But Selling England began with a song that was over 8 minutes, with the outro, and the third song was over 9 minutes. They weren't really holding back the long songs, just the longest ones.
I remember being in a Religious Education class in school circa early 92 or something and the teacher asked the class if they knew of any examples of 'religious' music - a girl I knew put up her hand and said "Genesis, because of their name, and they've just done a song about Jesus as well...!"
Very interesting point and something I'm certain I observed on at least a subconscious level. I guess Yellow would be in second place for NC, SEBTP, ATOTT and WCD. Blue comes in third of course with the nearly consecutive Tresspass, Foxtrot and Live....
I Can't Dance B-side "On the Shoreline" Released 30 December 1991[1] Format CD maxi, 7" single, 12" maxi Recorded The Farm, Surrey; March 1991 – September 1991 Genre Dance-rock, blues rock Length 4:01 Label Atlantic (U.S.) Virgin Songwriter(s) Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford Producer(s) Genesis, Nick Davis The second single from the album with lyrics written by drummer Phil Collins and the music written by the whole band. The song peaked at number seven on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart[2] and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 1993. During one recording session, Mike Rutherford first created the main riff of the song he called "Heavy A Flat", to which Phil Collins suddenly improvised "I Can't Dance!" The riff was actually inspired by a Levi Strauss & Co. TV commercial (in the studio, the song was created under the working title "Blue Jeans") using The Clash song "Should I Stay or Should I Go". Originally the band did not think of it as anything more than a joke, because the song was too simple, too bluesy and completely unlike Genesis' style. Tony Banks said in an interview "It was one of those bits you thought was going to go nowhere. It sounded fun, but wasn't really special". It was not until Banks added the keyboard sound effects that the song took on a whole different feeling—with a slight edge of humour in it—which made the band decide to record it. Banks also said in an interview that it showed a kind of direction Genesis could have gone in. Opposite to what Genesis has done as general practice, which is taking an idea and turning it into a long or complex composition, it was just taking an idea, and leaving it alone.[3] --------------------------------------------- I am assuming this song will get derision poured upon it, but these days I actually quite like this. Back in the day, I was very much of a mind of"How is this a Genesis song?", these days, removed from that projecting expectation mode, I hear a great dirty rhythm, with a somewhat blues feel and sound sitting inside it. Rutherford gets possibly his best dirty guitar sound, and we get a groove that is very much not Genesis, which in itself makes the song a bit special. Banks adds a few little sound effects that give the song some texture. The construct is quite good with the first change being a half section and beck into the now more developed verse section. This isn't Firth Of Fifth, or Musical Box, but that's cool, they did that. Is this song as good as those, no, not really, but it is on par with the other lighthearted, somewhat humourous songs the band did. I don't really pay any attention to the dance in the video, because I know someone is going to mention how much they hate that ... it is part of marketing, people want goofy crap to draw their attention.... the video age proved that beyond any doubt whatsoever. This isn't the best song Genesis ever made, by any means, but it is different, and it is a pretty cool side step, with a nice change of feel. This album would be very one paced without it.
I Can't Dance ... "it's got a good beat, and you can dance to it" ... well maybe not but I like this song anyway. A bit of faux blues fluff after the sombre Driving The Last Spike. The percussion adds that little bit extra. --Geoff
I Can't Dance. I love the heavy guitar riff and keyboard percussion. I love the vocal and lyric. A minute later I love the funky electric piano riff. The guitar sound reminds me a lot of Dire Straits "Money For Nothing" (which for me is the next tune that plays after this on Mark's YT link above, so some algorithm agrees). I love the 12" mix that plays with all these elements a bit more, even better than I love the original. I also love the video. The whole thing is a great groove and it makes me smile and move. Blows away anything else on this album (which overall bored me), anything but Throwing It All Away on IT, and at least half of S/T. All in all my fav Genesis single since at least Abacab, possibly Turn It On Again, or maybe even ever. Nice job, you guys knocked it out of the park here.
Never particularly liked I Can't Dance - it's just not very interesting musically. The video is fun and I'm sure it was good for raising profile of the album and got a lot of MTV coverage but I generally skip it when I'm listening to the album. But what a B-Side, I really don't understand why On The Shoreline isn't on the album, the chorus is perhaps a little underdeveloped (I think the "you can only swim if you try" line is a clumsy lyric) but the bridge is heavenly "can you take me there" etc. really makes the song fly and Collins vocal is brilliant. Another later period highlight for me and one I never get bored of.
