Invisible Touch Studio album by Genesis Released 6 June 1986 Recorded October 1985 – February 1986 Studio The Farm (Chiddingfold, Surrey) Genre Pop rock[1][2][3][4], synth-pop, art rock Length 45:42 Label Charisma/Virgin, Atlantic Producer Genesis, Hugh Padgham nvisible Touch is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 6 June 1986 by Atlantic Records in the United States and 9 June 1986 by Charisma and Virgin Records in the United Kingdom. After taking a break in group activity for each member to continue with their solo projects in 1984, the band reconvened in October 1985 to write and record Invisible Touch with engineer and producer Hugh Padgham. As with their previous album, it was written entirely through group improvisations and no material developed prior to recording was used. Invisible Touch was a worldwide success and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 3 on the US Billboard 200. It remains the band's highest selling album after it was certified multi-platinum for over 1.2 million copies sold in the UK and 6 million sold in the US. Genesis became the first band and foreign act to have five top five singles on the US Billboard Hot 100, with "Invisible Touch" being their first and only song to reach No. 1 on the charts. The album received mixed reviews upon its release and retrospectively, with several reviews, both positive and negative, observing its similarity to Collins's solo records and their commercial pop-oriented sound. In 2007, the album was re-released with new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes. "On day one, we had no songs, no ideas, and a blank bit of paper. Phil was always keen to fill that bit of paper – he was very organised – and we let him." —Mike Rutherford. The album was written, recorded, and mixed at the band's own recording studio named The Farm in Chiddingfold, Surrey, from October 1985 to February 1986.[6] The group were joined by engineer and co-producer Hugh Padgham,[7] who had worked with the band since Abacab (1981). Earlier in 1985, the studio was upgraded to a plan supervised by Masami "Sam" Toyishima.[8] Having achieved their greatest commercial success with Genesis, Banks said that the group approached the writing sessions for Invisible Touch with a greater sense of confidence as they had become a big live act in the US, and reached a new level of commercial success worldwide.[10] As with their previous album the band entered the studio with no preconceived ideas, leaving them to develop songs through jamming and improvisations recorded onto cassette tape,[6] a process Collins compared to as "close to jazz".[9] The group had considered their strongest songs were those written collectively, so they repeated this process for Invisible Touch. Collins said: "You never quite know what's going to happen. It's just the three of us chopping away, fine-tuning and honing down all these ideas."[6] A typical writing session would start with Collins setting up a drum pattern on their drum machine, leaving Banks and Rutherford to play any idea and Collins singing vocal ideas, which quickly creates an atmosphere to a song.[11][12] Collins recalled his impetuous attitude during the writing sessions and suggested to piece bits of songs together early, towards which Banks and Rutherford expressed reluctance. The group were left with many ideas to work with as a result, with many potentially strong ideas thrown out.[13] Many of the songs on the album evolved from Banks using the Emu-Emulator II to record sounds in the room and listen back for ideas that could be used for a song. Its recording function allowed just 17 seconds to be recorded.[14] After some jam sessions had been put to tape the band listened back to them, picking out the strongest moments and tried to arrange them into a song.[15] They might discuss its potential length or whether to write lyrics for it or leave it as an instrumental.[6] The lyrics for a track were written after it had been recorded; the band felt that having one member responsible for a song's lyrics was ideal as they had a strong enough direction to carry the message through.[16] Collins wrote the words for "Invisible Touch", "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", and "In Too Deep"; Rutherford wrote "Land of Confusion" and "Throwing It All Away".[15] Banks wrote for "Domino" and "Anything She Does".[16] The group came up with a greater number of songs for Invisible Touch which required time to select a final track listing. This was not the case with Genesis, as Banks said that "if a song was around, we put it on".[17] Rutherford noted that Genesis had a dark mood to it, yet Invisible Touch had a bigger energy.[18] During the writing sessions Collins realised the band were coming up with fresh and unique material that it had not done before, "which is not easy after 15 albums", and considered them stronger than those on Genesis.[6] Banks maintained this view, thinking the shorter tracks on Invisible Touchwere stronger than the previous album.[6] Collins later revealed that at no time did the band record their parts together as a playing unit. Initially, he would sing a guide vocal with Banks and Rutherford playing guide piano and guitar parts respectively, but each instrumental part would be re-recorded, with his drums put down last.