I Talk To The Wind: Prog Blog and Reviews

yes... it is a great stand alone album.. and actually prefer the album to it's predecessor....   it might have been similar.. but you know what..  burn me at the stake... I simply think it is a better album. 

glad you came around in a way on Cat Food.... I ADORE that song...  did from the first listen....

another great review....  a promotion I see in your future

TGM: Orb wrote: Many thanks, Micky and CCVP for the compliments. Certif1ed was responsible for my own understanding of the track (which I've always liked in an abstract way regarding how it prepared for Court, but not in and of itself), so I felt it was my duty to at least post a link here. Anyway, Court has now reached my widely coveted 2nd-best album ever spot. Time to slave away at hammering something out for ITWOP. On that topic: Does anyone else believe that In The Wake Of Poseidon is a great stand-alone effort, rather than sticking to the formula of the previous album. I mean, superficially, you have one fast rocking song with vicious lyrics, one grand song with a bit of mellotron, and one softer, shorter song on each album, but really, I think people go too far with the comparison because of this. The individual compositions are really pretty different in their emphasis. Not quite sure if it qualifies for masterpiece status for me, largely because of Cadence And Cascade, which has never been my favourite, even if I'm warming to Cat Food, but I'm not certain whether I would  have decided not to award it the fifth star if it wasn't for Court. So, thoughts on this, everyone? --- also, just put in a large progressive order. Thanks to Micky for his part in introducing me to Magma and Il Balletto di Bronzo.

Great album that is very underrated because people keep comparing it to In the Court. It is true that its not the best Crimson album, but it is still a terrific album. On a 0 to 10 grade i would give it 8.

Nice review of 'in the Court...'  and especially shrewd in pointing out Mark's review.   His review of that album was one of the best single reviews I've read here... and his thoughts on  Moonchild in particular was the proverbial throwing of the lightswitch for me on that.  I tended to be ...scathing in my commentaries here on that track.   It will never be one of my favorites.. .but I have actually started to enjoy it rather than go into convultions and bleed from the ears. 

Edited by micky - March 24 2008 at 19:44

Review 17, In the Court Of the Crimson King, King Crimson, 1969

An old crush, that I can never, no matter how hard I try, get rid of. I have managed to persuade myself at different times that it's not that groundbreaking, decide that Court itself is way too bombastic, and that the mellotron is too thick for me, that the improvisation on The Illusion is utterly pointless, that this album doesn't deserve even five stars. However, every time I hear the first throb of 21^st Century Schizoid Man, all these delusions disappear. An absolutely stunning album from start to finish. Much like ELP's debut, this is only made more amazing by the variety of material on the album: jazz rock, softer songs, an extended improvised section, grandiose emotional pieces with a very epic feel. Artistic and emotive, very musically tight and diverse, and with Sinfield's amazing lyrics fitting each song perfectly. Just perfect. An almost unique six star rating (the other being Larks' Tongues In Aspic).

21^st Century Schizoid Man is, in my opinion, the greatest opener ever, perhaps even the greatest song ever. Two subdued throbs on a mellotron give way to a driving, powerful sax riff, Fripp's guitar with fuzz box hammering through behind it, stunning drumming from Mike Giles and Lake's almost-spat out, distorted vocals. After the second verse, it moves into a stunning jazzy 'jam' (I don't know quite how to describe it: too organised and tight to be a 'jam') with bass, sax, drums and jazz guitar emerging from the mix at different moments, and then a forceful, brilliant return to the main riff. The last verse takes the song to another peak, and it ends with an insane, chaotic splintering combination of the instruments. Sinfield provides brilliant, gripping, evocative lyrics, perfectly fitting the music. Designed to be played in a dark room at an obscene volume. This song alone has more merit than most complete albums.

I Talk To The Wind is a very sharp contrast to the opener, but it works superbly in the context. A very soft song, particularly showcasing Greg Lake's voice, a beautiful flute part from Ian McDonald and Mike Giles' enchanting percussion. The vocal and instrumental sections both stand out. Truly magical. Sinfield's lyrics again fit in very neatly, and can really transport the listener to another state of mind. Very simple in format, but nonetheless perfect. Not your average ballad.

Epitaph can only be described by itself. Pure emotion trapped inside 8 minutes and 47 seconds of music. Again, a completely outstanding song, with more of Sinfield's superb lyrical contributions. Greg Lake's vocals, Fripp's acoustic guitar, McDonald's mellotron and piano and Mike Giles' drumming especially stand out. In fact, everything stands out. Another dose of musical perfection, and another dose of imagery.

