Just to see the kids.

I wish that I could really tell you
All the things that happened to me
And all that I have seen.
A world full of people their hearts full of joy,
Cities of light with no fear of war,
And thousands of creatures with happier lives,
And dreams of a future with meaning and no need to hide.

Oh, keep it dark.

It seems strange to have to lie,
About a world so bright.
And tell instead a made-up story,
From the world of night.

I wish, that I could really tell you,
All the things that happened to me
And all that I have seen,
A world full of people their hearts full of joy,
Cities of light with no fear of war,
And thousands of creatures with happier lives,
And dreams of a future with meaning and no need to lie,
No need to hate,
No need to hide.

Oh, keep it dark.

What is this song about? As with any 80's era Genesis tune, I always consider what is going on at this point. First, and I think this is obvious, Phil is writing the lyrics. When you take into context the fact that his divorce occurred in 1980, the same year Abacab was released, this song takes on a different meaning to me. If you read the verses in this mindset, it could become a tale of Collins' unhappiness. Again, when you consider his solo efforts in the 80s, it's pretty obvious things weren't going too great for him at this time. Then when you consider the tone of the song as well, I believe this song is a cry for freedom of sorts...."cities of light with no fear of war"....."it seems so strange to have to lie, about a world so bright".....and etcetera. A very interesting song in the Genesis catalog, as it doesn't wear its emotion on its sleeve like a lot of other Collins' era songs. Interested to hear what others think

Tommygun and the YouTube videos

2007-10-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

If you are ever searching YouTube for Genesis videos, you won't have to look much further than Tommygun1028. This guy is the ultimate Genesis video resource. I grew up always wondering what one of their early concerts had looked like, especially a full concert of the Lamb. Now, we can experience the Lamb, and their other early tours, in great detail as Tommygun Productions has opened the door for some sweet Genesis action. His Genesis DVDs are absolutely amazing, and I am looking to order them in the very near future. At the rate he is churning out new videos, we can only hope this is the beginning.

In the Beginning

2007-10-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

People will wonder why a 23 year-old college student decided to start a blog solely based on Genesis, I am sure. Here's a glimpse into my reasoning:

I have had a thing for Genesis since I was about eight years old. As a matter of fact, they are honestly the first music group I ever listened to in my life. I remember sitting in my dad's beat up Chevy Silverado and noticing a cassette tape on the dashboard. It was Nursery Cryme. Combining the Victorian-style album cover with my young curiosity, I quickly placed the tape into the deck (side 2) and patiently waited to hear what would come out of the speakers. I laugh now when I think about it, but "Harold the Barrel" was the first song played. Again, when taking my youth into consideration, it is funny recalling how much I liked that song. Instantly I wanted to hear all the tapes my dad had, and eventually I would. I never figured Genesis would turn into the fixating figure that it has to me. But, it has, and I am glad of it.

I hope to bring a unique point of view as far as Genesis is concerned. I am younger than most fans. I thoroughly enjoy progressive rock, but it is not at all what drew me into Genesis, nor is it what has kept me so interested. I prefer the mystique of Peter Gabriel's contributions over the glossier Collins-era, but would go nowhere without my copy of Duke, or even Invisible Touch. To me, Genesis is an intriguing combination of mystery, uncertainty, politics and dry humor (among many other things). In fact, the more I think about it, Genesis is about coming into being. Genesis is Genesis.