FOXTROT

Foxtrot by Genesis is one of the very first progressive rock I albums that had every graced my hears. Though I liked it when I first heard it, over time it has become one of my least favorites. I'm not really a huge Genesis fan, and I've always found Peter Gabriel's voice to be grating, but his lyrics has always been very above-par. Fortunately, the rest of the musicianship throughout the albums is utterly fantastic and often very beautiful.

"Watcher of the Skies" is a classic track, and the build-up at the beginning that progresses into a marching rhythm is one of the best build-up examples in all of progressive rock. This whole track comes off as sounding very majestic or imperial, and is quite beautiful and powerful. The way the song is structured reminds me of "Roundabout" by Yes because it only progresses within the context of a couple themes, making this one of the most recognizable and memorable tracks from Genesis' classic era.

"Time Table" is a slower, simpler track that is basically a ballad with a nice vocal hook. The keys in this song sound like a music box to me, but it actually pleasant. This song never did much for me, especially after the previous track.

"Get 'em Out by Friday" this track starts out sounding heavier like something from Genesis' album Trespass, but quickly varies its sound a bit with a softer section with quirky sounding vocals. One thing that stood out in this track is the bass playing that sounds spastic at time, but always works terrifically with what is going on in the music. This is mostly another track that I always found uninteresting.

"Can-Utility and the Coastliners" is a more softer song that starts off very slow, but the middle passage features beautiful acoustic guitar strumming, doomy bass pulsing, and ethereal mellotron. It's absolutely beautiful and too me sounds like it could be a pt.2 to "Watcher of the Skies". One of the best tracks here.

"Horizons" is a beautiful classical guitar solo by Steve Hackett, and was one of the first songs I learned how to play in the classical style on guitar when I was in training. It's extremely beautiful and some parts are very reminiscent of baroque-style writing. This is one of the tracks that really makes this album for me.

"Supper's Ready" is the epic track at almost 23 minutes in length. I never thought Genesis really had a talent for writing tracks this length because the sections always seem random to me. This track packs in plenty of different moods and feels, but the only passages that I ever really thought were nice were the beginning passage and the passage following Gabriel's famous "a flower?!" moment, with its bouncy attitude. I know some people think this track is absolutely wonderful, but I always found it a struggle to get through it.

I suppose that this kind of quirky symphonic prog just doesn't really cut it for me; I prefer the overall seriousness of Yes music. I can't, however, disagree that this album isn't a classic in the genre, being both important to the genre and one of the best albums by this incredibly theatrical band. Even so, it doesn't do much for me, but anyone interested in progressive rock should at least give it a listen to decide for themselves. I only found half of the album enjoyable, so I feel compelled to give the album two stars.