Yeah, I could totally see that one on a late-period Genesis album. Great instrumental section where Tony can stretch out a nice solo.Originally Posted by aith01
Thanks to this thread, I went back and listened to An Island In the Darkness for the first time in probably close to 10 years. Definitely way better than I remembered! Like some others have said, this is almost like a lost Genesis epic.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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Island of Darkness is better then I thought. I wouldn't elevate it to Genesis epic though.
Well perhaps not Firth of Fifth. But I do think it is better than anything post Duke. Or possibly anything post W&W.
The only two I have owned are A Curious Feeling and his last classical release. I'm not sure which is worse; they are both dreadful. Too bad, because like another one said, I really wanted to like them.
Last edited by Father Tiresias; 03-24-2014 at 07:51 AM.
The first Tony Banks album I ever heard was Bankstatement, sometime in the mid '90s. Honestly, I thought it was one of the worst albums I've ever heard. I later heard The Fugitive and thought it was fair enough, though not something that I liked enough to give much more than a few spins. I heard a couple of the others on Youtube and remember almost nothing about them. I'd be open to playing them all again, but I doubt I'd change my opinion on Bankstatement.
I VERY much love STILL. Very interesting blend of prog and pop and 5 vocalists. Bankstatement is a similar first stab at this I think. A Curious Feeling is the only one that sort of fits in with Genesis well and would be the prog lover's place to start.
This!!!!
I must say I find it odd that a fan of seventies Genesis (as I presume Father Tiresias is - if not then apologies) could call A Curious Feeling "dreadful". As I said earlier The Fugitive is my favourite (and I can totally understand a fan of seventies Genesis hating that), but A Curious Feeling is right out of the same mould as Trick and Wind & Wuthering...
Exactly.... W&W pt.2 in my book..
Seven is the only one I've got. It's not better than ok, listenable but easily forgettable.
Tony the 80s video star
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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His follow up Six was a lot better, in my opinion.
My opinion also. Although the opener from Seven has some pretty great chordal sweeps. Kind of like an orchestral 'From The Undertow' in moments. But yes Six is pretty special to my ears.
If you were hired to compile an anthology of Tony Banks' solo albums(leaving out the soundtrack/orchestral ones), what would you include on the 80 minute disc? (or double vinyl;-)
From The Undertow
Red Day on Blue Street
Still It Takes Me By Surprise
The Lie
After The Lie
Another Murder of a Day
Forever Morning
The Border
You
Moving Under
A Piece of You
An Island In The Darkness
Hate to exclude Lethe & Never Let Me Know.
^ Nice choice!
I'd go for:
Waters of Lethe
You
Lucky Me
This Is Love
Man of Spells
By You
The Border
I'll Be Waiting
Raincloud
Another Murder of a Day
Angel Face
Water Out of Wine
An Island In the Darkness
Thats a good list as well. I do like Water Out of Wine (and The More I Hide It) which would probably make my list on a different day.
From The Undertow
Man Of Spells
Throwback
Thursday The Twelfth
This Is Love
Say You'll Never Leave Me
Queen Of Darkness
I Wanna Change The Score
Big Man
Forever Morning
Red Day On Blue Street
Another Murder Of A Day
The Waters Of Lethe
An Island In The Darkness
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
The reason that he did not go anywhere as a soloist is again evident in this video. I hadn't seen this one before, wasn't missing anything. He should have had the help with videos that the other guys had. It's obvious that Tony really wanted nothing to do with the videos. Even if he made stuff like Genesis' That's All, where he just shows up at the piano for a bit.Tony the 80s video star
Last edited by Tangram; 03-25-2014 at 05:35 PM.
I didn't think the video was so bad myself. More importantly, the song is pretty solid I think. But then, I always seem to have a soft spot for most everything he does.
Short story: I vastly prefer solo albums where the artist is singing their own damn tunes. And for that reason, Fugitive is my favorite.
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The "Do what you want..." section of the song is pretty bad-ass. As Daryl Steurmer once remarked, if other really advanced keyboardists wrote parts like Banks they would sound ridiculous, but when Banks plays them they sound great.
'This Is Love' is one song by Genesis alumni that should have been a hit in the 80s, I'm surprised it wasn't. Steve Hackett's 'Give It Away' is another, from the same period.
Not terrible, just cliched and looking like any number of videos at the time. I was always rooting for Tony to get a hit because I like all of his albums and if anyone was the driving force of Genesis, it was him.
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