A CURIOUS FEELING

The first album is also the best one that TB has released in his pop/rock solo career if I don't count his orchestral albums. The album has 3 5-star tracks, all instrumental and the rest is oscillating between 3-4 stars. The instrumentals are dreamy, multilayered ingeniously crafted pieces that only Tony Banks could have created; they are fully firmly rooted in the Tony Banks realm with the sound and variety of keyboards. "From the undertow" is a very promising ouverture that was originally thought for "And then there were three" but rejected by Genesis. Suits well to "Undertow" on that album.

"Forever morning" is my most popular song by Tony, an incredible suite filled with synths, mellotron, electric piano and crafted composition with dynamism. It is the most symphonic track here with a lot of majesty and plenty of Yamaha CP- 80. "The waters of lethe" is the third major track, also instrumental, where Hackettesque guitar brings the atmosphere closer to Genesis. For all three instrumental tracks, drums are missing and that is good - the focus is on symphonic keyboards.

The sung track always have a memorable melody, passionate voice, although worse than Collin's one. Arrangements are OK, not very progressive but Banks makes sure that keyboards are represented each second and sometimes shows a nice instrumental part, for example in the upbeat "After the lie". This is also the most romantic solo album that Tony Banks recorded.

Very much recommended, and only one recommended for all classic Genesis fans.