Duke was given the animated cover treatment some years ago but I never saved it (or if I did it was on an old machine) and now it's no longer on the electronic highway; I know, I just spent half an hour searching.
"Hot Fun" may have been an influence, but the songs I always see quoted in this connection are "Sail On Sailor" by the Beach Boys and "Hold the Line" by Toto.
A question about the sound quality of the album (Duke) . I bought the vinyl when it was released, and what my friends and I reacted to was that it was missing something in the lower freq. Very mid range or what you call it... I remember reading something about the records that were recorded in the Polar studio around that time had problems with the bass. Led Zeppelins "In through the outdoor" have the same "problems" (at least to my ears). Anyone knows something about this?
Interesting Phil Collins interview on Sounds magazine. There's a point in the 5th column where he says ''... we had three more tracks we had to leave off Duke''. Only 2 of them would be eventually released as b-sides, so it would be really fascinating knowing something more about that third outtake.
Duke, is the album that finally made me a Genesis convert. Before that, I'd loved the I Know What I Like and Follow You Follow Me singles, but the albums I'd always found a bit dense, probably because of the organ sound. And then Turn It On Again was released and I fell in love with it straight away. So that led me to buy my first Genesis album, Duke, and I couldn't believe just how great the songs were: I mean, Duke's Travels/Duke's End...Wow! And then a friend convinced me to go to the 1980 concert at Southampton Gaumant, and again, Wow! What a thrilling show. I hadn't realised how musical Genesis were, but by the time Dance On A Volcano/Los Endos came around, I was a total fanboy. I next went and bought the sumptuous Armando Gallo book, I Know What I Like, and immersed myself in the history of this great band. After that, it was on to collecting the albums. I think I'd say The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, is probably my favourite Genesis album, but my real epiphany came with Supper's Ready. I just found it a very difficult listen at first. But I stuck with it, learning the various sections. And then one time, I was listening to the Lord of Lord's, King of Kink's conclusion, and I had tears in my eyes, as the hairs on the back of my neck tingled. It really was a powerful and overwhelming experience. And remains so. But it was Duke that started me on the journey, and what a journey it was/continues to be.
Very interesting! Two other takeaways for me : Phil also doesn’t like “Cul-de-sac” very much He intended to put another version of “Please Don’t Ask” on Face Value.
The original solo demo version of Please Don’t Ask that he played on Capital Radio with Nicky Horne is far superior than the released version in my opinion. He included it on his recent Face Value deluxe, but it sounds appalling.
When are we going to have the first of the boring songs on this overrated failure to talk about so that we can move on to the much better and more fun Abacab as soon as possible?
Oh yes, that's his most usual answer when asked about archive material. Very diplomatic, but i've never believed him. Phil Collins is more direct and sincere.
Behind The Lines The Genesis version of the track is a dramatic art-rock piece, while the Collins version is lighter and played in a funk style. Lyrically the song is about pleading to a former lover, a subject which fit in with Collins' post-divorce solo album. There were a few minor changes to the words, however. Collins revealed on the Classic Albums documentary on Face Value that his solo remake came about after "recording Behind the Lines, we ran the tape back at double speed and suddenly this other song appeared". Collins then set out to re-record the song on Face Value as a Michael Jackson Off the Wall-era disco track featuring the Earth, Wind and Firehorn section, the Phenix Horns. An edited version appeared as the B-side to "Turn It On Again", the lead single from Duke. This version is billed as "Behind The Lines - Part 2", as it edited out the long instrumental introduction to the song, and is in essence the second half of the original recording. ----------------------------------------------- This song starts off with a bold intro, like some of the songs on And Then There Were Three. It is actually a very good piece of rock and definitely in a progressive styling. We have some fantastic drumming and there are some really nice subtle changes in the chord structure. Mike also does some nice lead guitar work that colours this nicely. We have a fake out when the song drops down to the electric piano and then erupts again. Just before the 2:30 mark the vocals come in after the actual drop off of intensity. The vocal sections are very different to the dramatic opening section. We have a loping little story a of a guy walking along with a book waiting for his girl. It isn't really defined exactly what's going on but it seems like she doesn't show. As the song develops we realise that this is what has happened. Small sections of the opening styling pop in every now and then to give the much more quiet verses some more dynamics. Mike has a nice little lead break. It is very short but melodic and fitting for the song. We get a less powerful reprise of the opening theme and the track runs into the next song. To some degree for me this album is one of those sum is greater than its parts albums..... Again just for me ... Behind The Lines is a nice opening, but as a stand alone song it is a little unusual and unfulfilling. Yet the way it moves into Duchess is really excellent and they work better as one piece, rather than two songs. Sorry I split them, but it seems this is a favourite of many and so I don't want to appear to be rushing through the album. On the whole a good song. Not as intense as I would like during the verses as I would like for an opening track, but it's always good to have variety in these things.
Behind The Lines is the perfect opener for this album. It starts with a bang, the theme of the entire suite immediately - right up front. This instrumental section serves as a kind of overture and is reprised at the end of the album. It's exciting and the band gels together really well, much better than anything on the previous album. They're tight and focused and Phil is drumming with a renewed intensity. Mike's guitar parts add lots of color but it's Tony's keyboard sections that are the real star here. He carries the main melody and defines the song. I think "the book" is a class yearbook and the girl that Albert is searching for signed it innocently. Now Albert is obsessed with this girl and what she wrote. She agreed to meet him many years after high school but backed out at the last minute because she realized Albert is kind of...creepy.
Behind The Lines - not bad but boring and a failed attempt to move back to their old style, makes you understand why they needed to change later on, because this is just a dead end. By this time they should have brought in Anthony Phillips which solo stuff was much more interesting at the time and another singer to put Phil back on the drums - Tony and Mike would have needed class with Peter Gabriel and Peter Hammil, to save them from their AOR tendencies.