Moonchild is the strangest of the expressions in the album, but no less effective. It begins with the haunting Dream, with the sublime guitar part from Fripp, a bit of subtly used Mellotron and Greg Lake's beautiful vocals introducing the idea: moonlight. Mike Giles provides more of his unusual percussion. After a few minutes, the largely improvised (according to most things I've heard about it) 'The Illusion' section begins. It echoes and brings up the lyrics and the imagery, cycling through the actions of the moonlight described by Sinfield's lyrics. The improvisation leads fluently to another arranged section, suggesting a slow dawn, and the shadows of the night gradually vanishing. A musical painting, and a greatly under-rated one.

In The Court Of The Crimson King crashes into existence with a thu-thu-thu-thub from Mike Giles and the suffocating, thick mellotron riff that is the core of the song. The verses are composed mainly of pretty acoustic guitar, vocals and a careful, directing drum part, and have a very medieval feel. As it moves onto the repeated 'chorus' line, perhaps the most impressive use of block vocals in rock history, the choking mellotron returns. Sinfield again provides superb lyrics with a very bitter, dark edge. Of especial note are the instrumental Return Of The Fire Witch, highlighting Ian McDonald's skill on the flute, with a sort of weird borderline improvisation around it from Lake, Fripp and Giles, and the double-conclusion. The first conclusion is a relatively simple vocal or mellotron (can't really tell which) fade out, probably responsible for the end of Genesis' Visions Of Angels. Giles provides a couple of taps on the percussion, and a mocking reed organ begins playing. We are treated to a brief solo from Mike Giles, and then McDonald and the band return to provide a full overblown repeat of the main riff, driving slowly towards a superb and hectic conclusion, echoing the end of Schizoid Man.

One of my introductions to prog rock, and yet still improving with every listen. Mike Giles' drumming here is perhaps my joint favourite for any album overall (together with ELP's Tarkus), and demonstrates how you can escape the mould for a musician even as a drummer. If not for Robert Fripp's ability to go on and keep making superb material with several completely different line-ups of King Crimson, the departure of Lake, Giles and McDonald after this album would be an utter tragedy. This album is genuine art as music. Peter Sinfield's lyrics, as I have pointed out earlier, are absolutely the best throughout this album, on a par with Roger Waters' Echoes. A stunning series of images, and a true observation. Art at its finest.

Rating: Six Stars. It's the other Larks' Tongues In Aspic.

Favourite Track: 21^st Century Schizoid Man

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Only after very deep and angsty examinations of the rating, I've decided that Court does merit the elusive, not even within the rating system, sixth star. The review's mainly late because I had to re-listen to Moonchild in the context of reading Certif1ed's review, I had a DOE practise expedition (please, don't ask...) to go through, and I had actually forgotten the sheer extent of my fawning fandom of this particular Crimson album, and some of its merits are only just being revealed to me.

Two things concerning In The Court Of The Crimson King:

First

A great bow to Certif1ed's particularly amazing review of ITCOTCK. It's been responsible for my own turnaround with regards to Moonchild, which I'd previously thought wasn't particularly stunning, and also was a great read in and of itself, combining considerable technical and musical knowledge with easy reading for the non-musical, and objectivity with subjectivity.

+

Review here

Second

Stumbled across Peter Sinfield's site after a little searching today, and it has a very interesting insight into the lyrics and the concept of the album. If you're a self-proclaimed lyrics man, like me, and you like the lyrics to Court, then it's worth checking out this section:

Peter Sinfield's comments on the lyrics to Court

So, now that's posted: any thoughts on the review, the album in question, Crimson in general, any of the band members, and Court's influence?

Review 15, Wind & Wuthering, Genesis, 1977

Wind & Wuthering (along with Trespass) is responsible for getting me into Genesis, even when I, at first, found Selling England By The Pound a little awkward. I've always loved the first two long tracks, but the rest of the album has somewhat worn thin over a good number of listens, and I just don't get anything from listening to the instrumentals. The highlights are, in my mind, preferable to those of A Trick Of The Tail, as are Collins' vocals, which have matured somewhat, and really do make the songs more accessible. A good Genesis starter-album, coupled with something from the Gabriel era, and a good album overall.

Eleventh Earl Of Mar has a great synth opening, a noteworthy organ-drums-bass trio, good vocals from Collins, and a beautiful quiet acoustic-dominated section backed by echoing synths. Lyrically, it just about makes sense, but sounds right. There's an excellent ending with Hackett working over a lush percussion-keyboard canvas, somewhat reminiscent of Hackett's first solo album's closer, Shadow Of The Hierophant.

One For The Vine is probably second or third in my long list of favourite Genesis songs, with absolutely great vocals, very strong lyrics from Banks, which work perfectly over the music. Various keyboards are used in a sophisticated manner, and the talents of all four musicians are well-displayed. Superb instrumental sections, and changes in tempo, and a perfect example of musically realising a concept without letting the concept at all overshadow the music or vice-versa.

Your Own Special Way is difficult to like. I can tolerate and quite happily nod along to the verses. Unfortunately, the opening is utterly terrible, repetitive, with whiny keyboards that I'm not too fond of. The song proper isn't too bad, a decent pop-tinged song, with some of the fairly characteristic Collins drumming that made IKWIL good. The vocals are a little non-distinctive here, but still acceptable, as are the lyrics. The guitar, the harmonies, and the instrumental section are small highlights within the song. If only they'd managed to provide a good opening for it.

Wot Gorilla? is the first of the album's instrumentals, with a tingly percussion opening, suitably silly synths and guitar reminiscent of Hackett's solo album playing along nicely. A real throwback to the instrumentals from The Lamb, listenable, but nothing special.

All In A Mouse's night is another good longer song, though I found it utterly intolerable at first. Compulsive drumming here, great thudding bass, very good vocals coupled with tolerable (if acquired) lyrics. Some distinctive shifts in style, and the tiny, yet vital, electric additions from Hackett and Banks on piano (where the tune is held up by synths) absolutely make the song what it is. An excellent ending, and certainly well worth hearing.

Blood On The Rooftops opens with a memorable acoustic solo from Hackett. The verses are basically a showcase for his acoustic playing, and with small contributions from the rest of the band, while a great bass part from Rutherford particularly shines in the choruses. Collins vocals are again good, and lyrically the nostalgia and very English sarcasm are great.

Unquiet Slumbers For The Sleepers is largely made by the echoing guitars and piano, with a synth over the top that I find somewhat annoying to listen to, and usually try to ignore. It's mostly acting as a lead-up to In That Quiet Earth, which has a great guitar solo, a good bass line, and some interesting drumming. It moves on to a superb, very mobile, slightly heavier section with Collins really standing out. I don't know quite why, but it does feel a little awkward and repetitive, and the lead-up to Afterglow feels a little forced.

Afterglow is a very simple song, with minimalistic guitars and a slow drum-beat augmented by a nice mellotron. Typically, not the sort of thing I'd like, but the gradual build-up does work very well, and the emotional vocals, while still not Gabriel, are great. A very good conclusion to the album.

All in all, the album is one that strikes me as a little mixed, and brought down a bit by the instrumentals and Your Own Special Way's opening, but the longer tracks are absolutely stunning. Generally recommended.

Rating: Four Stars

Favourite Track: One For The Vine

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And that signals my Genesis collection running out. Probably going to alternate between gushing over all the Crimson  ()releases up to and including Discipline and reviewing less partially other odds and ends next.

I am *very* happy with all of my purchases, so I'm posting my early impressions here,

Tubular Bells (vol. 1) - Mike Oldfield
A good instrumental album, and I love the random nasal choir thing on the second side. First impression: strong 3 Stars, might be 4.

Script For A Jester's Tear - Marillion
Absolutely great album, with particular highlights in Chelsea Monday and Script... itself. I love all the tracks, although Garden Party and Web aren't at the same standard as the rest. Great guitar and vocals, but I found the drumming a little weak. First impression: Strong 4 Stars.

Valentyne Suite - Colosseum
Wow. I've had Daughter Of Time for a while, but this was something completely different. Stunning blues/jazz rock, amazing bass and bluesy guitar, and the great Jon Hiseman on drums. I'm particularly fond of Butty's Blues and The Grass Is Always Greener (Valentyne Suite, Third Theme). First Impression: 5 Stars. Great stuff.

The Inner Mounting Flame - The Mahavishnu Orchestra
And I was impressed by Birds Of Fire... A fusion classic, and worthy of that title. I really enjoy the acoustic A Lotus On Irish Streams, and the rest of the album is very, very dense musicianship. No weakness. First Impression: 5 Stars, could be 4.

