DUKE

I have a soft spot for this particular Genesis album, it being the first one I bought as soon as it was released. I've always loved the artwork inside and out and since it has song's titled "Duke's Travels" and "Duke's End" and the album is titled "Duke" I naturally assumed it was a concept album. Well. I was wrong. Oh, you can try to wrangle the lyrics and make it seem like a concept album, but other then the first three songs melding together and the last two, it's definately not a concept album. But how is the music? It's the last Genesis album to these ears to have the majestic sound we all love. Banks keys just dominate this disc, and to put it honestly without his mighty wall of sound Genesis suffers. Even songs like the simple "Behind The Lines" is helped out immensely by Banks keys. Listen to "Man Of Our Times", a simple beat but is filled in enormously by that wall of keyboards. When you get to the center of the album though, it's where things begin to fall apart. "Misunderstanding", "Turn It On Again" and "Alone Tonight" smack of whats to come, plain pop songs without the classic Genesis sound of past. "Cul-De-Sac" and "Please Don't Ask" don't fare any better either. For me, the last two tracks are the last classic Genesis-sounding tracks in their career. Tempo changes, bombastic, great drumming by Phil and Banks mighty keys propelling the colors and mood. For these two songs alone I'd garnish these album three stars and I'd give the first three/four songs another half star, but it doesn't compare to any other post-Gabriel album except maybe ATTWT, (which I gave three stars). So, three stars is what it deserves. Good, but not great.