TRESPASS

Michael Chamy The Austin Chronicle http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/authors/michaelchamy.html

Armed with a steely resolve, a recently acquired Mellotron, a contract with the fledgling Charisma Records label, a sympathetic producer in John Anthony and ambitious new material, Genesis set its sights on upsetting the apple cart of ordinary music. No longer were they going to be pegged as "Moody Blues wannabes".

What emerged was an important, yet largely unheralded milestone in the development of progressive rock, as we know it. Here, the essential building blocks of the classic Genesis sound were coming to the fore, although they had yet to fully gel and integrate, but you could tell that even greater, more startling things were to come.

"Looking For Someone" leads off with a piercing Gabriel vocal and smoky organ, the protagonist looking for meaning and purpose in a world that doesn't seem to have any. The band charges in with full force, exercising newly found ambition and ability. Gabriel's slightly raspy and soulful singing carries this songs mood so strongly, supported by plaintive guitar statements from Anthony Phillips and frantic propulsion from Banks, Rutherford and drummer John Mayhew (who would be fired after the album's completion).

"White Mountain" switches to fairy tale mode, relating the story of a lone wolf who defied the sacred norms of his society and paid a terrible price for it. All this framed by frantic chase music and the trademark interlocking, chiming 12-string guitar passages that old Genesis fans loved so much. Gabriel also begins to experiment with processing his voice to chilling effect (when he recites the "laws of the brethren") and his unsettling whistling combined with mournful organ towards the end. Definitely not "happy-slappy" bubblegum stuff!!

"Visions of Angels" begins with a deceptively winsome piano figure as it's protagonist struggles with the idea of believing in an all-powerful God or not. "Stagnation" is easily the album's high point. This is the story of a man who decided to spend the rest of his existence comfortably ensconced underground. Gabriel's plaintive vocals here can send chills up your spine, along with those chiming 12-strings and Tony Bank's resourceful use of his new keyboard rig (I especially love that otherworldly organ solo he does in the middle of the tune, coaxing out sounds that were unknown at the time). The song builds to a rousing conclusion, with Gabriel just wearing his anguish on his sleeve.

"Dusk" shows the more folky side of Genesis with Gabriel again grappling with the meaning of life. Here, he also whips out the flute for the first time on record, as well as pronounced background vocals from everyone else, something that later would be discarded.

"The Knife" soon would become a Genesis concert favorite. This story of a revolutionary on a power trip is propelled by some of Gabriel's angriest vocalizing with snarling fuzz bass, frantic guitar and rhythm section to match. This early version feels a bit awkward only because of John Mayhew's rather tentative drumming, but would later just rip to shreds with great confidence, with Phil Collins in the driver's seat.

After this, Ant Phillips would develop acute stagefright and quit the band (replaced by Steve Hackett, who did seem to appropriate elements of Phillips guitar style), and a young unknown bloke by the name of Phil Collins would sit behind the drums and rip it to shreds. Even while flawed in some respects (production-wise and Mayhew's tentative drumming), Tresspass still stands as an essential piece of the Genesis puzzle, and for me personally, a very inspiring one to go back to every so often. Highly recommended for any prog-rock fan who wants to know about the music's history and development.

On side 2 Stagnation is a gem only waiting for you to discover how deep it is, and The Knife is their first tour de force, and will quickly become a favourite. It is widely regarded as their first classic, but the whole album is excellent bar Dusk which is slightly sub-par.

But I think that most people forget how instrumental the roles of Rutherford and Phillips on 12-strings were: they paved the way for Hackett and his arpeggios. I think of it this way: Phillips taught what he knew to Rutherford (and a little to Banks) who kept it has they had no guitarist for a few months and as Hackett came in, the bassist passed it on but also kept playing it.

"Trespass" is regarded by many as Genesis first proper album, most fans choosing to regard their previous Jonathan King produced album as being by a different band.

Despite being spectacularly unsuccessful when it was released, "Trespass" has gone on to become a highly regarded album from the Gabriel era, standing up well alongside subsequent albums such as "Foxtrot" and "Selling England by the pound". It is often forgotten that Hackett and Collins had not joined the band when "Trespass" was recorded, yet tracks like "The knife" represent classic Genesis. "The knife" is a frantic, menacing song, which pounds along like an out of control express train. Peter Gabriel almost stumbles over himself as he delivers the biting lyrics in double quick time. Genesis does prog metal perhaps?!

The album has 6 tracks in total, 3 on each side of the LP. The opening track, "Looking for someone", is an off-speed song, far removed from anything on "From Genesis to Revelation". Apart from "The knife", for me the best are "White mountain" and "Visions of angels". "White mountain" is a soft, folk influenced tale of a rebel wolf who challenges the pack leader. It is wonderfully melodic, with sympathetic acoustic guitar, and choir like vocals to end. "Visions of angels" masks its acidic lyrics with another fine melody, over some excellent piano by Tony Banks. I am by no means an expert on the art of percussion, but on this track the drums dramatically add to the whole ambience of the track.

"Stagnation" is a deceptively soft, ambling track, which is probably the last to reveal its true appeal. I found it took many listens to this piece to appreciate the subtlety of the composition. "Dusk" which follows is a short, lighter track, which retains the quasi (anti?) religious lyrics of "Visions of angels".

A great album end to end, which failed to sell widely when first released, only because it was so far ahead of its time. Highly recommended.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Producer John Anthony allows the band, which now included drummer John Mayhew, to follow their muse; the result produces some lovely moments, and serves as a clearly audible link to the progressive heights attained later. Don't misunderstand: "Nursery Cryme" and the albums that followed are of a higher calibre, but it's here that the magical elements begin to fall into place.

The evolution that begins with the simple "From Genesis to the Revelation" and ends with the complex "Trespass" is incredible. I believe no other band has made such a radical change in less time, almost as if the Bee Gees had changed into a progressive band after Saturday Night Fever.

Steve Hackett wasn't yet a Genesis member but Anthony Phillips style is so similar that any person who doesn't knows the band's history will never guess there's another guitar player in "Nursery Cryme". I'm sure that if Anthony wouldn't have that stage panic, Hackett never would have been a Genesis member, something very sad of course.

With Mayhew the situation is different, all the band thought that Genesis was getting too big for him, and Collins abilities as drummer are undeniable, but still I believe John did an excellent job in Trespass.

The album's sound is very dark and aggressive, also has that atmospheric sound that will become Genesis trademark and to be honest, one of the main reasons why I'm an early Genesis fan.

Gabriel's vocalist abilities weren't totally developed at this point, but his voice was extremely clear and showed big energy, Banks is outstanding and Mike Rutherford is precise as always.

"The Knife" is of course the best known song from this album and the strongest for most of the fans, but I stay with the haunting and beautiful "White Mountain" an almost forgotten song usually bashed by some critics who don't consider the beautiful keyboards, extreme changes and the dark ending which makes of this song one of my favorites.

A great album that deserves much more credit than it usually receives,I would not be fair if I gave less than 5 stars because Trespass is absolutely transcendental for GENESIS and Prog history, it marks the moment when one of the most important Symphonic bands reached maturity despite the youth of the members.

Instead of stomach turning ballads with bad lyrics with trash-can quality sound, they went for extended progressive pieces, and real keyboard sounds (organ, Mellotron, piano). And "Trespass" was the result, and was their first real progressive album, a sound they will improve up while GABRIEL was still in the band. I have to admit that none of the music on the album is bad, while most people consider "The Knife" the most significant piece on the album, I also happen to enjoy "Looking For Someone", "White Mountain" and "Stagnation". I have to admit the music, for the most part seems to be a bit more somber than their following albums, especially on the acoustic number "Dusk". And at this point the band still didn't have a permenant drummer (they already went through John Silver and Chris Stewart, and now it was John Mayhew playing the drums here, but luckily things will quickly change when Phil COLLINS joined in). This is truly the sound of GENESIS going in the right direction, and it's not bad at all, so if you like GABRIEL-led GENESIS, you'll like this album.

Lyrically, the album's main themes are of loss and of vengeance. It opens with the powerful 'Looking for Someone', which showcases Gabriel's vocals at their most desperate, amid rapid changes of mood in the music. 'White Mountain' is a folksy fable of the animal world, the story of a wolf who violates the sacred laws of his pack, only to be hunted down by his fomer king. 'Visions of Angels' is a song written by Anthony Phillips about Peter Gabriel's then girlfriend (later wife), Jill, and using a post-Rapture setting in which a nonbeliever's biggest concern is the fact that he can't understand what's happened to the woman he loves. 'Stagnation' also tells of an apocalyptic world in which a survivor of a nuclear holocaust lives out his days in isolation, and, more than any other song, points towards the future direction of the band. 'Dusk' is the simplest tune on the album, and deals again with religious issues concerning the separation of man from God and the role of fate and destiny in human life. 'The Knife' is probably the most famous song from the album, and by far the heaviest piece that Genesis ever performed, complete with violent lyrics from the point of view of a power-hungry revolutionary.

Original guitarist Anthony Phillips left after this album, but one cannot overemphasize the influence that he had on shaping the band's overall sound. As Trespass's main composer, the legend that is Genesis would be built upon the foundations that he more than anyone laid.

I rate this as one of their best albums ever. It's brilliantlty direct, exciting and invigorating. It has a similar feel in parts to the harder moments on Lamb Dies Down. Looking for someone starts off with a strong vocal. It's a heavier, rockier sound, but still really tuneful. White Mountain has a beatutiful accoustic guitar riff. Stagnation stands out as a really moving track. I've listened to it countless times and it always moves me. Dusk is fine, though some of the backing vocals are a bit twee. The much vauned Knife is OK, but not the best moment on the album to me.

I really do think this album is better than most of the subesequent realeases. Certainly better than Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot and Selling England (Firth of Fith and Cinema Show excepeted).

I said this before, but none of these guys were over 20 when this was written. Trespass is delicate, fragile, romantic, innocent, pastoral and has a graveyard feel to it. I just like the mood of the album. The cover by Whitehead is the icing. Perfect for heavy, cloudy days dreaming you're a young adventurer looking for a quest (or romance, why not?). So mature, yet so young. Once again, moody and somewhat not totally achieved. The "whole" sound is not mastered, Collins subtle drums are missed.

It's actually the beginning of a fantastic journey with Genesis...and this ain't no false start.

But the Whole of "Trespass" SOUNDS like a serious Rock band playing out their artistic mood to a highly credible degree, sort of in the context of "In the Court of the Crimson King" - but with more emphasis on guitar work. This album was before Peter began to overdo it with the corny stuff, and before Tony and (later guitatrist) Steve Hackett would compete to see who's 'sound' would make it up front first - the latter effect ruining the sound quality of many "classic" Genesis Lps by creating an obnoxious wall of shrilly noise.

"The Knife" is 8.93 minutes of thrilling, heavy rock...the best one song that the band ever recorded. Timeless, always rousing and, above all, serious electric Rock. That song and this album was underappreciated at the time (1970), but has since been vindicated. Many now agree that "Trespass" shows the finest strenghths of Genesis as a credible Art Rock powerhouse.

"Looking For Someone" is the link from the band's early influences to the maze-like arrangements that would mark their material for years. Peter Gabriel opens up with a voice reminiscent of his soul/r&b favorites, but it isn't long before the band opens up the song like medieval sonic surgeons, rippling through peaks and valleys with a determined authority. The drums of John Mayhew are loose and lazy, somehow fitting the material nonetheless, material which is folky, mythical, psychedelic and sometimes even proto-metal ("White Mountain", "The Knife"). Flutes intertwine with the rich 12-string acoustic and lush keyboard layers of Tony Banks, who finally gets a chance to play his heart out while acting as a firm foundation for each song (and this, more than anything, would be the anchor of the Genesis sound from here on out). Each song offers more and more with each listen, the writing deep and multi-layered (note the abundant foreshadowing of themes in "Stagnation"). The entire middle of the album--4 songs--from the authoritative drama of "White Mountain" to the calming "Dusk", takes lots of listening to sink in. Remarkable as they are, the impressive body of the album merely clears the way for the ending salvo of "The Knife". A real killer, "The Knife" is 9 sinister minutes, including a good bit of thunderous riffing and damaging rhythms, more than this band usually indulges in (Genesis music is many, many things, but metallic heaviness like this would rarely be heard from them again). This song offers a complex, epic arrangement that would become the band's standard on future albums.

'Trespass' might've been better with a less flimsy production and a few more tracks with the direct impact of the 'The Knife', but it still achieves a unique mood independent of the rest of the band's discography. A more-than-satisfying jumping-off point into the 6 (or so) legendary albums that would follow.

This entire album is enjoyable from start to finish and there are no songs which stick out as bad in my opinion. Looking for Someone is a somewhat dark song that starts off slow and builds into a beautifully eerie instrumental with Peter on the flute and banks on the organ. White Mountain is also a pleasant song. Visions of Angels is a gourgeous composition which shows off the talents of Banks, Gabriel, and Rutherford very well. This song and the first are a good display of why these three stayed as core members of the band and how they dominated the sound of the music. The Knife sounds like something out of Black Sabbath, very heavy and dark. They even use vocal effects to make Peter's voice sound mechanical.

The engineering is sub par and the sound on the drums is a tad muffled along with the bass being non-existent in cretain portions of the album. This sort of dimishes the experience of what is still a very good album. I wonder if this would have been 4.5 or 5 stars barring that. I suppose we can never know.

In conclusion, this is an excellent effort by Genesis and while some may be biased by the absence of Hacket's guitar playing and Collins' drumming you should still give this album a listen. Tony Phillips and John Mayhew play excellently and contribute equally to the four stars this album deserves.

As some said: this album is underrated. But it's damn good! To be honest, I like this one probably as much as Nursery Cryme. It's not an easy album to discover Genesis, and you have to listen to it again and again and again to really understand what it's really about.

I really enjoyed "Vision of Angels" and "The Knife". This last song is a must and every time I see the groupe "The Musical Box" (featuring Genesis as it really was) the show ends with that song. It's really something powerful.

If you like imaginative prog music with powerful lyrics, this album is for you.

"Looking For Someone" sets the tone of the entire album, developing the theme that can be described as the plight of the spiritual seeker in a world that seems devoid of any benevolent spirit and that has been corrupted by the struggle for power. In each piece, the "hero's" idealism is met with bleakness or death, but he nonetheless holds on to his ideals and beliefs. And while this may seem like a depressing experience, it's actually quite cathartic to connect with an artist who can communicate this outlook so well. It actually gives you a sort of hope and consolation.

The way the songs are arranged is one factor that makes this album such a powerful experience. After the stunning complexity of "Stagnation," the album segues into the meditative classic "Dusk" that, for this listener, is one of the most awe-provoking compositions in this or any other band's repertoire. Finally, and this is an interesting choice, the band has chosen to end with the more rocking "The Knife," which quickly dissipates the solemnity of "Dusk" not with a song of hope, but with a return to the theme of corruption: giving your life (and killing children) in the name of "righteousness" that is really a disguise for tyranny.

When the album is over, the listener is left transformed by the journey and emotionally exhausted, which is really what great prog rock, and great art, is all about.

"Trespass" holds an eerie and mystic overall feeling on it. Musical emotions flow pleasantly from impressionistic pastorals to more aggressive and dramatic theatrical scenes. Lyrics work also as nice poetry, supporting the music's style and the tracks form an artistically contact album. The opener "Looking for Someone" peeks curiously behind Peter's powerful lyrical fronting, the orchestra keeping first quite quiet presence. The composition shifts between different musical emphasizes logically, escaping the mess of poorly considered symphonic epic mess, too often found from vinyl surfaces of progressive rock group's releases. "White Mountain" is musically eerie and beautiful, focusing to drama of ruthless power play, reflected to the society of wolves. "Visions of Angels" softens the listening experience by the blessings of its fragile beautifulness and religious harmony and piety. I felt the drum parts here were arranged wonderfully to choral mass of the song, rolling with bit clumsy but within time keeping fills and variations on rhythm's emphasis on beat aiming. On the B-side the vinyl starts rolling with "Stagnation", a hazy wandering in thicket of acoustic guitar chords, introducing the amplified band and compositional twists with patience. "Dusk" floats slowly and solemn as solitary rising moon, being very beautiful and tender bucolic vision. Final song "The Knife", which I think is the most aggressive Genesis song ever written, is a song about a violent revolution. Surprisingly, due its lyrical teachings, I remember reading an article where it was described as a "battle anthem" of Italian left wing radicals during the 1970's.

The album's cover art is also truly great in aesthetic way, and it describes the music presented in the vinyl it covers perfectly. To its leather surface is painted a rough, gothic style of scene with spared tones of grey, and this painting is slashed with a dagger. The iconoclast of traditional art with a symbol referring to the final song seems as clever inspiration. Within the opening album gatefold covers one finds a pastoral painting done in the same manner as the front cover, featuring also the knife.

I seriously recommend this record, especially to those who dislike the later classic recordings of the band. I guess this could also please the fans of the early King Crimson albums, as it has lots of acoustic guitars, flutes and mellotrons on it, resembling the sound textures of their tamer acoustic ballads.

The best songs are White Mountain and the Knife (the latter having a better interpretation of Genesis Live). Overall, this album is a sample of what is to come in Genesis' long career and should not be missed. 3.5/5.

Genesis, a multitalented band that would go on to change forms many times before eventually mutating into pop and fizzling out, shows their immense progressive capability on this, their second album. Although it appears to be influenced more by English Folk than anything else, it stays true to classic progressive formula to present an amazing listening experience. Additionally, as stated in many reviews, the line-up for this album is drastically different from the Gabriel-Hackett-Rutherford-Collins crew that was responsible for Foxtrot-Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Regardless, they do an amazing job creating a framework for the above mentioned range of Genesis releases. Ultimately, buy this CD, especially if you are a Genesis fan, it is worth it.

It starts with "Looking For Someone" which is atmospheric and almost desperate. It is a good track with some nice ethereal organ, but it is partly brought down in quality by PG's vocals...Indeed, he is a good singer (able to bring some genuine emotion to the stories he tells), but to my ears he sounds strained at times.

The next track, "White Mountain", is probably one of the most underrated and yet one of my favourite Genesis tracks. The lyrics tell a story akin to Jack London's "White Fang", and it has some fantastic keyboard and acoustic guitar work throughout. PG even plays flute! The desperation in PG's vocals comes to the forefront in this track, and help add to the atmosphere - great! (In case you're wondering where the title for the LP, "Trespass" comes from, I think it came from "White Mountain", as there is the line 'outcast and trespass where no wolf may tread").

Side 1 finishes with the gentle but lovely "Visions of Angels" - a title that suits the nature of the song. It is fairly quiet and almost ballad-ish throughout, and TB's keyboards come to the fore. Not only does he use the obligatory organ, but there is plenty of piano throughout as well.

Next, we have "Stagnation", which is one of Genesis' great underrated masterpieces. The themes evolve, the tempo varies at times and if the track belongs to anyone in particular, it's Anthony Phillips - his guitar work provides the foundation for the rest of the band. In parts however, much like other early Genesis recordings, it is let down by poor production.

The next track, "Dusk", is a delicate and comparatively short ballad which foreshadows later Genesis works such as "Harlequin" from their next album... It works as a pleasant interlude between two of Genesis' greatest early songs, and has a nice mellow atmosphere characterised by gentle guitar strings and some keyboard work which does not intrude or dominate.

The album concludes with a fan favourite "The Knife" - the track is quintessential early Genesis, and yet so unlike any of their other work! It has a fast tempo, and it shows off TB's keyboards, AP's electric guitar and once again PG's desperate vocals. Certainly, quite a flash way to end an underrated and fantastic early album.

So, the album is definitely worth picking up if you're a fan of early Genesis, but also if you like to collect early prog masterpieces. It's severely underrated, and indeed, the band has come quite a long way from their pop debut! Next stop, NURSERY CRYME...

White mountain is a proto metal song, not becouse of the distortions, becouse of the mood, visions of angels is perfect. Sagnation is very beautiful as well as dusk, an the knife closes the record strongly nice.

I knew the album quite late after I heard The Knife performed live in Genesis Live (1973). I liked the energy projected by the band through that live record. I then looked for the album where The Knife was originally recorded. When I listened to the album at first time (cassette format) it really blew my mind as the opening track Looking For Someone starts off with Gabriel powerful voice :"Looking for someone" in a very accentuated style. Really greeeaaaattttt .!! The background organ followed with powerful drum work by John Mayhew (where was he after this album?). The music then flows with an excellent combination of silent / mellow passages and those with full- blown music in faster tempo. Anthony Philips guitar is stunning and it has characterized future guitar tunings for Genesis music. The grand piano by Tony Banks also excellent.

White Mountain is an acoustic guitar based music augmented with mellotron / keyboard work. The singing melody is stunning; performed with Gabriel's energetic voice. When the music moves into faster tempo, the accompanying rhythm section is really killing and it has become a memorable segment that will not vanish with the passage of time. The transition pieces with acoustic guitar and keyboard work is also touchy. Even now when I'm listening this track while writing this review I have a very deep feeling inside my heart that (sorry) I can only say it in my Javanese language "merinding". (Well, I think it's an emotional feeling where you feel really "touched" deep in your heart when you enjoy and feel engrossed with a certain segment of harmony / melody of a music you are listening to). It's a great track.

Visions of Angels combines the original music of Genesis from their debut From Genesis to Revelation to the new style of their music (Trespass onwards and stops until Duke, I think. Because after Duke the band turned poppy). The combination of acoustic guitar fills and keyboard work is really nice.

Stagnation starts with nice guitar fills and low register voice of Gabriel. The music moves into crescendo with an accentuation from acoustic guitar and keyboard. After relatively long mellow style opening. Keyboard solos performed in this track are really stunning. As the music turns into faster tempo, the organ takes beautiful melody which brings the music into more complex arrangements. There are some sudden break followed immediately with Gabriel singing. It's nice.

Dusk is a nice drum-less music with great melody combining acoustic guitar fills and organ / mellotron. The Knife has been Genesis legendary track with high driving rhythm section performed in fast tempo with high energy. The organ dominates the rhythm section, augmented with dynamic drum work. The overall track is truly uplifting. The style of this track has inspired later albums of Genesis especially Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot. It's a rocking track, combined with silent passages that feature Gabriel flute work!

Overall, it's an excellent album that any prog fan should not miss it. Keep on proggin' ..!

Progressively yours, GW

i don't bother getting into genesis's lyrics, because they're always too well-thought-out and perfect to deserve my analysis.

the geist: i suppose you could start listening to genesis with this album, but it cannot compare to the following 5 or 6 in their catelogue. i started with SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND and that is still my favorite of theirs. if you even think that there's a possiblity that you might like genesis, check that album out first. if you like that (and i know you will, it's amazing) then retrace your steps to TRESPASS. A solid 4/4.

The line-up that would reach world fame was not yet in place. Gabriel was still with Genesis, and Phil Collins' seat was kept warm by John Mayhem, and they even had a guitarist. On this album the guitar was played by Anthonie 'Ant' Phillips, who suffered from stage freight, and was replaced with Steve Hackett after this album.

Even though most people consider Trespass and also Nursery Cryme to be a warm-up for the coming classic albums (Trespass till The Lamb) I think it stands out as one of the most beautifull intricate melodic albums I know, with soft arrangements, delicate drumming, and fabulous bass and piano/keyboard interplay that builds up the songs to climaxing finals. Genesis' music is more based on structural symphonicaton of the songs than on individual solo's, and on Trespass they manage to make the songs really cohesive and with sense of purpose. Just Fabulous.

The best songs on "Trespass" are; "Looking For Someone", slow soft build up, posponing the ultimatly strong final section, really fabulous, especially the drumming and keyboards make this song fabulous. "White Mountain", A song about Fang a wolf from the White Mountain, who defy's his destiny and challanges One Eye for leadership of the pack. Beautifully set to music. "The Knife" Brilliant rock song you just have too listen to it yourself. "Some of you are going to die. Martyrs of course to the freedom that I shall provide"

I didn't mentioned every song, but there's no need for that since I think all of you should get up and buy this record emidiatly, and listen to it yourself. IMO this is Genesis' best record to date, maybe the production seems a bit lacking, but that doesn't alter the fact that this is one great album. GET OUT AND BUY THIS :)

PEACE OUT

Looking For Someone : This song has a similar style of "Musical Box" and it is an excellent prog rock track in which the members (especially Tony Banks) shine. From the Gabriel vocal introduction to the instrumental sections. This song never disappoints. 8.5/10

White Mountain : The excellent acoustic song with nice keyboard work. The chorus contains gorgeous singing and a driving rhythm. 7.5/10

Vision of Angels : Another strong song from the band, with excellent organ work. Tony Banks may not be as fast as Emerson or Wakeman, but he excels in creating beautiful organ passages and atmospheres. Peter Gabriel is as strong as always. 7.5/10

Stagnation : A song that in my opinion lacks a bit of direction, yet is impressive overall. This is mellower than the rest of the album. It feels a bit long for me, yet it is not boring. 6.5/10

Dusk : The simpliest song from the album. It is a mellow melodic, and atmospheric tune in which Gabriel plays some nice flute. 6.5/10

The Knife : This highlight of the album. This is Genesis' hardest rocking song they have ever done. After the hard rock in its first 3 minutes (that has its legendary chorus of "Some of you are going to die. Martyrs of course to the freedom that I shall provide!!") there is an instrumental break that takes many listens to get into. Later, it gets rocking again with a long electric guitar solo. Another section comes after that, and the song ends. 9.5/10

In conclusion, this is a very strong effort by Genesis, but their next 4 albums have higher quality. Get this one after you listened to their masterpieces.

My Grade : B-

An excellent dark and pastoral album with lots of flute, acoustic strings and Hammond organ, beautifully written mysterious lyrics by Gabriel and strong guitar by Phillips. At times bears a feeling of Van Der Graaf-like eerie atmosphere and mystic experience. All songs exceptional with only perhaps "Visions of Angels" stretched a bit too dull. "Stagnation" is early masterpiece and "The Knife".... The Knife!

Very close to ****1/2 and is a must for any prog collection.

Pastoral and ancient music style very emotional. Bucolic chorus alike "gregorian prayings". p

Most sensitive album I listen ever. p

The knife, for example, is a 9 minute song, but it progress in a crescendo, no-statical song. Even it sounds more aggressive than Black Sabbath's paranoid, another 1970 album . Effect sounds are amazing, even better than today. For example, "girl scream" and soldier orders adressed to privates. p

So this album created 90% personality and style of band. An acoustic work prodigious.

Still, there are definite glimpses of Genesis' future greatness here. The theatricality of "White Mountain" and concert favourite "The Knife" are a definite peep in the window. But the real jewel in the crown is "Stagnation", the first of their many multiple-part pieces, shifting through numerous moods over the course of nearly nine minutes.

So, Genesis were just getting their sea-legs here, but it's still a strong album, showing strides of progress after their mediocre, dated debut album. It shouldn't be your first Genesis purchase by any means, but established fans of the band will definitely want it.

After the awful (in my opinion) "From Genesis To Revelation", came the album that made the "real" Genesis debut, because this is the first album that sounds to Genesis, although the classic members (Steve Hackett and Phil Collins are missed in "Trespass"...) were not still here, the spirit and the quality of their music are in every track of this great album...

