FOXTROT

Being that this is my first review, I'd like to set a standard on how I'd like these to work out or else my OCD will forever haunt me. I want to start off each of my reviews with a summary of my thoughts of the album in question. Then afterwards look at the individual tracks, give them each a rating out of 5, and finish everything off with my final thoughts as well as a final rating. So now that this is out of the way, I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope this all goes well.

So what can be said about this album that hasn't already been said a million times? Every Progressive Rock fan has spoken their mind about this album, and rightfully so. This album is well over 40 years old and still stands strong to this day, possibly even stronger now than the day of its release. This album marked the peak of Genesis' sound and future albums would show similar results, thus marking a brief but ever so powerful period of near-perfection in Progressive Rock. While some might credit Selling England by the Pound as Genesis' best work, I find that Foxtrot holds a special place in my mind, as well as many other people's minds, as their best album. That being because Foxtrot was my first album by Genesis. So that shows that this album holds a lot of sentimentality on my part, as well as even more bias.

The album starts off with the haunting mellotron chords of Tony Banks in Watcher of the Skies. This immediately grabbed my attention at first listen and still does to this day. Then after 2 minutes the band fully enters and shows why this track still stands as a classic in Genesis' discography. 5/5

Things slow down with Time Table as it starts off with a pretty piano intro and an even prettier vocal melody by Peter Gabriel. He hasn't sounded better and captivates me throughout the entire track. While this track is quite enjoyable, it can be seen as weak in comparison of the following tracks. So it loses a point in that regard. 4/5

Then comes Get 'em Out by Friday which seems to be very highly acclaimed by fans. Honestly I never understood why at first, but a few more listens really helped make this song grow on me. The wordplay on this track is stellar, and Gabriel's delivery of said lyrics is truly awe-inspiring. This song alone would be enough to justify why Peter Gabriel stands as one of the greatest vocalists in music. Also keep an ear out for Mike Rutherford's bass lines, they're outstanding! 5/5

Can-Utility and the Coastliners is a personal favorite of mine, as well as many Genesis fans. This serves as a good contrast in comparison to the previous track. Because while Get 'em Out by Friday shines as especially powerful in the lyrical department, this song excels in its instrumental work. Everyone gets their moment in this track and shows the chemistry between them all with such clarity. 5/5

After all of the energy put in the past 2 tracks, one might grow weary and without breath. That's where Horizon's comes in and serves as an intermission to said energy. Based after a piece by Bach, Steve Hackett gives the listener a good minute or so to breathe and relax to a quite nice guitar interlude. This could be seen as a throw-away, but I always find the time to listen to it again and again. 4/5

Then comes Genesis' most advantageous piece, the near 23-minute epic "Supper's Ready". This track is their magnum opus as it has everything. It's powerful, it's weird, it's humorous, it's melancholy, it's triumphant, it's just...sublime. I would rate this 10/5 if I could. It can be considered a crime for fans of Genesis to not find something to love in this track. Every minute of this song is nothing short of breath-taking. 5/5

With all these stand-out tracks, it's no wonder why this album still stands today as one of the best Progressive Rock albums of all time. Genesis was truly ahead of its time and could have just released this album and nothing else, and we would still be just as happy with them as we are now. This album easily makes my Top 10 albums and will be there to stay, as well as for many other people. This is an absolute essential.

4.6/5