Roman Catholics in England & Wales are to be offered a new "Faith Card," effectively a cliff notes guide to their religion.
Taken at face value, it all seems harmless enough nonsense; a handy-wallet sized guilt-trip for believers to niggle away at their conscience when their omnipresent supernatural policeman is engaged addressing more urgent matters and is too pressed for time to check whether the individual in question is shying away from impure thoughts and activities. As the Right Reverend Kieran Conry says in the BBC article, people carry a variety of items in our wallets or purses that are of importance to our lives. It serves merely as a miniature security blanket to the bearer, doesn't it? A readable precis of the finer points of Roman Catholicism.
Read between the lines, however, and it becomes apparent that something more sinister is at work here. Conry continues to ambiguously state that we hope that the card simply inspires people to do, read and learn more." Which people? The bearers of the card?
Not necessarily...
Pope Benedict has voiced fears that religion is being marginalised around the world (would that that were true, but on this issue - as on so many others - the Pope is well wide of the mark. Religion is as alive and belligerent as ever, with the ugly consequences of mistaken and irreconciliable beliefs about the world in blood-stained evidence in many a global flashpoint). He wants this year to be a year when Catholics are more pro-active in their efforts to spread the gospel.
Conry continues, "The card is also designed to give Catholics confidence to share their faith - often people need help knowing what to say. Faith is a not a private matter. We hope that Catholics will use it to witness to their faith. If someone asks a question about Catholicism, a starting point could be to show the card and to take it from there."
Faith IS a private matter. Fundamentally of course it is. Believers are increasingly keeping their faith private in part because in the contemporary western world, certain facets of certain faiths are not compatible with reason, rationality and a harmonious existence for all. Points of view consistent with religious dogma have been discredited by progressive society, and while this does not always prevent people from holding those views, it does make them more reticent about airing them openly because they realise that to do so will result in them not being taken seriously by a greater segment of the population than would have been the case in the past.
On one hand, Conry appears to implicitly acknowledge this by claiming the Faith Card is a reactive proof-points document (I don't know about you, but I struggle to see how one would recognise a work-a-day member of the Catholic religion, let alone proceed to tap them on the shoulder in, say, a queue at WHSmith and ask them to extol the virtues of their religious beliefs) in the same breath as proclaiming that "Faith is not private." Mixed messages abound here.
Let's cut through the spin; the head of the Catholic church realises the institution has become denuded to the point of crisis both by advances in human understanding, achievement and capacity for compassion, and the unspekably depraved conduct of certain members of the church. Ergo, his lieutants are mobilising the church's fallback of strength in numbers to counter this atrophying relevance of Catholicism. This isn't about arming the tongue-tied faithful with bullet points to explain their religion to curious bystanders, it's marketing collateral, pure and simple, aimed at pressganging - for want of a better phrase - new recruits.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Genius of Genesis
The Book of Genesis, indeed the entire Bible, leaves me cold. For a text that is supposedly the immutable word of God yet displays neither uniformity of style or consistency of messaging, it's frankly unimpressive.
Same cannot be said though for the namesake band of the first book of the bible. Omnipotence can certainly be argued with conviction here; it's a mystery of sorts that such a gifted band can somehow be so universally underrated, and that they are only truly remembered in the mainstream as the 80s mutation they eventually became.
There is a wealth a little-known brilliance that Messrs Gabriel, Collins, Hackett, Banks and Rutherford were responsible for, yet while their contemporaries like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Bowie et al are (deservedly, by the way) feted, Genesis seem to have been largely forgotten.
Not that this is necessarily a tragedy; those of us who have been fortunate enough to become spellbound by the mesmeric Banks keyboard solos, capitvated by the driving Hackett guitar and in thrall to the ethereal, almost first-millennium magnificence of Gabriel's mystical lyrical genius are wont to feel a mite smug that we have been able to keep these prog rock treasures to ourselves.
Those who do have an inkling of an idea of this glittering past usually regurgitate second-hand statements like "Genesis became rubbish when Gabriel left" or slightly less ill-informed, "everything after Wind and Wuthering can be safely ignored."
