Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 26 to 37 of 37

Thread: Texas ruined Genesis

  1. #26
    Member No Pride's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Chicago, IL, USA
    Posts
    137
    Quote Originally Posted by davis View Post
    I've browsed early Genesis when time allowed. I'll try sitting through an entire album sometime. which ones do you recommend?
    That's a tough call! If this was it's own thread, you'd get a lot of different answers.

    Quote Originally Posted by notallwhowander View Post
    I'm not sure what qualifies as early in this instance. But, the one with the most enduring power for me is Selling England by the Pound. They don't rock in the conventional sense, most of the time. They're really melodic, and Selling England by the Pound has this hazy, sleepy vibe, with occasional rushes of energy, that only heightens the dreamlike somnolence that is the ambient temperature of the album. It all fits in with the album's concept, though. It's a really complete piece, and an original work.
    SEbtP was the album that really sold me on Genesis. I'd heard the two albums that came before it (Nursery Crime and Foxtrot) and liked them well enough, but "Selling England" blew me away on first listen. It is generally very melodic; lots of stuff somewhere between "pretty" and "beautiful" on it, but there's some pretty powerful drumming from Phil ("Cinema Show" among other things is a virtual demonstration of options for grooving in 7/8). The follow-up, "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" is a very different beast; it's much more dark and aggressive (though there are some beautiful melodic moments in it). I sort of think of it as Genesis' "Relayer." But being a double album with a long, surrealistic storyline, it can be a lot to bite off and chew. After that, when Peter Gabriel left and Phil took over the vocals they made "Trick of the Tail." It's very strong and refined musically, but they lost some of the quirkiness and humor when they lost Peter. But for me, the run of those three albums was Genesis' at their best and I'd recommend any of them to the uninitiated. Still, SEbtP might be the best place to start.

  2. #27
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    4,485
    Early Genesis had some heavy moments- that big rock-out finish on 'Giant Hogweed', 'The Knife', the instrumental section in 'The Musical Box' and the dynamic riffing at the end of 'Watcher...'. Not for nothing was Steve Harris of Iron Maiden a big fan. I think Steve Hackett and Phil Collins brought in some 'balls' to the band.

    The production of the earlier albums is somewhat lacking compared to their contemporaries, but musically they remain my favourite progressive band by miles. The melody others have noted is ultimately why their transition in later years was so successful- it wasn't such a stretch. Even the instrumental passages on the 70s epics have such a clear logic to them.

  3. #28
    Member davis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Kentuckiana
    Posts
    395
    Quote Originally Posted by Rune Blackwings View Post
    I plan to try to make them myself one day. I confess on being a HUGE fan of steak houses. I now have a favorite steak: flatiron steak. Especially from Longhorn, opposite the Texas Roadhouse on 47 in Millville.
    is the Neptune restaurant still there on Delsea Drive?

  4. #29
    Member davis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Kentuckiana
    Posts
    395
    ^^ then I'll go chronologically, starting with FGtR

  5. #30
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    4,485
    ^*Definitely* not a good idea. Don't start with that.

  6. #31
    Member No Pride's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Chicago, IL, USA
    Posts
    137
    Quote Originally Posted by davis View Post
    ^^ then I'll go chronologically, starting with FGtR
    You might want to skip that one (though I'm sure some will want to debate that). Personally, I think SEbtP was where they hit their stride (especially as players), though there's plenty of great stuff on prior albums. It's also the first well recorded and produced album they made; in fact I'd say it's a toss up between it and ATotT for their best sounding album.

  7. #32
    Member davis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Kentuckiana
    Posts
    395
    why not? if it's so bad then whatever follows it will only get better, right? I love Buddy Holly's music, but he did one thing I really wish he hadn't. that is putting violins into pop music. that's making it difficult to listen to this but I'm giving it a chance.

  8. #33
    Member at least 100 dead's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Treetops High
    Posts
    274
    Quote Originally Posted by davis View Post
    ^^ then I'll go chronologically, starting with FGtR
    It’s not without its charms, but you probably have to be in the naiveté of your mid-teens to appreciate them. They were definitely overreaching themselves with FGtR and the heavy-handed string arrangements don’t help much.
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

  9. #34
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    4,485
    Actually I think some of the songs would sound even more flimsy without the arrangements. The problem lies with the rushed stereo mix, which make the overdubs sound more obvious as they are dumped on one speaker (typical of the time), rather than properly integrated. Some of it is good- 'In The Beginning', 'The Conqueror', 'The Serpent', 'In The Wilderness'. I like the non-album B side 'That's Me' as well.

  10. #35
    Member davis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Kentuckiana
    Posts
    395
    I listened to most of it. I actually liked a lot of it but those strings, man, ARGH! the album sounded like a folk/folk rock outfit. kinda reminded me of early Al Stewart, some of which also has strings on it. if there's a version w/o strings I wouldn't mind having it. on to Trespass

  11. #36
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    4,485
    ^Well, if you turn one of the speakers off, you can. (I think the strings were on the right speaker.) That's how subtle the mixing was....this only works on the tracks with strings.

  12. #37
    Pendulumswingingdoomsday Rune Blackwings's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Durham NC
    Posts
    899
    Quote Originally Posted by davis View Post
    is the Neptune restaurant still there on Delsea Drive?
    gone. the last time we ate there, it was pretty disgusting. the aquariums were empty and everything looked undusted or cleaned. we were one of the few in the place.
    "Alienated-so alien I go!"

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •