TRESPASS

This album was made by Genesis in the pre-Phil Collins (and Steve Hackett) days, to which a lot of people would probably ask, "Genesis had pre-Phil Collins days?", or these days, "What is Genesis?"

A: Yes, and one of the most awesome bands to have ever recorded music.

However, on Trespass we find Genesis still in what is largely their formative years, but somewhere much farther along than on their debut effort, From Genesis to Revelation.

"Looking for someone, yeah, I guess I'm doing that."

From the opening line of the first track, Peter Gabriel's voice and lyrics are both in fine form.

"Looking For Someone" largely sets the tone for this album, folky prog-rock. Starting with Gabriel's vocals backed by organ, one can be fooled into thinking this might be a somewhat dull start. Then, suddenly, the band kicks in like a heavy rain, and the track continues in this manner. One minute it's a light drizzle, with rather gentle electric guitar playing by Anthony Phillips and piano by Tony Banks (who is already shaping the sound the band would go in), then all of the sudden, a downpour.

"White Mountain" continues in much the same way. Yes, as many others have pointed out, this is a long, long way from "Invisible Touch". It's not all genteel though. This band can play with a sense of tension and dangerous urgency when it is called for. "White Mountain" is a good example of this. The music and the lyrics work in conjunction to tell a story which would not have been so nearly effective without the well executed musical accompaniment.

"Visions of Angels" is a much more contemplative effort and again, the music does a wonderful job of conveying a sense of struggle with coming to grips with the subject matter.

"Stagnation" evokes loneliness and isolation, but also a sense of wonder. It is the tour de force of the album and one of the highlights.

"Dusk" features vocal harmonies, a rarity for Genesis. This track is quite an enjoyable interlude and is, dare I say, whimsical? It also serves as a breath of air before the final piece on the album, "The Knife".

"The Knife" begins with a bouncy, marching beat, echoing the deranged lyrics about a coup or revolution - the line, "Some of you are going to die, martyrs, of course, to the freedom that I shall provide," is classic Peter Gabriel. Soon we head into a more somber, tension-building musical landscape - all leading towards the bloodshed hinted at earlier. We then hear, "All right, men, fire over their heads," and then the electric guitar and drums hit us like an artillery barrage. This track proves that Genesis could rock when necessary.

Finally, with Gabriel's cry of, "We have won!" the album draws to a thumping close.

Overall: Trespass is one of those albums that makes it so darn hard to place on a rating scale. The album is all around wonderfully written and played almost flawlessly... and yet, while it's very close to being Genesis' best work, they did create albums that were even better. Such is the problem with all bands that have created multiple albums which could be labeled masterpieces!

Highlights: "Looking For Someone", "White Mountain", "Stagnation", "The Knife"