Genesis - The Album by Album Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, Oct 15, 2018.

  1. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Cheers mate. I hope we all get to learn something. I already did lol
     
  2. Talisman954

    Talisman954 Forum Resident

    I have no doubt I will too.
     
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  3. Talisman954

    Talisman954 Forum Resident

    This is the only album from them I do not own.
    I need to rectify that.
     
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  4. Humbler

    Humbler Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tampa
    Great thread. I always considered this album an outlier. I'll give it some bonus time and see if that changes. It sounds like I am one of the geezers on this thread. I was in junior high (another clue to my geezerness) when they started and experienced all of the releases in real time. (Saw the Lamb Lies Down tour in New Orleans).
    Thanks again, looking forward to listening.
     
  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    That's great.
    I hope to hear your perspective.
    I was certainly alive but not old enough to have absorbed seventies Genesis or know the feeling over the releases.
    Certainly jealous that you saw the lamb show!
    Thanks for joining us
     
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  6. planetexpress

    planetexpress Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.

    Location:
    Chicago
    ooh, this should be fun. Not sure how much insight I can bring but I'm certainly interested in other people's opinions.

    As for introductions, I think I have every release except Calling All Stations which is kind of amusing since I have three of its singles + the Ray Wilson Unplugged CD. Like someone already mentioned, my first exposure to the members of Genesis came from a steady diet of MTV videos. Between No Jacket Required, Mike + the Mechanics S/T, So & Invisible Touch they absolutely dominated the airwaves of the mid-80's. As a result (or maybe as a response), rock radio played a lot of older Genesis so it ended up being a great way to get to know their other "hits".

    "And the Word Was" was actually the first CD I ever bought. Not their best album by any stretch and I rarely play it anymore but remember I liked Silent Sun and One-Eyed Hound. Peter's voice is fairly distinctive and it was interesting to hear him in a 60's psychedelic setting (The Moody Blues aren't a bad comparison here). After listening to this again I figured I might get a little nostalgic. Maybe it's all the extra orchestration or the mastering but it feels distant and cold to me. Not terribly memorable...
     
  7. Talisman954

    Talisman954 Forum Resident

    I was a teen in the 80s, so Abacab was really my first Genesis album, that led me to Duke, and I have never looked back.
    Genesis and the first 2 Phil albums are ever present on my playlists.
    The most important band of my youth by far.
    So to hear from folks who were around when the Peter stuff actually came out will be a blast.
     
  8. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Definitely ... we're probably roughly the same age by the sound of it.
     
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  9. jwoverho

    jwoverho Licensed Drug Dealer

    Location:
    Mobile, AL USA
    "In the Beginning" seems the point the way towards the group's future sound as much as any track on FGTR. Ant's distorted and phased guitar is a nice touch.
     
  10. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    I genuinely like most of From Genesis to Revelation, and the "One Eyed Hound" single ( which kicks all kinds of ass in remixed form on the 50th download comp thingy). Still, I dont play it often. And when I do play it I wonder why that is. There are some very nice tunes here. Yes, at times the strings are a little too overbearing, and yes, at times we seem to be heading into "Cups and Cakes" levels of dainty-ness, but overall its an often pretty, sometimes rocking and oftentimes unique listening experience. No, its not "Trespass", but to appreciate it we shouldn't hold it up against what came later, as it is a very different animal.

    When did I first hear it? Beats the hell out of me. I have a mid '70s London pressing that I dont recall buying. Probably got it early 90s. I dont believe I ever owned this on cassette. As for CD, I refused to buy anything with a mixed up tracklist or funny name, so it was not until the 1996 Transluxe release (which restored the original cover artwork) that I invested. It is this disc I continue to play, and what I listen to right now (though I will skip the long-winded (is there any other kind?) Jonathan King interview).

    Starts with the soulful "Sour Turns Sweet". The strings/horns not ideal. But good snap.

    "In The Beginning" has some nifty twang and drum fill. Beefy bass. Probably cooked live. Too much flange on this version though.

    These interludes are rather peculiar. This whole album is peculiar.

    "Fireside Song"... so pretty. Somewhat amateurish, but therein lies it's charm.

    "The Serpent" rocks, yes? Would have been cool to hear live, I'll bet.

    "Am I Very Wrong" has always been my favorite track, even with its lunatic birthday friend chorus.

    "The Conqueror" is a great track. This is another I wish we could have heard them play live, maybe dusted off for a laugh during the "Selling England" tour. Would have been cool.

    "In Hiding" is so gentle and lovely. It tugs at my heart strings, sung so earnestly by young Petey, even if the lyric is so-so. "Pick me up" etc. Nice harmonies by the boys. Wonderful.

    There's a pair on side 2 I'm lukewarm on, But the magnificent "Silent Sun" wraps things up. This is another I wish someone would play. Gabriel toured with an orchestra, why not just once for fun? Nope, they're all serious artistes now. Bah.

