FEATURED CD - Mike Rutherford : Smallcreep's Day

[Splicer]

The only Genesis albums which I haven’t listened too much, are the ones after Duke...ABAC[A]B crossed a threshold, in the negative direction. I’m still listening to this ASCD.

ABACAB was certainly quite different in comparison to Duke but has one of my favorite Banks songs on it, "Me and Sarah Jane". I'm of the camp that thinks "You Might Recall" should have definitely been on the record. The self-titled Genesis had a good side-one and so-so side-two. Invisible Touch was a pop album although "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" is decent as is "Domino". We Can't Dance, for me, is horrible. "No Son of Mine" is the best thing on that record - the rest is utterly forgettable and I include "Fading Lights". The latter tries to capture some of the nostalgia of old Genesis but it comes across as a weak pastiche with (for me) terrible patches for the keyboards. The best thing in the song for me is that moment where there's what sounds like a train squealing around a bend. I kind of like that effect.

[aith01]

Abacrap

Oh come on. This again? That’s not clever. You realize that, right?

[moecurlythanu]

Oh come on. This again? That’s not clever. You realize that, right?

Dude, he's the King Of Typos. That was just a typo.

[Trane]

Oh come on. This again? That’s not clever. You realize that, right?

blame it on Phil , who ruined the band

Duke, he's the King Of Typos. That was just a typo.

fixed that for you!!

[noisynoise]

I have both an original vinyl pressing and CD reissue of this album. The vinyl has the Smallcreep’s suite on side 2, but the CD puts it first. I much prefer the vinyl running order, does anyone know why it was changed?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Firth]

I have both an original vinyl pressing and CD reissue of this album. The vinyl has the Smallcreep’s suite on side 2, but the CD puts it first. I much prefer the vinyl running order, does anyone know why it was changed?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The swapping of sides was a UK vs USA difference on the original vinyl releases.

[Burley Wright]

I have both an original vinyl pressing and CD reissue of this album. The vinyl has the Smallcreep’s suite on side 2, but the CD puts it first. I much prefer the vinyl running order, does anyone know why it was changed?

The swapping of sides was a UK vs USA difference on the original vinyl releases.

Thanks for mentioning this, when I got the CD and heard it start with the "wrong" side I thought WTF? I checked to see if maybe my vinyl had the labels on the wrong side. Needless to say I prefer the vinyl sequencing since that's what I was used to.

[interbellum]

There's one CD-version, the original Passport-release from 1988, that has the USA-running order, starting with Moonshine and ending with At The End Of The Day: https://www.discogs.com/Mike-Rutherf...elease/4998354

[Progatron]

My Virgin/Charisma CD has the proper running order (suite at the beginning), but I've never cared much for the muffled sound quality. If ever there was a candidate for an Esoteric reissue, it's this album. A well done remaster (if not a full remix), a decent booklet with an essay and a new interview, photos from the period, etc. and Compression as a bonus track. Sadly, Rutherford glosses over this album in his career, seemingly uninterested in having it made available to its many fans.

[Firth]

Simon Phillips drumming on this album is worth the price of admission. Love to hear the proper remix.

[Firth]

My Virgin/Charisma CD has the proper running order (suite at the beginning), but I've never cared much for the muffled sound quality. If ever there was a candidate for an Esoteric reissue, it's this album. A well done remaster (if not a full remix), a decent booklet with an essay and a new interview, photos from the period, etc. and Compression as a bonus track. Sadly, Rutherford glosses over this album in his career, seemingly uninterested in having it made available to its many fans.

Do you think this is an improvement:

[Rarebird]

I have both an original vinyl pressing and CD reissue of this album. The vinyl has the Smallcreep’s suite on side 2, but the CD puts it first. I much prefer the vinyl running order, does anyone know why it was changed?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My vinyl, from Charisma starts with Smallcreep's day.

[timmy]

Screw it. I just wrote up a request for remix and reissue and sent it to Cherry Red Records. I reminded them of the upcoming Genesis tour, the duration it has been out-of-print, and the interest of many longtime Genesis fans. I know, I know. They probably won't take action but it doesn't hurt to try, does it?

If you are so inclined please do the same: ideas@cherryred.co.uk

[Progatron]

Screw it. I just wrote up a request for remix and reissue and sent it to Cherry Red Records. I reminded them of the upcoming Genesis tour, the duration it has been out-of-print, and the interest of many longtime Genesis fans. I know, I know. They probably won't take action but it doesn't hurt to try, does it?

If you are so inclined please do the same: ideas@cherryred.co.uk

Send your e-mail to Rutherford. I'm sure Cherry Red would be quite happy to release it if they were given the green light.

[Firth]

Screw it. I just wrote up a request for remix and reissue and sent it to Cherry Red Records. I reminded them of the upcoming Genesis tour, the duration it has been out-of-print, and the interest of many longtime Genesis fans. I know, I know. They probably won't take action but it doesn't hurt to try, does it?

If you are so inclined please do the same: ideas@cherryred.co.uk

Thanks

[aith01]

blame it on Phil , who ruined the band

Phil only made the band better, and you know it.

[aith01]

Dude, he's the King Of Typos. That was just a typo.

[aith01]

Send your e-mail to Rutherford. I'm sure Cherry Red would be quite happy to release it if they were given the green light.

I would love to hear a remix/remaster of Smallcreep’s Day.

[Firth]

Phil only made the band better, and you know it.

After hearing this album, and learning that Mike Rutherford penned the “Follow You Follow Me” which inspired the commercial success of Genesis, I’m left with a different perspective on what caused the demise of the band from a musicianship standpoint.

[yesstiles]

Just listened again. That Suite side is just amazing. IMO better than anything Genesis did post-"A Trick of the Tail."

[Splicer]

Just listened again. That Suite side is just amazing. IMO better than anything Genesis did post-"A Trick of the Tail."

I wouldn't go that far but I would say that it rivals the Duke suite and probably holds together as one better than the latter.

[arturs]

Apparently I had never heard Smallcreep before this thread (See 1st or 2nd page). Over the last six years I have listened from time to time on YT and have grown to really appreciate it. Side 1 of this really is a damn good LP side. Side 2 does sag in the middle but then picks up towards the end for a strong finale.

I'm actually kind of surprised it didn't do better commercially. A catchy mix of pop and prog. Well produced and contemporary sounding for 1979/1980.

[Progatron]

I'm actually kind of surprised it didn't do better commercially. A catchy mix of pop and prog. Well produced and contemporary sounding for 1979/1980.

I think Banks nailed it when he said that Smallcreep's Day and A Curious Feeling, though they did okay, might have suffered a bit from a lack of identity since they were not the singers, but their names were on the covers. As we know, both of them tried that very thing on their next releases, and they were even less well received. (Especially Mike's, although his mom loved it. )

[aith01]

the demise of the band from a musicianship standpoint.

What demise? The musicianship never went away. They evolved. They got less self-indulgent, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Those guys showed they could still bring it (e.g. all three of them jamming on “Naminanu”).

I’ve been playing in a band for the past few years, and one of the songs we cover is “Abacab”. It’s a challenging song to perform (I play the keyboards, so no pressure right? ), with a lot of interplay and everyone has to be tight and in sync with each other to pull it off well.

To the folks who dislike “Abacab”, I am sorry that you don’t enjoy it. But speaking as a musician myself, from a composition/musicianship standpoint it’s not “crap”. Not by a long shot. It may sound straightforward, but it isn’t. It’s a song that was written by three guys at the top of their game who knew what they were doing. And it’s brilliant.

[Firth]

What demise? The musicianship never went away. They evolved. They got less self-indulgent, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Those guys showed they could still bring it (e.g. all three of them jamming on “Naminanu”).

I’ve been playing in a band for the past few years, and one of the songs we cover is “Abacab”. It’s a challenging song to perform (I play the keyboards, so no pressure right? ), with a lot of interplay and everyone has to be tight and in sync with each other to pull it off well.

To the folks who dislike “Abacab”, I am sorry that you don’t enjoy it. But speaking as a musician myself, from a composition/musicianship standpoint it’s not “crap”. Not by a long shot. It may sound straightforward, but it isn’t. It’s a song that was written by three guys at the top of their game who knew what they were doing. And it’s brilliant.

I appreciate what you are saying and I’m not saying that the band was sh@t with ABACAB, but for me it’s about drums, drum machine and noise gate was a disaster. Musicianship wasn’t bad during the eighties, it was just at a level in the 70’s never met again. IMO Genesis was never self indulgent and those who don’t appreciate jazz fusion influences would call them self indulgent. Self indulgent jamming was more of a psychedelic rock aspect, not as much a prog thing, relatively. There were songs I liked in the 80s, but they were not engaging IMO. There were bands in the 80’s who were not prog, progressive maybe, that were engaging.