[19] Genesis Tony Banks – keyboards, synth bass Phil Collins – drums, lead vocals, percussion Mike Rutherford – guitars, bass guitar Production Genesis – producers Hugh Padgham – producer, engineer Paul Gommersall – assistant engineer Bob Ludwig – mastering Geoff Callingham – technicial assistant Assorted Images – CD artwork production Baker Dave – CD artwork production John Swannell – photography Side one 1. "Invisible Touch" 3:26 2. "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" 8:49 3. "Land of Confusion" 4:45 4. "In Too Deep" 4:59 Side two 1. "Anything She Does" 4:06 2. "Domino" Part One – "In the Glow of the Night" Part Two – "The Last Domino" 10:42 3. "Throwing It All Away" 3:51[a] 4. "The Brazilian" 4:49 Total length: 45:42 --------------------------------------------------- Unfortunately this album is probably going to be one of those albums that has people drawing lines in the sand ... In reality this album is an excellent album, and in spite of having a couple of songs that are certainly more mainstream, I think that there is certainly a Genesis twist to that, that cannot be avoided. These guys had been sliding slowly into the mainstream since the Lamb Lies Down On Broadway album, and although Trick and Wind revisited pre-Lamb territory, they themselves still had a big dose of mainstream .... Now when we talk about Genesis and mainstream, I personally think it is important to note that it isn't as if the band started to sound like anyone else, or even borrow others ideas particularly, it is just that their focus on trying new things and exploring sounds lead them to this album. As much as folks like to view a lot of the previous albums as "Pop" albums, they really only dabbled with some pop ideas, and really were breaking ground in pop, rather than reconstructing formulas of prior successful pop artists. For better or worse Genesis were one of the biggest influences on the sound of the eighties. Through their (and Peter Gabriel's solo) experiments, new sounds and ideas emerged that influenced the way others were making albums. By the time we get to Invisible Touch, the sound of the eighties was pretty well defined. It is no easy task to try and make your new album, when the industry has been moving into your water and everyone is starting to sound like you (to some degree ... don't take this as too black and white, it is a generalisation) What I personally see in this album is a really good bunch of songs. I listened to this album, probably, for the second time ever last week ... I was surprised how much I liked it. The band are still stretching for sounds, and the band are still sitting just outside the common pop song, but close enough and familiar enough for the general public top be able to digest this much more easily than their prior albums, even though there had been a steady growth in the bands following and sales over the last ten years. I don't have any problem with the way the album sounds. I grew up in the eighties, and even though I mainly listened to seventies music, I have absolutely no problem with the sounds of the eighties ... just like I have no problem with the sounds of the fifties or sixties. Every era has it's particular sound, and I am about songs and music, the way it sounds is the way it sounds and I take that at face value .... That has allowed me to like a massive amount of different styles of music over the years that many don't, because they get caught up in .... "too much reverb", "too much this", "not enough that" .... When I look at a Rembrandt, I don't start thinking "why is he using all those dark tones", I just look at it and enjoy it for what it is .. If I like the Monet more, because it is bright, it doesn't diminish the Rembrandt lol .... anyhow, I'm heading down a rabbit trail..... I reckon this is a really good album, and in spite of massive sales, it is one of those eighties albums that gets maligned now, because of its success ... and very likely over-exposure (again eighties radio programming was criminal) We have a broad palette of music to digest, that is presented in a concise, and yes, polished form. We have short songs and long songs, we have almost a culmination of the Genesis musical experiment combined on one album. Sure the title track was a big hit single and played too much, but really that just goes to show how the band hit the nail right on the head with this album. It's always going to be difficult to find an album later in a band's catalog as their high point, and I am not suggesting this is ... I still hold Lamb, Three, Cryme and Selling up there, but this is an incredibly strong and inventive album for a band that had been releasing albums and touring and doing solo albums for sixteen or seventeen years..... Anyway, enough rambling from me .... What do you think of this album? and if you haven't listened to the album recently, please do. Memory and time are poor judges and leave biases caused by circumstances to effect decisions about these kind of things. To be honest if I hadn't listened to this album last week, my opinion would have been very different, and not very positive. Tell us everything and anything that comes to your mind, and give us the low down on your reaction to this album .... Then .... and Now Cheers, Mark
In ’82 3SL lured me into the fold, and in ’83 S/T was solid enough that I wanted to explore more, so in ’84 I dove in and picked up the entire back catalog and came to appreciate their musicianship, the challenging compositions, and all the sublime ‘Genesis’ moments sprinkled in that elevated those albums. When IT rolled around my anticipation was high; that IT would continue the line of great albums, a balance between the new and the recognizable. I’m not one to put them in a box, or frown on the inevitable change in styles that we should all be given the freedom to explore over time. I do see it from their point of view. And while I certainly didn’t dislike the album (I gave it a lot of play, in fact), I found myself searching for those magical musical moments. Each track I was eager to latch onto something…anything….but in the end I found only one, really: the tension-building middle section of Tonight, Tonight, Tonight. When those synths started layering on each other the emotion it elicited was a welcome link to the past—it might have been brief but the guys showed they still knew how to tap into that secret formula that hit home with me. (Not totally unlike the feeling I get at the transformative closing two minutes of All In A Mouse’s Night, for instance). That would be my pick for best moment on IT. So, as I’ve re-listened to IT recently, a few thoughts come to mind: The instrumentation and mix often was anywhere from annoying to flat out grating, lacking in subtlety. Anything She Does comes to mind. Generally the guitar sound was shrill and irritating. And why all of the industrial clanks and clangs sounds? It’s unfortunate, because I do enjoy