It is believed that at least some of them were not overly enthused about the direction. I believe the tension really boiled over circa 'Masterpiece'.
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Here (reposted from the Guilty Pleasures thread):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qoymGCDYzU
No less than Bob Dylan once called it "the best song ever written", and it's not hard to see why: The lyrics say volumes in just a few plain-spoken lines, whereas Dylan sometimes used far more words to not say as much. And, while Dylan could write decent simple folk-styled music, he (IMO) hadn't nearly Jim Webb's level of compositional craftmanship, subtly yet gloriously on display here.
Webb's music to "Wichita Lineman" is simultaneously dead-simple, yet sophisticated within that simplicity and complex in its implications. There's just one strain, repeated three times, with no middle-eight. On the last verse, Glen plays the first half of the melody on baritone guitar, to serve as a breather. So little is there, yet what is there is stunning - the verses start in F major, unexpectedly modulate to D major, then just as unexpectedly go back to F; those two tonic chords F and D are only occasionally heard in root position; and the first half of the verse occupies seven bars and the second half, ten. It's music that Aaron Copland would have been proud of, whose avoidance/subversion of musical cliches gives it the power to stand up to repeated listenings. And yet, somehow, unless you're a musician listening analytically, it just sounds like country music and almost anyone can connect with it.
Intro: ........ | Fmaj7 ..| Fsus4 | Fmaj7 .| Fsus4 ..|
Verse Pt I: ||: Bbmaj7 | F/A ...| C7sus4 | Dm A ..| G ......| D ........| D ........|
Verse Pt II: .| Csus2 ...| Csus2 | G/B ....| Gm/Bb | D/A ...| A7sus4 | Bbmaj7 | C ........| Bb .....| Csus4 ......:||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU3-lS_Gryk
Debbie Harry is a lousy lip-syncher, but who cares?
And this is my nomination for the all-time most perfect pop song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boJlejbuyw0
Oh hell, why not?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOpgL4mqEis
"Follow You, Follow me"
Genesis *finally* wrote a song we could sing in the shower, and they never looked back.
You mean you never sing "Giant Hogweed" in the shower?
This is one of my all time favorite pop-song from my all time favorite (art)pop band. Great tune, great lyric, wonderful video and very, very European.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl-waV81xdE