Trespass by Genesis is their best album

It is not often that I come to the viewpoint for an artist, where I have explored all their studio albums over a number of years, that I believe their best work is significantly contrary to the critical consensus. On one level you like what you like and that is all there is to be said, and we all know that subjective versus objective arguments have been played out to mind numbing levels. I have no interest in re-running such arguments.
However, it interests me if anyone actually shares my view.
I regard Trespass as the greatest album Genesis ever did. My enjoyment of this work is greater than any other Genesis album. I find it mysteriously involving, otherwordly, melodic, graceful, spine tingling, a sort of music panacea. I know that others may slate the muddy production and questionable drumming. I am not a technical musician, just ultimately believing how the music makes you feel or involves you is the most important thing.
Depending upon the sample size, I am interested to see how unique my view is.

 

Not their best IMO, but it ranks high.

 

For me it’s easily in my top 5 of their albums.

 

I totted up a mental list and put it about 6.

 

Trespass is a great album but they produced better work in the period 72-76 in my view. So I’d probably rank it just outside the top 5.

That said it does have a unique sound and I prefer it just to Nursery Cryme mainly for its consistency.

 

No you are confusing it with Selling England.

Trespass - middle tier for me.

 

Never liked this one much. A step up from the debut, for sure - but very much the sound of a band still finding its feet.

Near the bottom of the pile for me, along with We Can't Dance, And Then There Were Three, From Genesis to Revelation and....Nursery Cryme.

 

Definitely top 5

It resonates with me moreso than the other three in the Whitehead trilogy as an album, though don't take that in a weird way. It's just such a mellow listen with a really muddy sound, even the remix still has it and while all of them are pretty close, I'd put it behind Trick, Wind, possibly ATTWT and Selling England

 

I'm not good at ranking Genesis albums.
But I think there's more than 5 albums before getting to Trespass.

It's good. Not bad at all. There just are better ones to me (taking the next 5 albums alone).

 

Genesis really had their sound perfected on Trespass love that album. The songwriting is stellar also. A top three for me Peter Gabriel is just incredible as is Tony Banks keyboards the only weak link is the drumming.

 

It has its strengths, but I think that the writing just wasn't there yet, for this to be considered one of their better albums. The weak writing and relatively narrow sound palette results in something more than juvenalia, but something less than a fully-formed album.

 

If we're talking Gabriel era it's my least favorite excluding FGTR. The Knife on Genesis Live is superior. I like Trespass a lot, it's a great album. Great songs. But overall the album lacks for lack of a better term "balls". The hard/soft dichotomy that is integral to "Genesis when they were great" is in it's infancy here and the whole just comes across a bit too "pillowy" to me. I like TOTT and Wind and Wuthering better. Heck I'm starting to come around to the notion that TOTT is their best album! Not easy for me to admit being historically a Gabriel era fanboy first and foremost. Trespass is better than everything that came after but I like it only marginally better than ATTWT which I think is a great album also.

 

Lower tier for sure. The songwriting and playing is very weak. They didn't make a really strong album until Foxtrot

 

Is that you, Anthony?

 

It is 5th behind Selling England, foxtrot, NC, lamb liesdown.

It has a unique dark almost medieval vibe to it. Only weakness is the drumming to me but it is good enough.

 

A curious and singular decision. I'm not a genesis fan, but even I would say that there was a lot better to come. I had this album on prerecorded cassette as a teenager and whilst there are some good song ideas in there, it feels muddled and muddy. A band developing their sound.

But sometimes I find myself enjoying the sound of a band who are still feeling their way. Sometimes there's a freshness, oddness and naivety that creates an almost accidental atmosphere and vitality that a band doesn't quite capture again, as they become more focussed in their sound.

 

Trespass is one of the albums that actually benefitted from a re-mix. I always appreciated Trespass but the remix nudged it quite a few places higher in rank for me.

 

Outed. Damn!

 

I must get the remix. I currently have it on vinyl (pink scroll) and an MCA CD (from the USA).

 

I agree. It is at least my fav though I am not sure it is their best

 

It is a Top 5 Genesis album

 

For me it is mid-tier ... and that isn't a put down, they made a lot of great albums.
I lean more towards
Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England, Lamb, And Then There Were Three ...
then I probably have Trespass, Wind And Wuthering, Duke, Genesis and Invisible Touch ....
then we move to Trick of the Tail, Abacab and We Can't Dance ....
I know that is a very unpopular arrangement of favourites, but that would be my list.
Broken down into first tier, second tier and third tier ... all tiers are good albums to me, for the record

 

It’s a revelation (sic) in 5.1 format IMO! My much preferred version of Trespass. All the muddiness has been removed and the music has space to breathe!

 

Yea i do like the 5.1 most

 

Trespass is a good album but I find it meanders an awful lot, especially side one. "The Knife" sounds like it belongs on another album...by another band!