INVISIBLE TOUCH

'Invisible Touch' captures Genesis at their peak in terms of mainstream success. Coincidentally, 'So' by Peter Gabriel was released less than a month before this album and was the album where Gabriel reached the height of his commercial success. I'm sure that was an exciting year for Genesis fans who were alive at the time. Unfortunately, I was yet to be born.

Everyone at least once in their life has heard the singles from 'Invisible Touch' on the radio or in a supermarket. I've heard the title track ad nauseam, which is probably why I find it to be vexing. Genesis, up to this point, always had great opening tracks. The abrupt electronic drum fill that leads into "Invisible Touch" filled me with disappointment the first time I heard it in the context of the album, especially after hearing "Mama" from the previous record, 'GENESIS.' The album starts off on a weak note with one of my least favorite Genesis songs, and an even worse song, "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" follows the opening track. This song, which in essence is mediocre and doesn't engage me whatsoever, is far too long. The instrumental section captures the band struggling to stretch out the song to nine minutes, making it a challenging song to get through entirely. In my opinion, this is certainly one of the worst Genesis songs. However, the rest of the album, for the most part, is better in terms of the quality of the music. "Land of Confusion" is an excellent rock song and is one of my favorite Genesis tracks of this period. "In Too Deep" is a smooth, pop ballad that I actually like quite a bit.

The second side opens with "Anything She Does," which is energetic but not particularly interesting at the same time. "Domino" is the longest song at ten minutes and forty-five seconds, and signifies the progressive aspect of Genesis' music, albeit not very well. I will say, I really enjoy listening to the chorus of the song which is introduced in the second half. However, the rest of the song doesn't really interest me. "Throwing It All Away" is a great pop song that features Mike Rutherford's superb rhythm guitar playing. "The Brazilian" is probably the most prog song on the entire album, and also happens to be one of my favorite songs on 'Invisible Touch.' The interplay between the electronic percussion and synths are appealing. The main theme is anthemic and contains a great Mike Rutherford guitar solo at the end.

In conclusion, 'Invisible Touch' is yet another mediocre 80s Genesis album. Even if I wanted to listen to 80s pop, seldom would I ever choose to listen to this record. It doesn't have the same highs as its predecessor, but at the same time, it doesn't have the same lows; it's an average album of this era of Genesis. 4/10