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prog4evr 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 22 2005
Location: Wuhan, China
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Points: 1455
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 Posted: November 14 2014 at 09:04 |
 bloodnarfer wrote:
...The album seems to have a very mushy quality that I'm just not crazy about... |
That's what it is. I just could not put the right word to it, but "mushy" defines it for me too...
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Blacksword
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 16130
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Posted: November 14 2014 at 11:56 |
prog4evr wrote:
bloodnarfer wrote:
...The album seems to have a very mushy quality that I'm just not crazy about... |
That's what it is. I just could not put the right word to it, but "mushy" defines it for me too...
<div style="display:none;" id="__if72ru4sdfsdfruh7fewui_once"><div style="display:none;" id="__hggasdgjhsagd_once"> |
It's arguably Hentchels weakest production job, but I don't think that ruins the songs on the album.
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Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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UMUR
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 19 2007
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 3069
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Posted: November 14 2014 at 14:25 |
Definitely among my favorite Genesis albums too. Not a big fan of "Follow You Follow Me", but the rest of the album is very special to my ears. Side A is particularly strong and especially "Burning Rope" stands out as one of the best tunes ever written by Genesis. Side B is slightly more uneven, but then again tracks like "Deep in the Motherlode", "Scenes from a Night´s Dream" and "The Lady Lies" are just fantastic songs.
I absolutely adore the production job too. It sounds so futuristic...
Edited by UMUR - November 14 2014 at 14:26
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SteveG
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
Status: Offline
Points: 20609
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Posted: November 14 2014 at 15:10 |
Blacksword wrote:
prog4evr wrote:
bloodnarfer wrote:
...The album seems to have a very mushy quality that I'm just not crazy about... |
That's what it is. I just could not put the right word to it, but "mushy" defines it for me too...
<div style="display:none;" id="__if72ru4sdfsdfruh7fewui_once"><div style="display:none;" id="__hggasdgjhsagd_once"> |
It's arguably Hentchels weakest production job, but I don't think that ruins the songs on the album. |
 WTF?  This is actually a superb recording with Hentschel able to approximate a "Wall of Sound' without sacrificing any details of the music or vocals. Hentshel's use of ADT (automatic double tracking) numerous times on Collin's vocals in order produce a pleated effect on the song's choruses is still trying to be emulated to this day. Perhaps you don't care for the dense sound this style of production creates, which would be a matter of taste, and that's understandable.
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fudgenuts64
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 17 2013
Location: NY
Status: Offline
Points: 470
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Posted: November 14 2014 at 17:42 |
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Definitely weak production here. I love the wall of sound but it's done better on Wind and Wuthering. Love this album but it seems strange that Renaissance's A Song For All Seasons produced by Hentschel and released a month earlier sounds so much clearer.
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Blacksword
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 16130
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Posted: November 15 2014 at 01:57 |
Production is a pretty subjective thing. I don't really dislike the job on ATTWT but the 'wall of sound' approach can mean that the dyanmics of some of the instrumnets can get lost in the fog. I think that is sometimes the case for the drums and bass guitar on this album, when the music is particularly busy and in the heavier sections. It's not as 'punchy' as Duke. It's not a bright as WAW and the individual instruments aren't as clearly defined as they are on ATOTT. Anyway, despite that ATTWT is still a very strong album imo. The band don't seem that fond of it these days but it was an important album for them commercially. It's chart position is rarely talked about. Much is made of SEBTP and ATOTT reaching No3 in the UK charts. ATTWT reached No2.
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Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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richardh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 28064
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Posted: November 15 2014 at 02:05 |
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I can understand the comments about the production and this along with the shorter songs creates a feeling of almost claustrophobia but that oddly for me does not harm it but rather gives it a unique feel.
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Blacksword
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 16130
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Posted: November 15 2014 at 02:13 |
richardh wrote:
I can understand the comments about the production and this along with the shorter songs creates a feeling of almost claustrophobia but that oddly for me does not harm it but rather gives it a unique feel. |
I agree the album has a unique feel, and special atmosphere. I've always loved it.
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Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15921
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Posted: November 15 2014 at 02:42 |
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Sounds more like Azure D'or in the production job, and heading towards Duke.
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SteveG
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
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Posted: November 15 2014 at 11:09 |
^Again, that's no coincidence as Hentschel was trying to adapt to the aesthetics of the times and from pressure from Genesis for a more 'open' live sound on Duke, which was not Hentschel's cup of tea. However, if you listen little a bit more closely, you will hear some fogging up of the sound on several songs from the A Song For All Seasons album, like the Jon Camp song Kindness (In The End) which sounds like pea soup. At least to me it does.
