DUKE

By 1980 much of the fun of listening to a new Genesis album was gone. They may have some good lines or melodies here and there, but due to effects and overdubs they didn't lay much of it down together, and that comes through in the music. Also--and I don't know whether to attribute this to the production or the instruments--but the synths sound cheesier and the guitars and drums tin-ier than a decade earlier.

In other words, as we all knew, the early 80s just weren't good for prog.

Highlights include the opening and closing overtures--particularly Duke's End--which show that the band could still rock out if called upon to do so. Despite what others think, Turn It On is a good and catchy song to my ears, even with a little non-standard rhythm in there to ever-so-slightly stick it to the traditional pop world. Duke's Travels also gets a B for effort, but it's really just a generic jam with some cheesy-sounding synths when you break it down.

The rest of the songs, at least to my ears, just don't need to be discussed much in the context of progressive rock.

All in all, I really just love the balls-out glory of Duke's End, with some highlights here and there. Some of the rest can lie in the scrap heap of other cheese-pop of the times.

And let's not even get started about that cover art...

Share this GENESIS review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Flucktrot
• Report this review (#285129)
• Buy GENESIS music online with PA partners
• Show all GENESIS MP3/Stream
• Go to GENESIS page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Duke page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for GENESIS related discussions