For Absent Friends Just a few comments- As our OP stated some folk and classical influences. The song starts with a folk like hammer on chord and is played in free time. I am sure time signatures could be applied but I can't figure what they are. Anyway, The verse at :06 uses a folk staple of a descending bass below the D chord. At :18 we expect to hear a return to D but the cadence is interrupted and fits the line perfectly with its question as opposed to observation. The time goes to 3/4 also in a thought warp. The verse gets back to D and returns in 2/4 a la Mary Had A Little Lamb. At :32 the chorus sounds like it will change key but it quickly goes thru a series of secondary dominants-B, E and back to the dominant A and never establishes a key change....brilliant use of tonicizations. The verse returns to D and some additional guitar voicings are added. The chorus returns and the song comes to a quick end. A brilliant mix of folk and classical (baroque) with free use of time signatures and tonicizations. Sorry for the overly technical stuff but it really is technically advanced IMO. I can't say that I am a big fan of Phil's vocals here or anywhere else though.
I like For Absent Friends a lot. Its not flashy and doesn't overstay its welcome and I love it both lyrically and melodically. I think it resets the stage between Musical Box and Hogweed, a palate cleanser if you will. Be that as it may, there's not much else I have to say about it. Its just a pleasant but melancholy song.
They were taken at Hit Parade, Lugo di Romagna, Ravenna, Italy on 15 April '72. I've no idea who the other equipment belonged to.
Nursery Cryme expands the sound from Trespass. Obviously with Phil in the fold, the drumming is more extravagant and pronounced. Hackett's guitar seems a natural fit for Banks' idea of melody... I always felt that they were each other's best collaborators. There is no getting around the fact that The Musical Box is one of the group's biggest and most loved songs of their Peter Gabriel years. Personally it took some time to grow on me. It has that lovely, dusty quality to it that so many of their other earlier songs have, and the story is as whimsical and absurd as it gets. Some of the organ and guitar interplay here is brutal, firing on all cylinders. The fact that it is followed by For Absent Friends adds to the ebb and flow of the album, a pretty little melody with a very early, but still quite clear and well pronounced Phil vocal. This album is very English, no other place have I heard of a bus ambling down the street. The Return of the Giant Hogweed is a menace, again the organ and guitar interplay works wonders, peppered with busy drumming and exuberant vocals. Seven Stones again returns to the dusty sound, with Mellotron and low-key verses with some glorious vocal moments. Is there an effect on Gabriel's voice in the first verse, or is his voice really that... I don't know, rustic? It sounds as if he has been kept in a basement for a few centuries. Harold the Barrel is a good slice of whimsy, great pace and a clear example of why Gabriel and Collins' voices blended so well together. Harlequin has some of the most delightful guitar ever in Genesis, very lilting and playful. The vocals, though bordering on twee, are still clear enough for the song to be one of the better early Genesis songs. The organ here is also terrific. The Fountain of Salmacis closes the album and is a wonderful closing song. Shivering Mellotron and organ opens the song, as if dusting off an old book and opening it up to read a tale that is more than a millennium old. The vocals are overtly dramatic. And it closes with a grandiose, moving guitar solo that really cements this new grouping of the band as the ultimate Genesis.
It is from a concert in Rome, as to whose gear is sitting in front of the stage? I have no idea sorry ... It would be 71-72 though from what I can gather.
I always figured it was keys, you can tell it's just tripped on Hammond in that solo - the question is was it Hackett who played the solo on the record or did Tony write the entire thing? I'm confused honestly. For Absent Friedns is a wonderful and it's a needed break between two epic songs.
