NURSERY CRYME

Nursery Cryme is the first album to be recorder by what is now considered the "classic" lineup. When compared to their earlier release, Trespass, one could easily see that the band evolved as songwriters, lyricists and musicians. Phil Collins, who would later become the lead vocalist for Genesis when Peter Gabriel quit, sang "For Absent Friends" a short, mellow song. Changes in Genesis' sound can be attributed to their new guitarist, the talented Steve Hackett, who managed rather well to make parts of songs like "The Musical Box" and "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" harsher, while maintaining the melodic sound Genesis were known for. On this album one can see the last folk elements Genesis would incorporate in their songs. The album was recorded in Trident Studios, which had 16-track equipment, which was state of the art in 1971.

Nursery Cryme was not a concept album. However, each of its songs had a story of its own. In general, the sound varied among its seven songs.

In an album full of good songs, "The Musical Box" still manages to stand out. In typical prog tradition, the song isn't afraid to completely change its sound a few times. Hackett plays a couple of tasty guitar solos and Banks adds excellent keyboard sounds, ranging from dreamy to sounds comparable to guitar in overdrive. The story of this song is very surrealistic and became the basis of the album's cover.

I would recommend this album to anyone wanting to get into the prog rock scene, as it is rather accessible. It would also be a good album to start with for anyone who wants to get into Genesis. Actually, I would recommend this album to anyone, because it is excellent.

PS. Not even mentioning "Harold the Barrel" would be a... cryme. A highly energetic song with witty and sarcastic lyrics, and only 3 minutes long, so no excuses for anyone not to check it out.