TRESPASS

Even though I loved all the Gabriel era, this record holds a special place and remains in my top ten all time favorite recordings. This is not yet the classic line up. There is no Phil Collins or Steve Hackett but we do have Ant. Maybe Ant was not a great guitarist but his contributions are very important. This record features a lot of the lovely and complex multiple acoustic guitar passages that became a trademark of early Genesis. Peter Gabriel Voice is already an important instrument and has developed a great deal sine their last trip to the studio. In fact there is a great maturity about this set. All of the songs are well written. Looking for someone kicks the record off with a eerie vocal and this track build into a rocker. White Mountain is a well presented story and again the music is up to the task. This whole record has a magical quality about it. Visions Of Angels is a song about unrequited love (in fact the love of Anthony Phillips for Gabriel's then girlfriend) This is by far the best cut on this record. Almost church music it a real breath of fresh air. This extraordinary track was sung by Gabriel without him knowing who it was really about, but it works so very well. Stagnation is another great favorite with the wonderful meshing guitar work and really nice organ work, impossible to fault. Dusk is also a great song very much in keeping with this pleasant Progressive music. The Final cut is Trespass which is not my favorite cut on the record but which sets the stage for the Genesis to come. This is an uptempo rocker with an impressive lyric about a dictator. It seems a little out of context on this otherwise thoughtful and delicate record. However it works and Genesis would move more in the direction of this track than any other on this LP. The recording is very good and the pressings most especially the original pink scroll label is also very good. This is a impressive record in many ways and demonstrates that intelligence and rock music can mix. Genesis were never the average rockers from an urban environment, but they benefited from an excellent education and due to this have confidence and maturity beyond their then relatively tender age. When Anthony Phillips left the band things changed a great deal they drafted in two outsiders and found a winning formula. Although Genesis's later carear was a triumph it is possible to trace the shape and sound of the Classic period right back to this record. An absolute must for all fans of progressive music. One of the first great classic of the genre and a record that has aged very well. Even today that magical feeling that this record invokes cannot be underestimated a true classic.