NURSERY CRYME

The entrance of Phil Collins and Steve Hackett did change the sound a little bit, but the style of songwriting is the same with the exception of the presence of a sense of humor in some songs. There's not only a perfect balance of acoustic and electric material, but also of surreal weirdness and serious introspection. The opening "The Musical Box" is quite a dark tale, and the band play together like a seasoned orchestra, with Steve Hackett contributing one of the first guitar solos to utilize the hammer-on arpeggios that influenced modern heavy metal, and the 32nd-note hi-hat playing that Phil Collins does in the "Old King Cole" section shows that he wanted to make his mark on the music as a virtuoso right away. If you like Peter Gabriel's "rough" voicings, that can be found on this album, especially in the awesome- intro'ed "Return of the Giant Hogweed", but he's also singing beautifully throughout, and in harmony with Phil and the rest on the lovely "Harlequin." There some very Crimson-like Mellotron and drumming in "Seven Stones", but the best is probably "The Fountain of Salmacis", where Greek mythology meets early 70's prog soundscapes complete with Bach- inspired organ riffs and soaring guitar solos. The album was engineered to have a very muffled, murky sound, but if you are listening to it on an old vinyl copy with enough weed and a view of the sunset, this is a plus!