While I definitely have a greater appreciation for Genesis' works between 1970 and 1980 than what went after (or, indeed, before), the point of this article is not to get trapped in asinine and overly simplistic arguments about Gabriel Genesis v Collins Genesis; it is to list my favourite works from the band's entire career. As you will see, while the majority of these coincide with the Gabriel/Hackett era, it is by no means exclusively so.
My hope is that anyone who stumbles across this blog and who is curious about Genesis will find this an interesting and informative introduction to, in my opinion, the most criminally underappreciated band of all time.
Here, then, my top 30 Genesis songs in ascending order (the parent studio album in parenthesis):
30. SILENT SUN (FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION): I'm going to throw you a curveball straight away; Genesis started out as effectively a 60s boyband (at the behest of Jonathan King, who discovered them). Thankfully, for many reasons, they ditched King and changed direction completely but "Silent Sun" is not without merit. It sounds a but dated now but is emotionally powerful in a similar vein to Status Quo's "Spicks & Specks" from around the same time.
29. HAROLD THE BARREL (NURSERY CRYME):Proof that Genesis could create an impactful and catchy story song and pack it into three minutes, just as well as they could an elaborate 12-minute epic. I love the hint of the bizarre in stories such as Harold's; "Harold the Barrel cut off his toes and he served them all for tea."
28. THE BRAZILIAN (INVISIBLE TOUCH): I watched a documentary about the band in 2005 (actually, that was what prompted me to start digging deeper into their back catalogue) and there was an interview with a long-time fan who deried Invisible touch as "pure pop." I think this is somewhat unfair - there are two tracks on the album which categorically cannot be pigeonhold thus. "The Brazilian" is one of them. This track oozes atmosphere.
27. DRIVING THE LAST SPIKE (WE CAN'T DANCE): Even by 1991 when the band was pretty much in its death throes, the triumvirate of Collins-Rutherford-Banks could still turn the clock back 20 years and produce a lengthy story song with a shit-hot melody. The keyboard intro sets the "depressing" scene before a word is sung. Love it.
26. A MAN OF OUR TIMES (DUKE): This is the album where many "Gabriel Genesis" fans arbitrarily draw the line. Songs of a less progressive nature were beginning to creep in with more regularity, and Duke is one of them. That's no bad things in its case, though. Collins belts this number out with passion and for my money it is the pick of this album.
25. FOLLOW YOU, FOLLOW ME (AND THEN THERE WERE THREE): The first studio album following Hackett's departure. Again, some fans who allow for "Trick" and "WAW" being creditable efforts (talk about damning with faint praise) argue that while Gabriel's departure left Genesis grieviously wounded, it was Hackett's exit that dealt the mortal blow. There are two very strong counters to that viewpoint, and this track is one of them.
24. DOMINO (INVISIBLE TOUCH): The two best songs of this album are certainly the final two. "Domino" is the penultimate song, and just with "Driving the Last Spike" on the final album, this song knocks the middle stump out of shallow arguments that Genesis had completely sold out by this stage and abandoned their prog roots.
23. RETURN OF THE GIANT HOGWEED (NURSERY CRYME): What I find so appealing about "Hogweed" is that Genesis could spin a scintillating prog gem out of something as seemingly mundane as a Victorian explorer collecting a previously unknown botanical specimen and transplanting it to Kew Gardens. Wonderful balance of historical accuracy with sci-fi embellishment here. One can picture the anthropomorphized hogweed wiping out humanity in retribution for their ecological meddling. This song could almost be part of a Day of the Triffids-esque musical.
22. TIME TABLE (FOXTROT): It's a tough one, but if I had to choose I think "Foxtrot" would probably be my favourite Genesis album. TT is one of the main reasons why. Marvellous throwback piano work and we'd all do well to think on the line "Why, do we suffer each race to believe that no race has been grander?"
21. LOOKING FOR SOMEONE (TRESPASS): The first "prog" album by the band isn't very highly regarded in general, and certainly it pales as a whole next to at least the six next albums. It's all relative though, and Trespass does start and end strongly. This is the opener; I really enjoy the keyboard solo which sounds not unlike in-game music from "Jet Set Willy!"
20. KEEP IT DARK (ABACAB): Has the highly "produced" Collins sound, but the way this song hiccups along is compelling.
19. FIRTH OF FIFTH (SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND): Tony Banks is really to the fore here, yet it really says something about the exceptional quality of this album that while the piano solos are exquisite, it's not even his best work on this album. Stay tuned...