Permanent Waves - Rush
I wasn't so happy with this one on the first two or three listens, but it really did click for me yesterday. Jacob's Ladder, Natural Science and The Spirit of Radio are great, and even if I preferred Lee's voice on AFTK and 2112, his bass here is superb. First Impression: 4 Stars

Moving Pictures - Rush
Some great songs (Tom Sawyer and Witch Hunt in particular). I might be happier without Red Barchetta and its irritating lyrics, but still a good album. Perhaps it'll click for me with a few more listens. First Impression: 3 Stars, could be four.

Les Porches - Maneige
Have to admit, I'd already heard this quite a lot, but the impression from the proper-quality release was so much better. Absolutely stunning classically-inspired piano, a very memorable title track, and the superb Les Aventures.... Only really weakened a little by Chromo. Impression: Five Stars.

Moonmadness - Camel
I was more satisfied by this one than by Mirage or The Snow Goose, and I have to admit that Ward's drumming seems to have come on a lot, though Ferguson's bass still feels somewhat like a prop. I'm very fond of Song Within A Song, and the rest of the album is good. First Impression: Four Stars, could be a strong three.

Pawn Hearts - Van Der Graaf Generator
Hm. I'm very glad I went for the superb Godbluff before this one, even if it's still very strong. I felt that Jackson really rocked more on Godbluff, and lyrically Godbluff felt more connected. Nonetheless, great album, and Guy Evans really does shine on it. A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers is really my sort of utter chaos, and the other two are very good. First Impression: Four Stars.

Review 14, A Trick Of The Tail, Genesis, 1976

After the departure of Peter Gabriel, Genesis' sound really does take a drastic change. For some people this is a welcome development, but not so much for me.

Firstly, Collins takes over lead vocals. I think the issue here is not his voice, which I, personally, enjoy on all the previous albums, and on the following Wind & Wuthering, but that he's not that confident with it, and doesn't really make the songs his own on this album. Occasionally he adopts weird accents on Dance On A Volcano, Mad Man Moon and Robbery..., but it just doesn't pay off for him as much as it did for Gabriel. The lyrics are still very good, but the relatively non-distinctive nature of Collins' vocals here do obscure that a little, so they originally felt like repeated pop choruses, even when they aren't.

Secondly, the music is somewhat less explosive. There are far fewer great rock moments, and nothing like Fly On A Windshield or Firth Of Fifth. For me, at least, this meant it's taken a lot longer to acquire and get used to, and puts it somewhat behind the Gabriel era albums for me.

Anyway, they say she comes on a pale horse, onto the music:

Dance On A Volcano was a little difficult for me to get into, but I now do enjoy it. Great opening, mainly guitar-based, good drumming, a great quirky bass part from Rutherford, and overall a very enjoyable track.

Entangled is an odd creature. On the verses and the instrumental second half, good, enjoyable acoustic guitars from Hackett and Rutherford, here, and banks provides excellent synth and mellotron (I think) parts. Collins provides a nice vocal, and the song suits him. However, the choruses really don't work for me. I've never been a great fan of playing acoustics with too many chords, and this isn't an exception. The vocal harmonies aren't very distinctive, either. A very good song, I admit, but not one that grips me.

'Like father, like son' A good, but simple drum-and-bass rhythm, with matching guitar, opens Squonk. Great vocals for decent lyrics, here, somewhat more assertive than on the rest of the album, I feel, though I wish they were a little more prominent in the mix. I love the drums on this one. One of my favourites from the album.

Mad Man Moon is one of the most beautifully opened songs I've heard so far, with stunning piano and keys, emotive vocals, perfect background electrics from Hackett, and an uncharacteristically quiet performance on the percussion from Collins. Oddly enough, it merges into something with a more Latin feel, with strange percussion that sounds like castanets, cheerful and classical-styled piano juxtaposed. This is followed by the strange Sandman section, with odd, but intelligent lyrics, accented vocals. After that brief interlude, it returns to an even finer rendition of the opening, 'Within the valley of shadowless death', with a superb return to the piano theme, even better guitar minimalism and percussion, and a great ending from banks. Lyrically, this is certainly my favourite song from the album, and probably for Genesis as a whole. Essential listening for Genesis fans.