I specially like the Anthony Phillip´s work on guitar here. He played very beautiful acoustic passages in this disc, in a softer and calmer style than Steve Hackett´s playing... This fact make "Trespass" very special, because it´s a soft album, and the strong moments are very few... In later Genesis efforth the Hackett´s playin gives a lot of force and electric feeling, while the Tony Banks keyboards gains protagonism along the albums... But I think the real protagonist of this album (apart of Gabriel´s voice, of course...) is the marvellous Anthony Phillip´s guitar... His playin sometimes is very evocative and epic (White Mountain), sometimes it´s just soft beautiful (Visions of Angels, Dust...), and sometimes it´s strong too (The Knife).

I like very much the Steve Hackett´s playing, but the Phillip´s one it´s maybe more enjoyable and accesible... And this is the best thing I find in "Trespass"!!!

Best songs for me: Looking For Someone (great opening and a clear presentation of the otstanding Genesis potential...), Stagnation (for me the best song of the album, with an impressive keyboard solo...) and The Knife (an advance of the Nursery Crime´s sound...). But I must say that every song here it´s very good, there isn´t weak songs in this album (maybe Visions of Angels it´s a little repetitive...)!!!

I will give "Trespass" "only" 4 stars, because this album is easily surpased by later Genesis´s efforths and because I don´t like very much the John Mayhew drumming! But it´s a must for all the 70´s prog lovers in it´s softer and relaxing way!!!

The opener, Looking for Someone, is a great song, featuring very smooth melodies which drift into one another, and it is all very beautiful. Near the end, Gabriel yells 'All that I have I will give!' and this cues the very awesome and epic sounding outro. All in all, an awesome song.

White Mountain is a much more fantasy based song about a wolf named Fang who has 'Trespassed' against the laws of his wolf brethen and is being hunted by the rest of the pack. It features three main melodies, which are all very epic sounding, and it also has an outro and intro with some cool mellotron and 12 string. There is another cool interlude where Gabriel does some whistling, very original stuff.

Visions of Angels is a dreamy little ballad, with some very beautiful melodies and a good chorus, with some cool mellotron and piano riffs. A good song.

Stagnation is the least accessible on the album maybe, it takes the most listens to get into. It is all very mellow, with deep meaningful lyrics, and wonderful vocals, and some great backing vocals from the rest of the band.

Dusk is probably the weak spot as others have said, but its still good. Very mellwo like stagnation, with some great lyrics and once again great backing vocals, not too mention Gabriel himself.

The Knife is the heaviest Genesis song I've heard, and it is awesome the whole way through. Awesome lyrics and vocals. It is about some revolution, but the revolutionaries turn out to be bad too. It has one long dreamy quiet interlude, but the rest of it is straight up Hard prog rock, almost metal at times. Listen to it on this site, if you like it, you will love this album probably.

So this is like one of Genesis's forgotten albums, it really is awesome. All the songs are great, with the standouts being The Knife, Stagnation, and White Mountain. The others are awesome too though. Buy this, and you won't be disapointed.

Unfortunately this album was made available in Brazil long after the series ranging from "Nursery Cryme" to W&W. It is necessary to adjust the mind back to 1970 and take in account that this particular work is inserted in the early progressive stream.

'Looking for someone', opens the album in a grand manner, all those variations and mysteries so typical of Genesis works are present here. A great song but many times overlooked.

'White Mountain', this song could be part of any other Genesis album released in the 70s. The way the band transport us to the wilderness atmosphere is chilling, almost haunting. A classical.

'Visions of angels' has an apparent cheesy appeal but Gabriel's whispering voice reminds us to hear beyond the sound and after getting into the song it's like a feeling of loss, of uncertainty. Amazing.

'Stagnation' is another classic; notoriously splendid. Playing and singing reach their peaks here. The best track in the album.

'The knife', much more powerful and astonishing in the live version, even so it's a great song.

'Dusk', a forgotten gem, the guitar intro followed by Gabriel's cutting vocals prepare us to a marvelous journey. Choir and instruments accompaniment are awesome.

Minus 0.5-star for some recording problems, minus 0.5-star for the studio version of 'The knife', weaker than the live version. A great album, indeed: imperdible. Total: 4.

The mythic voyage on Trespass starts with an acapella (a formula that will inspire the SEBTP album some years later) screaming the song's title. "Looking for Someone" is a beautiful and catchy tune that offers an apparent transition from pop-GENESIS to the begining of their prog quest. Here Gabriel shows a nice flute moment a-la Ian Anderson as well as his great vocal skills. The song contains nifty instrumental sections and since it carries a deep emotional luggage it also never ceases to amaze me. Good intro to prog land. After this, we are led to "White Mountain", a mesmerizing song with a latin rhythm around some of its lenght and also a lot of flute present. In this album Gabriel noticeable explores his skills as a flute player, adding more to the angelical factor present here. At the middle there is some beats and he uses a nice vocals technique sounding like an echo from heaven, and the song's main theme returns with that neat keyboard riff and great backing vocals by the members. Near the ending we have a moving section of choir and acoustic guitar that will bring tears to your eyes, so moving and deep! Whoa! What a song!!! *takes a calm down pill* Ok, a piano announces "Visions of Angels" which follows a similar touching fashion, so emotional and crying lyrics by Gabe. The chorus is beautiful! Again, the track has an interesting middle section slowly leading to the track's climax, with a choir work that takes you to the clouds. The song returns to its main theme and then we have a second climax similar to the first but this time with a crying mellotron! How can music be so deep? Don't ask me how, ask angel Gabriel and his mates what the heaven were they thinking while composing such magestic stuff! "Stagnation", another epic song, kicks in and it is another favorite of mine. Starting very quiet with a shy Gabriel singing some lines we are led to a long atmospheric instrumental section making it perhaps the album's best moment. There's some key notes floating like rain falling on water, taking your brain to a fairy tale land. The voyage reaches its true climax here. Then, there's is a different pace on the music, in another climax, with a different keyboard sound this time faster and very emotional. Gabriel's voice and flute quietly returns and then there's another atmospheric part with some sligh "ah ah ah"s and then some desperate ones, sounding like a cry. "I wanna drink, i wanna drink", shows how versatile his voice is. The song closes with a nice flute solo and soon followed by some keys with a group vocal work similar to the one present on the past track. The forgotten song "Dusk" then appears and may be the strongest one in terms of how it takes you to "another places", and has more neat flute work as well as some moving acoustic guitar ocasional soloing, plus an hypnotizing vocal performance by the band. Its ending shows some strong piano notes to flow well on the chaotic and NOT OUT OF PLACE awesome "The Knife", with its dancing intro and fast lyrics. "Now in this ugly world it is time to destroy this evil" - "Stand up and fight for what you know you're right; we'll strike at the lies that spreaded like diseases though our minds". Despite the other violent lyrics there's these amazing two messages in the lines showing a kind of "celestial" but also quite darke feel that was present during all the album. A long instrumental voyage with neat keys and guitar solos follows showing some really interesting bass lines. The battle happens and we listen to a scream saying "We won!" showing that it finally got a winner...the album then closes majestically while you are blown way from what you have just experienced.

This is an amazing addition to any prog music, it is at the same level as Dark Side of the Moon, Red, Lark's Tongues and several other albums that get far more recognition than this forgotten gem of the begining of the 70's. For the people who say this is not as good as Nursery Cryme or Foxtrot: Give it some more listens, as i said on another review, Trespass, Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot work as an unique album IMO, on around 140 minutes of perfect music and glory - and if you think for a second, this is the same lenght as FK's pretentious Unfold the Future, with the cute difference that is pure emotional classic symphonic original Genesian prog all along.

Amazing begining of an amazing band!

Overall Trespass is very balanced and great piece of work. The progressive element of Genesis might not had yet reached its peak as it would on the albums to follow Trespass, but I think that the listener will get a pretty good idea where Genesis would be heading next. Even though the tracks are not as progressive as you would expect from Genesis, they work as songs pretty well. The overall soundscape on this album is quite calm and peaceful and it represents perfectly Genesis as a sophisticated and elegant band. The music is well constructed and it has a large number of layers in it, which can be difficult to notice first due to the relatively poor quality of the recording and the low-level volume. For example the brilliancy of Anthony Phillips's guitar playing and Peter Gabriel’s flute playing can be left unnoticed if not listened carefully. So in order to get the most out of this album it should be listened in quiet place without any noise or sounds to distract the listener.

The album kicks off with the track Looking for Someone which is not so special in itself, but nevertheless works fine as an opener of the album. The following track White Mountain is entirely different story and proves perfectly that Trespass is a great album. The song is quite beautiful and sensitive and it contains one the most beautiful flute solo I can think of. White Mountain also presents brilliantly Gabriel’s odd singing style and the storytelling concept in the lyrics, which became very popular on the Genesis albums to follow Trespass. Visions of Angels has a little melancholic vibe in it even though it is much more lighter experience than the previous track White Mountain. Visions of Angels has also some great flute playing in it and overall the musical layers are constructed brilliantly. Stagnation starts off very calmly and quietly, but brightens up at the end where another completely different side of Gabriel's personal singing style can be heard. Anthony Banks provides an excellent and hypnotic mellotron solo for the song as well. Dusk is easily the most peaceful and calm track on the album and it has some mellow and soft choir parts, which work like a dream. The album reaches its peak with the track The Knife which fires up right away with a suprisingly rocking organ riff by Anthony Banks and Anthony Phillips offers a couple ripping electric guitar solos. It’s only a shame that the quality sound is quite poor on the album. Overall this track differs from the others by being more energetic and works perfectly as the closing track. Along with Stagnation this track also differs from the rest by having a more progressive song structure that would define the sound of Genesis in the future.

In general Trespass is a quite fine album, better than you might expect. I recommend the album for everyone who enjoys other classic Genesis albums such as Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot or Selling England by the Pound and overall Trespass is a fine addition to any progressive music fan’s record collection.

Every track on here is worthy of full grade, though Dusk is slightly questionable. However, I believe it makes a good intro to my favourite album finisher, The Knife. This is a must for everybody, thus, it gives a full five. There's no reason a prog fan shouldn't possess this.

After the train wreck From Genesis To Revelation was, Genesis somehow got their act together and released their first classic album in 1970, Trespass. The short, poppy songs that dominated the first album have been replaced with longer and more complex passages, not to mention the "classic" Genesis sound that would dominate until Peter Gabriel's departure. The album is full of Mellotron, flute, lush melodies and acoustic guitar, giving it a special and ethereal quality apart from the rest of the Genesis catalogue. Gabriel's lyric writing already seemed full bloom by this time as he presents focused writing, as strong as anything else he did with Genesis.

Of note is the band's line up, yet to include guitarist Steve Hackett and drummer Phil Collins, currently with Ant Phillips and John Mayhew (respectively). Don't let this turn you away, though- Trespass is an essential Genesis album along with the likes of Foxtrot and Selling England By The Pound. While subsequent versions of songs off Trespass may be stronger with the "classic" Genesis line up, they can't match the special quality found on Trespass. In all, Trespass proves to be a great progressive rock album that no prog fan should miss.

Having said that, Tresspass not only helped to define the genre, but also the classic Genesis sound, which would continue until about 1977. Tresspass sessions were the bottomless well into which Genesis would dip again and again for inspiration - even as late as "A Trick Of The Tail", which contains a song written in that formative period. The delicate 12-string passages, the searing guitar solos, the intricate keyboard runs, the majestic organ chords, the flute fills, the chord changes and perhaps most of all, the mythical atmosphere that defined the Genesis sound, are all here on this album. All songs are masterpieces of structure and execution, and there is nothing tentative here - it's a true "Progressive Manifesto".

"Trespass" is the first Genesis album in which everything came together, while many may disagree with this I believe that it is more or less the truth. The only major difference in the band is the fact that the guitars master Steve Hackett is not present on this recording; instead an equally talented man Anthony Philips features on guitar. I really have to say that I like what he brought to this album, more than once his guitar is what made this album shine out. Also there is no Phil Collins here, which is really the only thing lacking from "Trespass."

Peter Gabriel's voice finds its true sense on the album and his vocals on tracks such as "Stagnation" and "The Knife" really make you think. His more conceptual vocals on "White Mountain" are also noteworthy. Another major development in this album is the customary and unique acoustic guitar melodies which are a defining feature of Genesis for me. I'm pretty convinced that Anthony Philips can be blamed for this.

The album opens with "Looking for Someone" in which Peter Gabriel sings "Looking for Someone, I guess I'm doing that." Such an appropriate line for the opening track of the album. Some more vocals follow with a few lively sections bursting out here with a bit of electric guitar. The song usually dies down to something similar to the beginning of the song. The last two minutes of the peice is pure master work in terms of instrumentalism, very proggy.

"White Mountain" is a conceptual song as far as I'm concerned. It's about foxes and fox hierarchy, it's kind of hard to explain but it seems to be about a fox named One Eye, and another named Fang. I believe this is the song from which the title of the album was derived as there are some references to trespassing and related matters. This is a completely delightful progressive work, trust me you'll love it!

"Visions of Angles" features some very strong vocals and instrumentation, with some nice flute melodies here and there. Its Just an all round great song to put it plainly. There are a handful of melodies which are repeated continuously throughout the song, most of which are very easily caught in one's mind.

"Stagnation" is perhaps my favourite song on "Trespass." It is about a survivor of an atomic explosion. The song is quite mellow with some beautiful acoustic guitar and synthesizer melodies. The quietness of these sections makes the louder sections more meaningful due to the grandeur they possess. My favourite line from the album is on this track "And will I wait forever, beside the silent mirror and fish for bitter minoes besides the weeds and slimy waters."

"Dusk" is a very mellow song and features powerful backing and harmony vocals which gives the song an otherworldly sensation. The song remains relatively the same, very mellow and subtly beautiful.

"The Knife" is a dark and image forging song about what sounds to be a revolution. Everything about this song is perfect, the vocals, instrumentation, guitar solo, everything! Words can't describe the grandeur and brilliance of this song for me its defiantly a Genesis masterpiece. The guitar solo really re affirms Anthony Philips as a masterful guitarist.

What a great album! Seriously this album is the lowest rated of all the Peter Gabriel era Genesis albums but in my opinion it is the best. It's different to later Genesis albums, in a good way. I'd recommend this album to all symphonic prog fans so you may love it like I do.

As was said before me, it's the atmosphere that makes this effort be the best. It is somehow unpolished, maybe a littel bit raw album, but still, not only the perfect musicianship and pure "mathematic" that makes the music beutiful.

I personally like songs Looking for someone and The Knife but thye whole album is great.

I'd normally give this album four stars, but Foxtrot and Selling England By the Pound would then be rather underrated on Progrock scale, so I give it five stars, because Genesis was an exceptional band and this is their best.

The tracks vary from gentle and peaceful (Dusk, Stagnation, Visions of Angels) to aggressive, (Looking for Someone and the incomparable The Knife, where Gabriel spits out the vocals with venom). White Mountain is a narrative tale of a wolf which defies the norms of his society and pays the ultimate price.

Throughout, Banks' organ and mellotron soar majestically to provide most of the melodies. Phillips' guitar work is generally understated but effective though his solo on The Knife is a classic. Gabriel contributes some gentle flute work which adds to the ethereal feel of the gentler tracks and his vocal interpretations are majestic; the man has such a range of emotion and tone.

If there are weaknesses, they lie mainly in the production. The mix is muffled, particularly with the bass and drums, giving the impression that Mayhew was not quite up to the task set at times and may have led to his dismissal. At times, it sounds compressed and does not allow the music to soar as it should.

The music may, in fact, be worth the full 5* but it is difficult to extract the full benefit due to the dodgy sound quality. Overall, a very good, essential 4* album.

Looking for someone: 8/10 Peter voice is very beautiful and i like the sound of the organ.

White mountain: 8/10 The first time i hearded it, i didnt like it. But now for me it's a very beautiful song. The chorus is magical!

Visions of angels: 8/10 A beautiful song with a good riff a the middle of the song. A little bit repetitive.

Stagnation: 10/10 I think it's my favorite progressive song. Wow... All is perfect.

Dusk: 7/10 I don't listen it often but the flute part is good.

The knife: 8/10 The bass is very good. Good riff but i prefer the life version of genesis live.

Very good album.

All the songs are very fairytale-ish and melodic. Visions Of Angels, a more accessible song than other ones, contains good piano-melodies by Tony Banks and nice guitarwork by Anthony Phillips. 'Dusk' somehow reminds of the first album, but it's more adventurous and melancholic. Gabriels' flute solo at the halfpoint of this short song is beautiful. Good composition. Masterpiece of this recording is 'The Knife' which takes 9,5 minutes of powerful rock-music that found it's way better and better during the following Genesis-albums. Highlight is Phillips' guitar-solo. His input in the band was very important during these times. Too bad, because of his extreme fear of success, he left the band. John Mayhew dissapeared without any trace..

At that point, the remaining band members did not know that they would be replaced by two very talented, good musicians, who turned out to be groundbreaking important in the future of Genesis..

The thing that really sets this apart from future albums is the atmosphere. While the next album certainly retains much of this atmostphere (which wouldn't really dissapear until Selling England), this just seems so.........ancient, is the only word I can think of. It just brings images of Victorian England to my mind and a pastoral feel combined with their budding epic tendencies and dramatic dynamics. I think White Mountain best illustrates this atmosphere for me (The Fountain of Salamcis would be the only other song to come close to this on the next album). But all the songs, save one, are great IMO. The one song that doesn't really do a lot for me is Visions Of Angels. Perhaps it is just too happy or simple for me, I can't really say. It just seems to lack something that all the others have. The highlights, aside from White Mountain, are definetly Stagnation and The Knife. Though The Knife would be given a much more effective treatment live by the next incarnation of the band. But the other tracks are very good as well, with Dusk being a beautiful melencholy pastoral number with a wonderful flute solo and Looking for Someone being a fairly effective combination of their style of the previous album combined with the new, more epic direction.

All in all, an excellent album that any fan of early Genesis must have. I would only suggest that this is probably not a good place to start if you have not heard any Gabriel era Genesis. For that, I would probably suggest Genesis Live.

Most people know that this is before Phil and Steve. Well, as much as I love Steve, he isn't really missed on the album. Anthony Phillips is quite excellent. You probably wouldn't be able to tell it's not Hackett, unless you are very used to him and have an excellent ear. John Mayhew does a good job. Phil is better, of course, but there aren't a lot of people that are better than Phil. My only major complaint of the drumming here is the roll at the end of "The Knife". The bass drum and cymbals are behind Tony's organ, which is in time. It is only for about a measure, but it drives me crazy.

There is not a musically weak track here. The guitar and flute throughout the album are very good. Peter really shows his ability. It is more prevalent here than on "Selling England" and, especially, "The Lamb". "The Knife" is their most popular one here. It is their most recognized song on the album, is the only one that would be used on later tours (unless you count the end of "Stagnation" which was put in the live version of "I Know What I Like"), and was the reason they got their (new) record deal. It most likely is the best on the album, but the other songs are nearly as good. "Trespass" is often overlooked but it shouldn't be. It is an awesome display of prog by five very young men. 4.5 stars.

OK, so J.K. kept the rights to the songs on "From Genesis to Revelation". But then he had to let them go and play with the big boys where they belonged, and spent the rest of his free life telling the world how he had discovered them. I bet that smarted just a bit.

After that, Genesis spent many a happy evening spinning the magnificent debut from the other Crimson King, and getting inspiration, not to mention revelations, about where the music was going to take them next.

Keeping their roots firmly entrenched in folk music, leaning more towards the off-the-wall 12-string driven sound of the ISB, Genesis nevertheless liked the hard rock sound and apocryphal walls of synths so much, that these too had to be incorporated.

This, coupled with Gabriel's confidence in his articulate delivery of lyrics that approached real poetry, with their themes of fantasy and nostalgic pastoral times of yore, meant that there was no sophomore jinx for this band - they had arrived, and this can truly be seen as the debut.

Having got rid of drummer John Silver, they had, unfortunately, replaced him with the eminently sackable John Mayhew, who clearly had about as much understanding of the pathos and drama in Genesis' music as someone who didn't, and as much co-ordination behind the drum kit as a learner driver.

Personally, I love the production on this album - even if I do hate the drumming. The feel of nostalgia is just as strong as the King Crimson debut, if not more so, and that underlines the lyrics very well, and brings out something almost mediaeval in the music - a pretty good job for an electrified folk/rock band, if you ask me!

Exposition

And as for the music, well, if you require a definition of what exactly constitutes good Prog Rock, then here it is. Not a masterpiece of the genre - the drums let it down too much, and there are other, far less glaring flaws besides - but a fine and solid example that should be in every Progger's collection.

What exactly is so good about it?

"Looking for Someone" puts us in the mood straight away - that a capella vocal entry (a trick later re-used on "Selling England by the Pound") is a wake-up call, as well as a statement of intent. Banks drifts eerie keyboard lines, and Phillips gently entwines contrapuntal guitar lines - and the first thing we notice is the soothing absence of the pentatonic scale.

Soft sixths and minor sevenths are the order of the day, along with slightly rambling melody lines that are a huge relief from the multitude of scale practitioners that were around then and, sadly, seem to have increased in number to this day. This creates a feeling of expectation that is gentle, punctuated and illustrated by watercolour softs and shades of musical dynamic.

Formally, we have a reasonably standard song structure of "verse1", "verse2", "chorus", "verse3", up until the instrumental bridge, but despite the contrast between "verse" and "chorus" sections, we do not feel the chorus aspect - it feels more like a refrain:

The lyrical structure is clearly not designed as a singalong - more as a reflective meditation, with the contrasting music providing balance in the structure that helps this song feel like no rock song ever recorded before - like a continuing narrative with subtle dynamic, rather than a "hit".

Technique

The words are superbly coloured by the instruments, not in any predictable literal sense, but through little devices such as the harmonic movement from F -> B flat -> A minor -> D minor accompanying the phrase "You see the sunlight through the trees, to keep you warm in peaceful shades of green".

This chord progression begins with a very warm feeling, but with the introduction of the minor flavour, feels like we are entering shades - it's quite tangible, as the minor chords are noticeably cooler.

The Genesis of instrumentals

The instrumental section is where things get really interesting, bearing all the hallmarks of the Genesis that would go on to produce such a fine crop of Prog albums. Musical passages appear in chunks that go together to create an impressionist vision of a world populated by the protaganist on horseback - we hear galloping hooves for a while - resting in a clearing - we clearly hear twittering birds in Gabriel's flute - in ever-changing rolling countryside continuing the search all too briefly before the song resumes.

This is no mere widdly-woo look at me I'm great and can play scales really fast type solo section - this is directly from the new King Crimson school of thought; the actual development of rock music based not only on previous thematic ideas, but using new ideas to create an image of the entire concept of the song in a microcosm.

Development

When the final verse arrives, there are jagged changes in the accompaniment, with powerful, towering blocks of chords, reflecting arrival in a city - or the arrival of the city, indicating the timeless nature of the lyrical material. It's not clear if the search has brought the protagonist to the city, or whether it has been built on the land in which the archetype is continuing the search begun in times of antiquity. I rather like the latter idea.

A new instrumental section, slightly jarring, starting and stopping, full of crushed note chords, paints the mechanical nature of the surroundings, takes us to what could have been a real climax, if only they'd found Phil Collins sooner.

The End

Unfortunately, that is where most of the technical fireworks finish. That is not to say you should stop listening here - far from it - it's just that any analysis would necessarily be scant of the 5 remaining tracks, including the monster "The Knife", which is as good as everyone says it is.

The attention to detail is lower in "White Mountain", for example; Although the introduction is quite magnificent - Banks' keyboard layers shimmering and twisting around Phillips' wily guitar lines - Gabriel lowers the tone a little with some of those scales he was using on "From Genesis to Revelation".

The introduction contradicts everything you've ever read about the production on this album - edgy, rumbling bass, coarse mellotron and Phillip's rich 12-string sound all combine to produce a sound that's almost Venetian. Gabriel's theatrical vocals introduce the song with genuine excitement and poetry, and this builds to a climax around 1:12.

Unfortunately...

Then it all descends into a kind of soft mushiness, with a repetitive accompaniment inducing a feel of a standard song, which lends nothing to the tale unfolding in the lyrics save a vague feeling of travelling.

Fortunately...

Around 1:45, we get more of Phillips' and Rutherford's guitar layers, segueing into a beautiful flute melody for an unexpected instrumental passage.

Some vocal harmonies are apparent on the second verse - but then we get another instrumental passage based on the previous one, which leads to a sinister stomping accompaniment for the next verse. Here again, Gabriel's theatricals shine - the highlight being the line "And he, the Usurper must die".

Another beautiful flute-driven passage leads to a combination of mellotron and, of all things, whistling! The edgy introduction returns, building more quickly with human voices humming, and dropping away suddenly, by way of meditation on what has gone before - the story of Fang, son of great Fang who paid the highest price for seeing the crown of the Gods, but nonetheless, died an honorable death.

From Genesis...

"Visions of Angels" sounds like something left over from the "Genesis to Revelations" sessions - but with the instrumental passage left in, and, it has to be said that the instrumental passage is much more interesting than the song itself which, although full of softly off-the wall harmonic progressions and two-part verse structures is even more mushy than in "White Mountain".

...to Revelations

A tiny fanfare ends the first chorus, and this is recapitulated as an introduction to the intrumental after the second. An inexpert bass line underpins Banks' and Phillips' improvs, with Banks switching keyboards to provide textural layers. This is soon joined by vocal "Aahs" that remind me of the vocalised passage in "A Saucerful of Secrets". A piano motif lightens the mood and is joined by the flute for a smooth transition into the last verse, which features some superb arrangements that cast aside the earlier mushy sound.

The last chorus is iterated twice - the first time with a greatly stripped-back accompaniment, and the second much fuller, providing a beautiful progressive feel. The second idea of the second instrumental bridge is worked out to equally beautiful effect to end the piece, giving a coherent and tight, not to mention progressive structure to the piece.

Stagnant

Harmonically speaking, "Stagnation" is somewhat disappointing, revolving around 2- chord jams - but as an overall structure, it is quite stunning, with a naive charm and plenty of unexpected textural experimentation, some of which works, some of which, well, you make up your mind...

There is also plenty of that Genesis light and shade that we've come to love and expect, with many a hint at the greatness that was to come on later albums. "Supper's Ready" is anticipated more than once, among others - but there are also stand-out passages of truly bad drumming and bass playing that render all comparisons to "proper" Genesis nul and void.

All in all, a song with much going for it, but nothing special in the Prog Rock canon.

What about those Mellotrons, eh?

"Dusk" is a far more accomplished piece of Prog, with chiming bells and tasty little flute runs topping scrunchy and sometimes angular guitar chords - and what about those Mellotrons, eh? The emphasis here is no longer on the instrumental passages - at last, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, and the individual sections are all well thought-out and enjoyable in themselves while still meshing together perfectly to make a piece of tangible spontaneity second only to "The Knife".