    Anyway, its very different than their other work, but under no circumstances should it be overlooked. Its a very charming record.

    I hope the "50" download was just a teaser because its loaded with great stuff. Sessions and fresh remixes in one grand package would be the cat's ass. I hope Jonjo is ready to cash in again soon.
     
  11. PhoffiFozz

    PhoffiFozz Forum Resident

    I pretty much love Genesis 1967-2007. I'm not biased from one lineup to the next. There is no one in the band I dislike. I became a teenager in the 80's, so I could not escape the really big hit era of Genesis and loved many of those songs... (and I disliked many too) but when I came to be a "real fan", I mean a record-buying, all open-ears fan, I was in love with the Nursery Cryme-Wind & Wuthering era first. But that was just really a phase I was going through, as I was into 'deeper cuts' type stuff at that point in my life in general.

    Nowadays, I find it all equal. To the point where I don't believe that there was ever any 'selling out', I believe the band progressed naturally. And I guess I always felt that way. I also don't buy into any of the cliche perceptions of what fans believe to be reality based on their own opinions. And I am always really surprised at how many fans are so hard on Tony Banks. Especially because he is sort of the anchor of the band and in someways is completely the consistent sound of Genesis. But I guess that's just my opinion, even though there is probably a lot of strong musical evidence to support that thought! :)

    The thing that is really odd to me is how much I actually enjoy and how frequently I listen to From Genesis to Revelation. I think the actual album is recorded horribly though. But I think the songwriting is pretty strong and the performances are better than the band thinks they are. If you have listened to some of those stripped mixes that came out on that 50 Years Ago collection you can hear that John Silver was a more competent drummer than I thought and though Mike Rutherford's bass playing is even half of what it would become, it's stronger than I believed.

    Anyway, I have a strange affection for this album that I guess I can attribute to being a fan of the band, but also because I do really believe there is above average songwriting/music making for such an early amateur album. But I have to say that the biggest put off is the way everything was recorded/mixed. Even if you take off the strings (which are almost always a bit too loud) there are anomolies like the backing vocals being louder than the lead vocals, both of which are washing out the backing tracks. Or the tambourine overpowering the drums. Things of that nature that unfortunately couldn't really be fixed too well even with today's technology. Not to mention that no one would probably want to spend the time or money to do it anyway.

    Some of my favorite tracks are "Where the Sour Turns to Sweet", "The Serpent" & "In Limbo". (There are other great ones too). "In Limbo" is just a fantastic song hidden in a completely unbalanced mushy mix. But cool parts with a great change into a 6/8 fadeout. Underneath the horns there is a backing track that might give hints to some music down the line.

    Also of note, people don't often talk about the little 'link' tracks between the songs, but many of them have names that were never listed and are nice little pieces on their own. Also notice a very developed piece of "Twilight Alehouse" between "Fireside Song" & "The Serpent". (Obviously probably well-known information for the folks on here).

    Anyway... went off a little bit there.
     
  12. wildstar

    wildstar Senior Member

    Location:
    ontario, canada
  13. AidanB

    AidanB Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Huh, interesting, I stand corrected. However, I don’t think you’re correct about the track length on the b-side. I pulled it out just to confirm, and sure enough, after timing it, it contained the full 7:40 of the song. Anyway, we’re on to the debut now, so we can speak of that great song later (I suppose with SEBTP).

    Anyway, on to FGTR. I pulled out my rather good Japanese copy today to refresh myself. A good album, honestly. My copy kicks off with the debut single, Silent Sun/That’s Me. Silent Sun is an okay song, nothing really special. That’s Me I ended up enjoying more this time than before, it’s definitely alright. Onto the actual album, we start off with Where the Sour Turns to Sweet. Despite the cheezy strings and horns, I actually think this is a really good song, it has great melodies, and it’s just got a nice vibe to it. The next track, In The Beginning, is practically just as good. It’s got more drive to it, and has more great melodies. Also, the introduction is funny, with one of the most, quite frankly, polite feedback intros ever haha. After that, we have the first instance of the strings actually working on the album, with Fireside Song, which is in my opinion the first truly great pop song on the album. It’s honestly almost beautiful in its pastoral quality, and I get some definite Trespass vibes from this tune. And speaking of Twilight Alehouse, we actually have a little instrumental snippet of that song on this album, serving as a transition from Fireside Song into The Serpent, which is another song I find myself enjoying immensely. It’s so catchy! It is a bit derivative of In the Beginning I find, but I think this song is better, and anyway the chorus is great. After that is Am I Very Wrong, which I’ve never cared for lyrically, but musically it’s pretty decent. Definitely the best part is the ending where Gabriel starts belting the last line of the chorus, which is great. And closing Side 1 is In the Wilderness. This track would be ruined by the less than stellar vocals on the verses if it weren’t for the absolutely incredible chorus! The strings work here as well, and the melody is addicting in its catchiness.

