INVISIBLE TOUCH

Decent - I can't help but admit, although neither inventive, nor too ambitious. Unfortunately, seldom does Genesis activate its prog side (something I prefer to call progressive pop - lengthy as Prog, but without the guitar edge of neo-prog). Nonetheless, as one may notice Invisible Touch is not really about being a grand parade of pop sell out, but more about the lack of good musical ideas. Creativeness is a trait of great scarceness, when a band consists of three musicians (all three of them fully occupied with issuing solo albums) making up for five.

The listeners are given catchy tunes with absolutely no musical value whatsoever, interwoven with fruitless efforts to create BIG progressive music - and that ends in a mediocre middleground - not always though - there are gems, but gems cannot single-handedly create a masterpiece album. They might save it from eternal damnation, but don't expect more.

Pop-Genesis (more like: Banks + Banks + Collins + half-a-Collins + three-quarters-of-Rutherford) in their top shape deliver really exciting pop-rock, here by the name of Land of Confusion, perhaps their most recognizable and most often covered hit single. Worth the time, if you aren't allergic to untangled music.

Likewise the brighter, proggy side of the G. band has come up with a nifty idea - expanding and combining several pop melodies into a 10-minute suite - Domino. I'd say it's in the mood of Fish's solo songs or even Misplaced Childhood's screamed out love lyrics. It's the kind of prog-pop combination that makes me listen to such albums, and bear the overall kitschy mood of other tracks.

Thus ends the best of Invisible Touch. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight & The Brazilian unfortunately don't come anywhere near the level set by Domino. With the former being too lengthy (it's really similar to In the Air Tonight... I dunno, maybe it's because you mainly hear just drum-Collins and vocal-Collins on both songs), and the latter too humdrum (the main tune in an never-ending loop), there's nothing really left for die-hard prog-listeners.

Overbrimming with upbeat, low-quality melodies & drum machine abundant, the pop songs are what you might expect from Alcazar or other Timberlakes, but not from Tony and the company. Even though I had a pleasant time listening to them (with the exception of In Too Deep) - Anything She Does even reminded me of The Police's Canary in a Coalmine - I guess Genesis' principal problem was, that the band created songs in a fashion similar to the scene below:

(insert heavy British accent here) Collins (nervously glancing at his old-fashioned hourglass): God dammit I'm almost late for my solo album recording! It starts in five minutes forty-five seconds exactly. Mike: Oh, by God! The same here! The Mechanics are going to be really, really angry with me being late. Banks: Oh right guys, just play five chords and three beats and I'll try to make half an album out of them. Collins and Mike: Splendid old chap! It was the right decision to make you band-leader! Where do you get all your brilliant ideas from? Banks: Alright... make yourself comfortable, while I check in on Hackett's and Gabriel's bodies in the freezer. Anyone hungry? ... (a heavy red curtain conceals this disturbing scene of progressive agony)

Best Song: Domino (where pop and prog combined give a chilling suite filled with real emotions)

Worst Song: In Too Deep (too deeply Collins-like; Genesis were never good at equanimous torch songs)

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