The Final Cut

Finally, we come to the monster that is "The Knife". Spoiled somewhat in places by appalling drumming, if we ignore that, then it's a miracle of heavy Prog-Rock engineering.

The unmistakable keyboard introduction, punctuated with aggressive guitar stabs builds in intensity as the verse progresses, and these lines are developed as the irresistable chorus progresses, Gabriel joining to make a quite perfect trio of tension-builders. At last we get something passable in the bass, even if it does get a little lost here and there, and clingy at other times, it provides good drive where it gets confident, and at times does exactly what is needed to provide support to keyboards, guitars and flute, before realising that it needs to do a bit more, and starts clinging again.

No such problems in the other parts, though, which seamlessly explore and develop themes, grow new melodic lines and textures, maintaining a wonderfully organic feel to the piece that is simply not present in rock music before this album was released - and that includes "In The Court...", which never achieved this level of overall improvisation.

While none of the playing is overtly virtuosic, the growing of musical form is the most impressive feature of this piece, and something that even Genesis themselves found hard to top in later compositions.

Recapitulation

Trespass is worth buying for "The Knife" alone, with "Dusk" and "Looking for Someone" as bonuses.

While the other songs have plenty that is good about them, they simply don't reach the standards of the latter.

This album represents the transition between the group who recorded "From Genesis to Revelation" and the group who recorded "Nursery Cryme", and while Steve Hackett came in to make significant contributions, one can't help but wonder what would have happened if Anthony Phillips, who has composition credits for all tracks, had remained with the group.

Essential album for your Prog Rock collection for the tracks I've highlighted - although there are plenty more that are essential as complete albums.

The best Prog Rock album you'll ever find from 1970.

I'd say this is even better debut than In the Court of the Crimson King.

And that's coming from a non-fan, so it must mean something (or maybe it doesn't). Other than SEBTP, this might be the next best Genesis album. Of course, the best quality might be that there is no Phil Collins. Trespass feels the most artistic and perhaps the most genuine. While others I have found to be a bit overblown and too bland sounding, this record feels much more sincere and the musicianship is still there.

I'm sure I'm also one of the few who cares nothing for The Knife. It's the heaviest track on here and the one I like the least. It sounds more like the later Genesis outputs as well, while the other 5 songs have an innocence about them that makes them sublime and beautiful. The Knife, for me, sticks out like a sore thumb among a bunch of other really good tracks.

A good output by one of the most revered bands in prog rock. A bit different from the works of their "classic" lineup, but I've found it to be a very good listening experience. A great little bit in the early history of progressive rock.

The truly first Genesis LP. I bought this vinyl album back in 1974. I already knew "The Knife" from the "Genesis Live" album (first one of my Genesis collection). I really felt in love with Trespass. Not a single track is weak.

Side one is equally balanced between three tracks of almost the same lenght. It is full of poetry, wonderfull acoustic moments, flute passages, and of course Peter's voice which had seriously grown up since the poor "From Genesis to Revelation". The three of them are really very good songs (probably in my top 20 best of the band). The ambience of the record is very smooth and tranquil, but never boring.

The opener "Looking For Someone" is my fave on this side and wonderfully combines soft parts with more vigorous ones. Peter is quite dramatic, and his so special voice serves the music briliantly.

The overall mood of this side is rather melancholic. "White Mountains" is so moving...especially the vocalized closing part. "Visions Of Angels" also leaves the listener quite touched. Delicate, sweet and melodic. It is almost on par with the opening song. Another excellent moment indeed.

Side two opens with "Stagnation" which I liked (and still do) very much. It is one of the most underrated one of the band (there will one track like this on the following two albums as well, but this another story). Scarcely played live, this track is very melodious. So far, I have to admit that this album owes an awful lot to the symphonic side of "ITCOTCK". And "Stagnation" is maybe the vibrant homage to this great album.

"Dusk" is a very cool acoustic track with nice guitar and flute moments. Pastoral and quite: on line with the rest of the material.

The closing number "The Knife" will always represent one of the favourite live track of the band. It is completely different from the other songs featured on "Trespass". What we get here is pure madness, almost hard rock.

The lyrics are pretty weird, dark and violent : "I'll give you the names of those you must kill, All must die with their children. Carry their heads to the palace of old, Hang them high, let the blood flow" !

Some electric guitar parts are extremely powerful, mighty shall I say. The lyrics are spledid as well and warn about the human madness during war periods.

This song represents a special souvenir for me: I was lucky (and therefore today old) enough to see them performing "The Lamb Lies Down" live in Brussels in April 75. Since Belgium has always been kind of special for "Genesis" (they played their first concert outside of the UK in Brussels on March 7, 1971 at la Ferme V), they played "The Knife" as the second and last encore (usually they were playing either "The Musical Box" OR "Watcher of the Skies"). Brussels was one of the very few venues of The Lamb tour where Genesis played two encores ! I still have the shiver when I remind myself of this fabulous moment.

For all these reasons, I rate this album with five stars. Excellent from start to finish (even if "Dusk" is a little weaker) it reminds me so many good souvenirs (especially in those dark days that I am facing now).

The essence of the band is there. Two new musicians will soon join the band and new directions will be explored. But that's another great story!

This review was edited on October 28th, 2009.

Looking for Someone: ***** Nice instrumental parts and nice song length. White Mountain: ***** It's a neat song. Visions of Angels: **** It's a cool song, but I'm not sure about exactly what it's about. Stagnation: ***** LONG LIVE SONGS ABOUT NUCLEAR WAR! Dusk: **** It's definitely good, but it could be longer. The Knife: ***** As I said above, this is my favorite song on the album. It's about war demigog or something like that. It's an awesome song with awesome lyrics and an awesome instrumental passage.

So, there's my two cents.

"Looking For Someone" is all about Mr.Gabriel's amazing vocals, although Tony Banks does a great job as well. Some excellent flute and guitar too. Good song, but I like "White Mountain" better. It opens with mellotron and Gabriel's incredible vocals followed later by pulsating keys, flute and 12 string guitar.

"Visions Of Angels" opens with piano and some intricate guitar. We are treated to a little mellotron and more nice piano melodies. I really like "Stagnation". This song has some really beautiful pastoral moments, with gentle vocals and flute. There are also some uptempo moments as drums build and the vocal melody is great. "Dusk" is a dreamy, pastoral song with gentle vocals, flute and 12 string guitar. Nice."The knife" is an uptempo tune with a catchy beat. Things get more aggressive after 5 minutes and check out the beautiful guitar melodies from Mr.Phillips ! Great song !

This is where it started to come together for the band, and this is an outstanding record.

Ahhh... NOW THAT'S PETER'S VOICE!, I thought by listening to those very first seconds of the album after suffering through the guys' first high-school times experiment. Only a year passed between the two albums but it seems they grew up in a flash!

In any case, these first Genesis albums have a general boredom quality to them that I haven't been able to shake off these years. But it all comes down to how good the songs end up being. And the first three ones are really enjoyable: "Looking for Someone"'s instrumental passages may go for a little too long, but the end result is positive. "White Mountain"'s melody succeeds in joining the lyrics to create a really coherent atmosphere within this almost mythological foxes and wolves story. And "Visions of Angels"... don't remember anything particular about it right now, to be honest, but nice song.

"Stagnation" is a quite long journey, but it ends up in one of the most beautiful and emotional epic endings this band has ever done.

"Dusk" is the only song I can't stand here.

The legendary "The Knife" closes this example of "second album being a hundred times better than the first". Very energetic, but too long for my tastes.

Onward!

Trespass for me is quite a good album very progy the drummer isnt that good phil collins is 10 times better but i thought the guitarist on this album is i think good.

All the songs are good the best is obviously THE KNIFE first when i heard it i thought na i dont like it mostly because of the bad recording but it grew on me and now i love it overall a good album.

The rating for this album is undoubtedly higher because it is part of the early GENESIS canon. In my view, excluding their un-Genesis debut album, this is the weakest album GENESIS issued - in any era. It simply doesn't contain the delightful melodies, the soaring, glorious moments and the sweet GENESIS vibe we all associate with the band in their prime. The musicians can all play their instruments, so musicianship isn't the problem here.

There are hints here of the strong musical force this group would become. At their best, GENESIS juxtapose gentle melodies with moments of drama and farce, with emphasis on voice (Peter Gabriel) and keyboard (Tony Banks). The guitars (Anthony Phillips here, Steve Hackett later) and rhythm section play less of a role than those familiar with recent progressive music are familiar with. The effect is to emphasise beauty rather than power. If that's not what you like in music, I suspect you'll wonder what all the fuss over GENESIS is about.

The problem with this record is two-fold: composition and production. There simply isn't enough dynamic variation in the first five songs: the balance of riotous fun, otherworldly drama and fantasy is obscured by muddy production (this album defines poor production, in my view) and a lack of risk-taking in composition. Too many of the tracks are pastoral, which is why 'The Knife' stands out.

Ah, 'The Knife'. Right up with the best thing they ever did. What a towering shame it couldn't have been recorded with the crisp production values of, say, 'Trick Of The Tail'.

To be honest, you could give this album a miss and not lose much from your GENESIS experience. Obviously you have to buy the group's key albums. Go ahead. But I don't think this is one.

The content is very heavy on atmosphere largely from the heavy use of Mellotron and 12 string guitars, with the exception of the blistering guitar on "The Knife". With the exception of this track, the sound is gentle and timid but NOT weak.

Its main failings are it's production and the rather workman like drumming of Mayhew, the former can possibly be resolved in the soon to be released 2007 SACD re-release. Mayhew was soon replaced by Collins who provided a much needed cleverness behind the drum stool that this album lacks.

Overall though I give this 4 because of the vibe of this album which you either get or you don't.

This is not a very polished album. The sound quality is poor, and Mayhew's drumming is sloppy at times. When Collins joins the band, things come together and become tighter but as for now, it's a bit held back. But besides that, the album is very good. The band's exceptional skill at writing is realized and tasted (in a great portion!). Looking For Someone begins the albums very nicely, with Gabriel's distinctive voice and his significant lyrics. The entire LP flows from beautiful organ and vocals to upbeat, fast-paced symphonic rockers. The addition of flute is very well placed. This is a very symphonic album: it's full of keyboards and flute, and it's very soft and delicate. The band is focusing on their stellar songwriting, and keeping the flashy musicianship for later (see Foxtrot). Writing, in my opinion, is far more important.

The lyrics are excellent, and work perfectly with the music. The Knife in particular has very meaningful and thought-provoking lyrics (read on). Also, imagery is very strong (".Jungles of Ice.") throughout the disc. The music on this record is very moving, and emotionally clinging. Visions of Angels' lyrics leave a lasting effect, and the overall atmosphere and mood of this album is one-of-a-kind and unforgettable. Even Dusk, the shortest track on the album, is very full of character and gently soothing. It's an acoustic song, for the most part, and is extremely intriguing.

All of the tracks leading up the Knife build tension and set the mood. When that climatic track finally comes, it's very exciting. It begins strongly, but in the standard Genesis fashion. But when the band goes into the psychedelic, swampy section, and then come blaring back in full glory, it's really astonishing, and isn't something that should be missed. The Knife is genuine progressive rock.

Lyrically, "The Knife," is fantastic. The narration trades from the voice of a nation of soldiers to the voice of a leader (possibly a dictator, or simply a power-hungry tyrant). This tyrant convinces his men to kill all who oppose them. The imagery of the poem is quite gruesome ("...Carry their heads to the palace of old, Hang them high, let the blood flow..."), which illuminates Peter Gabriel's hatred toward violent behavior. After all their bloody destruction, the soldiers justify their heinous crimes by saying "We are only wanting freedom".

Despite the album's many shortcomings, it is among the most important albums in my collection. Its writing is phenomenal, and triumphs over all its faults. Nearly every moment of this album is completely beautiful.

The lyrics seem a bit gloomy for a band who's members were so young at the time. With Trespass, Genesis left behind the short song format, the strings and really made a quantum leap forward musically.

Stagnation is one my favorites on the album. There's and introduction to the song in the original LP album cover: "To Thomas S. Eiselberg, a very rich man, who was wise enough to spend all his fortunes in burying himself many miles beneath the ground. As the only surviving member of the human race, he inherited the whole world." The introduction to the Knife, which is also missing is "For those that trespass against us." Very moving line in Visions of Angels - "Ice is moving and the worlds begun to freeze, see the sunlight stopped and deadened by the breeze, Minds are empty bodies move insensitive, some believe that when they die they really live."

This one's long overdue for a remaster, but apparently MCA Records (USA) has ownership of this one. (A little update to that, according to this site there is apparently a remaster out there, but it's not readily available if at all.) My original CD copy is a Virgin Records release, which is also not a remaster, but is superior to the MCA version, which has some sloppy song fade outs that weren't in the original mix. I bought MCA's version thinking it was a remaster, but ended up selling it and keeping my original CD. The main fault I can find with the Virgin edition is they butchered the album cover art. Kind of ironic since the album cover is a painting with a knife slashing through it. Would have been nice to see inner album artwork reproduced as well.

I'd put Trespass head to head with any other progressive release from 1970. If not number one, then certainly in the top 5 or 10.

Not quite as exquisite as Foxtrot, Nursery Cryme, or Selling England by the Pound, so I'd have to say 4.5 stars for this almost masterpiece. However, due to it's historic importance that led Genesis down the path of progressive rock, I'm going to round it up to five stars rather than round down. An excellent, highly recommended album, especially for its historical significance.

'looking for someone' is a very progressive track, being dramatically delivered by gabriel. His voice is especially good sounding here! the song develops into some cool keyboard passages and some calming flutes as well. Nothing bad to say about this track really! I'm quite fond of this song myself (and the rest of the album!)

'white mountain' is a keyboard driven adventure with some mythical lyrics about a wolf. It almost sounds kind of 'vampirish' thanks to tony banks. It is a very haunting track and a very epic track. Nothing bad to say about this one either!

'visions of angels' is where the album begins to demand patience. This is a very nice song, but it's subtle. the piano holds this one together. My favourite aspect of this song is the lyrics. the song as a whole is good, but it seems like it's missing a little substance. there is a pretty epic sounding climax to the song though, perhaps balancing it out a bit. Patience is all you need to enjoy this one!

'stagnation' is an awesome song, but this one requires patience as well. It starts out quiet and gradually builds to the grand conclusion. this song is well worth the listen though...it's one of those prog journeys that takes time to appreciate, a gem that grows brighter with age. an excellent early genesis song!

'dusk' for me is the weak point of the album. The song is quite dreamy sounding and has good lyrics, but again, something seems to be missing (like steve hackett!). the song is short and just can't seem to hold my interest. It's not bad , but this song is just really 'empty' sounding to me. It's a bit repetitive too. It's not bad and it sounds like a part of the album, but it is definitely the low point for me. Don't shun this one too much though, you might like it!

'the knife' is a genesis favourite, and for good reason...this song rocks! It's heavy, lengthy and very progressive. The keyboards bass guitar and everything else are aggressive on this song, it being about some sort of battle. There are some killer organ passages here that I get exited over every timer I hear them! This is definitely the high point of the album! There is even a girl screaming at one part that adds the dramatic element to the song. an essential genesis masterpiece!

all in all, this is a worthy effort, but it isn't perfect. This early lineup did well though, considering hackett had not entered the scene yet. aside from a slight lack of depth and substance on a couple of the tunes, which aren't bad at all, this is a solid album. The plus side is that this album has a very distinctive pastoral sound, not found on later albums. this album has plenty enough good things to offer to any prog fan, especially fans of classic gabriel era genesis. 4/5

“Trespass” had one of the first GENESIS songs that I fell in love with immediately – “White Mountain”, almost 7 minutes of bliss for me, a Prog newbie 5 years ago. “Looking for Angels” with Gabriel’s opening (sounding like Ozzy Osbourne to my ears!!!) had some incredible places as well, but I had to grow up to appreciate it in its full beauty. More gentle pieces like “Dusk” and “Vision of Angels” made almost in a pastoral manner, played mostly on acoustic instruments. Two main album’s epics, “Stagnation” and “The Knife”, balance on polar sides; the first one is a half-acoustic mellotronized ballad with pompous coda, while the second one is an unquestionable highlight of early concerts, dramatic and catchy battle sketch with awesome instrumental section.

Despite some average moments (every album has its own lacks), this is still a solid record, which entered a way for GENESIS to The Top Prog League. I simply can’t understand people who prefer band’s debut to “Trespass”! It’s a Must, an essential record, not to be missed!!!

Although the production left much to be desired at the time, it did not hide the band´s new power in terms of songwriting and performance. All the tracks are good in my opinion and this CD is more balanced and flows better than Nursery Cryme. The absolute highlight is The Knife, which set the pattern for the classic Genesis sound from then on. But all songs are remarkable.

Conclusion: an outstanding second album, one of prog´s true gems and a must have for any prog fan. If not for the (poor) production, I´d give it 5 stars, but still I rated Trespass 4,5 stars on the strength of their renewed perfomance and songwriting skills.

This album has hints of brilliance (The Knife). But many of the other tracks don't flow/end well (Visions of Angels). This album could have received a 4/5 if there were some really great songs, and some average; however, in this album, it seems that parts of songs are great, and other parts are just average. Consistency of mood and the whole fluidity of albums is very important to me. Trespass is a huge step for Genesis, and they took an even bigger step with their next album (Nursery Cryme), but it's just too choppy to be considered "Excellent".

While the material is both catchy, melodic, and memorable, the band have moved away from regular vers/chorus structures, and most tracks feature many sections and unconventional song structures. One of the most important features of the band´s music in those days were the light/dark, loud/mellow songwriting approach. Several sections feature twin 12-string acoustic guitar playing, subdued melodic vocals, and a folk influenced melancholic atmosphere (including lead vocalist Peter Gabriel playing the flute), but the music can also be relatively hard rocking and energetic. The dark and heavy closing track "The Knife" is the best example of the latter style.

The 42:35 minutes long album features 6 tracks. Highlights are "Looking For Someone", "White Mountain", "Stagnation", and "The Knife". "Visions Of Angels" and "Dusk" are slightly less interesting, but they aren´t bad quality tracks. "Visions Of Angels" just features an odd uplifting mood, which doesn´t suit Genesis and "Dusk" is a type of mellow and folky acoustic track, that Genesis would excel in a do much better on subsequent releases. But there is definitely the blueprint on that track for future greatness.

One of the great assets of the band´s sound is the voice, lyrics, and delivery of Peter Gabriel. There´s something magical about the way he is able to tell a story while singing. His function is a combined storyteller/singer role, and while others have done it both before and since, and some have done it well too, Gabriel is a rather unique character. Just listen to how he tells the tale of the epic battle between the two wolves (Fang and One-Eye) on "White Mountain". Personally I know I disappear into fairytale land whenever Gabriel opens his mouth an sings. This is pure audio magic...

"Trespass" feautures a sound production which is of a good quality for the time, but the drums could have sounded better. And if there is to be a slight point of critique it would be that Mayhew maybe wasn´t the most suitable drummer for Genesis and their music. He would leave soon though and be replaced by Phil Collins (in August 1970), who brought a completely different approach to rhythm and drumming with him. Guitarist and founding member Anthony Phillips was the first to leave though, as he wasn´t satisfied with the direction of the band´s music, and because many of his songwriting ideas were rejected and therefore didn´t make it unto "Trespass". It took the band a while to find a suitable replacement but in late December 1970, they auditioned new guitarist Steve Hackett and he joined Genesis in January 1971.

As it stands "Trespass" is still a great progressive rock album and a sign of even greater things to come. It´s a little immature in places and the band obviously still needed to refine some of their songwriting ideas and hone their skills, but overall it´s a high quality progressive rock album and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is fully deserved.

"Dusk" truly has a magical feel about it, and then "The Knife" just blows you away with its increasing magnitude of rock.

And Anthony Phillips is awesome here - what a shame it ended here for him with Genesis. This is not a criticism of Steve Hackett - who is a truly awesome guitarist as well of course.

Well, this lead to "Nursery Cryme" next - which was even better (and my favourite Genesis album).

Truly haunting - NOT to be missed!

1. Looking for someone. I always liked this opening song bringing me in the right mood. Real symphonic. 4,5 stars.

2. White mountain. Least track of the album to me. But still nice. 3,5 stars.

3. Visions of angels. Somewhat better than previous track. Also not really the best. 3,75 stars.

4. Stagnation. I always loved this one very much, it has a special place in my heart. Great atmosphere. 4,75 stars.

5. Dusk. Very good ballad, one of their best ever. 4,25 stars.

6. The Knife. A true classic by this band, another very symphonic track, great composition. 4,75 stars.

So that leaves a very clear score of 4,25 stars. Rounded down to well deserved 4 stars. Great "debut" and recommended to start with.

Peter Gabriel at his vocal peak starts 'Looking For Someone' showing inspired phrasing and poetic imagination, instantly becoming one of the great modern front men. Full-fledged symphonic rock here with all parts in place, a monumental piece of arranging and mixing for its time. 'White Mountain' is exactly that, Banks' mellotron shroud of fog crawling open and bassist Rutherford's shivering nylon string guitar, pastoral at times but colored by a theatrical darkness that artists such as Roger Waters would later begin imitating, filled with both stark and subtle changes. 'Visions of Angels' is huge and biblical, the group almost begging to be associated literally with their name, uplifting if grimly serious. But it is the fourth cut, 'Stagnation', that the band starts to get the lift that would carry them on to at least five more brilliant albums showing great dynamics and a seemingly endless supply of musical ideas. The very folk 'Dusk' is a weak point but not bad, and ironclad warship 'The Knife' is not to be messed with, bristling with gunnery, rusty barbs and Gabriel's political sarcasm. It is young symphonic rock at its best, wide-eyed, small but ready, and an unstoppable force soon to be a major player.

This may not be everyones favorite Genesis record but that's hardly the point, is it? At that moment there was nothing like it, and it advanced things in a way that bigger acts like Floyd, Jethro Tull and others were still years away from achieving. Hugely important, vital to the movement, 'Trespass' is often dismissed but is lushly musical and entirely essential.

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A stunning progressive album, probably second (and maybe first) for me out of all of the classic period Genesis' efforts (behind SEBTP), even though it's not yet the 'classic' line-up. Here Gabriel's voice has taken on a soul-piercing edge that's never quite been rivaled (for me, at least) by his later vocals, Philips' guitar shifts between powerful and driving to the interplay characteristic of later Genesis. Banks has stepped up his choice of instruments and uses piano, organ or mellotron to fit the piece and the idea. Mayhew's drumming seems to be looked down upon, but I enjoy it anyway, and the production isn't great, but is good enough for me, as a non-audiophile. Lastly, a word for Mike Rutherford's bass and acoustics, which are great throughout.

Looking For Someone opens with moody organ and emotional vocals, moving up into searing guitar and drumming, perfectly conveying the search for order and meaning in the excellent lyrics. Banks' piano and organ are brilliantly used. The changes in mood are perfectly executed, and the use of the flute is better and more energetic here than on any other Genesis album. Perhaps the real charm (for me) of this album and this song in particular is that the music and lyrics actually evoke their subjects for me.

White Mountain was one of the two pieces responsible for getting me into Genesis (the other being One For The Vine), and from the mellotron-and-acoustic opening it really drags you into the cold, clear atmosphere it describes, reflecting both the adrenaline of the chase and the beauty, yet savagery of the environment. The drumming feels right, the organ touches are powerful, yet never too dominant, and Gabriel's voice is (again) unique, powerful and expressive, and the bleak and almost mourning ending doesn't break this. Classic song.

Visions of Angels does have choruses, but it's certainly not a pop song. Musically, it's the weakest track here, in my opinion, but emotionally it does as much for me as the others. The verses are beautiful, haunting and yet feel quite sharp, the lyrics are surreal and gripping ('Ice is moving and the world's begun to freeze/See the sunlight stopped and deadened by the breeze'), and for me, a very personal experience. Gabriel's vocal here is (just me talking) his best ever, the quiet mellotron moments are beautiful. The chorus, however, is just not at the same standard (perhaps 'too bombastic' or 'too frivolous' are the words to use. It's not bad in itself, but after the emotional build-up, it seems a bit blunt and unimaginative), and I've never been a huge fan of using harmonies in a chorus. It's an amazing song for me if I can switch off and listen purely on an emotional level, but I can't help occasionally thinking that the chorus on this is the moment that lets down the entire album.

Stagnation is long, and has relatively few vocals, which means that it takes a while to get used to, but I've at last acquired it, and I now actually really enjoy it. Again, the concept is pretty clear, intelligent and enjoyable, the lyrics are good, the vocals are good, and the changes are all done superbly. All of the components are good, but the end result, the haunting atmosphere and powerful music, is a real stunner. There's a lot of the guitar interplay that's present on The Musical box, the keyboards are generally clean and melodic, but vary a lot throughout the song, the drumming essentially takes a back seat here, except in the more 'rock' sections. One of the most forgotten prog epics, and one of the best.

Dusk is a quieter, shorter track with definite folk leanings, a mixture of Gabriel's voice and a harmony as the main , and a combination of guitars and chimes leading the music. After a couple of minutes of this, there's a minute of instrumental middle section which really doesn't hit the heights of the rest of this album, with atmospheric flute at one point. Thankfully, the return to the vocals prepares for a better end. This seems to be one of those pieces where (despite not being bad) the quality and variation really comes from the presence of the vocals and lyrics. Great, but not perfect.

The Knife. What to say? An absolute beast which leaves me wanting more. I almost wish that Genesis had explored the hard rock style evident here a little more. Gabriel's voice is gripping and powerful, perfectly exploring the strong lyrics. Rutherford's bass is superb. The distorted guitar riffs and organ work together in a mind-blowing fashion, with Mayhew's drums basically providing a backbone for the opening. A stunning first section moves into an inquisitive quiet part with excellent bass, guitar and flute, and occasional percussion in the background. Philips' guitar introduces the 'We are only wanting freedom' line, which is repeated to add even more power and tension and the screaming and background sirens really evoke the idea of revolution, of anger, of adrenaline. If there's a song that puts me in the mind of a battle, this is it. The build-up is amazing, the conclusion is powerful, and I even enjoy the much-maligned drumming: this song is a full-on hard/prog rock masterpiece.

Emotionally and personally, this album is a flawless five star. The ideas stand out, and the music essentially conveys them perfectly. Unfortunately, Visions of Angels and Dusk don't, for me, really stand up to scrutiny as masterpiece material. I love them when I'm not trying to pick holes in them, which is usually, but that's what distinguishes an amazing four star album from something I'd label as a general masterpiece.

First time I heard Trespass I didn't like it that much. But now I can see why it's heralded as the band's first masterpiece.

The music is fantastic all the way through. Not only is the music progressive and elaborated, but it's also full of atmosphere and even some catchy tunes here and there. The album takes time to groew on you, but it definitely does.

Phillips' work is very close to that of Master Hackett, even though we can't find some of the magical solos and atmospheres that the latter gave us after he joined. Mayhew, on the other hand, is not in the same league as Phil Collins, and it was very healthy for the group to have added a better drummer after Trespass. It's not that the drumming is poor, but it's irrelevant, generic. Collins had a more distinct style which suited the band much better.

