GENESIS

This may not be a super-progressive album, but it's a wonderful album nonetheless from a band who were on a creative high. How sad that they were never to reach this peak again. The songs are without exception brilliant, although different from previous releases. The surprise is that there are a few songs that retain the essential Genesis sound. "The Silver Rainbow", "Taking It All Too Hard" and "Second Home By The Sea" are mini epics, each on their own unique way, capturing everything that was great about this great band. The other songs have a creative spark too - "Illegal Alien", clownish Collins style, the hopeful "It's Going To Get Better", the monstrous "Mama", the bitter-sweet "That's All" - pure Genesis. Call it pop, whatever - this is still Genesis.