Robbery Assault And Battery is yet another weird case, where nothing manages to offend, and I love the electric guitar and bass, and the drumming's quite catchy. The cockney vocals are amusing enough, and there are two great short instrumental sections near the end and at the end, respectively. I think it's the silly keyboards here that put me off the song as a whole. A good song, and I think I should like it more than I do.

Throughout Ripples, much like Entangled, I love the piano-and-guitar verses, with superb vocals, but I don't enjoy the chorus and its harmonies much. Good lyrics, great piano, and a decent instrumental section towards the end. I prefer my soft songs staying relatively soft throughout, rather than doing what these two do, which is start with a beautiful melody and then go to a generic chorus at a slightly louder volume.

Oddly, I really enjoy the pop-ish ATOTT. A thoroughly enjoyable short song, with great guitar from Hackett, and acceptable vocals and lyrics, with some great harmonies, plenty of bombastic silliness. I don't know what so many people dislike about it, but unlike the rest of the album, I liked this one on the first listen.

Los Endos is essentially a medley of tunes from the rest of the album, together with the legendary 'There's an angel standing in the sun!' of Supper's Ready, and a couple of weird shimmerings and strange percussion things indicative of what the band would do with the instrumentals on the next album. This, however, is much more catchy and enjoyable than them, with the rhythm section standing out a little more than Banks and Hackett.

In the end, not my favourite, but a solid four star effort. Perhaps not recommended to those who prefer the harder rock aspects of Gabriel-era Genesis, or those who healthily dislike acoustics. If, like me, you fall partly into the first of those two categories, it may need a fair few spins to grow on you.

Rating: Four Stars, though personally a borderline three
Favourite Track: Mad Man Moon

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Had the time and inclination to dash this one off today, and I'm a little happier about it than about my previous couple of reviews. As usual, on the lookout for opinions about the album. Might get another review about a non-Genesis album up next, since I'm not in the mood to listen to W&W now.

Edit: Trick is an odd album for me, because while I can say I enjoy it, but could happily live without it, I think every prog-man (or even non-prog-man) should at least try it out.


Edited by TGM: Orb - March 09 2008 at 13:20

micky wrote: you know.. this album NEVER ...ever took to me ... and I really have tried... but this is an album I gave up upon.. probably haven't listened to it in at least 2 years.   I'll give it another spin tonight after I toss off some reviews of my own.  Now that M@X has let me do my voodoo again... and let me log on... have some reviews to catch up with.  you do write a great  album review though... looking forward to seeing you tackle more obscure stuff as well.

Many thanks for the kind words, though I don't know why M@X would make such a silly mistake

I'm sharpening my teeth on the obvious stuff, since it makes up most of my currently small collection, and I want to get better at analysing/understanding the albums and my personal opinions before I go on to those  more obscure things that actually need the reviews and ratings, so I can give them the love they deserve. Might get in a Colosseum or Maneige review sometime soon, though, even if they're lesser-known rather than obscure.

Review 13, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Genesis, 1974

Because four great albums weren't enough for Genesis. A very interesting change in format took place between Selling England By The Pound and The Lamb. There are no really extended songs, although The Colony Of Slippermen and In The Cage are reasonably long, some of the songs move into psychedelic and ambient territory and the album has a much more American feel than anything Genesis had previously done; lastly, the excellent lyrics are always related to the concept, and are often narrative. On the minus side of these developments, I feel that fades are overused, when they aren't generally needed or feel out of place. Overall, an album that is on a par with other Gabriel-era efforts, and certainly not to be missed.

Beginning with a supple piano solo, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is very much representative of the album as a whole. Brief, with compelling drums and a great lead bass part, Hackett sounding suspiciously like a piano (!), clever, small background additions to give it more depth, diverse sections, musical foreshadowing of the later Carpet Crawlers. Great, biting lyrics and vocals from Gabriel, and an acceptable fade.

'There's something solid forming in the air'. Soulful guitar and vocals leads into the powerful, gripping Fly On A Windshield, with Hackett, Banks' and Collins driving right past the ears and into the brain. Intelligent, constructed, and brilliantly-delivered lyrics from Gabriel here. An absolutely stunning track. The highlight for disc 1, and one of Collins' best drum performances. The beautiful Broadway Melody of 1974 is tacked onto the end of this.

Cuckoo Cocoon is decent, but doesn't really stand out. Does what it was intended to do, lyrically and psychologically, and prepares neatly for the driving In The Cage, but doesn't really go beyond it. Also has a weird slightly delayed guitar sound that doesn't work that greatly here. Not bad, but unexceptional.

