FOXTROT

Well, I'm finally getting around to reviewing this gem. Although I did not realize that it was a gem at first. This album for me actually took awhile to get into. Even now though, there are a couple of tracks that still don't impress me. I know that some of you will disagree with this, but I think that an album can deserve a 5 star rating, and still have some weak tracks. If everything else on the album is so outstanding that it carries the album to essential status, then this trumps the presence of weaker tracks, at least in my mind.

With that said, I do not care for Watcher of the Skies. It does start out with some atmospheric mellotron, but once the drums and bass kicks in, its all a mess for me. It sounds like they were trying to be so different from what was on the radio, that they made something that sounds unnatural and flat. The guitar solo in this song is one of the worst from Hackett, who is an amazing guitar player. Next is Time Table, which has some nice moments like the piano interludes, but otherwise the song just doesn't warrant repeated listenings. The good news is that things get much better from here on out. Get Em' Out By Friday took awhile to grow on me, but once I got it I found that there were great rhythms and melodies here, and I really find the track to be quite haunting with its dark view of the future. Can-Utility and the Coastliners really is as good as people claim on this site. It feels like such a big song squeezed into less than 6 minutes, but it really works well. Listen for the swelling mellotron representing the storm that cannot be calmed. Great guitar solo as well in this song.

Side-two starts out with a short but sweet acoustic guitar piece from Hackett, Horizons. Being a guitar player I had to learn to play this one shortly after hearing it. This is really a beautiful piece of music and it nicely sets the stage for the main attraction. Supper's Ready actually took me awhile to really enjoy. After about three listens I was about to give up, but then all of the sudden something clicked and I found this to be not just a song but an amazing journey that is haunting and atmospheric. Just a couple of thoughts about the track. I like how the song just starts with no introduction. Instruments and singing begin simultaneously and paint a picture for the listener. The whole track is very descriptive and visual in its lyrics. One can tell that there are shorter songs here strung together, but the way they are strung together is genius. You feel as if you are rapidly being transported from one scene to another. During the first couple of listens, I thought that the Willow Farm part was ridiculous with its character voices, but now I love that part. It works well withing the context of the song and has a very dark undertone to it, even though it sometimes sounds bouncy and upbeat. I love the keyboard and flute solos during Apocalypse in 9/8. Also, during these solos, Collins does some really cool stuff on the drums that make the song even heavier. As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs brings us back from our journey, back to the starting point, only to find that it is the end of the world! The end of this song will absolutely floor you with Hackett's unusual, interesting, mind-spinning guitar work and Gabriel's hard, emotional singing. The other instruments are equally as powerful and support each other to create a sonic dream unlike any other. Supper's Ready is truly one of the great epics in progressive rock and it elevates this album to essential status completely on its own. The other amazing tracks are just icing on the cake.

With all that said, this album is probably not the best place to start for Genesis material. If you want to try out Genesis and are looking for a good starting place, in my mind the best one would be Selling England by the Pound, which is equally as good as Foxtrot.