some of the compositions; especially b-side Do The Neurotic (more than The Brazilian), but would have enjoyed it much more so had it a softer, warmer edge. While it was exciting that Gabriel’s So and IT were released within 3 weeks of each other, I think IT suffers in comparison with So’s silky smoothness on many tracks, and lyrical depth (notwithstanding it was the band’s goal to simplify their lyrics). All in all, So has aged better than IT, imo. They simply had to find a way to come up with a better sequencing of the album to get Feeding The Fire on there, either by replacing Anything She Does, or shortening Tonight x3 by a good four minutes. Feeding The Fire’s instrumental break would be my other choice for best moment from the IT sessions. The ballads, for what they are, in the context of the 80s, were well-crafted, catchy, and enjoyable. I still like In Too Deep when the mood hits. I can’t begrudge them the success they achieved for going down this path. To sum up, I was looking for something more ambitious from the guys. Looking back on it though, I guess the trajectory was obvious…
My problem with this album: it's 100% synthetic materials which makes it stink real quick. Whereas the last albums was approx 40 % organic, this one is sweaty as soon as you put it on... The worst part is that as is the case with synthetic, the smell stays on it forever! Also, any semblance of a band sound is eliminated: everything sounds absolutely anonymous apart from Phil's vocals. And even those are cluttered with brittle effects. In fact I believe the Nick Davis 2007 remixes improve things dramatically: the elements are more solid and more importantly, the reverb are a lot less abrasive and messy. That is my preferred mix by far. From there on, Invisible Touch is a guilty pleasure at best.
I remember being at work one day in 1986 and hearing the DJ say something about a world premiere of the new Genesis song. Needless to say, I hung out near the radio ‘til it came on. Disappointed would be a huge understatement. But, overall, I really liked the album when it came out (other than the title track), but haven’t listened to it in a long, long time
1979 - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Duke 1980 Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 1 Behind The Lines Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 2 Duchess Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 3 Guide Vocal Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 4 Man Of Our Times Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 5 Misunderstanding Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 6 Heathaze Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 7 Turn It On Again Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 8 Alone Tonight Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 9 Cul-de-sac Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 10 Please Don't Ask Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 11/12 Dukes Travels/Dukes End Genesis - The Album by Album Thread b-side Open Door Genesis - The Album by Album Thread b-side Evidence of Autumn Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Lyceum 1980 Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Face Value 1981 - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Abacab 1981 - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 1 Abacab Genesis - The Album by Album Thread live Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 2 No Reply at All Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 3 Me And Sarah jane Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 4 Keep It Dark Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 5 Dodo/Lurker Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 6 Who Dunnit? Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 7 Man On The Corner Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 8 Like It Or Not Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 9 Another Record Genesis - The Album by Album Thread b-side Naminanu Genesis - The Album by Album Thread b-side Submarine Genesis - The Album by Album Thread 3x3 1981 - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Paperlate Genesis - The Album by Album Thread You Might Recall Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Me And Virgil Genesis - The Album by Album Thread 3 Sides Live 1982 - Album - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Film - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 1 Turn It on Again Genesis - The Album by Album Thread film Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 2 Dodo/Lurker Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 4 Abacab Genesis - The Album by Album Thread side two Genesis - The Album by Album Thread side three Genesis - The Album by Album Thread side four Genesis - The Album by Album Thread The 82 solo albums - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Genesis 1983 - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 1 Mama Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 2 That's All Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 3/4 Home By The Sea 1 & 2 Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 5 Illegal Alien Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 6 Taking It All Too Hard Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 7 Just A Job To Do Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 8 Silver Rainbow Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 9 It's Gonna Get Better Genesis - The Album by Album Thread 12" Genesis - The Album by Album Thread making of Genesis Genesis - The Album by Album Thread The Mama Tour 83/84 - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread 84/85 - more solo albums - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Invisible Touch 1986 - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread
For me ( ever heard any of his soundtrack stuff except for the Quicksilver stuff...meh) the only thing you need is Curious. All others can be safely missed. Even his Fish collabs. Ive never heard Strictly Inc. so cant speak to that everything else I've heard has underwhelmed.