Return Of The Giant Hogweed This track seems to divide some folks. The thing is, if you listen to the lyrics on this album, most are somewhat sci/fi horror type lyrics based in (possibly) Victorian Age England. Musical Box is most definitely sci/fi-horror. Absent friends is devoid of a timezone, but could easily be considered to be in the same timezone as the rest of the album by default. The whole idea of the Harlequin is from old times. The Fountain is another sci-fi horror story. So the fact that the band/Gabriel write a story about a noxious weed being some kind of terrible killer, isn't really surprising. I wonder often if the idea for this had roots in the Day Of The Triffids, but was transferred to the Hogweed due to some circumstances the band knew of. -------------------------------------------- The nasty effects of touching a giant hogweed — its sap can scar, burn and blind if you come in contact with it — have inspired frightening headlines after the recent discovery of the first confirmed population of the plant in Virginia. The invasive plant’s nefarious reputation is amplified by its size: Giant hogweed can grow to more than 14 feet tall, with leaves five feet wide and stems between two and four inches in diameter. The nasty effects of touching a giant hogweed — its sap can scar, burn and blind if you come in contact with it — have inspired frightening headlines after the recent discovery of the first confirmed population of the plant in Virginia. ----------------------------------------------------------------- So as we see here, this is actually a real plant, and can cause real problems for anyone touching it. Anyway the song. This song starts with a great harmonised line between the guitar and keyboard. This moves into a jaunty rhythmic pattern and Gabriel telling the story. To be honest a lot of the songs on here took me a couple of listens, and my revision of the Genesis albums has lead me to realise that familiarity is what is going to make the biggest part of decisions about songs. The quirky nature of the band, and the unusual nature of many of their songs demands more than a cursory listen to be able to digest what they do. Although their are some songs in their catalog that I would say I am not a big fan of, I think that has more to do with my time being limited in terms of ability to digest, rather than their being something particularly bad about a particular song or album. They are quite a unique band in many ways. Anyhow, this song rocks along nicely and about three quarters of the way through we have a lovely piano section that reminds me of wedding bells or some such thing. That moves into a synth sounding section, which I actually believe is Hackett doing some very staccato tapping as when you listen closely the last couple of taps have a distinct guitar sound and slide straight into a lead break that has the same tone and timbre. Very effective little piece of work. This song really is a masterpiece and I think a close listen and an understanding and acceptance of the lyrics will make all the difference in appreciating that. Fantastic song, the equal of the Musical Box in all reality.
"Palate cleanser" is a good description. To follow the Musical Box immediately with Hogweed would have been too much of a good thing all at once.
The giant hogweed is not fiction, as you later point out. The story as told in the song does sound as though it took inspiration from The Day of the Triffids, which in turn was probably inspired by War of the Worlds... but the plant, its toxicity, and the story of how it was introduced to England in Victorian times is real. This song is one of many in the Genesis canon where many people, myself included, thought the lyrics were a product of Peter Gabriel's imagination, but were in fact based either on real incidents or existing tales from mythology. The slightly quiet section that begins with "Long ago in the Russian hills..." is my favourite. "Where is this music going?" I think. Just as I think I have got the melody figured out and I know what the next chord is going to be, there is yet another unexpected modulation. There is no rhyming in the lyrics of this song; it's purely a piece of prose, which is highly unusual in popular music but which is found in quite a few early Genesis songs. Presumably Gabriel found it easier to simply write what he wanted to say without the strictures of traditional rhyme, and the others had the musical skills to create music that seemed to fit naturally around the words.
I think it was a US issue, part of a series labelled as "A Nice Pair" IIRC. It had a black cover with the logos of "Nursery Cryme" and "Foxtrot". I think it was released in the late 1970s -- 78 or 79 -- as record labels were trying to cash in on the commercial success of "And Then There Were Three". PS: I checked. It was released in 1979
No. Not this one. I tried to paste the image but I cannot get it right. I'll try with a link Genesis - Nursery Cryme / Foxtrot
Is that copy worth picking up I know who has it in my area in good shape but have been hesitant to pick it up
Not an audiophile myself and, besides, I haven't heard those LPs since I moved out of my parents' home, some 25+ years ago. Maybe somebody else can provide some useful comment/advise. Sorry.
