FOXTROT

Foxtrot is the fourth studio album by English progressive rock band Genesis and the second from the most celebrated band line up(at least among progressive rock fans) which included Peter Gabriel on the vocals, Tony Banks on keyboards, bassist Mike Rutherford, drummer Phil Collins, and guitar player Steve Hackett. The artwork might be not the best by this band, but I think it is still pretty good, and one that surely catches people's attention. In their best days Genesis surely knew how to start their albums and Foxtrot is not exception. Actually I think that Watcher of the Skies which starts with a classic Mellotron intro followed by an excellent bass/drums interplay before the vocals enter is the best possible way to start this legendary album. It features quite complex rhythms and great dynamics, crowned by very good lyrics. Time Table is the most simple track of the album, but it still a very nice piano driven song. Get'em out by Friday manages to tell a better anti-utopian story in 8 and a half minutes, than other artists in a double album... This track is also quite complex, features time signature and mood changes. Peter Gabriel performs all characters involved in the story from the poor old couple losing their home to the evil guys of Styx Enterprises. Can-Utility and the Coast liners a superbly intricate and beautiful piece, all band members give an excellent performance, but the organ solo by Tony Banks is maybe the best part of this classic track. The second side starts with a wonderful acoustic guitar piece by Steve Hackett called Horizons, and it leads to the highlight of the album, the highlight of the entire career of Genesis, and one of the biggest highlights of the entire history of progressive rock: Supper's ready. This wonderful almost 23 minute long epic is very loosely based on the Book of Revelations. Foxtrot was released in 1972, I heard it first sometime in the 90-s, but it us still a very special album, and probably not only for this reviewer.