I'm ambivalent towards A Curious Feeling. It really doesn't ever grab my attention. It's pretty and all, and meticulously crafted, but I don't hear any real inspiration in it. I really like Smallcreep's Day a lot, especially the side dedicated to the story (some countries pressed it as side 1, others side 2). I was happy to find it on CD several years ago, as my vinyl copy had suffered some water damage. I wasn't real keen on Voyage of the Acolyte until about two years ago, and now I really like it. I still think Please Don't Touch, Spectral Mornings and Defector are superior though.
One interesting thing about A Curious Feeling, it gave a little sneak preview of what was to come on Duke. The keyboard sounds carry over (e.g. "Heathaze"), and a melody line to "Guide Vocal" is hinted at ("You").
So is a great album ... With the Gabriel album thread I figured I needed to give So a re-listen as it had been a long long time .... I got the Hybrid sacd when it was new .... it was still wrapped in the plastic lol ... what's that? 15 years? The eighties radio in Perth burnt me out on a few albums and i guess that was one of them ... One of the reasons I stopped listening to radio. It is an excellent album, but Mercy Street was the only track that I really enjoyed rehearing
Random solo album thoughts... In addition to the titles mentioned, I actually really like Hackett's Highly Strung. Yeah, his vocals are probably not everyone's cup of tea, and maybe it's a bit too much of its era, but there's some good stuff. Banks: The Fugitive is the only one of his solo albums that I ever enjoyed. He was really onto something there, I think... I remember really disliking So at the time, thinking Gabriel had sold out or was just designing songs so he could get them on Miami Vice. I probably should give it another chance.
I have never investigated any of the Genesis solo projects aside from Peter’s and Phil’s, plus Tony’s The Fugitive, which I liked musically but didn’t care for his singing voice. One of these days I’ll have to investigate Anthony Phillips’, Steve Hackett’s, Mike Rutherford’s, and the rest of Tony Banks’ solo works.
I like Smallcreep's Day quite a bit, but A Curious Feeling not as much, as for me it suffers from some of the same problem as ATTW3 - bad production and too keyboard heavy/guitar-lite and "samey sounding" throughout. However in recently skimming through the 'Chapter & Verse' band autobiography, Tony said that though Dave Hentschel was listed as producer, Banks actually produced the album almost completely on his own since Hentschel (who was also meant to engineer the album in addition to producing it) contracted mumps immediately before the sessions began, and with the studio time already booked Tony (with Hentschel's assistant engineer) did most of the album on his own. Quite literally since he played every instrument on it bar drums. So unless Chester stuck around (for moral support/an additional set of ears) after recording all his drum parts, it was only Tony and the assistant engineer in the studio, until Hentschel recovered and the vocalist came in at the end to add his parts. So perhaps that explains why the album isn't as good IMO as it probably should have been, as like others have said - I feel I should like it more than I actually do. Most people call it their favorite Banks solo album, but I can't. For me its 'Strictly Inc'.
I own the Tony & Mike LPs but found them not remarkable enough to recall in detail nor am I inspired to spend the time listening again so as to comment. I recall them being pleasant enough when I was a lot more into Genesis than I am now.
Of Genesis solo work I like all that Peter has done, Phil's first two, parts of the Ant album with Um and Aargh, and Hackett's first three are ok but each one got less interesting than the last. Really only Peter has with any consistency produced works at the level of Genesis to my taste.
And is that a Canucks shirt below? Hence Phil's suspicious expression "What were you up to in Vancouver, mate?"
I own virtually every solo album (missing a few of Phil's later ones and the last 3-4 Mike+ the Mechanics). Have all the Hackett and Phillips (and there's a ton from each) and all of Banks and Gabriel's. Tony is my favorite contributor to the Genesis sound, but I've always found his solo albums pretty uneven. Some really strong stuff on each album, but overall no great albums in there. Fugitive is probably my favorite, Bankstatement my least favorite. His classical albums do nothing for me. Hackett has some brilliant stuff on every album, but most of the albums also have a lot I can live without. Favorite are Voyage of the Acolyte, Spectral Mornings and Wild Orchids. Least favorites are the last two (can't even remember the names). His blues album is "interesting". Phillips has released a bunch of stuff. It all blurs together to me, since most is instrumental. Slow Dance and Geese and the Ghost are my favorites. Rutherford/Mike+the Mechanics don't do much for me, although I like Smallcreep's Day and Beggar on a Beach of Gold. The last few Mechanics albums I bought absolute bore me to tears. Gabriel----don't need to say much, most people know his material. I, III and IV are my favorites. Collins---like the first one a lot, the second one pretty good....all downhill from there.
I sometimes like to imagine what a 1979 Genesis album would have sounded like - and I imagine we basically get the answer in “Smallcreep” and “Curious”. (Although it’s possible they would have moved to the more group-based compositions sooner and none of those solo-written tracks would have existed.) A 1979 Genesis album with the Smallcreep suite on side A and the best bits of “Curious Feeling” (The Lie / After the Lie / Lucky Me / You?) on side B would be an interesting missing link between ATTWT and Duke.
By the way, the Smallcreep’s Day suite from side A of the original U.K. vinyl is one of my favourite 20-odd minutes of music from the entire Genesis and solo catalogue. Some great playing from Mike and Ant Phillips as well as Simon Phillips (no relation) on the drums ... “Out into the Daylight” may be my favourite thing Mike ever did in or out of the band.
A Curious Feeling - I haven't heard all of Tony Banks' solo output (I'm not a masochist) but A Curious Feeling is easily the best of what I have heard. It's nevertheless pretty minor, though. As others have noted, "bland" and "unfinished" characteristics seep into many of the songs. But, overall, something that I can play on occasion if in the mood. Smallcreeps Day - Just really not much here that I think is very good. While the virtues of both Banks and Rutherford seem to work best when in conjunction with the other members of Genesis, I find Rutherford's work the most lacking in isolation from the others.
It's never entirely clicked with me for the non-singing Genesis members solo albums (that includes Steve), but I do like some moments - I generally find their choices of guest vocalists to be at times too cheesy and bombastic for my largely non-prog ears. However, I do rate Tony's 'For A While', which I reckon he should have fluked a hit with and Mike's 'Cats And Rats (In This Neighbourhood)', which is a strong reminder of who was the driving force behind 'Back In N.Y.C.'. Mike Rutherford - Cats and rats in this neighbourhood Perhaps I'm too close-minded but I just want to hear these albums with Collins' vocals, or in the case of Mike's 'Between The Tick And The Tock', Gabriel's. Mike Rutherford - Between the Tick and the Tock
I really like Kim Beacon's vocals on A Curious Feeling. I always wonder if he was among the contenders for the Genesis lead vocal spot in 1975; and, if he wasn't, *would he* have gotten the gig if he *did* audition back then? He know Tony liked his voice! Just speculating, of course...
