Whatever. If you didn't like what immediately preceded it - ATTWT, W&W, Trick - then I understand somewhat, but it just seems like you resented the band finally having a hit record with not one, but two solid singles on it. CAS is altogether different, coming out almost a generation after Duke. It stands alone (well, almost - And Then There Were Two?). I had my mind on other music at the time, and was baffled by the lack of a US tour for one of my favorite bands, who had obviously done so well for the previous 20 years. I never thought of Genesis as Phil's backing band. Far from it. So, due solely to this thread, I'm hearing it for the first time, and so far, I'm not very impressed with it.
The first of the killer songs left off of the album... Wow...I love this one. This is the kind of song that makes me a Genesis fan. The main part of the song has a decent melody, with a nice little groove going throughout. This one is a Tony Banks showpiece, with Mike laying in support underneath. I think that the solo that covers the later part of the track is one of the highlights of the whole CAS sessions, and I can't help wonder how much different the album could have been a with a few select tracks over a shorter length album, and this one being a piece of that puzzle. So, yeah, kind of a favorite.
The other killer song left off of the album... Holy crap...when I first heard this song I plotzed. We're talking full on jaw-dropping mode. How the hell did this one not just get left off of the album, but why wouldn't it have been considered as a single release? The mind boggles. One of my all time favorite Genesis tracks. Great melody, killer chorus section with Tony laying in some nice touches on the keyboard, Mike's hefty guitar chords, and Ray does a stellar job on vocals. I haven't referred about Ray much to this point, but he is a very good singer, and I think this one particular song serves to showcase that. Again, one of the absolute highlights from the CAS sessions, and I believe a potential "if only" moment.
Anything Now - that's more like it! Could stand to be about a minute or so shorter, but, this was left off, and Shipwrecked made the cut? Ok.
Yeah, this is a nice track as well. It could have easily substituted for a number of others on the album, although I wonder if it's length had something to do with it ending up a b-side. There's a laid back feeling to it that I really like, and Tony's moment on the piece is reminicent of some of his solo work. Another thumbs up from the CAS sessions.
Music isnt a binary science, if something isnt better then something else it isnt a failure, and maybe you should work on your english language skills.
That's two different things, it's both worse then CAS and a failure. Yeah, real mature picking on a typo, good for you.
No, it has nothing to do with that, that's just your own conclusion - I just don't like how Duke came out. Ok, that's fair enough - hopefully you'll change your mind in the future, because there's some really nice songs on it and it has a ice atmosphere.
Here's my ranking of their studio albums right now: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Selling England by the Pound Nursery Cryme A Trick of the Tail Foxtrot Trespass Wind and Wuthering ...And Then There Were Three... Abacab We Can't Dance Calling All Stations From Genesis to Revelation Duke Genesis Invisible Touch
Not About Us is one of my favourites as well. After the album was long forgotten commercially, I once heard this played over my local supermarket’s PA. So it made someone’s playlist!
One thing I'd like to mention about the album is the change/development in keyboard, electronic sounds and sampling capability in the mid-90s when this album was recorded. Genesis' music has always been keyboard driven, and the band used some things for longer than others - the Roland drum machines, for example, you can hear them on "Duchess" in 1980, all the way through to "Fading Lights" in 1991. OTOH Simmons electronic drums seemed to have abandoned after their appearance on the Shapes and IT albums. CAS has 1997 'contemporary', if not 'cutting edge' production values and electronic sounds. Some people seem to forget that in the 90s, the 80s wasn't cool/retro, it was seen as laughably dated. I think it's a little unfair to state you don't like the electronic sounds on the album, whilst not having a problem with Duke, Abacab, Shapes, IT or WCD! If it's songwriting/composition/structure that you don't like about the album, that's another thing, but if it's about the way it sounds, remember that fashions can change and maybe ten years from now that 'dated' mid-90s sounds will be cool/retro again, just like 80s stuff eventually did.
I would agree with this statement. I don't hate this album, but it has an unchanging sound. It just sounds like it could almost be one long song. There are some highlights, but I listen expecting some more dynamics and some more variation in sound, and I'm just not hearing it. I had a similar problem with We Can't Dance, some good songs, but a certain unchanging blandness that doesn't shift enough for me to fully enjoy the album.
If That's What You Need I certainly hear a certain Mike and The Mechanics sound here, but perhaps that is just Mike's guitar styling. I like the start, with the swelling synths sliding over the beat. I like the the vocal melody in the chorus, it is a subtle melody, but effective in its execution. Perhaps it is my imagination, but in years past it seems like the band would have added something more radically different to adjust the texture. The bridge is nice but seems too similar to the rest of the song for a Genesis track. After the bridge we have a short instrumental section, that is essentially Tony playing some chords. The last verse had a certain dynamic that works nicely ... again the drums just plonk along in 4, I'm not sure I could get used to that with Genesis, it isn't Status Quo we're listening to here. This is yet another song here, that to me, has potential, but just doesn't quite reach it,
If That's What You Need is just more of the same. No interesting time signatures, no dramatic changes from verse to chorus (well, there is a rather weak one, I'll give it that) and no passion in the singing or playing. It's just...there.
If That's What You Need - now amazing but not bad. I think both Mike's guitar riff and Tony's keys are very trademark Genesis, and nice soaring guitar added toward the end. Chorus is nicely uplifting. Lyrics are a bit obvious but nonetheless effective. Second worst track so far on this fine album (after Shipwrecked), but it still would have easily been among the better half of the tracks on either IT or WCD.
Nick Davis is a common denominator here. What is his production style like? It doesn’t sound like he pushed the guys very much.
I am not sure of his history. I get the impression he was a young upcoming guy when he got with the band, and often that puts the guy in a subservient position, left unable to push and prod the band to try things. If a band is going to have a producer, the band needs to be challenged by that producer, otherwise it's a waste of time and money, and all you have is an engineer.
Just feels like a less interesting rewrite of Hold On My Heart to me. I completely agree that it has potential but they fail to exploit it unfortunately. Perhaps my least favourite track on the album.
I wonder if Mike ever was notified about Dieter Mier from Yello's comment on 'The Living Years' when the latter was asked to review singles on BBC Radio 1's Roundtable, which was when he described it as being "worse than the worst pornography".