In The Cage. What to say? No doubt the most widely-favoured track of the album, with a moving bass-and-vocals opening, leading to a driving, powerful keyboard riff, with good lyrics, occasional changes in mood to heavier or more serious-sounding sections, and then to lighter, more frivolous sections and back again. A very strong song, and vital for those who consider Banks' solos and Gabriel's voice the highlights of Genesis.

The Grand Parade of Lifeless packaging is brief, enjoyable, random, mostly mindless music, with a heavy focus on the chaotic distortion by Brian Eno. Acceptable, but not my thing.

Back In New York City is essentially a relatively normal song. Fairly weak, but probably concept-crucial lyrics, near-punk vocals from Gabriel, and a generally amusing main theme, though it gets a bit repetitive after a while. The chorus is great, catchy and quirky, much like Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath: embarrassing to sing along to, but I can't help it.

Hairless Heart is a beautiful quiet instrumental, led by Hackett (acoustic + electric guitar) and Banks (mainly synths), with Collins providing an appropriate drum beat.

Counting Out Time is, in my opinion, the funniest (though not the best) of the Genesis humourous songs, with a pretty amusing concept and lyrics, whimsical music (held up by a guitar riff and bass) and a hilarious guitar solo. Gabriel's tentative, questioning vocal fits the song perfectly, and the harmonies/fade on 'Without you mankind handkinds through the bluuues...' are delightful every time.

Carpet Crawlers simply doesn't interest me at all. I like the piano tune, I like the music, I like the vocals, but I don't like the song. I don't know why, but it leaves me absolutely cold every time, and occasionally even annoys me. Still, one of the widely liked songs on the album, and perhaps would be the highlight for any ATOTT fan.

The Chamber Of 32 Doors begins with a great solo from Hackett, and superb drumming from Collins, though most of the song is dominated by Gabriel's vocals, Banks' piano and the bass. There are some beautiful lyrics here, 'I'd give you all of my dream...if you'd help me find the door...that doesn't lead me back again...take me away.'. A superb conclusion to the first CD.

The second disc opens with a nice, somewhat explosive pop-rock tune, Lily-white Lillith. Great harmonies, powerful music, a bit of Hackettry, good lush keyboards from Banks, great vocals, and a good echo of the Broadway Melody of 1974 on the end.

The Waiting Room is certainly psych rock, though other tracks on the album and the way the album's constructed as a whole have a psych-y feel to them. A gradual progression with tingling, orderless percussion, screeches on the guitar and synths, with several themes being dabbled with and developed or dropped, explosions and an emergence into a full band piece, which continues to develop and shine. Complete and utter chaos, and something that took me a while to acquire in context, but completely my thing.

Anyway is my highlight for the second CD, with a gorgeous piano part courtesy of Banks, Gabriel's searing, echoey vocals, strong, original lyrics, relating to delirium and death. The sprawling piano on the instrumental break in the middle leads to a truly stellar guitar solo from Hackett and then returns to the main theme with added synths (or possibly guitar that sounds like synths), more vocals, percussion and some organ.

The Supernatural Anaesthetist is essentially Hackett on the loose, with Banks and Rutherford shadowing him. There are a few vocals on the start. An interesting combination of ways to play guitar, and the narrative (see the CD booklet) comment on the events taking place is absolutely priceless.

The Lamia is a soft multi-part song, showcasing Gabriel's vocals and lyrics (beautiful and at the same time advancing the story) and Banks' piano and keys, though Collins and Hackett are both very important in places, and the drumming stands out. A real grower, and a standout track on an excellent album.

Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats is interesting, with some more of that tingly percussion, a single repeated slow riff at various volumes, choral additions (probably done with some sort of synth, I guess) and interesting overlaid music.

The Slippermen begins with a minute and a half of seemingly random psychedelic noodling, and then dims to prepare for the most surprisingly explosive 'bubbity-bub' in the history of rock, followed by an extensive, silly song with great solos on keyboards, some well-concealed additions on guitar, great, eclectic drumming and addictive riffs. Superb vocals from Gabriel, with lots of small harmonies, and whimsical lyrics. A great fade here, and absolutely seamless music. Really good fun to listen to, and the weirdness hasn't grown old on me yet.

Ravine is a somewhat darker continuation of the Silent Sorrow... idea, with the same riff, but very different in its sound.