In my view, this album's star is Banks, whose keys really steal the show. Gabriel's voice starts to get weird and dramatic, theatrical, but his delivery is as pure as ever. The flute is used more than in future albums, so Gabriel had another chance to shine, which he managed to do.

The recording is very weak, even for 1970. There's a couple of tracks where a fade-out ending takes place even when the music doesn't call for it. it would get much better in the next records, though.

My favorite tracks are White Mountain (incredibly catchy for early GENESIS), Stagnation and The Knife. But all the album is a great piece of art and should be in every prog-fan's collection, especially if you like Symphonic-Rock, the genre where GENESIS has still not been surpassed.

After the initial album Genesis took a whole different direction on this one. With only one song in the four minute range Genesis moved into the area of longer compositions and lush instrumental sections surrounding the core song. Using a lot of twelve string guitar and flute as well as organ to color the passages and Peter Gabriel's distinctive raspy voice to drive it forward Genesis hit a resounding chord.

The album has a lonely, melancholy feel to it and the music follows suit best represented in the opening track Looking for Someone. White Mountains rich and lovely guitar and flute parts contrasted by the bouncing chorus tell a story of a fight for wolf dominance that probably was connived over a couple of joints. Visions of Angles starts with a glimmer of hope in the music but the lyrics return us back to the melancholy of a love lost. This us bring us the most unusual song on the album Stagnation. Here Genesis start into their first epic. Starting with acoustic guitars supporting Gabriel's vocals the piece moves to a nice keyboard solo that leads us into an upbeat organ solo then back to a quiet vocal then rising up to angry climax to a ghostly sort of chant to end the song. Here it begins for Genesis. After that we have a nice little acoustic piece the shortest on the CD Dusk. Were back to the melancholy again with the beautiful twelve string and Gabriel's sad rasp almost a Moody Blues feel to this one. The anthem like The Knife close out the album with Genesis most powerful statement yet however John Mayhew's drumming shortcomings are pretty apparent here but that would be rectified with the next release. The song is an angry organ over an angry electric guitar and Gabriel's powerful voice "Tell me my life's about to begin Tell me that I'm a hero"

Not sure if Pete knew that Genesis was about to embark on a journey over the next 5 years that has encapsulated some of the most revered prog music ever. 4.5 stars

Listen it with 4 ears,please and consider it!!!

Looking for....???

Even though From Genesis To Revelation was the first Genesis album, Trespass can be seen as the first real Genesis album. It was the first progressive one, anyway. It is harder to get into compared with many later Genesis albums, but over more listens I have grown to like it more than I used to. Indeed, The Knife is one of my favourite Genesis songs of all time. It rocks harder than anything else on this album. The rest is a bit more mellow. Such important members as Steve Hackett and Phil Collins had not yet joined the band at this time. Guitar duties being handled by Anthony Phillips (who, after having been replaced by Hackett, wouldn't be heard from at all until his solo debut in 1977).

Trespass certainly contains some very good music, but it is generally not up to the standards of what came after it. It is certainly not the place to start if you don't know Genesis.

For fans and collectors of Genesis (like myself) this is, of course, an essential addition. But for everyone else it is probably not.

A good album - no more, no less!

The production is awesome! I love the way everything sounds so warm and inviting, even when Anthony cranks the distortion. The drums sounds real, not forced or drum machine-y. Awesome start. And the Mellotron intro to White Mountain is stunning.

Some people would claim From Genesis To Revelation as their first finest. This; this is their first finest record; and it's something they would build on in the future. 5 stars.

The first three tracks are the most nondescript, sedated tracks to come out of the Genesis canon. It's perfect music for me to fall asleep to, not to listen at will. ''Stagnation'' is somehow an exception to this as a little life is pumped into the middle section, only to fall back to similar soundscapes in ''Dusk''.

''The Knife'' is the oddball track here, the only tune here other than parts of ''Stagnation'' I'm willing to get behind. Genesis goes insanely heavy here with distorted bass and biting organ, and the piece is filled with melodramatics. The middle gives the group breathing room before going on an all-out assault at the end. It's the intensity of a track such as ''The Knife'' that can turn a weak album into a decent/good one.

THE MUSIC:

The album kicks off with Looking For Someone. This really is an overlooked gem. While Stagnation and The Knife are a little better, this is really underrated song that's an incredible opener to an incredible album. Next comes White Mountain, which is also underrated. I love the organ on this song, and the acoustic guitars are great too. Visions of Angels is a really beautiful piece with nice piano and superb singing. Stagnation is one of the best songs on the whole album. It is a short epic with a great ending. The song starts out acoustic, and slowly builds into an awesome theme at the end. Dusk is a short folk rock piece that I enjoy, but is mainly overlooked. The Knife is the closer to the album, and is really incredible. The organ sounds great, and I love how Peter Gabriel's voice is synthed. A great song, however I almost never listen to the studio version. Once you hear the live version, it's tough to go back to listen to this version for various reasons.

This is a must buy for any Genesis fan or just a prog fan in general. The only album in an era, and contains some of Genesis's masterpieces. Buy this mostly underrated gem, and you'll be very satisfied.

I love Steve Hackett as a musician, but I also love Anthony Phillips' work, and he plays marvellously on this. If he had not had stage fright, imagine what Genesis would have sounded like.

However, the key to this, and all subsequent early LPs, is Gabriel's voice. Looking for Someone starts off with that trademark plaintive voice, seeking answers, Absolutely a remarkable vocal performance from someone barely out of school.

White Mountain is, to me, aan album filler, but Visions of Angels is the track that persuaded Charisma to sign the band, and it is easy to see why. The band, with Gabriel's haunting lyrics, and Banks' majestic keyboards, tell a story that yearns for something a little bit more than can be found on this mortal coil.

Many commentators remark that the oldest song Genesis perform these days is I Know What I Like, but this is not true - the exceptional keybord and vocal passage in Stagnation actually plays a part in the modern day medley, and it still sounds fantastic. Banks, Phillips, and Gabriel combine to terrific effect on a simple passage.

The Knife still resonates in the present day - an angry song about a demagog, it is years ahead of its time, inspiring countless others, especially Fish when writing Market Square Heroes in the eighties. I still remember with fondness Collins being shouted at in the eighties tours to play this song, and always refusing. Phillips' guitar work is incredible, and the volume and call to arms by Gabriel still raises hackles even now.

Some of you are going to die, martyrs of course, to the freedom I shall provide....This could easily be written in the tragic times we live in now, especially Palestine and Iraq.

Banks in the prog special on BBC 4 last night stated that it was the band's strength as songwriters that carried them through punk. He was right, and this LP was the start. The best, of course, was still to come!

Genesis' second album was the first to represent what was going to come from them, definitely not as elaborated as future classics; Trespass will always remain special to Genesis' catalogue with Anthony's dominating 12-string guitar leading almost every song, together with Tony's subtle mellotron soars, and finally Peter's wonderful voice at it's peak.

As you may notice from the brief description I just did, this means that Anthony Phillips, Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel are the main characters in this album. Each of them giving their whole soul to this album:

Peter Gabriel shines in the melo-dramatic opener Looking For Someone, which only songs like Dancing with Moonlit Knight or Supper's Ready can beat it vocally. Looking for Someone also presents a heavy mood with some symphonic piano/organ melodies, for those Symphonic fans. The composition is one of the best in the album, reaching the heights of The Knife, while not in the instrumentation potential.

Then, Anthony Phillips shines in the fierceful The Knife with his powerful distorted electric guitar, never beaten by Steve Hackett, in that aspect. However The Knife does not only present Anthony shining, if not also Tony Banks with his mighty galloping-esque organ, while Peter has a chance to shine with his beautiful, though always short(in time), flute. The Knife, compositionally and instrumentally, is the best song on Trespass. However, if there's one song in this album that breaks the angelic mellow flow Trespass is all about, it's this one unfortunately.

Now to Tony Banks: he also gets to shine in, the heaven-made, Stagnation, with his mellow organ touches which will break through the chorus with a majestic and sweet, symphonic-flavoured, organ. Don't you think I forgot about Peter, yes Peter shines here as well, lyrically and vocally. To sum it up, Stagnation is a acoustic, symphonic flavoured, gem.

However don't get me wrong, White Mountain, Visions of Angels and Dusk are all lovely songs, they are mellow ones in the likes of Stagnation, however they are pretty simple in structure with few mood/time changes, however the three of them are the ones responsible of giving the mellow and beautiful overall aspect to the album. They are highly enjoyable with an ocassional standout bit from each member.

Trespass ends up being Genesis'(70-77) less Prog-focused album, but also ends up being Genesis most beautiful one. Not Genesis' best, musically it's below all other Gabriel-era albums, but that charming touch this album has is definitely a bonus which no other Genesis album has, and this bonus is really what makes this album so damn good.

Essential addition to your Genesis collection, Excellent addition to your Prog collection: Angelic Masterpiece from 1970!

White Mountain: the first song I heard from this album, and I liked it. But now I see this album has better songs, but it stills a good song. 3,8 stars.

Dusk: the gentlest song of this album. It has a really calm and comfortable melody. A good Prog Folk song 4 stars.

Visions of Angels: we hear a nice rhythm here, with good passages of piano and organ. But it isn't the Genesis I know, I feel like they could have done something better... 4,15 stars.

Looking For Someone: now we hear a really Genesis' song, it has good rhythm, harmony and lyrics. Great interpretation from all the musicians. 4,45 stars.

The Knife: a classic Genesis' song, played in almost every show. It has a contagious rhythm and cool riffs on organ, bass and guitar. The drums are fast and rhythmic. This song distunes a little bit from the album's style, as it is a hard song, but anyway... it's a good song. 4,55 stars.

Stagnation: the intro is a little boring, but then the song becomes more rhythmic and melodic. The part starting at 5:06 is very beautiful and touching, and Peter Gabriel reminds very much Peter Hammill singing. The following part is also very cool. 4,6 stars.

Although the first album was good, this one is a great advance, mainly into the Progressive World. So, a good album to a Prog Rock fan. 4 stars.

"Looking for Someone" Peter Gabriel's voice is the instrument of note here, and he sounds just as mature as he ever would, and immediately he demonstrates the prowess of his pipes. The musicians do not long tarry in showing their abilities either, even if a couple of them were not long for the world of Genesis.

"White Mountain" The guitars are very prominent here, as is Gabriel's aged-sounding voice. The lyrics here show the narrative-driven direction Genesis songs would take. Layers of guitars and organ dominate the impressive instrumental middle section. The names of the wolves come from Jack London's White Fang, but the stories have no resemblances otherwise. The title of the album is also taken from this song.

"Vision of Angels" Six-string acoustic guitar and soft vocals make up the verses, but the chorus is more potent. The lyrics seem to move between lovely optimism and angry pessimism.

"Stagnation" This blends progressive folk music with the Genesis sound more so than any song on this album. The acoustic guitar parts are beautiful, even if the vocals clip a time or two. The climactic ending is close to where Genesis would be- powerful and moving, with a flute and acoustic guitar section easing everything up- until the rest of the band enters.

"Dusk" As with many of the previous pieces, "Dusk" employs acoustic guitars and minimal percussion. The vocals on this song are some of my favorite from Genesis, both the lead and backup. The flute is spirited, as are the guitars. All in all, I find this to be one of the bands most overlooked tracks.

"The Knife" The crowning track of the album is heavier than everything that came before, eschewing the folk aspects and donning a robe of vigor. Tony Banks churns out some respectable organ playing. Mike Rutherford's bass thuds along and he throws in quite a few fills to make the music even more interesting. Gabriel's vocals are rather menacing, cloaked in effects as they are. Phillips keeps on the conservative side, even during his solo. Mayhew's drumming is probably at its best here. Overall, this is a sinister track (particularly right in the middle), but does give a slightly better idea of the direction early Genesis was taking.

Genesis' first album of their classic period (excluding their poppish debut under producer Jonathan King up until Peter Gabriel's departure), Trespass sometimes gets mentioned only as a predecessor of what is to come. However, I feel this album truly has a lot to offer on its own, and is an album I often reach for when I want my Genesis fix.

Trespass is sadly the only classic-era album to feature one of the originators of the Genesis sound, guitarist Anthony Phillips. Successor Steve Hackett took the ideas to new heights on later albums, but the fundamental sound (including 12 string arpeggiation, thick melodic lead tone, classical sensibilities) came from Phillips and the parts were taught to Hackett by bassist/guitarist Michael Rutherford. While Phillips would use more traditional pentatonic / bluesy tones at times, and Hackett used advanced techniques such as tapping and sweeps, the role and place for the guitar in the music is nearly identical. Phillips does employ acoustic textures a little more frequently than Hackett, which gives this album more pastoral flavor than any of Genesis' later works.

Singer Peter Gabriel gives excellent emotional performances on this album, though the grandiosity of his songwriting has yet to reach its peak. In fact, the whole band still exudes a sense of freshness, energy, and youth that transforms in later albums to more seasoned perfection. But there are some elements in this album that never appear again, specifically slightly more straight folk-rock sections, the aforementioned bluesy leads, and band harmony vocals (later interplay between Collins and Gabriel had a much different flavor, and in fact was actually fairly weak. It would not be until the final classic album with Carpet Crawlers that this formula would flower).

Most of the other reviews discuss the proto-epic Knife which of course is one of Genesis' classic songs. But just as much I enjoy the opener, Waiting for Someone, the multi-timbred Stagnation, and the acoustic pastiche Dusk, which points back to the debut album. The Knife actually sticks out on the album, as it is so much more aggressive and dark. Phillips' work is great, Gabriel is beginning to emerge in his full dramatic glory, and the whole band is indeed rocking. The drums, to me, are still solid, though it is perhaps the limits of the percussion work here that led to the recruitment of the fantastic Phil Collins behind the kit for future albums.

In all, Trespass is a great album, and is still essential Genesis. Though not one of their trio of masterpieces, I highly recommend it for anyone expanding beyond the basic canon of prog.

As if by accident,the album is geniously structured,with perfect timing and a subtle contrast of light and shade.All of this hit me as a great surprise at the first couple of listens(considering I arrived late to this earliest footage),as everything,from the media to the band itself,sugests this is an inferior work.I'm taking a shot here and saying that,even though the final result may not be as stunning as classics such as Nursery Cryme or Foxtrot,this is the most consistent album Genesis ever made,providing a satisfatory and not so demanding listen.

Although the songs themselves may take a short while to be fully aprecciated,the overall positive mood of Trespass can be sensed and enjoyed from the word go.It is unlikely that most listeners should ever get to put this pieces side by side with The Musical Box or The Cinema Show,but to compare them would already be unfair.Not so much for the musicians themselves(Anthony Phillips is flawlessly present,while drummer John Mayhew does not spoil the album by any means,despite what some people would have you think),but concerning the point they were at by 1970.With new members joining afterwise,Genesis' overall sounding would grow darker and heavier,holding few resemblances to this earlier material,at least as far as songwritting goes.

Peter Gabriel is to my ears somehow a spotlight here,leading the pieces all the way through,and the rare absence of his voice is missed when instruments take the lead row.This is perhaps not a bad thing,just different from the symphonic prog Genesis we're all used to.While Looking For Someone,Stagnation and Dusk are mood-settlers,to point out individual songs is again unecessary.It's insteresting and unique,however,to notice the album's growing intensity pattern(whether this have been planned or not):Looking For Someone is a melodramatic opener before the constrasting White Mountain.From there,we're presented to the sweet Visions of Angels and Stagnation,before the silent calm that is Dusk(a controversial piece)and finally the wilderness of The Knife,where all the acosutic and light valures presented so far are crushed and put aside in favor to a truly heavy piece(though I personally happen to find it heavier than it actually is,considering my ears are at that particualr point used to a folk-oriented album).

Even if it's lighter arrangements shouldn't please every fan,Trespass still deserves praise for being the statement of how much can a band change in such a short period of time,having in mind it's direct follower Nursery Cryme.And yet,even in such a primitve stage,Genesis left the heritage of a joyfull album to those willing to apreciate it's subtle beauty.

1. "Looking for Someone" has some truly inventive sounds-especially vocally. The guts it takes to start an album with an emotional voice like that! Structurally, the song quilts together some very different and courageous musical sections, romping very quickly and often from soft to hard, pianissimo to forte. IMHO, Tony's organ work and Ant's lead work are weak and John Mayhew's one-style-fits-all drumming leave one less than engaged. Definitely progressive song composition, just not mature players yet. Or they're still struggling for their "sound." (P.S. Do my ears deceive me or is Ant's electric guitar out of tune?) A peak at the future but all potential, not enough realization. 4/10

2. "White Mountain," while somewhat weak in story, keyboards, and the less-than-up-to-the-task drumming, displays some masterful vocalizations and soul-blissing acoustic guitar work. The second movement with the ominous pounding of the bass drum and treated Gabriel vocals is a spine-tingling highlight! The brief Poe-like distant organ with human whistling is also very effective before the fadeout. 5/10

3. "Visions of Angels." I've heard Gabe say that this is one he would consider resurrecting were he ever to participate in a Genesis reunion concert. I guess he likes those uplifting mystical/spiritual songs he helped create (like "Supper's Ready"). Some of Mayhew's better drum work is here. Rutherford, the reluctant bass player, gets to shine a little with a little "lead" bass playing. "God gave up this world-it's people-long ago. Why She's never there I still don't understand" Perhaps this song continues to state an important piece of Gabe's credo. A fair, pretty straightforward song with nothing standing out much. 4/10

4. "Stagnation." Still one of my all-time favorite Genesis or any other music genre songs. That eerie synth solo over the 12- and 6-strings is phenomenal-I never tire of it; it never fails to produce goose bumps on my skin. Then to bridge into that awesome guitar-backed organ solo (with Mayhew's adequate drumming for once mixed properly!) Simply sublime! Then Gabe whisper-sings that frail, fragile invitation to us before waxing poetic with his treated description of the waterbank. "I-I-I-I-I, I-I-I-I-I,_I said I want to sit down! I want a drink." More Christ references? Awesome. 9/10

5. "Dusk." Acoustic guitars! Monastic voices! Flutes! A singular chime! Mellotron. NO DRUMS!! I'm in absolute heaven! A beautiful and subtly intricate song. 9/10

6. "The Knife." Many a progster's favorite early Genesis song. I must admit: the song very powerfully conveys the horror and fear of the Kent State/fascist state experience. Mayhew's machine gun-like drumming, Rutherford's deep distorted bass thrums and the first classic searing Genesis lead guitar solo (later taken up and mastered by Monsieur Hackett) coupled with Gabe's forceful German accent make for a very powerful song. (And who's saying that prog songs shouldn't have social-political content or meaning?) Still, somewhat unpolished and raw for a prog classic. (The Live version is better, don't you agree?) 7/10

6.33/10 = solid 3 stars, but "Stagnation," "Dusk" and "The Knife" make this album, IMHO, "an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection." Though still honing their sound and compositional style(s), this is a great sophomore effort for a band envisioning some truly ground-breaking and complicated musics. Four stars.

I am not in ProgArchive to review these well known albums by the greatest artists. I very much like to go off the well trodden path and do reviews of unknown bands. But this album has been near the top of my playlist for the last couple of years so I think it at least deserve a short review.

This is what I regard as the first proper GENESIS album. The debut album is best forgotten. Trespass though starts with a pretty good song called Looking For Someone. It has a good interplay in the middle and it sets the tone for the rest of the album. The second song White Mountain is very good too. The word pastorial is most fitting for those two tracks and the rest of this album. Pastorial is also spelled as Visions Of Angels. Yes, the third song on this album. It is the most pastorial songs I have ever heard. And that says a lot. This song is not out of place in a church or a cathedral. It is also one of my alltime favorite GENESIS songs. It is fantastic. It is a worthy candidate for my own funeral. Stagnation is another brilliant song with some excellent interplay. Why those two last songs is never mentioned as some of GENESIS best songs; I will never know. But then again; I do not care. I stand by my own opinions and my love for those two songs. Dusk is another one of the hidden GENESIS jewels. It is simply brilliant in it's pastorial settings. It is like the songtitle; dusk. The last song of the album is the most known song from it and a live favorite. It is called The Knife. I actually rate it as one of the two weakest tracks here. But it is still superb in my ears. But it is not as good as Visions Of Angels.

This album is as English as tea and biscuits. It is also very much a superb album. I love it. I love the sound, the vocals and the feeling which lays over it. This album gives me peace. It also gives me a church like feeling. It has been ages since I visited a church-service. Mainly due to having this album in my collection. Trespass fills this gap in my life. OK, I am wabbling around now and the review is far longer than intended. But this is an album I love. I am not giving it five stars because I have sworn never to give out five stars again. But it is a close to five as possible. And that is my very subjective opinion about this album.

4.95 stars

Trespass would seem like your average Prog album, and you would buy it to get into Genesis. But this album is not regular Genesis, as it does not feature Phil Collins nor Steve Hackett, but Anthony Philips and John Mayhew, which give the album a much different feel than Steve and Phil.

Overall, Trespass has a much folkier feel to it than the other Genesis albums, such as "The Lamb", "Foxtrot", and such. I would recommend it to every Prog fan, especially new Jethro Tull fans who want to get into Genesis. Trespass is an EXCELLENT addition to ANY prog music collection.

Since I see Genesis as the first genuine and true progressive rock band, it seems fitting that I shall review their first (worthwhile) album first.

No question, Trespass is a great album that still stands the test of time. Its music was purely original, and remains unique by the fact that it seems almost impossible to trace significant influences behind it, making it an entirely original work. All in all, in retrospect, Genesis with Trespass, along with perhaps King Crimson, mostly invented symphonic/melodic progressive rock - the classical music of our time - by integrating various movements into coherent, long ensembles which capture the mind and the imagination.

Like many others have said, Trespass was a good indication of wha wast in Genesis' future. Whereas it offers excellent material and six very good songs, it also shows signs of a still juvenile band with plenty of potential for whom the best is still to come. Peter Gabriel was still not at his peak, both vocally and lyrically, but was already setting himself apart from the rest. The same could be said of the band's musicians, as well as of the whole band's creative genius.

A strong opener with Looking for Someone. Followed by White Mountain, my favourite track next to The Knife, which especially has both a penetrating opening and ending. The middle part of the album, comprising Visions of Angels, Stagnation and Dusk, is a series of smooth and atmospheric melodies, somewhat similar but at the same time different from each other. The album closes with the classic The Knife, a darker and more energetic song which, in my opinion, can still easily sway unaware listeners thirty years after its release.

Trespass was to set the stage for a series of masterpieces which were to make history.

And so begins the true journey of Genesis, and for the first time we could hear their true vision of music as they intended to be. We can say for sure that is another landmark by Genesis, and also a huge step from their previous record, indeed a giant step. Although a very underrated album, it shows us the beginning not only of the true form of Genesis, but also, the foundations of symphonic prog. One of the more frequent mistakes from some reviewers is the way they tend to compare albums from different times and eras of music, and obviously, thats wrong and completely unfair for the musicians since the evolution ( good or bad) requires time, experience and even economical capability to afford new and better material to improve the sound quality or to explore new music landscapes and possibilitys. In the case of Genesis we can feel that evolution specially between Trespass and their previous album: From Genesis To Revelation. Their compositions became more complex and full of the fundamental elements of prog rock. In their search for their new sound they broke the deal with Decca and Jonathan King ( their first producer), arranged a new drummer ( John Mayhew) and invested a lot in the new material. Eventualy they soon signed with Charisma records. So in October of 1970 Trespass is released, for those who think of Trespass as a simple and regular album, are completely wrong, the Genesis had return with so much more to offer. Also the release of : In the court of King Crimson in 69 was a huge happening for the prog music scene giving extra motivation to those bands who wanted to look for something different and also more complex.

The Music:

Looking for someone: The album starts with "looking for someone". The voice enters (somewhat resembles the intro a capella of Dancing with the Monlit Knight) with organ in the background. The lyrics are refered to the need of the human to find someone else and the fear of being alone in the world. Eventough a simple subject, the lyrics are very poetic and meaningfull, here we have the first glance of the writing ability by Peter Gabriel, the band sound much more mature especialy in the instrumental bits of the song, the harmonic progressions are much more richer that even for some one who didnt listen to Genesis before can understand that something different is going on. Other aspect of the matured band is the progression of the music itself with the lyrics for example:"You see the sunlight through the trees to keep you warm, In peaceful shades of green". here the chord progression goes like this - E major- A major- G sharp minor- C sharp minor. The sunlight makes you warm ( the major chords give you those sensations of warmness; in peaceful shades of green- the green present you with a cold colour, the earth, the ground ( minor chords). The felling we get is that the sun is peeking trough the trees, and few rays of light can trespass the trees, and the descent change of major chords to minor chords gives you a false sense o warmness that is contained by the trees in a symbolic way. The music is full of this moments playing with the listener. The final instrumental is one of finest moments and we can listen to the envolvence has a band that reached a great level of maturity.

White mountain: One of the great points of the album, for the first time we hear the great trademark of Genesis that prevailed for such a long time, the 12 string intertwined game, the music is full of folky passages and pastoral references, the lyrics are about a wolf (Fang) who seeks to usurp the authority of the pack leader(One-Eye) by learning of the crown and sceptre of the Gods that only the king is allowed to see, as punishment One-Eye leaves in a chase to kill Fang, wich dies in a climatic battle at the White Mountain.The great feature of this song is the musical environment created by the band that capture the fantastic realm induced by the lyrics.A very underrated song that contains very special moments that shows the listener some of the experimental fields that Genesis were trying to discover.One of this key moments his when One-Eye is informing Fang of his sentence, at this point, the music transforms, changing into a martial-like section, while Peter Gabriel is litteraly speaking in a cold morbid tone, i believe one of the first theatrical moments of Genesis, since the music contains a very strong sense of dramatic aura and representation. Nearly by the end, they present us with another special passage, those frantic whistles supported by the organ, it gives a bizarre felling of false comfort, truly desconcertating, and when the whistle section ends we enter the finale wich all the band is humming the theme with a eerie background atmosphere. Truly magnific.

Visions of Angels: In my opinion the weakest piece of the album eventhough a very good music with some really good sections in it, by listening we get the felling that some of the old Genesis compositions from the previous album are somewhat confined in here,by other words the only music of the album that gives you that popy felling, but don´t get me wrong it´s a great and beautifull music, and we can watch some of the transformations that Genesis had been trough, by the minute 2.30 we have a crescendo that explodes in a section with choir and cascading guitar and piano, the climatic point of the music that send shivers down the listener spine, indeed a beautifull moment that truly shows us how Genesis trasformed a more average song into something more complex and a with a different atmosphere, once more the chord progression here are extremely well chosen.

Stagnation:Well here we have one of the finest compositions in all the album, we finally hear a more close aproach to the complex music that was yet to come. The lyrics also ilustrate the imaginative world of Genesis, concerns of a man who inherited the world living in a underground shelter( a reality that was very concerning at the time due to the cold war). The music is somehow more complex than anything in the album. Begins with the so traditional 12 string guitar intertwined game giving a relaxing pastoral mood to the music with some calm vocals, a tender theme played by the guitar sends some shivers down your spine. As the chord progression gains tension at the minute 1.40 Tony Banks offers us one of most intriguing and beautifull organ solos of the prog scene at the time. The whole song is one big epic and contains just great moments of music, it ends with a beautiful and intense climax with the well known phrase " Then Let us drink " the sections ends in a very apotheotic way. A magnificient composition by Genesis.

