TRESPASS

In Trespass, the genesis of Genesis, we have a preview of the kind of music the band would later be known for, but not of the quality. In fact, in many ways, it's hard for me to hear the same band in both Trespass and Selling England. Different personnel surely account for some of that, but perhaps different maturity levels and sophistication account for more.

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.