Genesis Solo Albums ranked worst to best

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Oh, no doubt. If it weren't for the Genesis connection they'd pretty much be an irrelevant topic here on a progressive music board.

Honestly, if it weren't for the Gabriel and Hackett connections, Genesis would be pretty much an irrelevant topic on a progressive music board...

[Top Cat]

Honestly, if it weren't for the Gabriel and Hackett connections, Genesis would be pretty much an irrelevant topic on a progressive music board...

Oh really? I guess a song like Apocalypse in 9/8 isn't prog? It was also a band composed song, not just Peter's composing. It's probably inspired a lot of progressive rock music in the decades since it's release.
And that is just one example.

[bill g]

I took the liberty of tweeting this to all of them. Banks was ambivalent but Ant said he was so distraught he was considering stopping work on Private Parts & Pieces XXVII

Could you tweet Tony for me and ask him to do a full scale keyboard dominated instrumental album, and get Steve to supply the guitars. I'd like a cd in my hands in time for fall if you don't mind. Oh, and make sure Tony goes crazy on his signature chord and key changes, maybe creating some new ones that no one's thought of. That'd be nice

[bill g]

Oh really? I guess a song like Apocalypse in 9/8 isn't prog? It was also a band composed song, not just Peter's composing. It's probably inspired a lot of progressive rock music in the decades since it's release.
And that is just one example.

Then there's Cinema Show, One For The Vine, Firth of Fifth, and Ripples to name a few that were not written by Gabriel or Hackett

[bill g]

I'm also a big fan of Banks' solo career, there is a lot to love on those albums for the Genesis fan who appreciates his style of composition and chord changes. And his orchestral albums are excellent - particularly the most recent Five, which is a very strong piece of work. Phil's best, to my ears, is Both Sides, which is a rather low-key affair overall, with a lot of moody atmosphere - and contains his best song IMO: We Fly So Close.

As for Mike And The Mechanics, well, Mike's outside writing was by far the most commercial and middle-of-the-road of the entire band. However I do think they managed to craft a fine little pop song with Another Cup Of Coffee. But yeah, the bottom of my list would be littered with their albums.

Five is a gem, I agree!

I don't think I've heard 'We Fly So Close'. Will have to check that out. I do like 'The West Side', from Hello... which was my favorite of what I know of his output.

I never related to M&tM music, but that one, and 'Beautiful Day', 'You Are The One' and I think it's called 'A Call To Arms' from the first one aren't bad.

[JJ88]

'We Fly So Close' always felt like 'son of In The Air Tonight' to me. Indeed, Both Sides is a favourite of many fans but it's never connected with me in the same way. I certainly recognise it as better than the two which followed, though.

[aith01]

Honestly, if it weren't for the Gabriel and Hackett connections, Genesis would be pretty much an irrelevant topic on a progressive music board...

With all due respect, this statement is pretty absurd. IMO.

If it weren't for Genesis, there probably wouldn't have been a Gabriel or Hackett as we knew them.

[aith01]

Could you tweet Tony for me and ask him to do a full scale keyboard dominated instrumental album, and get Steve to supply the guitars. I'd like a cd in my hands in time for fall if you don't mind. Oh, and make sure Tony goes crazy on his signature chord and key changes, maybe creating some new ones that no one's thought of. That'd be nice

Seconded.

[Progatron]

'We Fly So Close' always felt like 'son of In The Air Tonight' to me. Indeed, Both Sides is a favourite of many fans but it's never connected with me in the same way. I certainly recognise it as better than the two which followed, though.

I've never thought of it that way before, but I can see some similarities in the structure of it. But when the drums come in on We Fly, they don't come crashing in with quite the same vengeance, which is the key part of In The Air. But yeah, a similar kind of atmosphere for sure. Lyrically, We Fly So Close is harder-hitting for me personally as well. It's closer in nature to the kind of song Tony Banks would write, I think - what he half-jokingly refers to as his 'terminal' songs.

Both Sides just has a vibe to it that appeals to me more so than the others. It's just pure Phil. No attempts at commercial hits *, no slick production (some of the songs have a demo quality, in fact), no slathering the whole thing with horns - no frills.

* - I suppose the song Everyday became a soccer mom/dentist office-type ballad, but I can't imagine any of the other songs being particularly radio-friendly.

[battema]

Both Sides is my fave of PC's solo works, followed closely by Face Value. It was probably as much a "right music at the right time" sort of scenario to be honest...but I've always felt it was very intimate and not nearly as blatantly commercial.

There was also a B-side that he dropped as part of Dance Into The Light called "It's Over" that was pretty obviously left over from the Both Sides era...and it is every bit as lovely.