Wow „I Can’t Dance“ was an absolute sensation in early 1992. One of those songs that is all the rage at school. It went like this: „There’s a new Phil Collins song, and it’s absolutely badass!“ „What do you mean, Phil Collins?“ „Yes, and he’s making fun of Michael Jackson…“. It was a shocker at a time when shockers seemed to be becoming the norm: there was the controversial „Black Or White“ video, George Michael’s „Too Funky“, and Right Said Fred’s „Too Sexy“…but „I Can’t Dance“ was a provocation from a totally unexpected source. Soon I bought the vinyl single, and it’s still a fantastic piece of plastic. To this day it sounds just incredible. There is something truly primal in the extremely dry, upfront vocals, coupled with the minimalist arrangement. A truly unique single, nothing before or since sounds quite like it. I played the it just the other day, it sounds all crackly and battered, like it’s been played with a knife, but oh that sound! You see, I’m quite fond of that single. And again I must stress, *single*: musically and stylistically it has nothing to do with the album… I remember the adults in general were less amused. My mother muttered something like „He sounds like a monkey“. It had something of a sell-out for sure. I also distinctly remember that even though it was labelled Genesis, everyone referred to it as Phil Collins. Which at that time was a quality seal, not what it became later. The video played a huge role in the popularity of the song. And rightly so. It was Genesis in their best mood. Mike plays a very cool hollowbody guitar (is it the same as on the recording?), and Tony plays himself brilliantly, somewhat reluctantly playing the percussion. And all the Levi’s ads parodies, just brilliant, probably Phil’s finest hour as an actor.
No love from me for I Can’t Dance. I found it annoying on first listen and never warmed up to it. The lyrics and delivery are what really irritates me. Musically it does nothing for me. Heavy guitar in Genesis song? Why? There are plenty of bands that manage that sound much better.
Agree it is a single that has nothing to do with the album (apart from the title). Prefer the single to the rest of the album - which is common for most bands but unusual for Genesis.
On The Shoreline Not A bad song. It has a reprise of Elephantus in there. I like the atmospheric build up, but for the most part the song is still kind of caught in that sound that covers most of this album. It isn't that I don't like the sound, it is just that 71 minutes in the same/similar sound is a little wearing for me. Definitely worth a listen though.
Even the album title has a much more sombre and serious message as opposed to the single, as in "We don't feel like dancing. Look at the way of the world: with mothers crying etc. we can't dance."
I Can't Dance: nothing to get too worked up about either way for me - it's a nice pastiche of the kind of blues rock that Genesis don't play, which in itself is quite funny. It has a first track on side 2 feel, and as has been said, it contrasts nicely with the previous song. I like it.
It’s really not bad as for a b-Side. In fact for quite a while I thought this is „No son of mine“! Nice return of the Motown-backing „oooh“’s like in „Behind The Lines“. There is also a reprise of the „Driving The Last Spike“ bridge („Can you hear me“ —>> „Take me over“). But even though it’s a lot better that some album cuts overall it’s quite formulaic, it would have made the album too repetitive.
Couldn't agree more. This is my main problem with this record. "On the Shoreline" has that same vibe so it could have been on the album.... or not. It's certainly better than a couple of the tunes in there but its absolutely inessential and -- like other songs in this record -- I have the impression of having heard bits of the melody, keyboard parts, etc. in previous albums.
"I Can't Dance" is one of my favorites in the record and one of the few tunes which manages to break free from Tony's suffocating 80s synth backing sounds. I love the guitar-electric piano interplay and licks but it's Phil's great vocal (especially in the chorus), which makes the song. Apparently he attempted to ape the style of Roland Gift, from Fine Young Cannibals. I'm not very familiar with their music, so I wouldn't know. Phil has also said he came to regret this vocal lick during the tours, as he couldn't pull it out without hurting his voice, so he had to try other ways to sing the chorus, which is pretty evident on the "Live Over Europe" version.
