DUKE

The production is one of the best ever since Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, and everyone is at their max today! Mainly after their break when they finished the tour of And Then There Were Three if i recall correctly.

Behind the Lines has an amazing intro of 2 minutes that goes really well with the main section of the song (both this and Phil Collins' version on Face Value are great). Then it fades out and fades in the enigmatic intro of Duchess, which is also the first time Genesis uses a drum machine too. Duchess is the defining moment where Phil finally finds his voice. Once again, Duchess fades out and fades in Guide Vocal, the shortest song that Genesis has done. But its packed with a lot of emotion, in general these three songs already give a really good impression of this album.

Man of our Times is a bombastic song, very reminiscing of Back in NYC but in 4/4 instead of 7/8. A really solid spiritual successor of that song. The Beach Boys-esque sound of Misunderstanding is a really good break after Man of our times, its also a pretty good single. Heathaze is a breathtaking song, the lyrics are really well written in here. A worthy ending to the first side.

Turn it On Again, what can i say? The best single that they have ever done! A fantastic progressive pop song about... televisions. But either way, the way Genesis used the odd 11/8 and made it into a hit is an outstanding achievement that's worth to be admired. Alone Tonight is another amazing ballad with some crisp production, and some more great lyricism too! Here's kind of a hot take, but Cul-de-Sac is really fucking fantastic. It feels like its from And Then There Were Three in some parts, but it fits really well in this album in my personal opinion.

Please Don't Ask on the other hand kind of feels out of place, but at the same time it fits. Its a really strange thing to be honest. Either way, its another emotion hitter. But then comes the big one, Duke's Travels/Duke's End, the grand finale of this album. A hypnotic intro that sounds like someone trying to start up a car and failing multiple times, then fading in the fantastic drumming of Phil Collins (double track too!). Following on we get some fantastic jamming from these three guys, all climaxing into an epic reprise of Guide Vocal. This is one of the few times i tear up at music too, so its another plus! After that Duke's End starts, which is a Behind the Lines/Turn it On Again reprise, a perfect way to bookend the album.

I highly recommend to anyone that you should give this album a try. If you didn't like it, my words is that you listen to this album with a different mindset. If you still didn't like it, its alright. But personally, this is an easy 5-star album.

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