GENESIS

This record has the ability to take me back in time to the early eighties. A time that was not good to the prog genre but it was good for me personally. I had left home in my early twenties and found freedom for the first time. And music played such a big part of my life back then as it does now. I never did own this album, but 4 of the songs I knew quite well from the radio. I had a friend who used to listen to this album, so I heard it a few times at his place.

I used to joke (about ten years ago) that this album was magic, the way it could take me back to this great time in my life simply by putting it on and listening to it. "It's Gonna Get Better" the final track is a good example of this. Those melancholic synths just take me back. This is a hopeful and meaningful song. I always got a kick out of "Silver Rainbow" which is really about being in love. As Phil says "You won't know if your coming or going". "Just A Job To Do" is a good uptempo song. "Taking It All Too Hard" is a melancholic song with words like "Old days are gone, they are better left alone, but I still miss you, I keep it to myself". Sort of how I feel about those days sometimes. "Illegal Alien" reveals the funny side of Mr.Collins.

"Home By The Sea" has some meaningful lyrics that are so heart rending. It's about old people who go to live (die) at this home by the sea. As they remember the way it used to be "Dreaming of the time we were free so many years ago". And wanting to talk to anyone who will listen "Sit down, sit down, as we re-live our lives in what we tell you".The "Second Home By The Sea" is mostly instrumental with lyrics late. "That's All" is a light, airy tune. "Mama" is an amazing song with an almost industrial sounding beat and theatrical vocals. Great synths as well in this ominous sounding tune.

I can appreciate why GENESIS fans dislike this afterall I feel the same way about the albums that came out before this and after this in "Abacab" and "Invisible Touch".This one though is way too meaningful for me to dismiss or rate simply as good.