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Slartibartfast
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam
Joined: April 29 2006
Location: Atlantais
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Posted: November 15 2014 at 11:42 |
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The wall of sound????
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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Svetonio
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 20 2010
Location: Serbia
Status: Offline
Points: 10213
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Posted: November 15 2014 at 12:02 |
prog4evr wrote:
bloodnarfer wrote:
...The album seems to have a very mushy quality that I'm just not crazy about... |
That's what it is. I just could not put the right word to it, but "mushy" defines it for me too...
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The album sadly contains that FYFM hit song; very ABBA-like, back then it was a shock, a slap in the face of many proggers and the Genesis fans; imo, the album has its great moments, without a doubt it was well executed ("wall of sound") but the whole thing was vulgarized with that FYFM hit song. Also, the album jacket is not one of Hipgnosis' best moments, I'm afraid 
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Svetonio
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 20 2010
Location: Serbia
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Points: 10213
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Posted: November 15 2014 at 12:04 |
Slartibartfast wrote:
The wall of sound????
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Actually developed by The Dead.
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SteveG
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
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Posted: November 15 2014 at 12:41 |
Svetonio wrote:
Slartibartfast wrote:
The wall of sound????
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Actually developed by The Dead. |
Phil Spector is dead? When was somebody going to tell me?!
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This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State.
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15921
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Posted: November 15 2014 at 16:12 |
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Ain't Spector in jail ??
FYFM does sport a pretty cool ARP solo from Banks, don't recall hearing that in any ABBA song (although I do have the LP of The Visitors).
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verslibre
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 01 2004
Location: CA
Status: Offline
Points: 17194
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Posted: November 15 2014 at 17:03 |
richardh wrote:
I can understand the comments about the production and this along with the shorter songs creates a feeling of almost claustrophobia but that oddly for me does not harm it but rather gives it a unique feel. |
ATTWT sounds great but the first CD issue didn't sound anywhere near as good as the vinyl. On the LP, Banks' synth on "Deep in the Motherlode" was vibrant and had a lot of punch. For newer people getting into Genesis, this probably left less of an impression. At the time, anyway.
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moshkito
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 17524
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Posted: November 16 2014 at 09:59 |
SteveG wrote:
What's your take on this so called "transitional" album by Genesis. It's one of my favs and I think it gets a bad rap by Genesis fans. It was one of the last few they did with producer David Hentschel and I almost consider him part of the band for the great production work he did on this album.
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Boring ... and not worth the discussion in my book. By that time GENESIS was over and done with! "A Trick of the Tail" was the end for me, and after that copy, copy, copy, copy and sound, sound, sound ... and not new enough for me.
And by that time, there were FAR BETTER things all over Europe that deserved more attention than a burned out old band that was getting too much attention and didn't deserve it.
Edited by moshkito - November 16 2014 at 10:06
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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
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verslibre
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 01 2004
Location: CA
Status: Offline
Points: 17194
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Posted: November 16 2014 at 11:00 |
moshkito wrote:
"A Trick of the Tail" was the end for me |
You don't like Wind & Wuthering?
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SteveG
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
Status: Offline
Points: 20609
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Posted: November 16 2014 at 14:21 |
Tom Ozric wrote:
Ain't Spector in jail ??
FYFM does sport a pretty cool ARP solo from Banks, don't recall hearing that in any ABBA song (although I do have the LP of The Visitors). |
I know he's in jail. You know he's in jail, but does Svetonio know?
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RockHound
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 03 2013
Location: USA
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Points: 664
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Posted: November 16 2014 at 19:12 |
I find ATTWT inconsistent - some songs are spectacular, others leave me flat. To me, the album was transitional not so much as it related to the departure of Hackett, but as it related to a changed music business that demanded shorter, radio-friendly songs.
The problem I have with the late '70s-'80s hit parade is that, while some of the radio-friendly songs are great, it became a lot harder for bands to put together an album that satisfies from start to finish. And this is something the fan base of classic progressive bands expected (demanding lot, we are). That, in a nutshell is how I feel about all of the subsequent Genesis albums. I enjoy most of the songs, but each album contains at least one track that makes me want to go hide in another room.
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And Then There Were Three: Genesis