Dusk: Another beautiful composition by Genesis with great lyrics by Peter Gabriel about love and the meaning of life, the more folky composition of the album, has no drums in it giving the song a more naive and soft structure, even though there s a section that resembles a bit of bossa nova rhythmic phrases, another underrated music from the album that is more complex that it seems but without any doubt the softer track of the album.

The Knife: And here stands the true scream of emancipation of Genesis ( as the all album ), the climax of the album. From the begining a concert favorite ( where Peter Gabriel once performed a stage diving and injuried himself, but carried on with the show) and with a truly agressive lyrics, The Knife offers us some of the best moments of the album if not of the prog scene by the time. The song has received great praise by Keith Emerson ( The Nice,Emerson, Lake and Palmer). The lyrics are about rebelion and revolution. For the first time we can ear Rutherford with fuzz on the bass and Anthony Philips showing to the listeners his versatility as a musician providing us with a spectacular solo full of anger, technic and intensity.

For those who didnt have listened go and ear right now, a truly must-have, not only as a prog rock listener but also to understand its roots, a complex and beautiful album another one by Genesis and a wake up call for all who didnt even know the band, this peice of art will give you chills, anger, mistery and will show one of the greatest bands of prog music in pure evolution.

Trespass is a very special Genesis album. It is the only Genesis album which featured my favorite band line-up and if you look at the overall album rather than individual songs, I'm not sure they ever made a finer album. I can't overstate how important Anthony Phillips and Peter Gabriel are to my idea of the perfect Genesis. (After Lamb Genesis would fall several notches for me starting with the fairly weak Trick of the Tail.) While Steve Hackett and Phil Collins may have been technically more gifted than their predecessors, it is not technical savvy alone that makes great music. Trespass was the perfect marriage of youthful naivety, sentimentalism, band chemistry, and great songs. Everything comes together so perfectly here. After their debut, Genesis picked up their new drummer John Mayhew and gigged around working on new material and getting tight as a group. Mayhew is no Phil Collins in the technical sense but as I mentioned I welcome that. He gets the job done without overplaying and is perfectly adequate for this album. Much more important is the presence of Ant Phillips who is the heart and soul of Trespass. With his songwriting influences and gorgeous 12 string acoustic guitar playing, Trespass is awash in the same lush drapery that fills his later solo album The Geese and the Ghost. Ant is also a hugely underrated lead guitarist and his short solos and lead bursts are simply jaw dropping throughout. Gabriel is beyond fantastic with a youthful, soul-filled, passionate singing voice backed up by his significant flute passages, with probably more flute here than any other Genesis album. Released in 1970 Trespass caught Genesis up to Pink Floyd (Atom Heart Mother) in quality and while surging them ahead of Yes (Time and a Word) and King Crimson (Poseidon).

Musically Trespass is a feast for the ears and imagination, a celebration of times long gone, of medieval stories and myths. Ranging from softer acoustic sections to the aggressive rock of "The Knife," Trespass offers everything the Genesis fans needs but offers the extra delight of Phillips delicate touch and leadership. The youthful Gabriel is stunning in his intensity on "Looking for Someone." Listen to the way Banks and Phillips back up Pete during the early vocals, these gorgeous little runs dropped just perfectly, with an attention to detail every bit as effective as they would achieve on any of their higher rated albums. And I'd argue they are *more* musically pleasing on this one. Fantastic dramatic development and pastoral melodic grandeur are nearly non-stop throughout. "White Mountain" is all about mood sounding like an early lost Renaissance track. "Visions of Angels" is a leftover from the first album's sessions but was spruced up for inclusion here. It sounds very similar to the songs from the first YES album and is superb despite being noticeably different in feel from the other five songs here. Listen to the care Mayhew brings to the piece, there is certainly no reason whatsoever to feel shorted by Collins absence on Trespass. "Stagnation" was Tony Bank's favorite because it moved quickly from one passage to the next. It is perhaps the most elegant and mature piece of songwriting shifting between moods and styles. "Dusk" is a mellower favorite with lovely vocal harmonies and blended acoustic guitars over bell and flute. "Musical hot fudge" as my better half offered while we walked under the cold moon tonight talking about the album. And then comes "The Knife." Every bit as energetic and feisty as "Watcher of the Skies" or "Epping Forest" it is the transitional track from the calmer waters of Trespass to the increasingly more rocking albums ahead. Again, listening to the performances here I find Hackett having nothing over Phillips and Mayhew perfectly suited without any pretension.

Not only is Trespass a masterpiece in my book but I honestly think it may be the single finest Genesis album, at least if you are looking for heart. I think it really outperforms both Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot-both of those albums have some higher individual moments but also some lower ones. If you combined the best Cryme/Foxtrot moments you'd have another masterpiece, but compare the three side by side and I'll choose Trespass which is so much more alive! Give the new remaster a fresh listen and see if it doesn't capture your heart.

The thing that really sets this apart from future albums is the atmosphere. While the next album certainly retains much of this atmosphere (which wouldn't really disappear until Selling England), this just seems so.........ancient, is the only word I can think of. It just brings images of Victorian England to my mind and a pastoral feel combined with their budding epic tendencies and dramatic dynamics. I think White Mountain best illustrates this atmosphere for me (The Fountain of Salamcis would be the only other song to come close to this on the next album). But all the songs, save one, are great IMO. The one song that doesn't really do a lot for me is Visions Of Angels. Perhaps it is just too happy or simple for me, I can't really say. It just seems to lack something that all the others have. It definitely has a very different atmosphere, which just doesn't do it for me. The highlights, aside from White Mountain, are definitely Stagnation and The Knife. Though The Knife would be given a much more effective treatment live by the next incarnation of the band. But the other tracks are very good as well, with Dusk being a beautiful melancholy pastoral number with a wonderful flute solo and Looking for Someone being a fairly effective combination of their style of the previous album combined with the new, more epic direction.

All in all, an excellent album that any fan of early Genesis must have. I would only suggest that this is probably not a good place to start if you have not heard any Gabriel era Genesis. For that, I would probably suggest Genesis Live.

Songs:

Looking for Someone (3 stars) Some sinister force or element seems to be personified here in the lyrics to this song. After the vocal sections there is an aggressive, progressive instrumental section that arises and moves through a number of themes. A good early example of a truly progressive rock song although this one does not capture my interest as strongly as others on this album.

White Mountain (4 stars) Keyboards and guitars effectively introduce us to what I imagine to be a story in an alpine wilderness where the drama of this song story seems to take place. This perception could in large measure be due to the fact that the wolves about whom the story revolves have almost identical names to two wolves in Jack London's "white Fang" although this is where the similarities end. The instrumentation complements the story well. There is a definite lack of moral interpretation to the events which also keeps the story and the music in an intriguing alien space. Still connected to my Jack London associations I found the whistling and humming in the coda to this song to introduce a human presence in a tale about animals that seemed emotionally compelling.

Visions of Angels (3 stars) The lyrics speak bleakly of dreams and wishes which systematically never come to pass. The upbeat and hopeful tone of the music comes off as sarcasm in this context. There is an interesting progressive instrumental section to this song.

Stagnation (4 stars) From the album notes for this song:

To Thomas S. Eiselberg, a very rich man, who was wise enough to spend all his fortunes in burying himself many miles beneath the ground. As the only surviving member of the human race, he inherited the whole world.

Without this intriguing clue I don't think it would be possible to make much sense of the lyric's on this song. As the song moves in a more-or-less linear fashion through a series of musical themes and the lyrics along with it, there is painted a bizarre picture of a world full of futility and failure although the song's and song's protagonist seems to still find ways to respond to that world with a variety of emotions. This song requires some imagination to pull it together but I think that it ends up being evocative. A great example of a thoroughly progressively structured song.

Dusk (4 stars) The music is gentle and serene but again the lyrics are coldly despondant. Nice vocals both solo and group. The lyricist oscillates between a measured view of lifes destructive energies and seeming despair. Flute and guitar pick up the energy in the center of the song and fill a gentle instrumental progression. The final lyrical section takes a stab at God and then declares our final fate:

But wait, on the horizon, A new dawn seems to be rising, Never to recall this passerby, born to die.

The Knife (3 stars) This song has more aggression in it by far than the rest. It is also the longest. The lyrics describe a no holds barred attitude of violent revolution without any effort at moral justification. Without any clues to reveal a tone of sarcasm, I have to wonder whether the song was meant to show the horror of imposing one's own will without reservation:

I'll give you the names of those you must kill, All must die with their children. Carry their heads to the palace of old, Hang them high, let the blood flow.

Perhaps the stage performance helped to put this song in context. Vocal and instrumental passages progress through a connected variety of themes. Relentlessly militant, this song breaks the mood of the rest of the album somewhat but has much to hold interest. A very dark and heavy song.

Album: Song composition and mood and lyrical content rise well above the standard pop/rock fare. Excellent song composition with a great variety of musical ideas well connected. I suspect that already Genesis were the masters of musical transitioning making a song seem to sit well with itself despite its rich assortment of musical themes. So far there seem to be progressive rock albums that have two different overall emotional outlooks: the hope of Yes and the Moody Blues and the darkness and despair of ELP and King Crimson. The lyrics of Peter Gabriel are dark indeed and seem to intentionally avoid any kind of apologetics or moralism. This gives the songs on this album a certain raw strength but it may leave you cold and sometimes disagree with the tone of the instruments. But mainly these songs seem artfully crafted. Already Genesis is showing their skill at song composition that made them one of the greatest progressive rock bands.

Overall, this album probably would have had a bigger positive impact on me had I heard it first in the context of its time. As it was I traced my way back to it from the 80's perspective from which my musical interests originated. I also have the non-re-mastered edition and my opinion of this album might improve (some song ratings that were 3's might become 4's) if I heard a better recording. The album as a whole is a worthwhile addition to any progressive rock fan's collection. I've heard Genesis' earlier From Genesis to Revelation and like the Moody Blues' first album I have not bothered to purchase it as its style is much too poppy for my tastes.

MP3 recommendation:

There isn't too much call to not buy the whole album but here are those songs I gave 4 stars to rather than just 3.

4 star songs (4 stars) 1. White Mountain (4 stars) 2. Stagnation (4 stars) 3. Dusk (4 stars) 4. The Knife (4 stars)

If only Anthony Phillips had stayed with the band. Although he had a lighter touch than his replacement, Steve Hackett, here, on the only symphonic prog Genesis album he appeared on, Phillips adds a texture to all of the songs that was missing on most of the Hackett albums. His finger picking and soloing are much more distinctive than Hackett could manage.

And I like John Mayhew's drumming on this album. His snare work and general style remind me of Michael Giles' work on the early King Crimson albums.

The songwriting is not as polished as on the upcoming albums, but it still has many shining moments. At many points, this sounds quite a bit like The Moody Blues albums of the time, helped in that effect by Peter Gabriel's flute, and vocal harmonies, without Phil Collins' Gabriel like voice, that sound eerily like their contemporaries.

The high point is The Knife a dark, powerful number with soaring guitar by Phillips, which outshines most of what the band will ever record later.

I find that this album takes a little longer to get into compared to their future releases. The songs are just as long as they would be later on, but in general they seem a little more restrained. That's not to say there aren't masterpieces here. The Knife, of course, is extremely anthemic and it is not hard to fathom why it became such an important concert staple in the early days and is easily the most memorable song on the album. Other greats include White Mountain, a cold, dark tale of a wolfs struggle against a higher power, and the short but sweet Dusk, brimming with emotion via Gabriel's heartfelt vocals. Those are my favorites, anyway.

If I had to pick a least favorite I actually think it'd be Stagnation. While it is peppered with delightful melodies and generally good playing, I can't help but feel it drags a little. On the whole, though, this is an album well worth looking into.

The big plus points in favour of this album are the extensive use of flutes, organ and mellotron, giving this album its specific sound. I am not familiar with Anthony Philip's solo album, but his acoustic guitar picking throughout the album (eg on White Mountain) make me realize it's urgent time I give it a try. Generally, except for The Knife where he is very prominent, his presence is much more modest then Hackett's overwhelming guitars on later albums.

The compositions on the album are very strong and ambitious. This is an album from 1970, apart from King Crimson and VDGG, two obvious points of inspiration for this album, there wasn't much to copy. The result is an original sound inbetween King Crimson's pastoral moments (Talk To The Wind, Epitaph) and Van Der Graaf's forceful organ, drum & bass sound.

The only track that legs a bit behind the others would be Stagnation. The first half is excellent, but the heavier themes that take over afterwards sound less inspired. Dusk and The Knife are both stunning, in entirely different ways. They are poles apart, just like Talk To The Wind and Schizoid Man were on In the Court of the Crimson King

Not my favourite but anything less then 3 stars seems inappropriate for this symphonic prog landmark.

Finally a very positive Genesis review...

I owned this record for quite some time now, but until a month ago I hadn't listened to it seriously. Realizing this might be some interesting album (follow-up Nursery Cryme is my favourite Genesis) I took some time to get into the music and what a relief this was. Finally a Genesis record with drums I like! Somehow I'm the only one who is really disturbed by the inaccurate and awful recorded drums of Phil Collins. On Trespass John Mayhew plays drums and it really suits the music fine. Whilst he might not be as technical as Collins, his sound is ten times better. Only on the Knife some of his drum-patterns are a bit dull, but this is still acceptable.

This album is considered to be the first 'real' Genesis album, because of the totally different début. Everything is there: the dreamy symphonic soundscapes, the intelligent instrumental passages, the Hackettish upper-element guitar sound and ofcourse the lyrics and vocals of mister Peter Gabriel. His vocals sound particularly well on this album as he sings intimate, aggressive and angelic. The compositions on the album are not as complicated as on Nursery Cryme, but don't be mistaken: this is still better then 95% of all symphonic prog around! The chord progressions are with the recognisable modulations, giving it that magical harmonic sophisticated sound.

Side one has three songs of exactly seven point zero zero minutes, side two has two longer tracks of almost nine minutes and one shorter track of four minutes, which could be seen as the hit-potential song. This is no record with stand-out tracks: all tracks are of high quality, memorable and I would want to miss one of them. As said the shorter track could have been considered radio friendly, but this is no ordinary pop-song: this is still top-notch prog with acoustic arrangements and nice tension-building in the refrain. The final track The Knife is the fastest song on the album and has that nice up-tempo prog feel. The Knife is the most spectacular (not per se best) song on the album and it wouldn't have been a misfit on Nursery Cryme or Foxtrot.

Conclusion. This album is one big promising victory march. It is one of the most important and innovative prog-albums of the seventies. Genesis found a great formula which would be perfected on the next album. A very very big four stars for Trespass.

Anyway, My favorite song was "Dusk," then "The Knife." I must say that I liked the studio version of "The Knife" better than the live version. It is so cool! "Dusk" is simply a beautiful and gentle piece of music by Anthony Phillips.

Again, there are no weak songs on this one. Not everybody may like them, but the album is worth getting at any rate. It is prog in development. It is the transition album for the super group, Genesis! I give it 4.25 stars, or 4 stars for progarchives.

1. "Looking for Someone" - 10/10

2. "White Mountain" - 9/10

3. "Visions of Angels" - 9/10

4. "Stagnation" - 10/10

5. "Dusk" - 9/10

6. "The Knife" - 9/10

56/6 = 93.33% = 5 stars!!

At first, I was like many here, as I immediately liked Knife and found much of the rest of the album soothing but fairly uninteresting. I thought that would change, but it hasn't. It's definitely prog, and it gets an A for effort, but the dots have not been connected enough to really pull me in, whether it's the muddy organ and vocal here (i.e., Looking for Someone) or the extended periods of little happening there (Stagnation). White Mountain and Visions of Angels offer interesting stories and bursts of energy that also hint at future glory.

In Knife, Genesis rock more, are more concise (packing more material into a shorter space), and play with a bit of an edge that's lacking in the rest of the album. I'm glad that they picked up right where they left off in this song with The Musical Box on Nursery Cryme. Overall, I enjoy this album more from a look-how-far-they've-come perspective than for pure enjoyment of the music. Impressive in ambition and innovation for a debut, but only a hint at the greatness to come.

"Trespass" is the first album from Genesis since they parted with Jonathan King and Decca labels to pursue a more distinct sound, that of the 'pastoral English idyll'. The album features some of the first use of Multi-tracked 12-string acoustic guitars that are blended with folky vocal harmonies, quiet flute, acoustic piano, and gentle keyboard pads on the Hammond and mellotron. It begins with an isolated secluded atmosphere in the form of 'Looking For Someone' that is certainly not a sound the band would return to on subsequent albums. The band were very unsure at times of their sound Anthony Phillips holds back on guitar preferring an acoustic approach, John Mayhew gently touched his drums, Peter Gabriel is quiet and calm, Mike Rutherford maintains simple basslines, Tony Banks prefers a subtle keyboard motif - all this of course is transformed into glorious prog chaos on the last track.

'White Mountain' is a Gabriel driven storytelling work with lyrics that would typify the Gabriel-era Genesis; "Thin hung the web like a trap in a cage, The fox lay asleep in his lair. Fangs frantic paws told the tale of his sin, Far off the chase shrieked revenge. Outcast he trespassed where no wolf may tread, The last sacred haunt of the dead. He learnt of a truth which only one wolf may know, The sceptre and crown of a king. Howling for blood, one-eye leads on the pack, Plunging through forest and snowstorm." Gabriel was perhaps inspired by Rudyard Kipling in this quirky tale of two wolves battling for a mystical crown. The music peaks at the end of each verse and slows into the pastoral English feel, Gabriel's voice is even fed through a machine echo effect at one point. The rhythm is maintained during the verse, with Gabriel part of the rhythm. The quieter moments of the song are characterised by flute and acoustic flourishes. The mellotron builds a cathedral atmosphere in the break. A wonderful song from the album characterising a new sound akin to Canterbury but still distinctive.

'Visions of Angels' is a softer track with some staccato moments and grinding organ and angel harmonies. The softer moments of the track are almost like a fairy tale and then there is a darker razor edge to the music with some ethereal piano and mellotron. The flute lends it's folky pastoral quality to the piece. Gabriel has a phased effect on his voice in one section, abut he is master of the storyteller style and once again he dominates the track: "Visions of angels all around, Dance in the sky, Leaving me here, Forever goodbye."

'Stagnation' is acoustically driven and has a soft Gabriel vocal and a lilting melody that goes nowhere and is a folk soaked passage of estranged lyrics and atmospherics. The guitar is well executed here picking style and a chiming keyboard adds a mystical quality with descending shapes and chilling notes pulled down the scale almost ghostly. The other worldly sound builds with an electrifying instrumental passage capitalising on organ and a quick tempo beat with basslines and drums adding the metrical pattern. The flute shines on this when Gabriel sings gently: "Wait, there still is time for washing in the pool, Wash away the past. Moon, my long-lost friend is smiling from above, Smiling at my tears. Come well walk the path to take us to my home, Keep outside the night. The ice-cold knife has come to decorate the dead, Somehow. And each will find a home, And there will still be time, For loving my friend, you are there..." It even sounds like The Moody Blues at one point. The rhythm builds again and Gabriel ad libs all sorts of nonsense to end this, "I want a drink, I want a drink, To wash out the filth that is deep in my guts, I want a drink." The flute returns over a clean guitar sound that has that distinct pastoral quality. Once again an underrated track from this horrendously underrated album.

'Dusk' is a very gentle calming track with some strange harmonies that remind me of early Pink Floyd or The Moody Blues. The lyrics are as whimsical as ever; "Once Jesus suffered, Heaven could not see him. And now my ship is sinking, The captain stands alone. A pawn on a chessboard, A false move by God will now destroy me, But wait, on the horizon, A new dawn seems to be rising, Never to recall this passerby, born to die."

There are bell chimes and a loaded flute that is played beautifully by Gabriel, adding a unique atmosphere, very tranquil and dreamy. The acoustic is once again a main factor and there are heavy crashes of piano. Not too bad but only a shadow of the next track which is a bonafide classic.

'The Knife' is a real fish out of water here, the most famous track on the album beginning with a staccato Hammond worthy of Emerson and in fact Keith was impressed with the sound and let the band know it. Gabriel was quite attracted with The Nice and the song 'Rondo' and in trying to capture this sound came up with a track that would typify the Genesis sound on their next album "Nursery Cryme". The Hammond and one note fuzz bass intro this excellent prog exploration.

The lyrics are a real point of interest and Gabriel frighteningly sneers his way through them with utter conviction; "Stand up and fight, for you know we are right, We will strike at the lies, That have spread like disease through our minds. Soon we'll have won and we'll treasure this worth, With our winnings and kindness To all who our love now deserve, Some of you are going to die, Martyrs, of course, to the freedom I will provide." The song's lyrics focus on Gabriel's reflections on violent revolutions, and the lyrics determine to explore how those who use violence all in the name of freedom are often the ones who actually establish their own dictatorship.

In the mid section the dark Hammond sound ceases and a bass booms with a violining guitar created by volume swells, and then a lilting haunting flute, subtle cymbal clangs on the ride cymbal and a beautiful keyboard pad providing a dark ambience. Then a fuzzed electric guitar is heard with Rutherford's fuzz bass, an off kilter chord structure, and phased vocals chant with a tape loop of screaming and voices, the birth pangs of prog are right here. The guitars have a chance to launch into flight with some of the best work from Anthony Phillips.

After you have been lulled to sleep by all the gentle pastoralness of the previous tracks with their one note bass passages and dreamscape instrumentals you are suddenly jolted back to life with 'The Knife'. After the quiet breeze there is a hailstorm of chaotic drums, a thunderclap of stormy distorted organ and soaring guitar solos, with an injection of venomous, sniping vocals. It is not for nothing that this song closed the Genesis set for years after and is the only track fans want to talk about from 'Trespass'. The song in fact trespasses across the green fields and sets fire to them. The firestorm is a mixture of chemicals fuelled by psychedelic guitar passages, crunching fuzz bass, and blazing Hammond.

The dynamic nuances are augmented by psychotic lyrics; "I'll give you the names of those you must kill, Then have all burned and quickly, Cover them up in Trafalgar square, Hurry to see, you'll see them dead In this ugly world, Ready to fight for your freedom, Now, when I give a word, Hang 'em on high, let the blood flow..." The disturbing lyrics are enhanced by massive stabs of Hammond and gut wrenching guitar riffs but the fuzz bass is so entrenched upon the sound that it is as heavy as the band would get. An absolute masterpiece of prog.

In conclusion it would be unrealistic that I rate this anything more than 3 stars as the greatness of Genesis was yet to come. But this is still a solid slice of early prog and 'The Knife' is an outstanding track, one of the essential blasts of creativity from the Gabriel era. The knife stabbed in the album cover signifies that the band are slicing their ties with commercialism and dragging across a blade to usher in a new progressive sound that would become symphonic prog. It is interesting to note that the album cover has a pastoral feel with religious overtones, a couple stare lovingly out the arch toward the distant horizon and a cupid creature dances merrily in the foreground, but the knife stabbed in the back gatefold is like the stab in the heart of the pastoral idyll, the way 'The Knife' stabs in at the end of the album, infiltrating the quiet atmosphere, almost tacked on as an afterthought is intriguing; it is one thing to swim against the flow but here the goldfish has jumped out of the bowl. Perhaps the band were experimenting, and trying to ascertain what would happen if they pulled out all the stops and attempted a 'Rondo'. The result was a success and opened the floodgates for a prog sound like no other in the years to come. Overall, the album is a genuine curio showing the birth of a band that is ready to catapult into the progosphere with their next adventure, the awesome "Nursery Cryme".

No criticism intended but the sacking of Mayhew shows how ruthless the core members of Genesis were (he was the band's third drummer already). By all accounts Mayhew was considered a solid enough drummer, but he was also rather passive and couldn't provide the kind of input the band wanted. Later events obviously showed that Genesis made the right decision in replacing him and, judging by interviews I've read, Mayhew himself seems to have been quite pragmatic about that decision. Sadly he died only last year, having spent his last five years working as a carpenter in my hometown of Glasgow. Trespass is surely a fitting legacy.

Trespass reveals Genesis as a band on a steep learning curve and it successfully laid the foundations for the band's future classic recordings.

It turns out that the lineup sporting the talents of Gabriel, Rutherford, Banks, Phillips and Mayhew is nothing to scoff at. For five guys barely out of their teens this is an extraordinarily mature offering. They really had a unique blend of acoustic and electric instrumentation going for them and it makes me wonder where they would've ventured if they'd stayed intact. The aforementioned albums that were to follow this one certainly had their admirable merits but in every case they were poorly executed and/or engineered, especially in comparison with the way this one sounds. Rarely have I been so surprised.

Starting with Peter's raspy yet sublimely emotional voice towering over Tony's subdued Hammond organ for the intro to "Looking for Someone" doesn't hurt. The music never overwhelms the vocal (something that cruelly plagued "Cryme" mercilessly) and the adroit attention they paid to dynamics on this cut (and all of them, for that matter) makes it stand out noticeably. I'll admit that John's drumming is loose and slightly distracting but that's only until they get to a more energetic passage halfway through the song. I love how they avoid the pitfall of getting carried away with their enthusiasm and allow the tune to breathe and grow on its own. They never lose sight of the big picture. Lyrically they tend to be a little too sweetly poetic for their own good but that's just a reflection of their youthful idealism more than a lack of ability. Still, lines like "Nobody needs to discover me, I'm back again/you see the sunlight through the trees to keep you warm/in peaceful shades of green/yet in the darkness of my mind Damascus wasn't far behind" aren't patronizing at all and they definitely fit the aural mood they fashioned so well.

"White Mountain" has a cool, mysterious fade-in and Anthony's acoustic 12-string work is delicate and masterful in its execution. As before, they employ tactful ups and downs in volume to hold the listener's interest and the number's haunting finale is inspired. "Visions of Angels" begins with Banks showcasing his impressive skill on the grand piano and the way the different instruments intertwine without becoming tangled up in each other is indicative of the time and effort they undoubtedly put into arranging the piece. Gabriel's delivery of the overly-perfumed words ("As the leaves will crumble so will fall my love/for the fragile beauty of our lives must fade") is a great example of his controlled passion and Mike's bass performance in particular is excellently understated at the end.

"Stagnation" is the apex of the album. I'm particularly wowed at this juncture by their being able to maintain a consistent atmosphere without allowing all the songs to start sounding the same. (Not an easy achievement for any group at any stage of their career.) Phillips' gorgeous, ringing 12-string guitar chords invigorate the tune's momentum and Tony's offbeat approach to playing the Mellotron adds a pleasant dimension to the track. His signature organ technique makes it difficult to mistake him for any other keyboard man, as well. The 2nd part of the composition encompasses what progressive rock was all about in those exploratory days (don't get me wrong, it still holds up brilliantly today) as they build steadily to a stately, gallant climax. Peter manages to make obtuse lines as in "And I will wait forever, beside the silent mirror/and fish for bitter minnows amongst the weeds and slimy water" work in spite of themselves.

