Revisiting Duke - Genesis: It's actually good.

There is a common theme where a single like Misunderstanding gets no love from fans. Wonderful Tonight by Clapton springs to mind. These songs often just suffer from exposure, and being heard so often out of the context of the album. So they are diminished and don't seem like they belong on the album.

If it was an obscure album track, it would get more love, and people saying "why wasn't that a single?" Maybe it is simple, and poppy, but it's a good tune.

 

If you love Duke I would say please, give We Can’t Dance a try!! I think that one is pretty much in the same vein.

 

I think it’s a good song, I just think it fits more on later more commercial albums like Invisible Touch
Duke was a dark collection of moody songs and for me this song just spoils the flow.
However I never skip it or turn it off.

 

I was so disappointed with We Can’t Dance.
The lead single had me so excited. No Son Of Mine, it truly was the best Genesis song in many years.
But the Jesus He Knows Me and I Can’t Dance stuff just left me cold.
After Genesis Genesis which is a stunning piece of work, IMO they went too pop for me.
I actually loved some parts of Calling All Stations.
Some of that stuff like the title track was outstanding, also Ray’s voice on that and ‘If that’s what you need’ was superb.
Some of the stuff that got left off CAS was better material than the actual album.
Not trying to be disrespectful but I see no similarities between We Can’t Dance and Duke.

 

One of the most frustrating things about this forum to me is the persistent pop aversion.

 

Yeah, it’s a pretty good record, certainly superior to anything that came after, I mean, wow, you talk about records aging like milk.

 

Except for the Beatles on this forum.

I have no clue either when I joined this site. The same could be said for Peter Gabriel's So. Held off on buying it because of the criticism around it.

 

I don't know. I think I bought Duke the day it came out and I was never a fan of Misunderstanding. It was only later when I could compare it to stuff that came later like Invisible Touch or Jesus He Knows Me that I could say, "Ya know... Misunderstanding ain't so bad."

 

Yes, this.

 

There isn’t a Genesis album I don’t love. I’ll defend the post Hackett years to the death. I’d wager Duke is my favorite of the trio albums.

 

Fair enough. Misunderstanding is somewhat dark and moody, though it has an arrangement that belies the subject matter. It's not exactly a happy, sappy pop tune.

Duke is excellent overall. It was all downhill from there, though Abacab is pretty good. Then it was really all downhill.

 

This album was the last of the good ones. They became a household name afterwords and made records just in order to sell them to people who like soft and emotional ballads.

 

I actually love Keep It Dark. Abacab, Man on the corner from Abacab. But I actually prefer Genesis Genesis. Mama, That’s All , Home By The Sea , Silver Rianbow take some beating for me.
It was Invisiible Touch that threw me off.
Someone mentioned earlier about it being frustrating so many dislike pop!!! Not so for me, my whole collection is pop/rock.
However I want rock from Genesis, I think songs like Invisible Touch were too pop and Genesis have always been a rock band.

 

Wow...such insight into Genesis. I’m floored. You know your stuff.

 

There was pop Genesis at least as far back as "I Know What I Like," and "Trick of The Tail" was pop too. By Invisible Touch they really lost me, though that many years and that many albums is a pretty amazing run of high-quality music.

 

You aren't wrong.

Problem is the songwriting and instrumentation got really bad. Well, mostly the instrumentation. If it was half as long plus not letting Tony touch anything made after 1986 I'd enjoy it more, honestly.

 

He does? Why? Maybe that's why Genesis never played it live...

Interesting...that thought has occurred to me at times as well. IMO Duke is still better though though there are some stylistic similarities, I suppose. Maybe that's why my wife likes those albums so much (her favourite Genesis albums)

 

I always include Evidence of Autumn in the suite, since I assumed "the girl from all those songs" in the lyrics was Duchess.

 

Got the Duke SACD/DVD last week for $2. Too bad that I don't have a surround setup. Or a SACD player

--Geoff

 

It's a very good record. A lot of good songs, great playing. And it's the one where Phil Collins found his voice.

He does a great job on the previous records, but my impression is that he really found his own singing style with "Duke".

His best vocals belong to this era -- 1980/85.

 

I feel it's a bit of a step-down from the briliance of "And Then There Were Three", but slightly better than ABACAB.

I prefer the Self-Titled 1983 to either Duke or ABACAB though.

 

That is nonsense. All the later Genesis albums contain a fair portion of prog rock elements and some fast paced material. Even the singles were not exclusively ballads.

 

Classicrock's point is strong.

Home By The Sea and Silver Rainbow hit heavier than anything on Trick of the Tail save for Dancing On a Volcano.

 

I've always found duke a bit too here or there to fully love. I adore the suite but of everything else nothing really stood out. I actually have been listening to shapes (mama. genesis, whatever) a lot lately and liking it more and more.

side not for some reason my brain is unable to comprehend heathaze has heat-haze instead in my mind I always say heath-aze.

 

I'll take folky innocent Phil (70-78) first, the fact he didn't have a voice was just... I don't know. It was enough to basically make the blueprint for neo prog and I love it to death, it's just nice and warm.....

Then I'll take confident Phil.

Hard time listening to late 80s+ Phil... in the studio he could mask it okay but live, err...