TRESPASS

"Trespass" is the first GENESIS record to merit serious attention, as it marks the beginning of the prog rock music that would evolve into "Nursery Cryme", etc. It's a very different record from their debut, mixing pastoral, acoustic interludes with dramatic, portentous sections now featuring electric guitars, Mellotron/organ, more complex drumming, and shouted vocals. "The Knife" is one of the hardest-rocking songs from their career, and "White Mountain" is another good example of the type of dramatic music the band was trying to make. Despite some dark passages, "Trespass" remains an album tinctured by Anthony PHILLIPS' acoustic guitar and Tony BANKS' organ -- in fact, "Stagnation" would feel at home on any number of PHILLIPS' subsequent solo records.

Producer John Anthony allows the band, which now included drummer John Mayhew, to follow their muse; the result produces some lovely moments, and serves as a clearly audible link to the progressive heights attained later. Don't misunderstand: "Nursery Cryme" and the albums that followed are of a higher calibre, but it's here that the magical elements begin to fall into place.