"Dusk" is a quiet gem. Its peaceful beginning with Gabriel crooning atop layered acoustic guitars is lovely. "A pawn on the chessboard/a false move by God will now destroy me/but wait, on the horizon/a new dawn seems to be rising/never to recall this passerby, born to die," he sings with his heart on his sleeve. Mayhew's drums are kept relatively low in the mix throughout the album and here they wisely leave him out completely. "The Knife" served notice that they weren't a bunch of cream puffs playing pretty melodies to fair maidens. Its loping rock beat on the verses was unorthodox for its time but it succeeded in separating them from the hard rock herd that surrounded them in the crowded marketplace. The alternating section of the verses is punchy and engaging. Still, they have the presence of mind to drop suddenly into an ethereal instrumental movement that slowly evolves into a Pink Floyd-ish collage of spoken snippets before entering into an edgier and somewhat brittle guitar solo from Anthony (this is where his successor, Steve Hackett, would really outdo him). The epic's antiwar sentiment is timeless and Peter delivers it with suitable angst. "Stand up and fight, for you know we are right/we must strike at the lies that have spread like disease through our minds/soon we'll have power, every soldier will rest/and we'll spread our kindness to all who our love now deserve/some of you are going to die/martyrs of course to the freedom that I shall provide," he snarls. The noisy ending is a bit frantic for my taste but I'm positive it made for a spectacular concert finale.

This is a fine, entertaining record, all things considered (especially when acknowledging their level of experience). Now I understand why "Trespass" is so highly regarded by so many. It has an undeniable charm that's hard to come by and that rare characteristic should be treasured by all proggers. I'm truly embarrassed to have neglected it for so long but I'm glad I finally discovered it even if it's four decades down the line. Better late than never. 4.2 stars.

Looking For Someone - 10/10 White Mountain - 10/10 Visions Of Angels - 10/10 Stagnation - 10/10 Dusk -10/10 The Knife - 10/10

MY CONCLUSION? another perfect 10 album, perfection..

"Looking For Someone" begins the album, in a pleasant but unspectacular fashion. Gabriel is, as usual, a master lyricist, in this instance using simple, evocative phrases("Nobody needs to discover me: I'm back again"), but nothing about it truly sinks its hooks into you. The album REALLY gets going with "White Mountain", which is a bit silly, a bit cheesy and overblown, but still thrilling story about a wolf who acquires unlawful knowledge and must fight to keep his life. It's a classic Genesis "storybook" style song and a great blueprint of what was to come. "Visions of Angels"...well, there's not a whole ton to say, it's just a very pretty song.

"Stagnation" is another lovely song, evoking images of Christlike salvation to an undeserving populace, from an unwitting Messiah. More of Gabriel's lovely songwriting is apparent here("Moon, my long lost friend, is smiling down at me...smiling at my tears") and it all builds from a simple folk song to an extremely boisterous, satisfying climax.

While "Dusk" proves unspectacular, probably the weakest link on the album, "The Knife" brings the whole thing to a rollicking close, and is not only the best song on the album but among Genesis' 5 best songs, period. A scathing attack against the Vietnam war(that's my own interpretation, of course, but lines like "We must strike at the lies that have spread like disease through our minds" indicate that this may be the case), "The Knife" is the best argument for the original Genesis lineup. Steve Hackett was a fine replacement for Anthony Phillips, but never once did he manage to replicate the power of the thundering riffs and solos that Phillips cranks out for this song. Phil Collins was probably a better drummer on the whole, but the rumble in the rhythm section of this song has never been repeated. "The Knife" is a triumph of both progressive rock AND heavy metal, and proved to be one of the most exciting, dynamic songs Genesis ever recorded.

"Trespass" is not a perfect record, but it is massively entertaining, totally thrilling and even downright delightful at points. It's worth a full price admission any day of the week, and for six dollars on Itunes you'd be foolish not to pick it up. Go and listen to this always underrated, never repeated interpretation of the myths and tales of Genesis.

This album portrays the members of the band as what they are at their best - very strong songwriters. In many interviews they have claimed that they did not intend to write very progressive and long songs - they simply all turned out to be that way. Sometimes it does feel as if they have just jammed and come up with something and went: "Ah hell, let's just throw it in too." However the music still flows very well from start to finish. I actually very much enjoy these rough arrangements, though they lack the intensity of what you hear in latter albums. This should be noted however, that this album is indeed much more pastoral, folky and less intense than what you might expect after hearing the following albums. (Though, naturally, Genesis isn't known for rocking very hard at all)

Lyrically Genesis would get more interesting in latter releases. However a fan will already discern quite a few tendencies that are also present in the classical lineup. Such as the story-oriented song "White Mountain" or the passionate lyrics of "Looking for Someone". "Stagnation" and "Dusk" however are lyrically the kind of meditative works that I don't remember hearing from later day Genesis. This can be said about the music generally too. It's a lot less quirky and humor does not play any part in it yet - elements that came to be elements of later Genesis. This work is very introspective and perhaps - to some - even overtly sensitive. A good one to listen to in quiet evenings near the fireplace.

My favorite track is probably "Stagnation" - the quietest and longest of all the songs. Very strong melodies and a very interesting synthesizer solo in the middle. The album closes with a prelude of what is to come - a harder rocking and symphonic "The knife"

I highly recommend this album to any fan of Genesis as it provides interesting musical background for the group. (Goes also to show how much they were influenced by their first (and brilliant) guitarist/composer Anthony Phillips for example) And of course many, many musical pleasures. And in addition I recommend this to any fan of strong songwriting, strong thematic progressions and melodic music. An overlooked gem in the bands history.

You know those folks in modest suburban homes who have plastic gargoyles on their mail boxes and call their property Dungrinnin (Robert Smith) or in our case Dunpoppy? (Genesis) Well this record brings such a phenomenon to mind but we really should be eternally grateful to Charterhouse's finest for suffering the inevitable barbs that ambition thwarted by ability is bound to attract. i.e. the caveman who invented the humble club was a figure of fun until baseball and the Cosa Nostra's credit control policy finally afforded him the status of cultural visionary. These are decent pop songs but simply inflated to prog dimensions. Large swathes of pretty but inconsequential and anodyne noodling blot this otherwise quaint pastoral landscape. It's certainly a commendable leap from the début re sophistication and daring but unrelated segments of music glued haphazardly between verse and chorus formats does not a labyrinthine structure make.

Looking for Someone - one of the least memorable Genesis songs I've heard which rather messily and at inordinate length sums up many of the shortcomings of this album. The melodic compass is decent enough and Gabriel exploits that eerie 'other worldly' quality his voice possesses on the a cappella intro (see Dancing With the Moonlit Knight for a better example of this) The glacial shimmering calm of the chorale section is brilliantly done but there are acres of unkempt vegetation strangling this delicate climbing flower. The mock Conservatoire finale was I suspect not even intended to be unwittingly comedic.

White Mountain - a very sturdy and agreeable melody but the instrumental departures are contrived tangential detours that only serve to stretch the elasticity of the storm and flood tested pop song format to breaking point. Based on celebrated plagiarist Jack London's novel White Fang, it lends the album it's name:

Thin hung the web like a trap in a cage, the fox lay asleep in his lair Fang's frantic paws told the tale of his sin, far off the chase shrieked revenge Outcast he trespassed where no wolf may tread

I've often ridiculed Gabriel's lyrics as precocious sixth former's 'interior view' graffiti but kudos to Pete here, these are very good indeed.

Stagnation - This does have credible claims to pure-bred prog pedigree as it features some sci-fi pitch bend shenanigans from Banks on what sounds like a post performance edited Hammond solo. (Well there ain't no synth critters listed on the sleeve are there?) The building of excitement throughout the arrangement is economically rationed and Tony B rewards this fledgling command of form with a well paced solo incorporating melodic fragments that appeared earlier and pointing the way towards the track's conclusion. Why then do the lads lose their nerve and embark on yet more leafy torpor at Stagnation's centre? It does evoke an atmosphere of sorts but strays perilously close to medieval slapstick as if Ian Anderson landed the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham in 'Robin Hood On Ice'. I can also detect echoes of what became Twilight Alehouse in places here? In mitigation there is a beautiful harmonic charge towards the fade that serves as a fitting platform for Gabriel's most mature performance on the album, but his lyrics really are just schoolboy poetry:

Here today the red sky tells his tale, but the only listening eyes are mine There is peace amongst the hills and the night will cover my pride.

This is 'deep' for those unable to negotiate turning a page without water wings. The entire album is littered with Judeo-Christian imagery but whether this is merely scenic mood setting or pivotal to Gabriel's agenda, is ambiguous at best. What is clear however is that he is unashamedly a moral being articulating his thoughts from within an entertainment industry cesspool that makes such sentiments worthy of some of your time(see Suppers Ready)

Visions of Angels - strong melodic song seeded by a lovely piano motif but we are forced to share the author's imagery 'through a milk bottle darkly' due to the blurry, boggy and murky production. This facet of earlier Genesis has always besmirched their output and it's frustrating that much of the finely wrought detail of the music suffers as a result. There's a spiffy hook to the chorus here that will make all your pan-handling for the gold worthwhile. Rather bizarrely, the lyrics steal an uncanny march on those of A Forest by the Cure:

I see her face and run to take her hand, why she's never there I don't understand The trumpet sounds my whole world crumbles down, visions of angels all around dance in the sky leaving me here forever goodbye

Dusk - meekly shuffles into view like the contrite schoolboy summoned to appear in front of a mild mannered 'beak' who punishes the offender with stern kisses. Somewhere deep within the impenetrable bowels of the mix you can catch a whiff of something mildly attractive stirring but these crepuscular whispers are always just out of earshot alas.

The Knife - By jingo ! I almost fell asleepppppppppppp. This alarmist alarm call to misguided action under the flag of 'Insert Your Favourite Brand of Morality Here', represents a band kicking effortlessly into their stride where the composition, while seamless, is ever changing and Genesis finally spit out the pacifier afforded by conventional pop song formats.

I'll give you the names of those you must kill, all must die with their children Carry their heads to the palace of old, have them on stakes let the blood flow Now in this hate-filled world we must break all the chains that have bound us Now the crusade has begun we shall make this a land fit for heroes

One of the groups very finest songs that simply dwarfs the modest but limited company it keeps on Trespass

Thank god for pretension and failed ambition I say, as how else can artists further their craft and surmount the artificial boundaries erected by the forces of reaction and marketing? I have a huge advantage over Peter Gabriel because no-one is ever gonna see my wretched essay at 24 outlining the parallels between the symbolist poets and the silent movie industry: Patti Smith... Buster Keaton with Tits? (A Thesis)

Growing up in public affords you no such privacy in your formative years to erase your mistakes and juvenilia from further scrutiny. Given the magnificent music that Genesis went on to produce on albums like Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By the Pound, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and A Trick of the Tail, we can safely concur that those aforementioned IOU's have been paid in full.

The Greatest Show On Earth can now begin....Roll Up, Roll Up

If you like Genesis (in the Peter Gabriel era) this is a must-have album.

For his year (1970), this album is highly desenvolved.Although that do not have Phil Collins on drums and Steve Hackett on guitar (they would be members from the following album "Nursery Crime") then the members in these positions, Anthony Philipps and John Mayhew, has nothing to dever.I prefer the Mayhew´s battery here than Collins in "Nursery Crime".

Most reviewers think "Visions of Angels" is below the first two songs, "Looking for Someone" and "White Mountain. " I think the opposite: these two songs are for me the weakest of album.Not that are weak, but they do not strike me as the others. "Visions of Angels", by contrast, is fantastic: a quiet music, which starts with the piano of Banks, before growing up to reach its powerful chorus.The instrumental section...oh my God! It's beautiful! When the music is repeated, this time with Banks using the mellotron (the first time he does this in the history of the band), I'm listening amazing.The songs from "b" side, "Stagnation" (pride) "Dusk" (pastoral) and "The Knife" (fantastic) complete this wonderful album, but I think only "Stagnation" is the height of "Visions from angels. "

Unfortunately, "Trespass" was not well in the sales question.But to me the only explanation for this is that this album was ahead of its time.

It has been a surprise for me the basically acoustic feel around all the album, being the opener Looking For Someone and the closer The Knife the only songs with more bombastic sound, soaring guitars and drums.

I think this is all about atmosphere, and the keyboards used (beautiful and trembling sounds let me tell you) are fantastic, so dreamy and floating. Acoustic guitar passages are also great played and very tasty. This is quite pastoral (listen to flute here and there, lovely in Dusk) and introspective music, and Gabriel's voice and lyrics are usually the highlight.

The drums are not bad, but being a really acoustic album there's nothing much to say about them.

My favourites are the opener and closer songs, surely because they have a little bit harder sound. Into the acoustic middle side of the album I found Stagnation and Dusk are my preferred moments, and White Mountain is also quite intriguing.

After listening to this I'm yearning for more Genesis!

FACTS- did you know tha Sir Anthony Phillips wrote "The Musical Box" AND "Fountain of Salmacis"? The Musical Box was performed Live in 1970! The lyrics were not all there and the "King Cole" section was lengthened and the second instrumental section shortened. In that same concert they did a song entitled "The Light" which IS "Lillywhite Lillith". Strange but true. I have this recording with album art. All in all this album is no slouch as some might say, between Gabriel's flute, serious bass chords, Phillips on guitar. A masterpiece in my opinion. Did I mention Rutherford andBanks? Lol. Once again listen and read lyrics.

I've alway been surprised by negative comments Trespass had received in the mainstream media since it's easily 1970's best album release for me. It's true that prog fans have been a bit nicer to album, after all it's Genesis we're talking about here, still there are only few who dare to proclaim it a complete masterpiece and instead spare their 5-star ratings until they get to Nursery Cryme or Foxtrot. That just seems unfair to me considering that those two albums and Trespass have just as much connection as all these albums have with say The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway!

Yes, the Symphonic Prog elements are a tad underdeveloped here but that doesn't really bother me a bit since this album isn't meant to be symphonic, it's meant to be hypnotic! Trespass is a Prog Folk album if I've ever heard one. The majestic album opener Looking For Someone and concluding The Knife do feature a few strong classic passages that Genesis would work on in the future, but the remaining four compositions are almost entirely an acoustic affair, and a steamy one at that!

Everything from the amazing album opening, where Gabriel wastes no time and starts the album with lyrics "Looking for someone/I guess I'm doing that/Trying to find a memory in a dark room/Dirty man, you're looking like Buddha I know you well - yeah!". What follows are two equally impressive performances, White Mountain and Visions Of Angels, both demonstrating that Genesis had come a long way since their debut, merely a year earlier.

Stagnation and Dusk is where the album gets into a completely acoustic territory and the band actually take a stab at their first concept composition with the former. Finally we also have The Knife, a composition that deserves a whole review on its own merits! A concept performance that can almost be considered a mini play staged in three acts. Musically it's a complete masterpiece, with Tony Banks completely stealing the show for me with his upbeat arrangement. Still it's the great band effort that makes this particular composition stand out more than anything that Genesis had done up to that point. The final act of this 9 minute composition might seem to be a tad imprecise in its conclusion, which is something that Peter Gabriel will use to his advantage many times again, and I usually see it as a very tragic ending, even though someone shouts "We have won"!

I highly recommend this album to everyone who is even merely interested in Genesis. It might not be the best debut album of all time, actually it's not even a debut album to begin with. Still it's definitely my favorite so called transitional album of all time! I'm have always been completely amazed by the change in the Genesis sound here and more changes were soon to come!

***** star songs: Looking For Someone (7:07) White Mountain (6:45) The Knife (8:57)

**** star songs: Visions Of Angels (6:51) Stagnation (8:51) Dusk (4:13)

Since these were not available locally this required a train trip to the city (Melbourne, Australia) to a music import shop. For a boy growing up in the outer suburbs this was an adventure in itself.

My brief review will follow but there is not much to add to what has already been said by others.

Trespass was another revelation. The train trip home was spent immersed in the glorious gatefold cover of the vinyl (unfortunately Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot were the US imports and I later learned that these lacked the gatefold covers of the UK versions)

Trespass opens with Gabriel pleading "Looking for Someone" and ends with the powerful Knife, the closest track to rock music on the album and then still different. In between there are many magical moments. White Mountain and the violence of the wolf pack, the majestic Visions of Angels, the haunting Stagnation with a most understated keyboard solo, Dusk. All are mature compositions, belying their age of not yet 20.

One of my favourite Genesis albums, although on the softer side compared to what is to follow. The version of knife that appears on Genesis Live is superior to this version...I feel that Ant is about to let go with a blistering solo to end the track but pulls back at the last minute...something which Steve didn't do.

4.5 Stars. Added: They vinyl sound on the US pressing is rather flat but is much improved on the remastered CD and the Box Set

In my opinion if Phil Collins played drums in "trespass" the final result was better. Also Gabriel does not express its full potential, if it were slowed by the results of "From Genesis to Revelation". (Also if this is a common problem in early Prog). The arrangements are not so explosive, because to baroque and intrusive. These defects not change my idea about "Trespass": a great album (sure a masterpiece in 1970) but not aged good.

So, I repeat, "trespass" was a masterpiece in 70's but today reamain a great album. Not only for Prog.

Discovering Trespass has been a wonderful experience for me over the past week. Genesis has been my favorite band since I discovered progressive rock over two years ago, and as a result, I've memorized every note on those classic albums, to the point where I rarely listen to them anymore. But with Trespass, everything is new and exciting again, and it's like I'm finding my favorite band for the first time all over again. Though recognizable from the first note, there is a distinct sound to this album. This is probably Genesis' most folk-sounding album, with flute on nearly every song, more acoustic guitars, and organ being the most prominent keyboard. Minus Phil Collins and Steve Hackett, all of the ingredients are here: Peter Gabriel's characteristic vocals, melodic organ and piano passages, and well composed songs.

While Trespass has glimpses of brilliance, and signs of what was to come, the music is not as mature, even when compared to the next year. Gabriel's voice, while still emotional, and having its moments, had not yet developed fully, and is even weak at points. The songwriting as well, is not as finely tuned, with some buildups that aren't as satisfying as they could be, and occasionally sloppy transitions. Trespass certainly has great passages, particularly in Looking for Someone and The Knife, each of which is exciting and dynamic. The sound overall is very consistent, with each song fitting in with the album, but the high points are not as numerous, nor as exciting as Genesis would go on to make.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to review albums like this in a vacuum. If Genesis had for some reason stopped here, this would no doubt be a much more regarded piece of music. However, we know when listening to it what the band was capable of, and though they hint at it, they never quite realize their potential. Regardless of how this fits into the overall Genesis scheme, Trespass is a good album, but you should let this one stay on the backburner while you work through their later work.

goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com

Specifically, the Jan 24, 2011 posting:

goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2011/01/willy-pogany-1882-1955-tannhauser- by.html

It is in a posting of illustrations (about 2/3 down the page) from a 1911 book by Richard Wagner of the dramatic poem from which his Tannhauser opera was derived.

The Art is by Willy Pogany (1882-1955).

Paul Whitehead clearly integrated this image of the two figures looking out the window into the front cover design. The original image source would seem quite obscure (a 1911 book published by Brentano's in London), but perhaps Whitehead happened to see this book during his art studies. According to the wikipedia entry about Pogany,

He was born in Szeged, Hungary. He studied at Budapest Technical University and in Munich and Paris.[1] Pogany came to America via Paris and London. While in London, he produced his four masterpieces, Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1910), Richard Wagner's Tannhauser (1911), Parsifal (1912) and Lohengrin (1913).

Chris

So what's changed? The band members were the same except for John Mayhew who took the drummer's chair... The music composition changed, the melodies and harmonies, NO sting and brass sections!!!

For me most Prog albums need to be listened to over and over to absorb all the different emotions, the highs and lows, the brilliant and then those not-so-brilliant moments all captured into a single piece of music. I take it that if you were an avid music listener in 1969 when the Genesis debut was released, you'd be totally blown away by Trespass, as it features such a vast array of different musical landscapes. Something they might've tried with their debut but not quite captured?

The opener: Looking for Someone, takes you on a musical journey unlike anything you've heard from Genesis before. White Mountain follows along similar lines and equally as good as Track 1.

Vision of Angels takes the music to a slightly slower level. Maybe not as nice a song as tracks 1 & 2. Then comes Stagnation and Dusk, both these on the same slow musical mood before the epic THE KNIFE just blows you away. By far the best Genesis song thus far (note that this is only their second album).

Overall a reasonable album with 3½ good songs out of 6. As I rated their debut at 2 stars, this is a much improved effort and I award 3½ stars, however as I can not rate half-stars here, I feel this album is good enough for a 4 star rating.

Like I've said before, there are many people with great knowledge when it comes to music. These people can give you vast amounts of information pertaining to a specific band, artist, album, etc. Most of which can be read from member reviews and forums. For me it's about the music and whether I like it or not. My reviews are based on what a particular album has to offer and comparisons drawn from previous albums should there be any.

"Looking for Someone" starts the album off kind of weak. It seems very ill-thought out, but still manages to sound like classic Genesis. The instrumentation is a big confused sounding and the changes of mood are kind of random. But the track does follow a nice beat to get me through it. Honestly, I can't find anything that stands out on this track at all.

"White Mountain" starts out beautifully and kind of reminds me of a kind of gypsy mountain-folk inspired tune (I don't even know if that is a real "thing"). But the pace picks up and there is nice keys playing and powerful acoustic guitar strumming/picking that really sets this track on a good foot. This whole track is incredible and I'm honestly surprised that more people don't talk about this as being one of their best; I consider it so. There is a drum/bass pulsing just after the center that images a beast walking down a long hall, just before continuing with the powerful keys playing.

"Visions of Angels" initially sounds folky but soon becomes powerful and random. I consider this to be one of the more random tracks on the album and it doesn't work very well for me. There really is no coherent structure to this song even though there is a recurring theme that is stamped throughout.

"Stagnation" is mostly a symphonic folk-rock tune that is really quite beautiful. It gets bigger at the end, but mostly consists of acoustic guitar picking and some soothing melodies on the keys. There is a flute solo at the end that always sounds pleasant and really matches the rest of the song.

"Dusk" is another folky tune with group vocals and beautiful flute. Though this is one of the shortest and least progressive tracks on this album, it shows that the band really can write great songs that flow incredibly. I consider this a stand out moment along with "White Mountain".

"The Knife" is one of Genesis' classic tracks, and starts off heavily in a way that foreshadows "Get 'em Out by Friday" on the Foxtrot album. This track is very demanding and angry, emphasizing the "rock" half of progressive rock. It chills out near the middle and eventually gets groovy, but unfortunately nothing really stands out to me other than the song sounds different than anything else on the album.

A lot of fans regard this album as not being superior as Nursery Cryme or Foxtrot, but I disagree on my own personal taste. I think the folky elements on this album really make this stand out in the early Genesis catalog. I also prefer this album because the feel seems much more serious than the often goofy and quirky later albums. The album contains a few tracks that aren't written quite as well as they could've been, but there are also some very beautiful tracks here that are always pleasant to listen to.

The arrangements are gorgeous, subtle and sensitive, especially the interweaving acoustic guitars with the piano and organ. 'Looking for Someone' and 'White Mountain' open the album launching you into a mystical realm.

'Dusk' still manages to leave me agog every time I hear it...'this passerby..born to die' It's almost spiritual. 'Stagnation' is a really fun, ever changing track which ends with one of the best and most uplifting instrumentals they ever wrote. I absolutely love the flute work among the other touches.

The album ends with 'The Knife' which the band used for encores and Gabriel would dive into the crowd. The energy is quite amazing. I will never get over the fact that they were 19 or 20 when they recorded this! And how can I not mention 'Visions of Angels' It is quite simply magical.

This is a real treat and no prog collection is complete without it. I cannot recommend this enough. The newest CD remaster does the record more justice and sounds more beefy. Some tracks sounded a bit wishy-washy on tape, vinyl and on the earlier CD.

The album is unfortunately afflicted with somewhat murky production qualities in many issues, which for some time meant that it ranked quite low in my personal estimation. It's grown on me over the years, and the most recent remasters really do a great job of teasing out its finer qualities; moreover, I think the slightly naive production quality in some respects adds to its charm, and it's certainly one that rewards repeated listens. Emerging from the murk, if you show patience, come five tracks in a primordial pastoral style that Genesis would never wholeheartedly return to - a gentler, quieter, and more subtle vision of the band - and The Knife itself, which paved the way for future Genesis bombast. I certainly don't think any Genesis collection should be without it.

However, when approaching Trespass, the instrumental sections are enthralling all the time; there are never moments of 'padding out'. The interplay between the Gabriels flute and Phillips' crying electric guitars toward the end of "Looking for Someone" or the build up to it (inclduing that rolling, tension building beat from Mayhew) are simply the pinnacle of rock music; a genre realising it's full potential. Many other examples can be found throughout this album, such as the pensive mellotron on "Stagnation", those eerie organ passages on "Visions of angels", or the roaring guitars on "The Knife"

However, another major point is that of emotion. ELP have been criticised for lacking any real emotional content in their music. Another band that struggles in this department is King Crimson. Virtually none of their songs have lyrics that are emotionally relatable, rather relying on a pure mental connection. Yes on the other hand, while being spiritually pleasing, almost like the Dalai Lama, it can also be emotionally laborious, like hearing a long tiresome political speech full of well-thought-out meaninglessness. There's an element of 'idealism' here. Although it can't be levelled at ELP, many of the British prog-rock acts were seen as representing, lets say 'young intellectuals' who were probably white and members of the middle-upper class. So emotional expression didn't really seem to fit in with the idiom.

But Gabriel, he's different (Battle of Eppind Forest not withstanding). He could be Al Green for all we know; the same emotional catharsis you can get on a soul-record, you can get with Genesis. And make no mistake, Gabriel can mix it with the best of them; Just listen to his pained, lonely pleas on "Looking for Someone", such as "Leave me, all that I have I will give" and "Chilly wind you pierce me like a dagger and it hurts me so".

The only real drawback is the thing is all very bleak, and perhaps one of the lighter-hearted songs like "Pacidy", "The Shepherd" or "Let us now make love", that were recorded around this time, could have varied the outlook up a bit.

Given those scene-setting acoustic guitars, that eerie chamber organ, vocal performances worthy of Shakespeare and what I consider highly illuminating, syncopated drumming, as well as some of the most painstakingly crafted Progressive Rock songs around, this could only ever be worthy of a high rating. Maybe not quite 5, but I'll round up anyway, it's really 4.something but, oh-well.

I find this album to be rather good. It was one of the first Genesis albums that I bought back in the day. I am from that generation that was used to Genesis being a pop band, being a teenager in the 1980's. When I found out from a friend that they used to be progressive, I was like "WHAT??" I then got turned on to Genesis, borrowing Nurcery Cryme and Foxtrot from a friend, which was otherworldly and VERY different than the aweful pop stuff that I heard all over the radio all the time. I was impressed enough to give them a chance and bought both albums.