[JJ88]

(some of the songs have a demo quality, in fact)
* - I suppose the song Everyday became a soccer mom/dentist office-type ballad, but I can't imagine any of the other songs being particularly radio-friendly.

That's my issue with it, I think. other than the title track (and 'We Wait And We Wonder', I guess). Particularly the drum machine. Some of the songs have promise- 'I've Forgotten Everything' for instance.

I agree that there were few obvious singles and that contributed to the album's relative underperformance.

But the follow-up Dance Into The Light was where the sales really tailed off. Yes, there was a Collins backlash by this point, but I don't think the material was a patch on what he'd done before anyway.

[Top Cat]

Both Sides just has a vibe to it that appeals to me more so than the others. It's just pure Phil. No attempts at commercial hits *, no slick production (some of the songs have a demo quality, in fact), no slathering the whole thing with horns - no frills.

This may be why you feel they have a demo quality to them. If I remember correctly he took his working demos from his home studio, and I believe parts of those demos were actually used(but my memory has faded on this, so I'm not certain). But at any rate, from Wiki:

Both Sides was notable for the fact that Collins made it entirely on his own, without usual collaborators producer Hugh Padgham, guitarist Daryl Stuermer, bassist Leland Sklar and the Phenix Horns. After recording demos at home, the album was finished in just six weeks at the Farm with the help of producer/engineer Paul Gomersall. For the first and only time in his career, Collins played all the instruments himself as well as taking care of the primary production duties. In addition, Collins wrote sleeve notes explaining the meaning of each song, another first.

[yamishogun]

Both Sides just has a vibe to it that appeals to me more so than the others. It's just pure Phil. No attempts at commercial hits *, no slick production (some of the songs have a demo quality, in fact), no slathering the whole thing with horns - no frills.

I don't get the "demo quality" comment, maybe because I'm not a musician. The demos of Rush Power Windows were obvious, but which songs on Both Sides and Calling All Stations , another album some say sounds like a demo, would you say are demo quality? Thanks in advance!

[BravadoNJ]

GTR and Mike & The Mechanics are bands, not solo.

[Progatron]

I don't get the "demo quality" comment, maybe because I'm not a musician. The demos of Rush Power Windows were obvious, but which songs on Both Sides and Calling All Stations , another album some say sounds like a demo, would you say are demo quality? Thanks in advance!

I would say Can't Turn Back The Years and Can't Find My Way for sure. I don't mean 'demo quality' as a criticism (I rather like that aspect.) Just that they sound as though he hadn't embellished them or fleshed them out as he would have done on prior albums (and future ones.) Perhaps even some of the vocals sound like guide vocals still as well. No matter, I like it as is. Can't Find My Way is another one of those moody pieces that sounds great late at night with a drink or two.

[Fracktured]

Kind of a dumb list. IMO A Curious Feeling should be a fair amount higher in the list, and Mike & the Mechanics probably shouldn't be on it at all, certainly not as high as it is, certainly not above Voyage of the Acolyte. Some of it makes sense, but some of it it seems like whoever compiled this is trying to hard not to leave anyone out.

Voyage of the Acolyte is the best album Genesis never made


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[JKL2000]

I'd be surprised if there were too many die-hard 'Mechanics fans on here.

You mean “Mechan-Hicks” as they call themselves?

Sorry Battema, I didn’t read the explanation before the list and was just thinking it was a top 20 or something. Doh! Well, my list would be different, that’s all. But some of it makes sense.

[the winter tree]

I really like "The Fugitive".
For the best albums are (in no order)
Gabriel - III +IV
Hackett - Voyage
Collins - Face Value
Banks - Bankstatement, Fugitive
Rutherford- Mike and the Mechanics self titled
Phillips - Geese

[aith01]

Yes, although Bankstatement is my least favorite of Tony's (ranked over 'Still'? Wow!!) I still prefer it to all Phil and M&M albums.

And agreed on the Ant output. 1984 is pretty awesome in my book. And 'Slow Dance' ought to be up there on the list as well.

Bankstatement is probably my least favorite too, but the fact that I still love it says a lot about how highly I regard Tony’s music. “The Border”, for example, has an absolutely killer bridge (IMO) that is pure Tony.

Even Still has plenty of great Tony moments on it. It was the first solo album from him that I ever heard (when I was just 19), so it has a place in my heart always. Those opening bars of “Red Day On Blue Street” hooked me from the get-go.

Glad to see you also really like Ant’s music. Do you have all the PP&P boxes btw? I still have to get the third one that just came out... He is a musical genius, and without him Genesis would have probably been a very different thing altogether.

[LeFrog]

I don't get the "demo quality" comment, maybe because I'm not a musician. The demos of Rush Power Windows were obvious, but which songs on Both Sides and Calling All Stations , another album some say sounds like a demo, would you say are demo quality? Thanks in advance!

