THE GEESE AND THE GHOST

#77: 1977. This has one of my favourite album covers (my ex-avatar, now someone else's). And it almost COULD be among my favourite albums too, but... no. It's very gentle, comes close to chamber music and Early Music - it's partly about olde time England many centuries ago - but I find its structure too feeble, almost spineless in a way, which is why I can't give it 5*. Side One begins with a quiet mini-overture and is followed by a tender slow song sung by Phil Collins. Then an instrumental 6-part 'Henry - Portraits from Tudor Times' where the quietness is cut by sudden louder sections descripting battle. And then another tender song dueted by Collins and Viv McAuliffe. One thing is sure: one has to concentrate to this album completely, otherwise it sinks into background only to disturb here and there. I have it as a scratchy vinyl: even the scratches are about to steal the show at times.

Side Two works better. Again a mini-overture (0:46), then the very fine 2-part title track instrumental (15:40) which has the beauty but also a more solid progressive structure. Ant sings 'Collections' in his creaking frail voice (another minus); the song changes directly into the lovely, and again very gentle, epilogue 'Sleepfall: The Geese Fly West'. So, if you want to forget the hurries and worries of modern life and have a quiet place without any interruptions, a cottage with a fireplace perhaps, and you generally enjoy quieter classical music like Bach played on a piano or a guitar, Anthony Phillips is your "rock" musician!

When it comes to Genesis comparisons, think of songs like 'Dusk', 'Entangled' or 'Blood on the Rooftops', or take only the discreet instrumental basis of them and add some flute, oboe, cello... and a little Collins vocals here and there. Actually Steve Hackett has a similar pastoral side in his output too. But "puts me off to sleep" is a big possibility if you expect too much Genesis-sort of prog rock.