NURSERY CRYME

Absolutely quintessential Genesis. The first album of the legendary lineup: the band has found two virtuosos in the form of Steve Hackett on guitar, and Phil Collins on drums. In fact, one gets the subtle impression that the band is far more confident as a whole (they've found their feet as it were). There is the emergence of PG's theatrics (in "The Musical Box"), and given the further exposure they had through almost constant gigging and media exposure, things were certainly up for the group. If you're a Genesis fan you should already own this, if you're a prog fan you should seriously consider it...

The album opens with "The Musical Box", which is a serious contender for Genesis' greatest song of all time. The whole band is in top form, and the song constantly shifts themes and tempo, and challenges the listener. Of particular note are PG's story-telling, TB's keys and SH's first chance to prove his ability on electric guitar. The song's final crescendo is one of those magical moments which keeps me a Genesis fan!

The next track is PH's vocal debut, and a pleasant enough ballad. It is however, just that...a pop song. Fairly generic and bland when compared with "White Mountain", "The Musical Box" or even Trespass' equivalent, "Dusk". Fans of short delicate songs may be pleased, but prog fans may find themselves yearning for something meatier. On the other hand, it acts as an effective short buffer between "The Musical Box" and the next track...

"Return of the Giant Hogweed" is another great early Genesis epic. Sort of, an H.G. Wells 'Day of the Triffids' if you will. What stands out for this track is the electric guitar work, which almost harkens back to Genesis' hard sound on "The Knife" from Trespass. The anger and urgency really seep out of this song, and it is worth checking out the much more raw version found on the Genesis Live album!

This is followed by "Seven Stones", which is a nice melancholy song driven by PG's vocals and TB's organ-playing. It's comparatively short (5:11), but not too short luckily. PG also plays some lovely flute in parts...slow and mellow.

Next, we have one of the first of Genesis' fun and happy songs: "Harold the Barrel". The lyrics are somewhat disturbing ("Harold the Barrel cut off his toes and served them all for tea"), but the upbeat tempo and piano playing act as a contrast and help to make the song more comical than frightening. This track foreshadows later work such as "I Know What I Like", and again is characterised by PG's story-telling, as he gives us a tale of a man who is preparing to jump from a building to end his life ("take a running jump!") ...hilarious!!

Next, we have an even shorter song - clocking in at just less than 3 minutes, "Harlequin" is a pleasant group ballad, characterised by some nice guitar and keyboard work, and get this - almost no percussion. Quite a nice gentle interlude to prepare you for one of my favourite Genesis tracks...

"The Fountain of Salmacis" is a fantastic end to a Genesis masterpiece, and makes great use of the mellotron (I'm a fan). Great story culled from Greek Mythology, with some great vocals, electric guitar and mellotron work = magic. I would dearly have loved to hear this on the Genesis Live album, but sadly it was left off due to vinyl limitations - but it still didn't appear on the 1967-75 Archive! If a Gabriel-era live copy of Fountain exists, I would dearly love to hear it.

This is quintessential early Genesis, and compulsory listening for anyone who is a fan of the Genesis sound. A prog masterpiece. With the classic lineup fully formed (although in my opinion, the Anthony Phillips lineup is underrated), the band would move on towards higher things...FOXTROT.