The demo quality mostly comes from the fact that Phil plays all the instruments himself IMO. It strengthens the intimate feel of the album on the one hand, but the musical quality of the album suffers from it. You can hear the solos aren't written, he's just noodling on the synth. And the sampled fiddle, banjo, classical guitar or bagpipes played on the synth haven't aged well. I think the album would have been stronger musically with outside musicians, especially on guitar, but then maybe the intimate feel of the album would have been lost.

[Trane]

Kind of a dumb list. IMO A Curious Feeling should be a fair amount higher in the list, and Mike & the Mechanics probably shouldn't be on it at all, certainly not as high as it is, certainly not above Voyage of the Acolyte. Some of it makes sense, but some of it it seems like whoever compiled this is trying to hard not to leave anyone out.

Well, outside the fact that I don't think Collins or Mechanichs albums should squat the top 20 (the first one should be Face value around spot 20) I kind of like the first few enough not to want to dispute the list. I like the fact that Gabe's US is right up there.

Of course in my own list, I'd have Hackett's better albums disputing op spot and Phillips' first few squat the lower 10's. Banks' Curious Feeling and Therford's Smallcreep's Day should gain around 10 and 15 spots respectively as well.

[JJ88]

The demo quality mostly comes from the fact that Phil plays all the instruments himself IMO. It strengthens the intimate feel of the album on the one hand, but the musical quality of the album suffers from it. You can hear the solos aren't written, he's just noodling on the synth. And the sampled fiddle, banjo, classical guitar or bagpipes played on the synth haven't aged well. I think the album would have been stronger musically with outside musicians, especially on guitar, but then maybe the intimate feel of the album would have been lost.

I don't think much of 'We're Sons Of Our Fathers' in the first place, but the sounds on the song make it even worse. I would definitely have preferred other players on the acoustic instrumental parts like that.

[Progatron]

Do you have all the PP&P boxes btw? I still have to get the third one that just came out...

I'd recommend it, as the bonus disc of previously unreleased stuff is the best one yet! Collecting Ant's stuff has been a rewarding journey for me. I keep saying that now that I have his complete collection (barring a couple of redundant compilations) I will move on to his library music, but there are over 100 CDs of that and it will take some serious research on where to begin, seeing as a lot of it is stuff like 20 second 'link' tracks used for nature programs, etc. - hardly important in the grand scheme of things.

I don't think much of 'We're Sons Of Our Fathers' in the first place, but the sounds on the song make it even worse. I would definitely have preferred other players on the acoustic instrumental parts like that.

That track and There's A Place For Us are the two I can do without. Always the skippers for me.

[JJ88]

But Seriously is much higher up than I'd have put it. I really like some of it but I find it a little long, and the CD is not well sequenced. 'That's The Way It Is' followed by 'Do You Remember' is baffling, same tempo and same key! (The record has a different order and two fewer songs...not the two I'd have cut!)

[bill g]

Bankstatement is probably my least favorite too, but the fact that I still love it says a lot about how highly I regard Tony’s music. “The Border”, for example, has an absolutely killer bridge (IMO) that is pure Tony.

Even Still has plenty of great Tony moments on it. It was the first solo album from him that I ever heard (when I was just 19), so it has a place in my heart always. Those opening bars of “Red Day On Blue Street” hooked me from the get-go.

Glad to see you also really like Ant’s music. Do you have all the PP&P boxes btw? I still have to get the third one that just came out... He is a musical genius, and without him Genesis would have probably been a very different thing altogether.

Yes I like Bankstatement too, poppy as it is, it is still good songwriting. 'The Border', 'That Night', 'Diamonds Aren't So Hard', 'I'll Be Waiting', and 'The More I Hide It' are all nice. Tony once said that he thought 'Still' was much better, and I agree. 'Red Day On Blue Street', 'Still It Takes Me..', and 'Water Out of Wine' are great, and 'Another Murder of a Day' is my favorite though. I'm surprised, with Fish singing, it didn't garner more love. Fabulous track! Also, those chord changes in the middle 8 section of 'The Final Curtain'!! A classic Tony moment for sure!

Since I have all the originals from Ant, I actually haven't gotten the boxes, although I should as there are unreleased tracks. I grew less enamored with everything post Field Day so haven't made the plunge, although earlier stuff I adore, especially 'Geese', 'PP&P 1', 'Ivory Moon', Slow Dance, and 1984, along with scattered tracks like 'Scottish Suite', 'Sisters of Remindum', 'Tropical Moon Over Dorking Suite', 'Birdsong', 'Guru', and much of New England. Do you have a favorite of the boxes that you'd recommend? I am curious about the unreleased tracks.