For those getting into Genesis but don't know where to start, well their catalog is so diverse so I'll give a little description of each album and newbies can decide which one sounds most like their cup of tea.
From Genesis To Revelation: No prog yet, just psychedelic pop, but not very good psychedelic pop imo, it's pretty generic and lifeless. But it's an interested history lession.
Trespass: Phil and Steve haven't joined yet but this is where Genesis found a sound of their own. This already sounds like Genesis, though there's more of a "classical" feel here than on their later works. It's very mellow mostly though The Knife is a very intense song which ends the album with a bang. The composition and musicianship isn't as tight as their later work would prove to be but it's a great start and the "true" debut of the band. If you want to check out Genesis albums in chronological order by starting with the good stuff, start here.
Nursery Cryme: Steve and Phil join the band and now the classic lineup is here. Now the band is really learning how to craft great hooks to go with their musicianship. The first truly great Genesis album, here they expand their horizons further. Highlights are the victorian fairy tale The Musical Box, the heavy sci fi epic of Return of the Giant Hogweed and the breezy mellotron layered Fountain of Salmacis.
Foxtrot: Has a similar feel to NC but it's even better. The fairy tale and mythology themes are still all over the album, though it has more "rock" to it than NC did. It's most famous track is the 23 minute apocolyptic epic Supper's Ready. But Watcher of the Skies is my favorite.
Selling England by the Pound: Still in the traditional Genesis prog style but this is where they absolutely perfected it. It's also the first to feature a lot of synthesizers which would become another Genesis trademark. There's everything in here, rousing medieval epics, quirky pop, acoustic ballads, piano solos, surreal humor, witty wordplay, lengthy synthesizer solos. It's pure Genesis. IMO The Cinema Show is the best song the band ever did. First half is a beautiful ballad about Romeo and Juliet with lovely 12 string guitar work and a very renassiance vibe, but it takes a twist ending in an awesome 5 minute (yes 5 minute) synthesizer solo, and the best synthesizer solo EVER.
Lamb Lies Down on Broadway: The last Gabriel era Genesis album and they really ended this era with a bang. Some call it the most excessive Genesis album and maybe so but its still one of their finest. It certainly stands out from all the rest, the songs are heavier and weirder than ever and it has a very dark and nightmare-ish atmosphere coupled with some of the most surreal lyrical imagery ever (mostly inspired by Peter's dreams) put on vinyl, there's a lot of ambience here and maybe that's no coincidence because Brian Eno played a role here. The story doesn't have to make a lot of sense, it's just awesome.
Trick of the Tail: The first Phil album and you know what? It still sounds like prime Genesis. This is a great album and no Phil era album has ever surpassed it. The classic progressive Genesis sound is still intact and Phil still sounds more like Peter than Phil. But the pop is creeping in slowly.
Wind & Wuthering: The last Genesis album to feature Steve. I think one reason he left is because he still didn't get to contribute as much as other members of the band, shame because he contributed some lovely guitar work here. This record has a very dreamy feel to it, driven by Steve's acoustic guitar and Bank's synthesizers. Very underrated and the last record where the prog dominates.
...And Then There Were Three: The first featuring only the trio as we know them. Now they are poppier then ever, though Banks is still using his trusty old hammond and mellotron so there's still a little classic Genesis left, though now that Ruthorford has assumed guitar duties he provides a more slick arena rock guitar sound then Hackett. Not a bad record but their pop period would prove to get better over time.
Duke: Now we're talking, this is a very underrated album. It's the album where the classic 80s Genesis sound really starts to surface. Though mixed with the pop there is a good dose of prog rock jamming and the musicianship is still very tight, this is the last Genesis album that could be considered prog.
Abacab: And now it's just pop, but pretty good pop nontheless. This album gets a lot of hate from prog fans but I honestly think it's nowhere near as awful as they make it out to be and if you like 80s pop this is not a bad bet at all. Who Dunnit? is one of the worst things they ever did though.
Genesis: The last good Genesis record if you ask me and it's a damn good one. Illegal Alien is a real duffer but this has some of the band's finest pop tunes. Especially Mama and That's All. Silver Rainbow is also a great deep cut.
Invisible Touch: Land of Confusion is great but the rest of this is pretty meh, this is where Genesis hardly sounded like a band at all anymore and instead become indistinguishable from Phil's solo material. Banks and Rutherford have little to do.
We Can't Dance: Or make good albums anymore, all the inspiration is gone and this just sounds like generic 80s pop, but it was made in 1991 lol.
Calling All Stations: Ever wondered what Genesis without Peter, Steve OR Phil would sound like?
Let me just say that this is considered the best song on the album. <_<
Last edited by boo boo; 07-18-2010 at 12:13 PM.
|