WIND & WUTHERING

I can still remember getting this album after hearing A TRICK OF THE TAIL and being mesmerized by it's richness in terms of the music and captivated by the lyrics which seemed like children's stories inspired by too many drugs or by Hans Christian Anderson or some such author, then being somewhat confused by the new direction the band began taking on DUKE. When I ripped the plastic off the vinyl (yes, I was around when they had vinyl) edition of this album I wasn't sure what to expect.

When Bank's chilling keyboard intro to ELEVENTH EARL OF MAR came through my speakers I knew I was in for a treat. This track was certainly an interesting tempo for Genesis who I always thought did well with even - tempo or slower, more "plodding" paced themes. The mood is up and down but with Collin's phrenetic drumming and Hackett's "war cry" guitar sounds the up - tempo thing really works for me.

ONE FOR THE VINE is one of those more even tempo pieces mentioned before and is very well composed and performed. No surprises for fans of old school Genesis. Just plain good music.

YOUR OWN SPECIAL WAY and AFTERGLOW (as beautiful as it is) are less than standout pieces, probably because they pale in comparrison to the meatier and more ambitious tracks on the LP but they don't hurt the overall flow of the album.

Where things really get interesting is when you hear the "twinkle" sound that introduces track 4. WOT GORILLA is not a well conceived idea and is certainly not a stand alone track but it is a 3:19 fun ride that really showcases the level of musicianship and power this group has when they cut loose. The instrumental gives each member (except Hackett) a chance to show what he can do and is worth listening to repeatedly.

ALL IN A MOUSES NIGHT is certainly one of the band's more interesting songs and is actually more complex than people think.

My 2 favorites on the LP are BLOOD ON THE ROOFTOPS and the two part instrumental UNQUIET SLUMBERS FOR THE SLEEPERS/ IN THAT QUIET EARTH. The first one (Blood on the rooftops) is a gorgeous kind of lazy summer day song with some absolutely mind blowing melodies and an easiness rarely captured by the band. The latter 2 songs are really a single song with two parts. Here again the band explodes out of a beautiful melody into a true assualt on the auditory senses. The sheer, unadultereted, raw power of Genesis is harnessed her and makes the album worth the purchase.