INVISIBLE TOUCH

Genesis seemed to have found their proverbial feet after their self-titled album was released in 1983. Sure it was nothing like Selling England by the Pound, but they were breaking ground on the pop scene with a fresh, crisp, modern approach to pop music and it was refreshing to hear the ideas flow nicely rather than a bit disjointed like Abacab or even the self-titled album. Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, and Phil Collins also stuck commercial gold on this album and it is looked at by pop fans as the seminal 80s Genesis album because of its commercial flare. This album is definitely not progressive, although there are hints of Genesis still carrying a progressive banner in songs like Domino and to a lesser extent Tonight, Tonight, Tonight. If you're a fan of of Genesis post-Hackett era I'll recommend this album to you, sure it may not be perfect (not even close) but there are some redeeming factors that make this a worthwhile listen.

Opening with the smash hit Invisible Touch (complete with a ridiculous music video), you can't deny that Genesis has embraced modern technology for the use of pop music. The electronic drumming and the extensive use of reverb can be heard in great quantities. Mike Rutherford has a more subdued bass role and focuses more on the guitar aspects of the album and Tony Banks tries to not always hog the spotlight which shows he's been subdued a bit. It's a blatantly commercial song, but it's got a catchy edge to it and it's not really that bad in the end. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight is the first of two extended pieces, this one running at nearly 9 minutes. Beginning with forboding synthesizers and almost tribal drumming and Collins' insistent vocal performance. An extended middle section makes good use of Banks mysterious synthesizer sound and although it drags on a bit, it's still pretty good. Rutherford even gets a short solo towards the end, which is nice to hear. Land of Confusion is an okay song at best, there isn't really anything about that that wows me, it's uninteresting to say the least. In too Deep is another lackluster track that feels like soft rock and it's one of my least favorite pieces on the album. Bland keyboards, bland drumming, bland vocals, bland everything.

Anything She Does is another mediocre piece at best. The fake horn arrangement and the cheesy synthesizers match up with the tight rhythmic performance from Collins and Rutherford quite nicely. It's a terribly upbeat piece and it's another piece that while not that bad, I could do without (it sounds like it could have fit on Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe's sole album, as well). Domino is the epic on the album, going at a little over 10 minutes. Banks' synthesizers and keyboards, while sometimes feeling overblown and overdone sound nice and Mike Rutherford is really good on this track in both guitar and bass aspects. There is a fantastic middle section to the piece that utilizes a lot of differing moods to create a tense and mysterious atmosphere. This is easily the best piece of the album along with the closer The Brazilian, just fantastic work on all fronts here. Throwing it All Away is another particularly weak piece that doesn't really go anywhere and throws the mood of the album off after the stellar Domino. The Brazilian ends the album with an instrumental much like Los Endos ended A Trick of the Tail instrumentally. Banks' majestic and superb synthesizers mix well with Collins' drumming and the superb bass performance from Mike Rutherford. Ir's the second best song on the album in my opinion and ends the album quite well.

In the end, Invisible Touch in my opinion is really as bad as everyone says. Sure it has its sore spots and there some terribly mediocre pieces, but there are also some great songs like Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Domino, and The Brazilian to make up for it. Recommended to those that think that Collins did not ruin Genesis or those who want to get into 80s Genesis. Me? Well, I'm in the middle. 3/5.