WE CAN'T DANCE

What to say about my least favorite album by my favorite band? It's still a good album! It just doesn't reach the heights of some of their other works. The most noticable difference is that there seems to be a slight lack of energy compared to before, and some of the songs sound like they would stand better on their own rather than where they're placed in the album. There's not really anything bad about the guitar and keyboard tones in the album, but they don't catch my attention quite as much as say the ones on Selling England By the Pound or even Invisible Touch. The bass sure does sound good on "Dreaming While You Sleep", though. And the synth tones are actually very appropriate on the last song, "Fading Lights", where Tony Banks truly comes alive, making his keys sound exactly like lights in the sky. Definintely the most progressive track, although "Driving the Last Spike" qualifies for that, too, as well as being a well told unique idea for a song. Elsewhere, the album alternates between ballads and rockers, and while the ballads work better in this case, "No Son of Mine" is one of their most effective later period songs, with a haunting slowed-down guitar intro and a superb vocal from Phil Collins. "Living Forever" also works well, mainly for it's very obsevant lryics about an important subject to consider, thinking and living independantly. "Way of the World" is one of the better performed and effectively arranged numbers, and even "Tell Me Why" has it's own melancholic hopeful charm. Besides "Fading Lights", the best moments are probably "Never A Time" which stands out in terms of emotion, even on a very serious, emotional album, and coming out of the bridge going into the last verses of "Hold On My Heart" is a moment of brilliance. The rest of the album doesn't really do a whole lot for me, but I can understand why it is enjoyed by some, and I never regret enjoying the chord sequence to the chorus of "Jesus He Knows Me" when I do get around to putting the album on.