    Then opening up side 2 is The Conquerer. I like this song, it’s fun. And then In Hiding is just alright. After that though we have One Day, probably the greatest track on the album. All the melodies are incredible, the string/horn arrangements are very good, and it has a great ending. Window isn’t quite as good, but it’s still pretty, especially in its intro. And I know I said One Day was the best on the album, but this next track, In Limbo is just as good, if not better. Honestly, this should’ve closed the album, as the next two songs aren’t great. Silent Sun is worse than the single version, and A Place to Call My Own is a very anticlimactic way to finish the album. And A Winter’s Tale and One Eyed Hound, the other singles that are included on this album have never done much for me, Winter’s Tale is kind of blah and One Eyed Hound is kind of meh.

    Overall, there are some great moments on the album, but also a fair share of subpar moments, which really keeps me from enjoying it as much as I could. This album is definitely better than people make it out to be, but there are much better debut albums, and certainly much better Genesis albums. I’d say this album gets an overall score of 6.5/10.

    Can’t wait to talk about Trespass tomorrow!
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2018
  14. Thievius

    Thievius Blue Oyster Cult-ist

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    Ya know what, I never noticed that bit of Twilight Alehouse at the end of Fireside song, but you guys are absolutely right! How did I never notice that before? I know these records like the back of my hand, I just never made the connection. Wow. That's crazy.
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2018
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  15. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    FGTR.

    Meh.

    Just not very good, IMO. I guess Silent Sun is decent. It's all just so derivative and the band weren't pros yet.
     
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  16. Lyle_JP

    Lyle_JP Forum Curmudgeon

    Location:
    Danville, CA, US
    The 4th CD in the Genesis Archive Vol. 1 is somewhat of a look at what FGTR might have been had they never met Jonathan King.
     
  17. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    I have not heard this album for a long time. I bought one of the knock-off reissues of it on vinyl back in the early 1980s (mine had a picture of Peter with the "flower" costume from around 1972-3, so obviously not the original cover). I remember finding it cloying and precious, albeit with a strong sense of melody and Peter's youthful vocals in the forefront. I should give it another listen - I remember really liking "In The Wilderness". I have never heard any of the non-LP single sides from this period as they were not picked up on the first Archive box set.

    I'm wondering if the mono version of this is rare and if it includes dedicated mono mixes or is simply a fold-down of the stereo. The same goes for the single version of "The Silent Sun", which I assume was only released in mono. Is it the same mix as on the mono version of the LP, or is it a unique mono mix for the single?
     
  18. Hollow Horse

    Hollow Horse To pretend to be happy could only be idiocy

  19. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    This thread is gonna rock. Great idea Mark.
    I hope you don't mind if I post some technical reviews of the music.
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2018
  20. Hollow Horse

    Hollow Horse To pretend to be happy could only be idiocy

    Best Genesis Album?

    A measly 2 votes from 905 suggests that this must be the worst debut LP... ever!
     
  21. LeBon Bush

    LeBon Bush Hound of Love

    Location:
    Austria
    To me, it's got much to do with the instrumentation. Every time the sound could get close to you, the strings come out of NOWHERE and drown everything. And you can hear those strings are just there because someone over Genesis' heads deciced so. So the obvious split between what can be heard and what should have been heard according to band members (look on the Archive discs and you'll exactly hear what I mean!) makes it all sound cold and very distant for me.
     
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  22. squonkduke

    squonkduke Forum Resident

    Location:
    Roma, Italy
    I have 3 pressings of I Know What I Like single: Netherlands, Italy and UK. The first 2 do indeed have an edited Twilight Alehouse, if i remember correctly (but they have wonderful artwork), while the UK pressing has the full-length version (but no cover).
    The full-length version of Twilight Alehouse was also available on the VA compilation 'The famous Charisma Label 5th Anniversary':
    Vinyl Album: Various Artists - The Famous Charisma Label 5th Anniversary (1974)
     
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  23. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    @mark winstanley There was one, eleven years ago- good reading, started off strong and then sorta fizzled out once we hit the 80's:
    The River of Constant Change: The Genesis Album-by-Album Thread

    Probably could do with a fresh discussion, though...as long as, like you say, the trolls stay at bay and we don't get bogged down into a bunch of pointless Gabriel VS Collins debating:righton:

    As for From Genesis To Revelation, I have never heard this album, don't think I've ever seen a copy in a store, and in my 27 or so years of listening to Genesis I have never had the urge or inclination to hear it. As far as I'm concerned, Trespass is Genesis' debut.
     
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  24. bob_32_116

    bob_32_116 Forum Flaneur

    Location:
    Perth Australia
    A better solution might be for the OP to include that one to give the opportunity for discussing it to all those who wish to, and for you personally to skip the thread until it moves on to an album you like. just saying.
     
  25. bob_32_116

    bob_32_116 Forum Flaneur

    Location:
    Perth Australia
    That's why we have threads like this one - to actually discuss stuff instead of judging everything by referring to poll numbers.
     

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