NURSERY CRYME

n absolute gem, often ranked as Genesis third best album, after Selling England By The Pound and Foxtrot. But Nursery Cryme is absolutely just as good as the following two albums... It's just a bit rawer in style.

Five stars from me means that it is one of the best albums I have heard in my entire life. This means that i cannot give away five stars to just anything, it has to be something really special, the fact that the album is a masterpiece is not enough. It has to do something for me, touch me in a way that no other album has ever done.

This applies to Nursery Cryme. The first album Steve Hackett appears on as well as Phil Collins, and you can notice the difference between this one and the album before, Trespass. The drumming is much more complicated, and there are many not only mindblowing, but also very moody guitar solos. Hackett was certainly the master of blending his virtuoso skills with the actual music in the background. I can't think of many guitarists who could do it the same way he does.

The opener Musical Box, widely regarded as one of their best tracks, was the foundation of Peter Gabriels... Theatrical behavior. The lyrics are somewhat different from what other bands would write, heres the meaning quoted from the inside liner of the album: While Henry Hamilton-Smythe minor (8) was playing croquet with Cynthia Jane De Blaise-William (9), sweet-smiling Cynthia raised her mallet high and gracefully removed Henry's head. Two weeks later, in Henry's nursery, she discovered his treasured musical box. Eagerly she opened it and as Old King Cole began to play a small spirit-figure appeared. Henry had returned - But not for long, for as he stood in the room his body began ageing (sic) rapidly, leaving a child's mind inside. A lifetime's desires surged through him. Unfortunately, the attempt to persuade Cynthia Jane to fulfill his romantic desire, led his nurse to the nursery to investigate the noise. Instinctively Nanny hurled the musical box at the bearded child, destroying both.

As you can see it was quite something. The song itself switches from light to heavy, during the light sections, Peter Gabriels vocals are accompanied by an acoustic guitar and during the instrumentals, he plays his flute. During the heavy parts, the song transforms into something very heavy, metallike, totally drenched in distorted guitars, including Hacketts amazing double-tapping solo. The song itself ends in kind of a climax, when the organ kicks in the song gets very emotional, and Peter does som of his most amazing vocal work at the end of the song.

Absolutetly a classic song. But enough about the box, let me get to the rest of the album... The band sees a lighter side at the following, according to many, throwaway track but For Absent Friends is actually a nice tune. You do wish it to end though, as the amazing The Return of the Giant Hogweed is next in line. It is, as The Musical Box, a very different song (sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between Guitar and Organ here), with whimsy lyrics and amazingly progressive structure. Seven Stones is an underrated piece, a short soothing track featuring some beautiful work on the Mellotron. Harold the Barrel is perhaps one of the most progressive 3 minute tracks I have ever come across, and Harlequin is nice as well.

The closer is another one of my favourites on the album. The Fountain of Salmacis flows very well throughout the whole song, in the intro there are many instruments building up in intensity before briefly dissapearing into quiet void, only to build up again, three times. Absolutely stunning, as is the rest of the song, including the absolutely wonderful ending.

I can't find any reason to give this album a lower score than the highest. It is one of my alltime favourite albums, it seems flawless, the only flaw at all I can find is perhaps the song For Absent Friends and the production (which is pretty crud), but I'll forgive the production, because the music is still amazing, and Nursery Cryme stands as one of the highest points in rock (yes, not just prog) music ever.