Then I bought Trespass, and none of my friends had Trespass, so I knew NOTHING about it or what to expect. It was a little more folk-oriented than the proggy albums I already had, but it didn't bother me. I found that it was flowing more, as an album, than Nurcery Cryme did. Trespass along with Foxtrot remains as their more flowing and consistent records, with no really bad songs on them. I was mesmerized by Gabriels vocals on this album right from the opening words: "Looking for someone.." I was hooked, and it really didn't let go until the end of "The Knife" Peter Gabriels voice & lyrics is superb all the way through this album, and sometimes he reminds me of Syd Barret from Pink Floyd, both in his choice of words and his whimsical and playful way of singing. I noticed that both Collins and Hackett were abcent from this record, but it didn't bother me that much.

"Looking For Someone" is just stunning, and one of my favorites on the album. I love the feel & sound of the whole thing. Gabriels voice is superb, the drumming is great, and Banks are just on fire with his classical playing throughout. Prog classic.

"White Mountain" is little more up tempo. It's not a bad track at all, but not the best track either. I like the organ playing here, it gives the impression that the whole song is rushing on, constantly on the move. I love the quiet in between- parts were the flute and acoustic guitars comes in.

"Visions Of Angels" is a more epic song, with a great chorus with lots of Mellotron and choirs in the back. One of my favorites on the album. Epic ending.

"Stagnation" is also one of my favorites. A more lush and folky one, with many parts and different moods. Some of Gabriels singing parts reminds me very much of Syd Barret here, and that's a good thing, at least for me. Great song from beginning to end.

"Dusk" is nice enough, but not one of my favorites. Its got some nice, lush harmony vocal sections.

"The Knife" is a great prog song, and a great way to end the album! Nice grooves with Hammond Organ alond with groovy drums. Great dramatic vocals throughout the song, with some distorted effect on them, maybe sung throuh a fuzz-box? A dramatic conclution to a great album.

4,5 stars for a nearly perfect album.

If it weren't for Peter Gabriel's distinctive vocals, you'd have a hard time believing that this album came from the legendary Genesis. Contrary to the aggressive, in-your-face prog the band would visit on later albums, the music here is very pastoral and gentle, without being dull. This may be explained by the fact that Messrs Hackett and Collins were not on board yet, and had not brought their sound to the group. Instead, we hear the wonderful Anthony Phillips on guitar, and the relatively obscure, yet still technically competent John Mayhew on drums.

The songs on here are all relatively long, especially when compared to the band's first album 'From Genesis To Revelation'; the average song length is roughly 7 minutes. Although mainly falling into the folky territory, each song is quite individual, and it's worth writing a couple of sentences about them all.

The album opener, Looking For Someone, has a very bizarre song structure, making it worth listening to a few times, as you're unlikely to understand it the first time round. With a lot of strong hooks and riffs, and an awesome 2½ minute instrumental outro, this is actually quite a brilliant song.

A lot of people rave about White Mountain, but this is actually one of my least favourite tracks on the record. It tells the story of a wolf named Fang. This song has a good structure, but the arrangements in this piece are just too underwhelming. Towards the end of the song the band stops, leaving the sound of an organ and somebody whistling, creating tension. This seems like its going to end in a big crashing finale, but instead we hear the main riff repeated on the guitar, and some humming over the top of it: very dissatisfying.

Visions of Angels is far better. Strong drums and good melodies are the foundation for this track. The powerful, mellotron-drenched, instrumental towards the centre, which is repeated at the end, is definitely the best part of this song. With great lyrics to match, this is a neat little track.

Although The Knife is certainly the standout track on this record, Stagnation feels more like it belongs on 'Trespass' and emerges as the album's one true epic. The dynamics of this track are absolutely marvellous. At one moment, the song have a gentle and folky feel, but within a few seconds it will become more powerful and rocky. The lyrics are brilliant too, at times being subtle and subdued, and at other times bold and stark. This song is extremely different to Genesis's later epics, such as The Musical Box and Firth of Fifth, but deserves just as much recognition.

Dusk is a brief acoustic track. Despite having a beautiful flute solo from Gabriel, this track is really filler. There's really not much else to say about this track.

If Dusk (or indeed the rest of the album) had sent you to sleep, then The Knife would certainly wake you up. This track would more accurately predict the musical future of the band. As the name suggests, this is quite an aggressive track. Although using heavier arrangements than heard throughout the rest of the album, the first 3 minutes of the track feel quite light-hearted, with fast-paced lyrics that tell stories of war. However, the song takes a more serious turn at the 3 minute mark, beginning with a flute solo over a pulsating bass chord. After some haunting chants of 'We are only wanting freedom', the song's main instrumental begins. And what an instrumental it is! In my opinion, The Knife has the best guitar solo of any Genesis song, one that makes this reviewer want to stand up and bust out an air guitar solo to match. You can talk to me until you're blue in the face about Steve Hackett and Firth of Fifth, but no other Genesis track can make me want to shred on an instrument of nitrogen and oxygen like this one. After the guitar solo, comes an amazing blast of heavy rhythmic notes, a technique which has become a bit of a prog cliché. The song ends with one more chorus, before coming to an appropriately loud climax. Although it is wholly unrepresentative of this album, The Knife is far and away the best thing on this record.

I must admit, I do like the artwork for this album. A half-finished painting slashed horizontally by a realistic knife is a very bold and memorable thing to have as an album cover. The artwork is by Paul Whitehead, who would go on to design the covers to both 'Nursery Cryme' and 'Foxtrot', before moving to the US in 1973.

'Trespass' shows an evolving band exploring new territories. This is a wonderful record indeed, although unfortunately not brilliant. This is not the place to start with Genesis, as the band's sound would change considerably in the following years. To all those who have begun listening to the band, however, I thoroughly recommend this as one of Genesis's most consistent and entertaining albums.

Six songs in 42½ minutes and all of them strong. They were influenced and inspired by In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) and decided to make progressive rock as ambitious artistically as that seminal album - without sounding the same. They got John Anthony as the producer, who (if I remember right) had already worked with the Charisma label mates Van Der Graaf Generator. The result is an underrated masterpiece, overshadowed by Genesis' later achievements. It is angrily complex one moment and beautifully pastoral the next, but all the way the compositions are very mature. Sound quality is not perfect - nor is it on Nursery Cryme - but that certain worn-out feel (in balance with the Paul Whitehead cover art!) fits the music.

As amazing progress (as for the compositions) is the vocals of Peter Gabriel, compared to the debut. Now he has found his own voice! And the use of instruments (12-string, mellotron, piano, flute, organ, bass, etc) is miles ahead of anything heard on the debut. - Psst, Matti, stop comparing this to the debut. - OK. Now, some of you certainly disagree, but I think this is ALMOST as great album as Nursery Cryme. The certain wandering spirit (which, on the other hand, is largely behind the album's uniqueness) was replaced by more colourful dramatic approach, perfected further in Foxtrot. Selling England By The Pound (1973) again has those wandering, meditative moments but with quite different, more polished musical approach.

'Looking For Someone' is a gorgeous opener and sets the mood for the album which is full of sadness, solitude and alienation. 'White Mountain' is a fantastic (I mean also reminding of hero sagas, ancient ballads, Beowulf and so on) track, but sadly suffers more than others from muddy sound quality. 'Visions Of Angels' is relatively simple and pastoral but reaching majestic power. Lyrically it's perhaps the naivest song.

Side Two features two long tracks with a strong narrative level, plus the album's shortest and calmest song, 'Dusk', which I also love. Phillips is very recognizable backing vocalist here, and the flute solo is among the best flute moments in the entire Genesis discography. 'Stagnation' (its ending chords were often played on concerts, also on Seconds Out, segued to Musical Box, wasn't it?) tells of a sole survivor of a global catastrophe. Eerie! And finally, the magnificent 'Knife', which is bursting with anger. Faint- hearted better not listen to its mid-part (including very frightened screams) alone in the dark!

To me personally, this is one of those rare albums where it begins as a decent offering, and then steadily progresses during the entire duration towards greatness. In other words, I dig each song better than the last.

The first three tracks can be considered "good stuff" but they don't exactly blow my mind. Peter's vocals are a plus right from the get-go, as his soulful delivery early on is not something I hear too often from the guy. It's actually a bit restrained from the antics I'm used to hearing aurally from his Genesis days, and combined with the overall wistful quality of the music, it works in creating that "pastoral" vibe everyone seems to mention when regarding this album. Anthony Philips certainly aids in this conclusion as well with his atmospheric layer of texture, often of the acoustic variety.

"Stagnation" is where Trespass really hits the next level. It's among their best mellow tunes that, despite the running time, never gets, well, stagnant. It evolves from quiet moments to more energetic sections while retaining an almost carefree ambience, and despite the dated production, there's a strong sense of lushness to it. "Dusk" is a shorter piece, but even more gorgeous with quality backup vocals that are almost haunting yet soothing in nature. The song just drifts and takes me along for the ride. This of course leaves one unprepared for the final cut off the album, "The Knife", which certainly earns its stripes as one of Genesis' most memorable tracks, and definitely the one that would set the pace for their next batch of albums while being inferior to none of them. It's a deserved classic and one of the most noteworthy prog tunes from 1970, representing that years' uncertainty and uneasy outlook towards the future better than almost anything else in its time. It's theatrical, complex and dire with little room for psychedelic excess. It also rocks pretty damn hard! It doesn't stand out like a sore thumb only because there are plenty of moments throughout the rest of the album that indicate that this band is not on some languid folk journey, but it's a heavy hitter nonetheless.

I have to admit that the band probably did right by replacing John Mayhew with Phil Collins before Nursery Cryme since he doesn't seem to have that impact needed for the direction the band would be taking, but he's serviceable enough here. The rest of the band is top notch throughout this album, including poor Anthony Phillips. I wouldn't say this is my favorite album by them; the next two actually qualify for that, but as far as a follow-up to a truly humble debut, this album is actually staggering.

Trespass is a youthful, romantic album that brings Genesis to a new level.

After the innocent sounding debut album, Genesis take a brave step forward with "Trespass", by some considered one of the best albums of the band. This happens also to be the album thanks to which Genesis started to gain the fame and respect they had when releasing all the other magical albums that follow.

"Trespass" is not exactly melodic in it's nature: it is quite distant from Yes' "Time And Word" where the main focus is the melody. Genesis' release is much more reliant on atmosphere and musicianship, and the music is much more Progressive in it's nature than Yes would be until the "Yes Album" or even "Close To The Edge". In this particular album, I sense much more romanticism than any other Genesis album, which makes it unique in not only sound but also overall feeling: Peter Gabriel is here more nostalgic than ever, and the lyrics are as well representing the era of the new youth, confused about the great rushes of life. What is noticeable however, is the almost amateurish musicianship, very loose, and sometimes I can't help feeling that it needed adjustments in order to capture the actual moods the band wanted to deliver with that piece. However Progressive is something that is not about technicality exclusively, and this album in my opinion proves it elegantly.

Songs like "Looking For Someone", "White Mountain", "Vision Of Angels", are a great example of that atmosphere this band has accomplished with "Trespass". However, there is melody as well, like in the heavy times of "The Knife" or even the most wonderful song off the album, "Dusk", the shortest but definitely the most haunting.

This sophomore LP gained a whole lot for Genesis, and helped the process of creating masterpieces such as the following albums. "Trespass" may just be darn close in being essential for understanding the development of the great Prog Rock bands in their earlier days.

Ratings/comments (if you have to ask):

1. 'Looking for Someone' - ****

2. 'White Mountain' - **

3. 'Visions of Angels' - ****

4. 'Stagnation' - **

5. 'Dusk' - ****

6. 'The Knife' - ****

Stamp: "I like it."

A: Yes, and one of the most awesome bands to have ever recorded music.

However, on Trespass we find Genesis still in what is largely their formative years, but somewhere much farther along than on their debut effort, From Genesis to Revelation.

"Looking for someone, yeah, I guess I'm doing that."

From the opening line of the first track, Peter Gabriel's voice and lyrics are both in fine form.

"Looking For Someone" largely sets the tone for this album, folky prog-rock. Starting with Gabriel's vocals backed by organ, one can be fooled into thinking this might be a somewhat dull start. Then, suddenly, the band kicks in like a heavy rain, and the track continues in this manner. One minute it's a light drizzle, with rather gentle electric guitar playing by Anthony Phillips and piano by Tony Banks (who is already shaping the sound the band would go in), then all of the sudden, a downpour.

"White Mountain" continues in much the same way. Yes, as many others have pointed out, this is a long, long way from "Invisible Touch". It's not all genteel though. This band can play with a sense of tension and dangerous urgency when it is called for. "White Mountain" is a good example of this. The music and the lyrics work in conjunction to tell a story which would not have been so nearly effective without the well executed musical accompaniment.

"Visions of Angels" is a much more contemplative effort and again, the music does a wonderful job of conveying a sense of struggle with coming to grips with the subject matter.

"Stagnation" evokes loneliness and isolation, but also a sense of wonder. It is the tour de force of the album and one of the highlights.

"Dusk" features vocal harmonies, a rarity for Genesis. This track is quite an enjoyable interlude and is, dare I say, whimsical? It also serves as a breath of air before the final piece on the album, "The Knife".

"The Knife" begins with a bouncy, marching beat, echoing the deranged lyrics about a coup or revolution - the line, "Some of you are going to die, martyrs, of course, to the freedom that I shall provide," is classic Peter Gabriel. Soon we head into a more somber, tension-building musical landscape - all leading towards the bloodshed hinted at earlier. We then hear, "All right, men, fire over their heads," and then the electric guitar and drums hit us like an artillery barrage. This track proves that Genesis could rock when necessary.

Finally, with Gabriel's cry of, "We have won!" the album draws to a thumping close.

Overall: Trespass is one of those albums that makes it so darn hard to place on a rating scale. The album is all around wonderfully written and played almost flawlessly... and yet, while it's very close to being Genesis' best work, they did create albums that were even better. Such is the problem with all bands that have created multiple albums which could be labeled masterpieces!

Highlights: "Looking For Someone", "White Mountain", "Stagnation", "The Knife"

As with my review of the previous Genesis album, I will give each song between zero and two points each, then put it out of the maximum possibility and rate the album from there.

"Looking for Someone" is a track about a man trying to find someone who understands his plight, whatever it may be. It starts slowly, and Peter's voice seems a little too grating, but by the end it comes crashing down in a masterful display of hard rock. One point.

"White Mountain" starts out like most of the bands material, a slow, hazy folk piece, before turning the volume up to eleven and thrashing Fang the wolf upside the head, then quieting back down into a haunting outro. Two points.

"Visions of Angels" is the oldest song, being a leftover from the "FGTR" sessions, but it doesn't show any sign of being outdated. This one sounds simple, only about a man wishing for his woman, but the pity the music makes you feel for him and the desperation in Gabriel's vocals leaves you wondering if it really was just a break-up song. Maybe she died! ("Angels" from heaven, taking her away?) Your imagination is the limit with this one, and most musicians can't make something open-ended like that. Two points.

"Stagnation" is about a man who has survived a nuclear holocaust only to find he is the last person alive, and he mourns his friends and relatives before feeling fallout radiation's effects and dying. This has a true example of fridge brilliance in the lines "I want a drink... I said I wanna sit down!" If you look it up, two major early signs of radiation poisoning are dehydration and fatigue! All from a bunch of 18-20 year olds... Two points.

"Dusk" plays the same role as "Harlequin", "Horizons",and "In the Rapids". It is sort of a "reset button" so everyone can get the full reaction from the encore number of the album. Even so, it is a beautiful piece, apparently starting about getting dirty with a girl (like most songs since the 1920's) and the taking a heart-wrenching twist in that the girl dies after childbirth. It's very sad, as you might be able to tell. Two points.

"The Knife" is the big climax of the album, and an early crowd favorite. ( Gabriel himself once got so excited during this number that he jumped into the crowd and broke his leg on some dancing guy...) It is a sort of ironic ode to revolutions that fail in helping the country (like the Who's "We Won't Get Fooled Again"). Two head-banging, air-drumming points.

So, that's 11 out of 12, or about 92%, which I'll round to five out of five stars. (And trust me, Trespass deserves it!)

Having been inspired by King Crimson's massively influential debut release, In The Court Of The Crimson King, Genesis decided to make an album of their own, based on this new genre known as progressive rock. With six songs ranging from the 4:15 to 9 minute range, and a very folky, mystical sound (with the exception of the aggressive last song, "The Knife"), Genesis have created what I consider my favorite album from them (with Foxtrot as a VERY close second). As a result of the more prominent acoustic guitar usage, the delicately gorgeous keyboards, and some of Peter Gabriel's most haunting flute work to date, Genesis have created an absolutely enchanting and mystical atmosphere that enraptures my mind and senses the moment I immerse myself in the album. The lyrics for each of the songs are some of the best I have heard from the band, as they each tell such wonderful stories that range in many moods, from soft and delicate ("Dusk"), to harsh and cold ("White Mountain"). Despite the youth of the band members at the time of this album's release (late teens - early 20's), they display the maturity of wise old men, as they meticulously craft this album with care and precision, to the point in which each of the six songs are utterly devoid of filler. As a result, every song will want to be listened to, and be placed on repeat for days, as I highly doubt that any of these songs will grow old or boring, even after the next 1,000,000 listens.

The band's change in style from their debut to this album is quite remarkable, reminding me of Ulver's change from a black/folk metal outfit, into more of an avant-garde/electronic outfit (granted I like both styles, but i digress). With the release of Trespass, Genesis begin a long stretch of albums in the 1970's that will spellbind fans throughout the decade... and beyond.

This album has nothing to do with its predecessor. It's more complex and more dramatic. The first song is Looking for Someone (the first song i really loved from Genesis), a proof of majesty. One of the best beginnings ever. The music is dark, sad, and with "hope" too. Yes, all in one song!

The next song (White Mountain) and Visions of Angels are Genesis classics! One thing i want to mention here is that at the final song (The Knife) you can hear "progressive metal". We're talking about a pioneer album. A revolucionary album that when it was released, too many idiots didn't understand the music and begun to criticize it.

From here to The Lamb, all is perfect.

10/10

'Looking For Someone' (7/10) shows more of the blues side of Genesis in the first half, for which Gabriel does a good job adapting vocally. The second half is a mass of keyboard similar to ELP, with some parts that resemble 'The Barbarian.'

'White Mountain' (7/10) alternates between some upbeat acoustic part with vocals and a nice keyboard riff and some slower flute parts. I really like the adventurous feel in this one, both lyrically and instrumentally.

'Visions of Angels' (5/10) is probably the weakest song, and there's nothing really noteworthy going on. It's just a decent Genesis track.

'Stagnation' (9/10) starts with an acoustic section that segues into a nice atmospheric keyboard part. The rest is just beautiful acoustic guitar laced with some keys and soft vocals. This is probably the best song on the record.

'Dusk' (6/10) is another short, soft, acoustic song with a folk feel. Nothing outstanding here, but it does have a very relaxing feel.

'The Knife' (8/10) is the heaviest song on both this album and one of the in many of the albums to come. This is also different territory for the band, where a lot of the melodies and riffs are rather bluesy.

Overall, Trespass is a very different Genesis album from their later releases. It is obviously a huge improvement over their debut. I will say the only true downsides to this album are the production and the lack of Hackett and Collins influence.

7/10

Looking for Someone: I might be a minority, but this sounds like it could fit on From Genesis to Revelation but that's just my opinion. It starts with Gabriel's vocals at the front and kind of erupts and simmers the whole track. It feels like the bridge from FGTR to this album. It has become a favorite of mine.

White Mountain: Has a journey feel to the song in that it either takes you somewhere or will tell you a story. I love the acoustic guitars on this song, Ant and Mike always worked well together in the acoustic area(Listen to The Geese and the Ghost for further proof). It's a quite well made track but can get lost in the shuffle.

Visions of Angels: Quite an underrated song from this album. I like the chorus of this song really well, I hope it's the chorus at least LOL. This has a Hymn kind of feel to it and can get quite bombastic in areas but is one of my favorites. Always love Banks organ playing.

Stagnation: This is THE Journey song, if there ever was one. Tony and Ant dominate this song but mainly Tony. He does some excellent keyboard work and has been played, in small doses, by Genesis for years to come.

Dusk: The shortest song on the album, but not the weakest. Pure acoustic but hints at Nursery Cryme with the lyrics. Well made, but not much to say

The Knife: The Tour de Force of the album. It sticks out like a sore thumb, but it leaves quite the impact on you. From the heavy opening to the deathly middle part to the loud climax, it is a work of art and has a The Nice feel, which Tony was going for, and is still a favorite song in the fans.

Overall, not the easiest or hardest Genesis album to get into but one of their more underrate d albums. Give it a listen. 4 Stars. Highlights: Looking for Someone, Visions of Angels, Stagnation and The Knife

I gave this album five stars because, after getting more used to the rest of the band's discography and the genre in general, I feel that this piece has something very unique about it. It is prog, but if you do not know what prog is, it doesn't sound too strange. It is easy to listen to on one level, yet still entertaining and interesting for the more demanding, experienced listener.

"Looking For Someone" opens the album with a perfect blend of pure emotion and pure power. I can see that this track influenced their later compositions like "Musical Box" and "Can Utility and the Coastliners". The lyrics are great, but what I like most about this song is not Peter's emotion, it's how the instrumental passages fit together and how the whole song just flows as you listen to it. For a band to accomplish something like this on their second album is extremely impressive.

The album then moves into my personal favorite, "White Mountain". This must be the prime example of what I was talking about two paragraphs ago, it is easy to listen to for the first time (it was for me anyways) but when it grabs you it never lets go. And I mean never. Of course I haven't kept coming back to this album every day or so while discovering other music, but it simply doesn't matter how many times I've heard this song, it never gets boring. Tony's organ sound on this song is enough to give it at least 4 stars! I love how they deliver a combination of a great story expressed in an interesting way, an interesting yet accessible soundscape and a progress that flows even better than the previous song, which is an amazing achievement.

"Visions of Angels" then... well, it couldn't get better, after "White Mountain", but this is still an extremely well-written and interesting song. It does keep the same mood as the previous songs, which I think is a good thing in this case. This album has a rather coherent mood and while I can't really explain why I think too much change from this mood would have hurt the album. Even though it is not a concept album I would argue that it requires this coherent mood to glue the songs together. This makes the album a very nice piece to enjoy as a whole, again either on a shallow or deep level.

"Stagnation" continues in the same mood, with a slightly more "floaty" feeling, drifting away not only in time but also in soundscape. The perfect direction for the album in my opinion. Instead of giving the album a dose of energy, which I guess many bands would have done at this point, Genesis choose to continue with the dreamy organ pads and emotional vocals. What's interesting here is that the song actually changes many times, both in dynamics, tempo and sound picture. It doesn't stagnate (pun intended) at all, yet the changes are not there to disrupt the listener, rather to keep the interest there with minimal conscious effect on the listener.

"Dusk" is a shorter track which ends the dreamy part of this album, though it doesn't prepare you much for what is to come. It features some great guitar work, and of course the perfect sound picture that is standard for this amazing band.

Enter "The Knife". Now at the end of the album, Genesis decide that it's time to wake up. I like this, they could have faded it out on another Stagnation without any problem but this works as well. They could have placed this song in the middle of the album also, that would have destroyed alot imo. With this setlist one can enjoy the album as a whole, and then make the change into "The Knife" and after that there is nothing. It feels much more natural, even though this song frankly doesn't fit that well in with the rest. Nevertheless it is a very strong track, with great powerful organ riffs and interesting lyrics with a sarcastic political message.

This album is extremely hard to compare with anything imo, it is a rather unusual album even for a group that only did unusual albums (up until Trick of the Tail at least). I'd like to say though that is not only a masterpiece of progressive rock, it is also a masterpiece of music in general. I would recommend this album to anyone, while I might be wasting my time recommending "Pawn Hearts" to someone who listens to pop for example. It is strange at times, but the strangeness hides from the unexperienced listener in a very pleasant way, jumping out at you first after a few listens.

Sadly, many people tend to forget Anthony Phillips and John Mayhew. Though not as complex as those who would take their place, Anthony produces many beautiful melodies on the guitar and though Collin's abilities cannot be denied, Mayhew performed very well on this album.

Most fans of the band will view The Knife, a song with strong proto-progressive metal traits, as this album's highlight. Though The Knife is one of my favorite Genesis songs, I would urge them to listen to the haunting White Mountain or the beautiful Stagnation before making a judgement on this album based on only one song.

Those who are interested in Genesis glory years (Peter Gabriel/Steve Hackett years), or even just good symphonic rock, this album is a must. Every single song is well-written and very enjoyable. A five star album, just like many of Genesis' other prog albums.

Here is the track listing:

1. Looking For Someone- The album opens up with an almost a capella from Pete, he belts out "Looking For Someone" then quickly the song gains in dynamics, I love the guitar from Anthony on this piece(he's got some emotion in playing it!!), Peter delivers the vocals with emotion. I love the drumming, guitar and just the whole song really. It builds up in intensity as it goes. This is really the first time that we hear Genesis change tempos in the same song. Listen for Pete's flute also and how it plays with Anthony's guitar playing. The song is just great. I get the chills from that organ that Tony plays. I highly recommend this song if you want to hear an early prog jam from Genesis.10/10

2. White Mountain-This one starts off rather eerie and creepy and then it builds up, If this doesn't give you chills I don't know what will. It kind of reminds of when King Crimson does something good like Cirkus(this song came out first though, say what!!!!!!!!!!). It is a rather creepy piece that has Prog rock written all over it(20 years old, really they sound like seasoned vets!!!!!!!). It goes through many time signature changes and it's a treat I'm now seeing it. I'll admit this song didn't please me at first but then one day the light switch turned on(Aha!). Great song. 10/10

3. Visions Of Angels-This piece has a good piano from Tony Banks but it suffers like In The Court Of The Crimson King with it's somewhat repetitive nature(I think they flat out ripped the "Ahh's from King Crimson, why do that Genesis why??), though I do like Tony's piano playing on this song.Unlike In The Court this song has some power(for some 20 somethings, wow!!!). I also like the organ that Tony plays but like I said it suffers from it's somewhat repetitive nature. It's not as repetitive as In The Court and most definitely better than it (say what!!!). The song is still good though not perfect 8/10

4. Stagnation- I love this one it's probably a tie between this one and another song on this album(I will soon be talking about that one, hehehe) It's one of those songs that takes you on a musical journey. It starts off rather slowly but it picks in intensity as it goes along. I love Tony's keys on this piece(I think that it elevates this piece and takes it to another dimension!!!!!!).Like I said it picks up and then we ascend into musical oblivion and bliss with that organ(oh my!!). It ends triumphantly.This is yet another example of a prog gem from early Genesis.Everything is spot on in this piece(Peter plays the flute, what really!!!)Highly recommended. 10/10

5. Dusk-I really don't have much to say about this song it's my least favorite on the album though it does have some rather tasty guitar passages and delicate vocals from the band. It's a decent song just nothing that I've been too excited about. 7/10

6. The Knife- Now we reach my personal favorite song on the album and I'm talking about of course The Knife(hahahaha).What to say about this song.....it almost sounds like Heavy Metal in particular Black Sabbath(listen to that organ, wow!!!!! Tony was on top of his game here, hehehe).And for me as a metalhead I love that. I'm headbanging like crazy to this song. You thought 21st Century Schizoid Man was crazy you haven't heard anything yet!!!!!!. It goes through so many time signature changes. The guitar solos are Iommi-esque(What!!!). Don't forget about the intricate playing of everyone in the band. John Mayhew was great on this album(though he did repeat a few drum patterns and would soon be replaced but so what he played well!!!). The song crushes you and disturbs you at the same time(We are only wanting freedom, We are only wanting freedom, does someone say "batter over their heads!!!, what!!!!). It's an extremely violent song that makes King Crimson sound like Britney Spears(hehehe). I love this f****** song so much, it's like Prog Metal(hey that my username almost, hehehe). The best song here in my opinion. 10/10

Overall this album gets a 55/60 which out of 10 would mean 9. 9 out of 10 or 4.5. out of 5 but because it has 4 great songs out of 6 I will give this album five stars. Peace out!!

