I tell anyone who will listen that A Curious Feeling is a terrific album and in some senses is like a lost Genesis album. It's the most Genesis-sounding of Tony's solo efforts, but also has its own unique sound. "Somebody Else's Dream" is my favourite of the vocal tracks; this is where Kim Beacon really cuts loose.
Regarding the story that inspired the album: Flowers For Algernon originally appeared as a short story in a SF anthology. Later it was expanded into a novel, with extra bits added to the plot, but as I feel is so often the case it did not improve on the original short story, which packs all the necessary punch into fewer pages. It was also later made into a movie called "Charlie" or "Charly". My recommendation: read the original.
I found it rather interesting that both Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford released debut solo albums that were both based on novels. Coincidence, or a case of great minds?
Not to jump the gun on you, but I think some of Tony's other albums are also very good, though quite different from the debut. I heartily recommend both Still and Strictly Inc. Bankstatement was a little disappointing to me but has a few pretty good songs.
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