I said it before, I'll say it again. This stuff is brilliant. I watched it after a looong time an found myself laughing like an idiot. Phil's goofing acts really pay off here. And the dance... Genius. really. Deadpan, it comes out of nowhere, and it's delivered totally shamelessly. Definitely the funniest video they made, to me. I honestly didn't get the jeans parody at the time (even if I guess I saw those commercials, I seem to remember they got broadcast in Italy too), but the Michael Jackson one was so obvious and brilliant. The original always had something of pretentious/unnecessary, so Phil's performance here was something of liberating, in a way. I think the only fault of the video is the fourth-wall break at the end, with those BTS inserts. Not the first time they did something like that and it had been a cinematic cliché since decades, but here it's just gratuitous. It weakens the overall effect, like if the director felt the need to reassure us they weren't taking this thing too seriously. It's like spoiling a good joke by telling "it's a joke". But anyway. It is what it is. It's just some bits and the rest is great.
I Can't Dance----Really like the guitar riff on this one.....but, Tony's little synth touches ruin it for me (and I'm a huge Tony fan). And, the whole thing gets old kinda quickly for me. I didn't like the way they made this song a centerpiece in their live shows....selfish reasons....it just wasn't "my" Genesis.
I Can't Dance (the song) Thing is, one of the the reasons I liked Genesis is that their music (safe the obvious riff in Twilight Alehouse - that I didn't know at the time) was totally blues free, a genre I loathed back then. Also their music was more melodic and harmonic than the typical riff-based rock, which also wasn't my thing. If you remember (not that you're supposed too, I say it as a pure rhetorical statement), every time they deviated in the 80s from this "pure style" to incorporate foreign ones I was generally disappointed. This happened on a pure, instinctual, non critical level of course. This song fared better. I didn't hate it, nor I was bored. I mostly, so to speak, benignly closed my eyes and gave a circumstance smile, knowing the best stuff on the album was elsewhere. I had no problem listening to it at home. I was at most slightly annoyed/frustrated by the fact that outside people that didn't know anything about Genesis ended up identifying them with the dance and this piece. I considered Genesis basically a dramatic, serious band and all that people could grasp was the superficial comedy. But that's how the world works, superficial gets more popular. An I was seeing the thing from the naive fan point of view. As Phil points out eloquently in his books, albums are for fans, singles are for everyone else. They are meant to get the casual bystander's attention. Well, they frikkin' did it! Anyway, this is the first time a Genesis album has two comedies in it. Both condensed in the first part. Can we call this "adult oriented comedy rock/pop"? For sure, as young teen I couldn't fully grasp the sexual power a woman can subtly exert on a man, and I saw the whole thing just as quick joke. Now I can see a little shadow of drama behind the comedy's surface, and that's what generally makes a comedy better. True, Tony's sampled percussive effects really help the fun. Nice, nice touch.
On the Shoreline I really have paid no attention to this track before now. Opening minute is very cool and progressive sounding. The organ riff around :46 reminds me of chorus of Squonk. I also like the bridge section that starts around 2:20. Cool chord progression in many parts. The "On The Shoreline" refrain gets a bit repetitive, but I like the lyrical concept of the shoreline as the place where two worlds collide. Overall this track reminds me quite a bit of So/Us-era Gabriel, including the watery metaphors, and also somehow closest to a classic genesis sound. Definitely more to my taste than some of the album tracks or most of IT.
On the Shoreline is pretty cool and I would def have preferred this on the album over the terrible I Can't Dance.
On The Shoreline One of the best outtakes ever. For once, it sounds closer to a finished song, the production is not that far from the end product on the album. Secondly, it's a traditionally Genesis built song. Rich in transitions, bridges, whatever; a steady, driving and catchy verse; a really nice melodic and opening chorus with a Banks-influenced extended melodic line, a good pulsating intro. Lyrics are easy listening symbolism, but not that bad. Also an uplifting feeling that would have truly helped the mood balance of the album. It could be interesting to know the backgrounds of the song. I can speculate its exclusion is due to some elements. - The presence of the elephant sound - the common musical material with Driving The Last Spike (which came first? My guess is this one) that would sound weird and unexplained (it's not a concept album nor it's a case of an instrumental re-cap). - a lighter, more carefree overall tone that doesn't stand up well when put side to side with te most serious/somber approach of most of the album. - Lyrics' style more superficial and sketched than the average. Of those, the first could be easily solved with a remix; the second could maybe be taken out in editing but I suppose there's modulation at work too, so it would require substitute writing. The following two would be less problematic IMO, once the song is properly sequenced. If they could put Since I Lost You, Fading Lights, Jesus He Knows Me and I Can't Dance on the same record, this one could be in too. That said, I genuinely find it better than the more boring material that made the cut, as Way Of The World. It could have been a good B (C? D?) side opener.