Some of the cuts on this album point toward the future, both lyrically and musically. The most important of these cuts are The Knife, Stagnation, and Loking for Someone. Dusk, White Mountain, and Visions of Angels hearken back to the first Genesis, more poppy album.

This is a decent album and pivitol in Genesis' development, yet not a must have for all progressive rock fans.

The tracks on this album were extensively done live prior to the recording of the album so the band were comfortable in recording them. John Mayhew is competent on the drum seat on this album although, as to the band's admission, he wasn't really good enough as to what they pictured for the band ultimately. The only real musician related weakness that I do find on the album is with the drums.

Anthony Phillips was almost regarded by the members to be the driving force and the leader of the band at this time but his dislike of, or of not being able to handle, live performances is essentially the reason that he left the band after this album.

What of the music itself on this album?

It is immediately apparant on the first track "Looking for Someone" that the Genesis sound has changed quite drastically to what was on the "Genesis to Revelations" album. The lyrics are deep, the music is deep and dramatic. Gone is the bubbly, airy sound of the first album.

"White Mountain" About a battle for leadership within a pack of wolves on the surface. Isn't the will to lead and the battle for leadership, whether it involves wolves or human beings, invariably similar to this tale's portrayal of such things? Good dramatic track where you can almost feel the battle through the music.

"Visions of Angels". To me this track is about unrequited love for a woman. It is a gentle piece of music with more than a touch of sadness and angst in it. On a deeper level the lyrics are about the loss of childhood.

"Stagnation" almost strange lyrics on the surface about a man who buries himself miles beneath the ground for a time and who emerges as the last man on earth. This, to me, is about isolation, about people who isolate themselves from others who ultimately find that there is a better truth in belonging. A softer track that gets quite dramatic in places. It's a delicate track in parts and an intricate piece of music.

"Dusk" - a delicate, fragile track about a man contemplating his own death.

"The Knife" is the album closer and it is a powerful closer. The consequences of repressing people is really the topic of the lyrics imo. A challenging, technical, piece of songwriting that is very good indeed.

This is a very good album that one must absorb and take the time to get to know and the rewards of doing so are great indeed. A very solid four star rating from me for an album that I would say is essential to any progressive Genesis fan and any fan of progressive rock that enjoys theatrical, dramatic, emotive music that carries a plethora of ideas and nuances throughout the music. I've wrestled with my reasons for not awarding the full 5 stars here but as there were true 5 star rating albums on the way from Genesis I feel justified in a way with my 4 star rating. Why do I then feel as if I've overlooked something or ignored some deeper side of me that wants to press the 5 star button?

I don't know what it is about Trespass because, by my normal musical standards, it would only pass as about a 4 star rating. I feel something very special in listening to this that makes me just want to play it all day long. Also, I know that a lot of people will disagree with me saying this album is a "masterpiece", and that it's more of Genesis "finding their own voice", so I'd just like to clear up this is entirely my opinion on the music.

Right from the start of track 1, Peter sings "Looking For Someone" and instantly makes me feel the lovelorn pain that he brings across. The whole song experiences some excellent chord progressions when analysed. The whole band - Gabriel's voice (and flute), Rutherford and Philips' contrast on electric and various acoustic guitars, Banks' organ and piano, and Mayhew's unique drumming - they all work very well on this album. Real moments of "Light & Shade" are heard on the song. An excellent opening track.

The following track "White Mountain" brings more of the folky flavour, telling a story of 2 wolves Fang seeking revenge on pack leader One-Eye. The intro plays a brilliant harpsichord part as Peter tells the story, bringing in vivid imagery of the White Mountain story. The sort of ethnic music heard on this album is really brought in on this track, with the acoustic guitars and flutes as the climaxes fade in the distance. The song ends with some of the greatest whistling I have ever heard on any prog rock album (but probably the only).

The next track "Visions Of Angels" is introduced by some beautiful piano with more amazing imagery straight for the first few lyrics. It really sets the scene and makes you feel a kind of empathy for the character. This strong atmosphere carries on throughout the song as the chorus is repeated at the end before a very symphonic ending with mellotron, drums and echoing vocals. It really is heavenly...

Flipping the record over, you are drawn in by the mellow nature of "Stagnation" with more intricate music and lyrics. Again, beautiful vocals, guitars, piano, and drums, and more great areas of light and shade. A little while through the song, a little mellotron solo takes place. Even though it only plays a few notes, it has such a full tone that fills up the piece, with more excellent guitars and then hi-hat backing, building us up to the climax. My favourite part of the song - as a piano joins and a mellotron/keyboard gives a powerful, very symphonic solo before breaking down to Peter's oh-so-quiet singing. The music builds up again to Peter's unique part, as he yearns for a drink. The piece then fades out with gentle flute and vocals to set you up for track 5:

"Dusk". At only 4:10, this is essentially like the single of the album. Luxurious guitars bring the piece in where "Stagnation" left off. Another brilliant track that sounds a little like a combination of the previous tracks. Peter's melody fits like a picture in the frame of the guitar backing as the final touches are added by the backing vocals on the 2nd part of the verse. These lyrics are perfectly philosophical yet beautiful - interrupted by a brilliantly simple flute solo - giving you a great image of "Dusk" in your head, more so than the lyrics in some ways. The only really drawback from this folky song is how quickly it ends.

They really saved the best until last with "The Knife" - a nod to Keith Emerson and The Nice. The song brings such power through from Banks' organ, Mayhew's galloping drums, and Gabriel's distorted misty vocals. However, I thought that the guitar tone could have been a little improved (with a bit more bite), but still a great tune underneath. The song creates another wonderful symphonic atmosphere as it retreats to another gentle flute solo (with similar drum fills to that as from "In The Court Of The Crimson King" - definitely a good thing!). Then Gabriel's building up to earning freedom interrupted by a screaming girl and then a screaming guitar solo - the guitar tone makes more sense here. The solid power returns here with more galloping drums before another great settle down attacked by solid guitars and drums, just as powerful as any heavy metal song. The song then ends with the victorious dance before returning to the chorus and ending on a deliciously clashy chord.

A*: The greatest album of all time!! :P

Looking For Someone - ****** White Mountain - ***** Visions Of Angels - ***** Stagnation - ****** Dusk - ***** The Knife - *****

Trespass is the follow up album after their debut and as many reviewers have said it is VERY different from the first. The simple Chamber Pop/Rock is well and truly gone and a blend of Folk and Symphonic Prog has taken its place. The only thing to link the two albums is the nature of the lyrics which are even more impressive. They are the kind of lyrics that I'd expect from a village elder telling old stories and passing on his wisdom at the same time...not from people in their late teens/early 20s!

The album starts with "Looking For Someone" which is a real rollercoaster of a song! There are quiet, mainly vocal sections which can quickly change into a all-out blast of 70s Prog. This song is heavily dependent on Gabriel's vocals and he does a good job expressing the mood changes. Great start!

"White Mountain" sounds like a old folk-tale + folk music with a good injection of Prog. The song tells the story of a wolf who is hunted by his own kind for his crimes against the wolf monarchy. Its a good story so I won't provide spoilers!! The music matches the lyrics perfectly and there are some beautiful and haunting flute solos (I'm a sucker for flute solos!).

"Visions of Angels" is probably the weakest song here, but it is still far from poor. The lyrics tell of a person despairing of how his God has forsaken his world and now ignores the inhabitants. Musically its a fairly typical mid tempo Prog song that plods along nicely, but its easy to forget and maybe drags for too long.

"Stagnation" clocks in at a lengthy 8:48, but it is completely different from any other long song the band have ever done. This is a slow song for the most part and lyrically it is the strangest song present ( I believe its about a man who is the only human survivor talking to the ghosts of the departed), so it takes some getting use to. This song will test the patience of those who want traditional complex Prog but for me its a great song to immerse yourself and I recommend listening to it just before you are about to go to bed...

"Dusk" continues the subdued atmosphere and is a relatively simple but incredibly beautiful folk song. The lyrics are a throwback to the last album with its strongly biblical themes. I listen to this song more than anything else here just because of how touching it is.

At this point the album has been laidback, relatively tranquil and very similar to the undamaged album art. But now "The Knife" comes and like in the album art starts to rip this tranquillity to shreds! Unlike the other songs The Knife is fast paced, aggressive, particularly dark and completely different from anything the band had done up to this point. It quickly became a fan favourite in concerts and because of that the band would shift their focus into louder and harder hitting songs for future albums.

Now on to the rating. 4.5 stars is what this album deserves but I can't give it that rating. Trespass is my third favourite Genesis album and is underrated IMO so I will round it up to the full 5 stars. A very unique Genesis album and as long as you don't mind its slower nature there should be plenty to enjoy!

The album begins with the largely unexciting opener (Looking For Someone), vocally this has never sat quite right with me but instrumentally there is the odd moment that is extremely strong 3/5.

From this the album goes into what I feel is the sleeper song (White Mountain) which transitions wonderfully from exciting moments to some extremely gorgeous atmospheric moments, a very strong track that is often overlooked in Genesis' timeline 4/5.

Visions of Angels is a pretty and relaxed song that overstays it's welcome after a while. The song is too poppy for my tastes and the lack of musical development doesn't justify the 7 minute length of the song. This song is also frustrating because it feels like a bit of a tease, just when it feels like it's about to get into something exciting and refreshing it pulls back into nice sounding melodies again that offer little else 2/5.

The next song (Stagnation) however is a real gem however, did I say that White Mountain was the sleeper song on this album? Maybe this album has two sleeper songs. In this song we see some thoughtful lyrics, a well crafted song that effortlessly glides between its many themes and some of the most original and exciting music that Genesis has created, certainly the most amazing song thus far in their career 5/5.

The next song (Dusk) is perhaps the low point of the record however, feeling tacked on and out of place with the rest of the music there is little symphony, little excitement... A boring ballad that offers nothing to the album, it's pleasant I suppose but a nice glass of wine is pleasant but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece of progressive rock 2/5.

The final song (The Knife) picks things back up again however, Genesis' show closer early on and with good reason, this is a song that really gets the energy flowing, lots of mood changes and varying styles throughout to keep the listener on their toes, a great end to the album 4/5.

Overall 3/5 stars.

This album represents a brief moment in time and sole album with the Phillips, Mayhew, Gabriel, Banks and Rutherford lineup which is a crying shame because it truly is my favorite GENESIS sound and album. The possibilities were limitless but circumstances intervened and the band jettisoned this sound and moved into other musical arenas. All wasn't lost as the influence factor was substantial particularly in the romantic symphonic progressive Italian bands who picked it up and branched it out into myriad directions. It is also the most democratic of all GENESIS albums with each band member equally contributing to every song.

This is perhaps one of the most dramatic albums as well. It has a very turbulent feel despite it remaining mellow and subdued for the most part. Gabriel's theatrical pomp makes its debut here as well and the sudden more energetic outbursts that occur in the midst of the mostly slower parts is well timed and heightens the dramatic flair even more. The finale "The Knife" which is the most upbeat of the lot finishes off the medieval feel of kings and queens with a triumphant victory for the lands. The whole thing has a kind of "Lord Of The Rings" feel to it actually. The progressive time signatures are off the chart yet the tracks remain fairly structured with parts reoccurring throughout. Even the lyrics don't rhyme much of the time. The chaotic nature of the compositions is somehow suavely smoothed over with beautiful instrumental passages and romantic, poetic and cataclysmic lyrical content.

While many critics have panned this album for various reasons including Gabriel's vocals lacking power, Phillips' guitar playing sounding muted and the lyrical content being muddled and confusing, i find these attributes are what makes this album stand out in the crowd. I have a love / hate relationship with many of the Hackett / Collins albums that came after but this one was love at first listen and has only gotten better since. Although i have read that the production is weak, my 2007 remastered version sounds just fine to my ears. Personally this is the finest hour for GENESIS in my book and although i do like many others that follow, none has the absolute power to mesmerize me like this one does.

'Trespass' is my second review of a Genesis' album and I didn't choose it by chance, despite I don't consider it their second best work and even be my second choice. The best and my favourite is undoubtedly 'Selling England By The Pound', which was my first review on Progarchives. However, I think this is a very special album in Genesis' discography and it always had a very own place into my heart. So, it always deserved a very special attention by me.

'Trespass' is regarded, by many of their fans, as Genesis first album. In reality, their real debut studio album is 'From Genesis To Revelation', released in 1969. Although, this is a very different album, a non progressive work, a kind of a pre-record from the group. Therefore, many consider 'Trespass' as their debut album. Even in some bands catalogs, their debut album doesn't appear as part of the group's discography. However, the band never disowned it.

Anyway, there is no possible comparison between both works. In reality, 'Trespass' has nothing to do with 'From Genesis To Revelation'. It shows a truly improvement compared to their previous work. The changes are completely drastic. I believe that no other band has made such radical changes in a so short period of time. 'Trespass' is really a progressive album. Curiously, it doesn't have yet the participation of Steve Hackett. However, I sincerely like very much of Anthony Phillips work, which is, in my humble opinion, one of the most impressive and talented progressive studio musicians, a true multi-instrumentalist, which clearly left his signature on this album.

So, 'Trespass' is the second studio album by Genesis and was released in 1970. It's their only album with the participation of their third drummer John Mayhew (R.I.P.) and it's also their last work with their former guitarist Phillips. The line up on the album is Peter Gabriel (lead vocals, oboe, flute, accordion, bass drum and percussion), Anthony Phillips (backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, dulcimer and percussion), Tony Banks (backing vocals, organ, piano, mellotron and guitar), Mike Rutherford (backing vocals, bass, classical guitar and cello) and John Mayhew (backing vocals, drums and percussion).

'Trespass' has six tracks. The first track 'Looking For Someone' written by Gabriel, Phillips, Banks and Rutherford is a very strong and emotional track and is a great opener to the album. It's a very beautiful song but it's also very dark. It starts slowly and explodes during the development of the theme. It represents undoubtedly a great musical moment. The second track 'White Mountain' written by Phillips and Rutherford is a piece based on acoustic guitar and complemented by great keyboard work. The song is a fable about a wolf who seeks to usurp the authority of their leader. It's a very melodic and soft song influenced by the folk music. This is another strong moment on the album. The third track 'Visions Of Angels' written by Phillips and Rutherford is another excellent track with great Gabriel's vocal work, accompanied by beautiful keyboards. This is another very good song, with a fine melody and it has also an excellent piano work by Banks. The fourth track 'Stagnation' written by Gabriel, Phillips, Banks, Rutherford and Mayhew is one of best tracks on the album. The music moves into a crescendo with an accentuation from acoustic guitar and the keyboard work. It's one of the best tracks in the earlier Genesis' sound and in the Phillips' musical era. This is also their first most progressive track. The fifth track 'Dusk' written by Phillips and Rutherford is the smallest song on the album. It's a very calm and beautiful ballad with backing vocals from the other band members. This is the simplest song on the album, but it still is very good. The sixth track 'The Knife' written by Gabriel and Banks is the great highlight of the album that quickly became the first classic of Genesis. This is a composition unusually aggressive for the band, and in my humble opinion it pronounce, in a certain way, the path the band would follow on their next albums. It's the most famous song on the album and it's also the heaviest track of Genesis ever.

Conclusion: 'Trespass' is the sweetest, delicate, fragile, romantic, innocent, naive and pure album of Genesis and it has their first masterpiece, 'The Knife'. This is undoubtedly the best known song from the album and their heaviest too. As all we know, Genesis became known as a group that have never explored the hard and heavy rock territories. So, 'The Knife' represents perfectly well that style. However, 'Return Of The Giant Hogweed' and 'The Musical Box' from their next third studio album 'Nursery Crime', released in 1971, contain serious heaviness elements as well. In my humble opinion, 'Trespass' has a certain mystic artistic aura. It's full of musical emotions that flow nicely and elegantly from poetic, impressionist and pastoral to aggressive and dramatic theatrical scenes that only Genesis can do. If it wasn't its less careful musical production I could have rated it with 5 stars.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Anyway, let's take a look at the tracks here...

Looking For Someone (7:04) - ★★★☆☆

This song... never really did much to me, to be honest. Aside from Peter Gabriel's great emotional vocal performance and the fantastic instrumental outro starting in 4:45 with a rather tasteful Anthony Philips solo and some nice flute pieces by Gabriel, I find this to be a largely unexciting track. John Mayhew's drumming in particular doesn't impress me much and both the acapella and the chorus sections never felt like they pack that big of a punch, but it's not a terrible track, I guess it opens the album decently enough nonetheless.

White Mountain (6:44) - ★★★★☆

Now that's much better, Tony Banks opens this track up with an atmospheric mellotron and drives it forward with Phillips' guitar and Mike Rutherford's bass complementing it flawlessly. This is also pretty much the first Genesis song with direct lyrical storytelling, about a wolf called Fang and his attempted escape from another wolf named One-Eye for trespassing his territory and seeing the crown of the king or something like that, it's kinda hard to explain actually. Anyway, Gabriel also does a very strong vocal performance the whole way through and the outro once again is fantastic, you can pretty much feel like you're in a snowy forest where some kind of battle just recently happened with it, a great song for sure.

Visions of Angels (6:50) - ★★☆☆☆

This one was largely written by Anthony Phillips, with lyrics about how he loves Peter Gabriel's then wife, and it's another one I never cared about. Maybe if it was at least 1 minute shorter I would give it a pass, because for a song with so little musical development and painfully repetitive structure, it sure as hell overstays its welcome, and once again, the drumming lacks any kind of impact, even more apparent now that the instrumental passage gives it a bigger focus.

Stagnation (8:46) - ★★★★☆

Somewhat of a hidden gem in Genesis' catalog, some great acoustic work, I love the organ sections, Gabriel shows his vocal prowess here once again, especially when the heavier section of the song kicks in and he ups the ante in the "I said I wanna sit down!" part, also this song has some of my favorite lyrical lines ever: "I want a drink - I want a drink/To take all the dust and the dirt from my throat". Lyrically, I believe it's about the life of a rich man who spent all of it living underground only to realize the world above him was destroyed and everyone died due to a nuclear fallout, this whole nuclear fallout thing was kinda popular between writers at the time, so this would be Genesis' take on it.

Dusk (4:10) - ★★☆☆☆

Meh, pretty run-off-the-mill acoustic track, nothing really impressive, but it feels like it was tacked on to fill the album and the only really memorable thing about it is Gabriel's flute section near the end.

The Knife (8:56) - ★★★★★

Definitely the strongest track from Trespass, even John Mayhew's otherwise flat drumming sounds powerful as hell here, Anthony Phillips rocks his heart out, Banks' organ sounds absolutely threatening and I only wish Mike's basslines wasn't so drowned in it, because it's very good either. This time, Gabriel sings about a violent Gandhi-inspired tale of a violent revolution at the hands of a dictator, the various effects on his voice and the different tones he take, the "Some of you are going to die" part being my favorite one of these, the chorus in its entirety is among my favorites of his vocal performances. This is by far one of the darkest and most aggressive Genesis tracks from the Peter Gabriel era and the best that came out of this lineup, if Trespass in its entirety sounded as strong as this, I would have given it a much higher rating.

As I said, Trespass is not really my favorite Genesis album, but it's good enough, I like a couple of tracks here despite not every single one of them pleasing me enough. Critics didn't like this album at the time, and I kinda see why, but I still think it has its moments and it's definitely a bit underrated, Genesis would probably never sound like they would do later on if it wasn't for Trespass, and for that, I'm really happy that this album exists.

"Looking For Someone" sets what would later be Genesis' classic sound, this song features a spotlight of Tony Banks' playing, which is a spot-on. Yawning guitar parts from Anthony Phillips are equally entertaining. This song also incorporates Peter Gabriel's flute playing and these well known strong, high vocals. "White Mountain" is an up-beat tempo song with an interesting rhythm and very rhythmic organ playing with pleasant acoustic guitar and flute passages in between. "Visions of Angels" showcases Tony Banks' grand piano playing. Although quite simillar to previous tracks, this one is equally enjoyable."Stagnation" is a quiter song, very soft, pleasant and pleasing. Gradually building up power to become much more dynamically varied in the end. "Dusk" is an acoustic track, having a sort of pastoral sound to it, also to me, it is a reflection of the album cover. Quite medieval, but in an interesting, modern way. "The Knife" is in my opinion the definitive track on "Tresspass." Let me start with lyrics. A very shall we say left-wing, politically progressive, post-hippie song about freedom, fight and violence. Very interesting. The lyrics are well matched with a very military-like marching tempo and heavy guitar. In fact, this is one of Genesis' heavier moments. A fantastic closing of the album, leaves you overwhelmed with the quality of this work.

After the folky "From Genesis To Revelation", "Tresspass" is a confident step towards what would become Genesis' classic sound. Not only that, it's just a great album on its own.

While this album is usually brushed aside as just folky, or just soft, with The Knife waking you up at the end, there really is much more subtlety and finesse to the whole experience, and it really gives a good diversity of moods. Take "Looking For Someone", for example. Peter Gabriel is obviously Peter Gabriel here, with his eccentric lyrics and melodramatic delivery giving a hazy, haunting opening. And what really makes this track, as well as the others on "Trespass", stand out in the Genesis catalog is the fact that, although Gabriel takes many poetic liberties in his libretto, the lyrics aren't quite as overblown as on "Foxtrot" or "The Lamb"; the sentiments still feel genuinely human.

Anyhow, after "Looking For Someone" erupts to a climax, the album does generally settle down in terms of intensity, though the energy is still prominent. As I said, the album is very consistent throughout and there are no serious standout tracks between "White Mountain" and "The Knife"; they're all quite excellent. Some particular moments do shine through, of course, but I'll leave those to you, the listener, to pick out.

With all of the mystery and enchantment of the British highland countryside that we see on the cover, "Trespass" takes the listener into territory seldom crossed, a genuinely breathtaking, human, but still magical, view of the often caricatured medieval imagery that prog dabbles in. 5 stars.

The thing with this album is: there are no real songs on this album. Only musical pieces. WIth song I mean: pop or rocksong with an obvious verse-chorus-verse-chorus-structure. And that's exactly what early art/prog rockband intended.

Mayhew is an excellent drummer, although a little sloppy here and there. His drumming sometimes remind me of the early drumming of Queen's Roger Taylor. The rest of the band (Philips, Gabriel, Rutherford, Banks) fit perfectly together. There's an obvious romantic approach to the music and most of the music is meant to support the vocals of Peter Gabriel. It's like listening to a theatre-play. No musician on this record is trying to show his musical skills too much and everybody plays together. And that's what makes this album so relaxing. Almost like early Barclay James Harvest.

Favorite song on this album is: Stagnation, because of the laidback feel.

+-

For their second album, Genesis jettisoned the short songs, and started to compose symphonic rock songs. It was all very new and experimental, and Genesis was one of the first. And as the first to experiment in this field, they suffered some failures. This album is thus a mix of early successes and failures. First the successes. The opening track "Looking for Someone" is wonderful, a template for how to mix emotional heartfelt vocals with music that twists and turns, and which combined the best of classical and rock. This would influence the way they successfully shaped a number of their more tender and emotional compositions in the future. Meanwhile, the closer, "The Knife", shows how they can incorporate a harder edge, with fast tempos and complex time signatures into compelling extended epics. Those are the two great tunes. The rest of the album, I place in the category of failures, although I don't want to imply that there is nothing in them worth listening to. There are indeed some great passages amongst those tracks (in all of them, particularly 'Stagnation'). However, the transitions are often awkward and unsatisfying, and the songs move from musical to unmusical (and back) to often. Many of the tunes sound underdeveloped and immature compared to their later work (but of course, remember this is a Genesis album - underdeveloped early Genesis is generally better than most finished and mature mainstream rock!). Saying this, I don't think Genesis could have made their greats without first going through this period of experimentation, so I am still very happy they made this album. On balance, I give this album 6.8 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which translates to mid 3 PA stars.

GENESIS, still trying to find uniqueness in their music, morphed a lot after their debut album. In here, they're shaped similarly to what's known of them. Every feature that makes them majestic are found in TRESPASS, albeit less matured. Maybe the album name has something to do with their departure from safe formulas to a new, uncharted territory of musical exploration and innovativeness? Highly eclectic, TRESPASS features several moods: it's sometimes soothing and pastoral and other times energetic and even mildly aggressive.

Peter Gabriel's vocals are terrific, passionate, and heavily accented, as usual. His musicianship is top notch, which really begs the question on how can this man sing so professionally since his very first releases... also, there's an interesting use of vocal distortion (kinda like 70's autotune) on many tracks. And several - and boy, I mean it! - flute solos. Tony Banks, the man with angel fingers, delivers too a superb contribution on his Mellotron. SURPRISINGLY, Phil Collins is not here: instead, it's John Mayhew is on the drums with quality drumming, but similar to Collins' style - rhythmically fluid, with some baroque details of cymbals and ornamental beats.

Looking for Someone starts rather romantically slow, but there are several injections of instrumental parts and keyboard solos that take it far away from boring. White Mountain is perhaps the best track of the record. With a pastoral ambiance, it tells a poetic tale of a wolf's adventure. Soothingly acoustic, the big thing here, along Gabriel's vocal performance, is the spectacularly catchy and climaxing Mellotron chorus "riff". Vision of Angels, although not particularly morose, is not much interesting. Stagnation follows the path of Looking for Someone, as it has a calmer pace yet featuring some potent flute and keyboard solos around the three-minute mark. THE KNIFE is also an absolute highlight, as it depicts an uncommonly hyperactive GENESIS, almost hard rock-esque. The lyrics have many to do with civil revolution and rebellion, as Gabriel wrote this under influence of Ghandhi's work, which sort of explains the insurrectionary musical stylistic, atypical to the band. When I think about it, it's the least "progressive" object here, featuring a clear verse-chorus structure. Well, I ain't complaining.

So, in general, TRESPASS is firm, interesting and thoroughly creative. It was released in 1970, on the beginnings of the progressive rock, and I can assume it's one of the influencing factors that shaped the genre's directions and sonority, and undoubtfully, of GENESIS' style. A must for fans, and a "you really should" for anyone else.