Just one question - and it would be great to get a short answer: How does the 1994 Live 1973 remaster compare to the old german and US CDs ? Thank you very much !
I bought a Virgin/Charisma Live CD and thought it was better than the 1994. But maybe it was just my imagination. There's more analysis here: Genesis - early CD versions thread (Ver. 2)
Easy reference guide Genesis - A History - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread From Genesis To Revelation - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Liner notes Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 1 When The Sour Turns To Sweet Genesis - The Album by Album Thread without strings Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 2 In The Beginning Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 3 The Fireside Song Genesis - The Album by Album Thread without strings Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 4 The Serpent Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 5 Am I Very Wrong Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 6 In The Wilderness Genesis - The Album by Album Thread rough mix Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 7 The Conqueror Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 8 In Hiding Genesis - The Album by Album Thread without strings Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 9 One Day Genesis - The Album by Album Thread without strings Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 10 The Window Genesis - The Album by Album Thread alternate Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 11 In Limbo Genesis - The Album by Album Thread alternate Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 12 Silent Sun Genesis - The Album by Album Thread without strings Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 13 A Place to call my own Genesis - The Album by Album Thread new mix Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Other Early Tracks Patricia (In Hiding demo) Genesis - The Album by Album Thread A Winter's Tale (single) Genesis - The Album by Album Thread A Winters Tale (alternate -with studio banter) Genesis - The Album by Album Thread That's Me Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Image Blown Out Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Build Me A Mountain Genesis - The Album by Album Thread On The Trail Of The One Eyed Hound Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Let Us Now Make Love Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Jackson Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Trespass - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread inside gatefold Genesis - The Album by Album Thread sleeve Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 1 Looking For Someone Genesis - The Album by Album Thread live at BBC Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 2 White Mountain Genesis - The Album by Album Thread live in'76 Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 3 Visions Of Angels Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 4 Stagnation Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Stagnation (BBC sessions) Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 5 Dusk Genesis - The Album by Album Thread demo Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 6 The Knife Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Road To Nursery Cryme - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Live in 1971 Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Nursery Cryme - Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 1 Musical Box Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Genesis - The Album by Album Thread F# or Manipulation Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Genesis - The Album by Album Thread live Genesis - The Album by Album Thread live 74 Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 2 For Absent Friends Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Genesis - The Album by Album Thread track 3 Return Of The Giant Hogweed Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Peel Sessions Fountain of Salmacis Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Harlequin Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Return Of The Giant Hogweed Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Harold The Barrel Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Supper's Ready (live) Genesis - The Album by Album Thread Links of interest Tabletop Genesis Genesis - The Movement The Complete Guide To Live Genesis Radio Shows ~A Genesis Discography Tabletop Genesis Thanks for these guys
I thought comparing four LP versions or NC (I have even more...) would be better than working (working from home) so I compared the black cover twofer pictured above, an Electra copy, the recent Miles mastered Nick Davis remix and a VG+ first UK. The first UK is unspurprisngly the way to go, even holding that thick textured cover in your hands is kind of magical. I paid nearly 150 dollars for it so there is that very steep downside. The Electra is the worst of the four, and the twofer is ok. It's got masterdisk on the stamper, so that's good. Playback was quiet, but it wasn't nearly as involving a listen. Fairly muffled and subdued compared to the first UK. The tambourine can't really be heard on The Musical Box, nor the room on Tony's organ. The first UK just kind of explodes when needed and other versions (I have a few Canadian first Bellsound presses as well) sound limp and muffled. The clear choice listening to these four would be the Miles/Davis Rhino repress. Yes, we all know the revisionist mix stuff and all, but it grabs you like the first UK. You can hear the fingers on the strings, the room, the foot on the high hat etc, and my copy is dead quiet. Seeing the original label is also nice. I'm sure the twofer is cheap and remember an old SHF thread where one poster who had gone through many copies really liked how both albums sounded. I'd say grab it. What a thread. So many very excellent posts.