The original version of From the Undertow is available on the 1978 movie The Shout - containing the song remixed multiple times with one being obviously Mike shredding during some atonal extended portion of that track, giving the proof he did indeed write that track with Tony. I'd post it but the compilation of scenes from the film containing the piece that I created years ago is, well YouTube won't allow it to be viewed anywhere so... :/
Alright here we go certainly there will be more defiance in the thread regarding IT but its somewhat successful in its aim, moments do pass by quickly enough for one to say yeah there is still a touch of the classic Genesis thing, the signature dramatic turn (even the chord progression of ITD delights to some extent). There are always going to be that group of people who will say oh Phil took over Genesis, blah blah... but I always think that he just had the strength to carry his ideas through at this point, while Tony and Mike were more deferent, the three piece Genesis was still a team, a team of equals imo. I always sequenced IT and ITD out of my playlist in favor of Fire and Neurotic but then I would hear those songs on 80’s radio and realize how they held up as actual songs especially in regard to some of the pap released in that decade. So while I still think the outtakes are better, those songs do have a place in the musical landscape of the time. By the way in that sequence Anything She Does leads off the album and Do the Neurotic closes the side, with Feeding the Fire leading off side 2.
Keep spinning it, Mark! I owned that one for years before it clicked with me. It's a beautiful album; one of my top Genesis solo efforts.
A rough album for me. It was exciting when it came out (I was in 8th or 9th grade) as I was a fan but I can't say my enthusiasm lasted very long. Tracks I enjoy: Land of Confusion, the Brazilian, Domino...and that's pretty much it. While I liked the hits and ballads on s/t a lot, here they mostly annoy me. I agree with the above statement about the whole album sounding clangy and harsh, and Anything She Does is worst offender. Though overlong, I think WCD was a much better album.
Invisible Touch is for me one of those albums where every song is better in a live or remixed version. All of the three 12" remixes improve on the album versions and all the live version feel more alive and organic this is the only Genesis album where the production causes me an issue, I will go out on a limb and say that the songs are strong however and with live versions readily available of every song bar one it's easy to construct a better version of this record. The one they never played live Anything She Does has an interesting remix on the 2007 remasters, which lengthens the fade out considerably making it all feel a little more playful, but it's still this albums filler. Great B-Sides though...guess we'll come on to those. Do The Neurotic is a real corker.
Re - From the Undertow remixes The clip I made is lost to time - I might re-edit it again since it's a lot faster to edit on my main PC.
Quoting my own post to get it into the right place. Interesting to hear that the band never recorded any of their parts playing together which seems consistent with my observations above.
This is an interesting and very good selection of Tony’s soundtrack output. “Shortcut To Somewhere” is an accessible rock tune. Good vocal contribution from Fish. The “Quicksilver Suite” has some great Tony style motifs, as does the “Redwing Suite”. “Lion Of Symmetry” is the gem on this album. It’s essentially a lost classic Genesis track. How this never made its way through to a band recording session is beyond me. Brilliant stuff. If you like Tony’s style of solo work and if you are interested in Genesis’ sound of the period, this is a release worth checking out.
Mechanics '85 - Love this album. My older brother had this on cassette and so it was in heavy rotation for some time. Stand out tracks for me were 'Par Avion' and 'Hanging by a Thread' and 'Silent Running' No Jacket Required - Another favorite from Phil's catalog. Again, my brother had this one in rotation and know this album front to back. I'll say this, the album was inescapable. It was everywhere. For me, this album and IT began the era where I couldn't tell apart Genesis from Phil's solo efforts. Soundtracks - I have this one on CD. Haven't listened to it for a long while. I think the only songs I remember from it are the Quicksilver tracks and sounded like he was copying Jan Hammer. Speaking of Phil being everywhere during that period:
