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Thread: FEATURED ALBUM: Genesis - Nursery Cryme

  1. #1
    Moderator Poisoned Youth's Avatar
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    FEATURED ALBUM: Genesis - Nursery Cryme

    From the "so prog it's obvious category", here's a classic from 1971 that maybe a few of you have heard. Nursery Cryme has always been one of my personal favorites even though I don't have the love affair with Genesis that many do. There's something about the impudence of the music and it's place in history that gives it its charm vs. later albums. Thoughts?



    Review at ProgArchives:
    The first great GENESIS album? They had clearly crawled beyond the pretty cages of "Trespass", fueled by the imagination of fairy-tale-fed minds. And yet for every audible precedent (the role-playing vocals of "Harold The Barrel") is an antecedent (the timid, Trespass-like opening of "The Musical Box"). I've always taken "Nursery Cryme" as an album in transition, sometimes straying far into the woods yet dropping breadcrumbs back to "Trespass" lest they lose their way. The addition of Phil COLLINS and Steve HACKETT does change the sound of GENESIS, but no more than Peter GABRIEL's heightened sense of drama or Tony BANKS' increased use of the mellotron.

    The wonder of "Nursery Cryme" is that the band so quickly lost their self-consciousness, diving headlong into their art. Writing a song like "The Return of The Giant Hogweed" took guts as much as talent, as did "The Fountain of Salmacis". It's on these heavier tracks, epic in tone, where a window into "Foxtrot" is found. Listeners will quickly hear elements of "Get 'Em Out By Friday" in the tale of the poisonous plant, while "Salmacis" taps the same rich mythological vein that has provided the setting for subsequent masterworks.

    Yet "Nursery Cryme" isn't all elastic nightmares: "For Absent Friends" is one of their prettiest songs, while "Harlequin" is the sort of medieval poesy you'd find on Anthony PHILLIPS' "The Geese And The Ghost". As good as these tracks are, it's the sublime "Seven Stones" that stays with me, a song that would make my short-list of classic GENESIS works. The balance of light and dark tones (and you can credit COLLINS and HACKETT for much-needed contrast) makes "Nursery Cryme" a more ambitious album than "Trespass". Compared to a "Foxtrot" or "Selling England...", this record may suffer from a little stiffness, but it's greatness in the act of creation. - daveconn



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  2. #2
    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    Love it. This thing bleeds Englishness. Pete sounds fantastic here. A gem.
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  3. #3
    Never liked "The Musical Box", but the rest of the album is very good. "Salmacis" is one of their altogether most coherent tunes and one of my faves by them. "Harold" too.

    I probably prefer this one to 'trot.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

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    The leap in quality from Trespass to this is really noticeable. The songs are better, but it's in the playing (and especially the drumming) that the improvement really shows through. Don't really think there's a dud moment on the album

  5. #5
    I remember finding this gem in the record bin at Roses of all places (fold out no less).. Agree with above comment.. a huge leap from Trespass. Adding Collins and Hackett to the line up was a stroke of luck for the band..

  6. #6
    Yes! I'll always love Genesis' Nursery Cryme. The album successfully builds on the template of Trespass with stronger songs (and playing).

  7. #7
    The first great Genesis LP and probably their most unique. I love the "raunchy" guitar sounds, by the time of Selling England they were gone completely. The balance between the amusing and the sinister is just perfect - this is a fun record.

    I always wondered where the sources of this music lie. It seems like coming out of Zeus' head, not much in common with what was happening around them, and certainly not much in common with Trespass. Anyway, that's how I - with my limited knowledge - see it.

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    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    never heard of them siffle.gif

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    Last edited by Trane; 02-13-2018 at 07:09 AM.
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  9. #9
    The time remaining between now and the moment Skullhead wakes up somewhere in the US, opens his laptop and starts posting, is the time of life of this thread. So people - post quickly!

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    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
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    The album that began my lifelong love affair with music, after discovering it as an eight year-old child in my older brother's LP collection. I was fascinated by the cover art and the huge bands on the record - I had been used to bands of fairly even length, five or so to a side. This will always be one of my favourite albums, and not just because of the classics on it, but also tracks like Seven Stones, Harlequin, Harold The Barrel... a charming, magical record that acts as a stepping stone between the early "Ant" days and the full-blown prog that was just around the corner...
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  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Zappathustra View Post
    I always wondered where the sources of this music lie. It seems like coming out of Zeus' head, not much in common with what was happening around them, and certainly not much in common with Trespass.
    It's a witty (and witsy) record. Its 'spiritual' and to some extent musical traces, as I see it, was with the archetypal British whimsy of the Incredible String Band, Procol Harum, Family and sophisticated underground psychedelia like Kaleidoscope/Fairfield Parlour, July et al. This merged with the discovery of early King Crimson and VdGG.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  12. #12
    Member Casey's Avatar
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    Many good memories. My love affair with music was finding all sorts of inspiration around the time of the release of this one and Nursery Crime hit the spot. No one was releasing music like this. Heady days. I cannot listen to it without remembering good times.
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  13. #13
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    This album was absolute magic for me when I bought it as a young man. For me early Genesis is one of the few bands that are able to conjure up their own world with a unique atmosphere. Quintessentially English and at the same time somehow ineffable an otherworldly.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    It's a witty (and witsy) record. Its 'spiritual' and to some extent musical traces, as I see it, was with the archetypal British whimsy of the Incredible String Band, Procol Harum, Family and sophisticated underground psychedelia like Kaleidoscope/Fairfield Parlour, July et al. This merged with the discovery of early King Crimson and VdGG.
    I can see - and did see - the first branch of influences clearly, but I hadn't thought of the second. But yes, I guess these bands were there and available to listen earlier. One may also add Traffic. In fact I could always hear some Fripp in Hackett (of course I am not denying Genesis uniqueness here .)

  15. #15
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
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    I love this record. It's a bit "primitive" sounding compared to some of their later more polished and intricate albums that I personally prefer. But all the basic elements are here on this record, and I think the song-craft is at a high level. Musical Box is a classic, but my favorite tracks here are Hogweed, Harold (a gem to my ears), and Salmacis. I don't spin this often anymore, knowing it so well, but when I do it never disappoints. Maybe I'll tee it up for fun this week.

    Bill

  16. #16
    Member proggy_jazzer's Avatar
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    I have never (since 1975 when I first heard it) and will never tire of this album. Every composition has layers, and every time I go back to it for study something new pops out. Most recently it was the often-overlooked For Absent Friends, a near-perfect slice of British life. Love Phil's voice and the way the melody line ends on the tonic over the dominant chord before the guitars bring the phrase home.
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  17. #17
    So much love for this, Foxtrot and Genesis Live. What an impression these "cut-outs" had on my teenage mind.
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

  18. #18
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    The twin-headed monster that was Nursery Cryme/Foxtrot made me realize that my favorite band (Yes) has some stiff competition. Just listened to NC yesterday and it has lost none of its charm.
    And there's a nice article in Prog Magazine about that time in the band's existence. Good read. Great album.
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  19. #19
    My ONLY gripe against Nursery Cryme is the recording of the album, made most of the songs sound amateurish.
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  20. #20
    Member Paulrus's Avatar
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    Finally, a feature I actually know!

    What a great album. I prefer it to Foxtrot, although it's not quite as good as Selling England by the Pound (although I prefer it to The Lamb.) It's a really easy listen. No duds from start to finish IMO.

    I agree it's a bit raw in the recording and production department, but the band was still better in the studio than live at this point.



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  21. #21
    Member bill g's Avatar
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    Although I prefer Foxtrot and Selling England, always loved this, of course. The first half of Musical Box has some unique moments unlike anything they (or anyone) have done since. Toward the end of MB it loses it for me somewhat, compared to the elegance of the first half, but still an obvious classic. 'Seven Stones' and 'Fountain' are favorites of course.

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Chuck AzEee! View Post
    My ONLY gripe against Nursery Cryme is the recording of the album, made most of the songs sound amateurish.
    You know what they say... one man's gold is another's... "The album—and to a lesser extent its successor—offer a peculiar production and mix; which, along with their highly idiomatic song structure, add to their enduring charm. "
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

  23. #23
    Member zorknapp's Avatar
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    Here's the link to our Tabletop Genesis episode on Nursery Cryme...

    http://tabletopgenesis.com/tabletop-...nursery-cryme/

    If I remember correctly, we had a collective brainfart momentarily about the Cryme/rhyme pun...

    Mike
    Tabletop Genesis - A Genesis and solo career focused podcast, featuring the opinions of Tom Roche, Stacy Godfrey, Simon Godfrey, and Mike Lord - Listen on I-Tunes, or at http://tabletopgenesis.com/ Twitter: @genesistabletop Facebook: www.facebook.com/TabletopGenesis

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    For me, their first great album. A quantum leap in every department compared to what they had recorded before. Phil Collins and Steve Hackett added some much needed musical muscle to the sound- the missing pieces of the jigsaw. I think they had been particularly weak in the rhythmic department before, something Gabriel has mentioned being all too aware of even back then.

    'Seven Stones' might be their most underrated track. That instrumental outro is one of my favourite moments in their entire catalogue. Am surprised Hackett hasn't dusted this one off.

    The production isn't great but nor does it detract from the album IMHO.

    Quote Originally Posted by Zappathustra View Post
    I can see - and did see - the first branch of influences clearly, but I hadn't thought of the second. But yes, I guess these bands were there and available to listen earlier. One may also add Traffic. In fact I could always hear some Fripp in Hackett (of course I am not denying Genesis uniqueness here .)
    Collins has directly cited Family's 'The Weaver's Answer' as his influence for the propulsive rhythm in the heavier sections of 'The Musical Box'.

    The influences are well filtered, I think. This is really the point where the 'Genesis sound' begins to cohere.
    Last edited by JJ88; 02-13-2018 at 12:33 PM.

  25. #25
    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
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    This is where Genesis established their quintessential sound. I love this album and have not overplayed it like ever other Gabriel Genesis release. Fountain of Salmacis still resonates powerfully to this day, such a definitive progressive rock statement. I even like the basic artwork and the yellow hue with Cynthia's mallet. A sentimental favourite that I still listen to today.

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