DUKE

After getting introduced to the two post-Hackett Genesis albums through As Good As Gold live album, it felt like Duke was suppose to be a pretty decent and the better release of the first two trio albums. And so I once again used Spotify to listen to one of the later Genesis albums!

Duke definitely turned out to be a rather enjoyable release, especially in comparison to the self-titled (1983) album, which I will be covering shortly. Still, it doesn't come close to even the least interesting moments of the pre-1977 Genesis. The songs that I've learned to love on the live album were Turn It On Again and Misunderstanding, but surprisingly non of them managed to surpass their live counterparts. Instead it's the dramatic Tony Banks ballads that steal the show for me. Heathaze and Guide Vocal both feature very recognizable melodic hooks that could have only been arranged by the keyboard master himself. If you like to hear a clear difference in both arrangement and melody then Alone Tonight is a pretty good example of just that.

The Duke-suite was clearly made to integrate both fans of progressive rock and pop into the band's new direction. It all sounds a bit like a cheap trick to pull on your trusting audience and so most of those tracks never really clicked with me the way that they probably are expected to. I'm actually not sure if the pop audience would have been entirely convinced by this release if it wasn't for the surprise hit single Turn It On Again that skyrocketed Genesis into stardom for another decade.

Overall, it's a nice surprise to see that not all the albums released by the trio line-up were as bad as they were considered by the progressive rock fans at the time. Duke might not be even remotely close to the excellence of the band's past but still a worthy listen after you've covered all of the classics.

***** star songs: Guide Vocal (1:21) Heathaze (4:57)

**** star songs: Behind The Lines (5:43) Turn It On Again (3:46) Alone Tonight (3:54) Cul-De-Sac (5:06) Duke's Travels (8:39) Duke's End (3:08)

*** star songs: Duchess (6:25) Man Of Our Times (5:34) Misunderstanding (3:13) Please Don't Ask (4:00)