The Light Dies Down On Broadway is an echo of the album's opener, and absolutely great, with a compelling drum performance. More great vocals, and very strong lyrics (IIRC, from Collins, here). Good organ from Banks, and an enjoyable bass part.

The somewhat dancy Riding the Scree is an oddity, with a great rhythm section (Collins sounds like he's crossed himself with Mike Giles), blaring soloist keyboards, and a nice vocal. Great stuff.

In The Rapids is opened by Hackett, who's a strong presence throughout, together with Gabriel. Rutherford twangs on the bass once or twice, while Collins adds his own style. Essentially an atmospheric lead-up to It.

'It' has very catchy music, and great vocals, with lyrics that only really make any sense in context, but are still enjoyable. Fairly memorable performances from everyone involved, and the synth screech moving to the guitar riff is great. A good closer to the album.

All in all, a very strong four star effort, though it may take more time to get the same position of pride as other Genesis albums. Completely atypical of Genesis at the time, but nonetheless highly enjoyable, with a great mixture of styles. Perhaps too great a mixture of styles for the band's own good, since it seems unlikely that everything on the album will appeal to the average listener. Two discs of great material, and worth getting even at the price.

Favourite Tracks: Fly On A Windshield (disc one), Anyway (disc two)

Rating: Four stars

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*coughcoughcoughsomuchbetterthanTheWallcough*

Oddly, coming back to Genesis, it seems that I've become fairly Collins-centric in my way of thinking, whereas previously I was a through-and-through Hackett fanboy. Really, I'd never previously thought of how important the guy's drumming on Selling England... and The Lamb is to those albums, though I've always liked it. I'm currently thinking out a self-indulgent essay about how rediscovering a couple of things with a more 'analytical' mind recently (most notably Court and early Genesis) has been, so I might post that here if I like it (not so likely).

Well, that's the Gabriel era done. Anyone here have particularly extreme views on The Lamb?

Also, feel free to lay into my reviews, I'm beginning to get lonely in here

Edit: Interesting, apparently I actually submitted that embarrassing review I wrote earlier about The Lamb, after far too few listens and with absolutely no real analysis, which goes mostly against what I said in my new and shiny review. Ah well, same rating, so I'll wait until I want to replace a few more at the same time to get it deleted. Um. The album was a little acquired for me.

Edit edit: My god, did I really call 'Lilywhite Lillith' fairly heavy? What the Hell was I on?

Edit edit edit: At least I got in a cheap shot at The Wall in the old review.


Edited by TGM: Orb - March 08 2008 at 14:08

Is it too late to comment on Asia? Truth be told, shallow reactionary reviews aside, I can say from seeing them live in 06 that things weren't as impressive as could possibly be-- from a simple very-high-quality prog standpoint. Great energetic show, and great show by most standards, of course. And, too, when Palmer and Howe got their free moments, let's say I've yet to experience anything like it! (except for perhaps Tarkus for the first time on cd) With that said though, the lack of subtlety was a major turnoff.

In the absence of a SEBTP review today, because I'm trying to make sure I express it *just* right, I'm going to mention a few samples I've been listening through while waiting for my next load of CDs to finally turn up. Unfortunately, this means that I compulsively need to buy a few more albums as soon as my new ones arrive.

Five tracks I've particularly enjoyed:

Toccata (Live from Welcome Back My Friends...) - ELP
Here
I have to admit that I've overlooked live albums, generally. Listening to this and a live In The Cage version has enlightened me. The album's on my next shopping list.

Stratosfear - Tangerine Dream
Here
Heavily synthesised music usually isn't my thing, but I found this track in particular very compelling.

Arcturus
Here
Usually the big turn-off of prog metal for me is the random growling seemingly endemic of the genre. I randomly went over to the extreme prog metal genre, and clicked on a random album from the top 20. A pleasant surprise, and perhaps a couple of masterpiece songs there, though I'd need to listen more to make a final judgement.

Peaches En Regalia - Frank Zappa
Here
I admit I've previously just looked at Zappa's discography and thought 'what the Hell?!', and sort of classed him in my mind as a niche artist for a few rabid fans. I'm very happy to be proved wrong here. Great jazz-rock. Album on shopping list.

Space Shanties - Khan
Here
Wow. Just wow. Blame Chameleon's excellent 'Beyond The Land Of Grey And Pink' article for this one.


Edited by TGM: Orb - February 28 2008 at 18:38