NURSERY CRYME

There is not a lot more to add when it comes to Gabriel-era Genesis. This album marks the second prog release from the band and an incredible one at that. Many people consider "Nursery Cryme" to be the bands first progressive monster album (see my future review of Trespass for my opinion on that.)

This album opens up with "The Musical Box." A beautiful album opener (as we know how good Genesis was at opening albums. It starts off with Gabriel singing quietly and very emotionally ("All your hearts now seem so far away...) The song follows the quiet and very emotional feel until the instrumental break at about 4 minutes. The song explodes as Hackett solo's perfectly to embody the emotional buildup. The next part ("The clock, tick tock..") is even quiter than the beginning until Gabriel sings "the wall" powerfully. This instrumental break is long and inspiring. The final buildup begins after this instrumental break. This is one of the most emotionally powerful conclusions (if not, the most) of any song that I've heard. Hearing Gabriel sing with all his power "Why don't you touch me, touch me" and repeating "NOW" gives me chills everytime. The song was based on a young girl Cynthia (9) who "gracefully" removed Henry's (8) head while playing a game of croquet. The story of the song begins with Cynthia discovering Henry's musical box that included the figure "Old King Cole" when she opened it. Cynthia saw the lifetime of desires go by as Henry aged with nothing but a child's mind and vision. Henry was attempting to have Cynthia persue his romantic desire when she threw the musical box at the elderly looking child and destroyed them both. (This story can be found in the inside booklet of the "Nursery Cryme" album.) The album cover is also a depiction of this song and story. You can also find the album cover of Nursery Cryme imbetted in the back of Foxtrot if you look carefully (with a few interesting tweaks.)

The follow up to the Musical Box is "For Absent Friends" sung by Phil Collins. This is the one song sung by Collins that I can actually say that I enjoy. It's very short but is emotional and a well written, piano driven song (though many fans tend to dismiss it.)

"The Return of the Giant Hogweed" is yet another Genesis masterpiece. It's a rather guitar-bass heavy song and comes in very strongly vocally. This is a great example of how Genesis' use humor in their music. The giant hogweed either depicts a set of corrupt rulers or the media-damaged people from society (could be interpreted in many ways but that's the direction that I tend to lean.) Gabriel's singing really stands out in this song. His quiet singing and heavy vocal during the verses contrast very well and keep the song very interesting. The piano break by Banks a little more than half way through the song also adds a lot to the song.

"Seven Stones" is, in my opinion, a very under-recognized (I will not say underrated) Genesis song. The sea in this song (as Gabriel likes to use a lot) represents emotion (the sea and water is an old symbol for emotion, and we know how Gabriel is with symbols.) This song has some of the best melodies that I've heard (my favorite being "Despair that tires the world, bring the old man laughter...")

Next we have "Harold the Barrel." Many people consider this song a "joke." This couldn't be farther from the truth. They are using the Genesis humor that is present in a lot of songs, but the song is by no means a joke. It is a very complex and well written song with a brilliant melody. It talks about a man that is contemplating suicide and the news makes a big story of it where they tell Harold "We're all your friends, if you come on down and talk to us son." It really is interesting how Genesis is depicting the media's effect on suicide. This is definitely a standout track that fits well and adds some diversity to the album.

My personal opinion is that "Harlequin" is the weakest track on the album, though it is still far from weak. Gabriel and Collins sing this song together in it's entirety and the harmonies are done well. The album concludes with "The Fountain of Salmacis." This song really defines the "Symphonic" part of Symphonic Prog. The buildup is very strong (even from the very beginning) and reminds me that there are more than just 5 guys playing here. The lyrics are brilliant (as always when talking about Gabriel-era Genesis.) This song talks about Hermaphrodite (a flower/person/animal containing both male and female organs) using the Greek mythology where it was originated. It was interesting to learn where the word hermaphrodite came from, since I had no idea until reading this song. The emotion for Hermaphroditus is very strong and displayed well by Genesis vocally and musically.

This is an essential masterpiece of progressive music as is every Genesis album from Trespass to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. They will stand as the most intelligent and emotional band in my book and everyone should at least give them a listen even if you only have a remote interest in progressive music.