18. THE KNIFE (TRESPASS): Begins with the jaunty, bouncy keyboard of Banks but the real highlight is towards the end when Hackett really thumps his guitar with consecutive machine-gun blasts of delightful noise. This is a great taste of what is to come as Genesis start to get comfortable with their sound and style.
17. THE BATTLE OF EPPING FOREST (SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND): The way Gabriel manages to meld English Civil War romanticism with modern gangland warfare is a wonder to behold. No Eastenders wide-boy was a patch on Liquid Len "of Wine, Women and Wandsworth fame." Puzzles me that this song is not infinitely better known.
16. SEVEN STONES (NURSERY CRYME): Beautifully mellow, has a similar sound to "Can-Utility and the Coastliners," a song to be found on Foxtrot (and a lot higher up on this list!)
15. AFTER THE ORDEAL (SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND): A requiem following the bloodshed of "Epping Forest," maintains that Olde Englande sound initially and then is a superb melancholy guitar solo somewhat of the ilk of "Layla" by Eric Clapton. Only better. The crying guitar and flute combo at the end gets me every time.
14. FLY ON A WINDSHIELD (THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY): Generally received wisdom is that the Lamb narrowly beats out Selling England as the best Genesis album. I have my own views as I said earlier, but Gabriel certainly bowed out on a high with a complex and intriguing concept album. This song's tour de force is its ending: "With needles - needles and pins."
13. SUPPER'S READY (FOXTROT): The ultimate prog rock song. 23 minutes long and, in truth, seven songs rolled into one. Segues seamlessly from one section to the other and has crescendoes and lulls like a movie epic. A perfect illustrative example of this is at the end of "How Dare I Be So Beautiful?", where serenity is the order of the day, before "Willow Farm" explodes out of nowhere and off we go again. Exalted.
12. HORIZONS (FOXTROT): Sandwiched between the flair of "Can Utility" and the awesome power of "Supper's Ready," this song has a lot to live up to. Another instrumental, this sublime Hackett solo stems from the prelude of Bach's first cello suite but evolves into a baroque piece equally masterful. without detracting from it, this could almost be music from a nostalgic children's TV programme like Bagpuss.
11. YOUR OWN SPECIAL WAY (WIND AND WUTHERING): Scrumptious dessert after the sumptuous main course of "One for the Vine," this track has got Collins' hallmark all over it. None the worse for that, the to-and-fro guitar in the background really sets the mood. Lovely keyboard solo too. Us hard-bitten cynics who demand ever-changing keyboard rhythms and surreal lyrics are allowed to shed a tear to this song, which wouldn't sound out of place in a Tim Rice musical soundtrack.
10. CUCKOO COCOON (THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY): Early on in the story; at this stage on first listen I wasn't sure what Rael was doing, or who he was doing it with. I only wished I was doing it too. "..or some sort of Jonah shut up inside the whale. No, I'm still Rael - and I'm trapped in some kind of cave." Out of sight.
9. MAD MAN MOON (TRICK OF THE TAIL): A tragic and sad (very much in the positive sense) paino kicks us off here, but it really comes into its own when the tempo is sped up and Mr Banks does his thing. "Sand is much thicker than blood." This was the first album following Peter's departure and on the evidence of Trick, taking his leave did not disrupt the band's musical mojo in the slightest.
8. BURNING ROPE (AND THEN THERE WERE THREE): I'll have words with anyone who says Genesis became rubbish overnight after Hackett walked out. this number is the best riposte to such accusations, and could easily sit with the masterclasses that went before. "The Man in the Moon who seduced you, and silently loosed you" never fails to send shivers up my spine.
7. RIPPLES (TRICK OF THE TAIL): More stunning keyboard work from Banks in the middle of this track. The build-up is cracking too, dramatic track.
6. THE LAMIA (THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY): Picture it - Rael comes face to face with three female creatures of such diverse beauty that he is practically overcome. They are as deadly as they are beautiful, but what a way to die! The only thing that could enhance such a death would be this song playing at high volume in the background.
5. MOONLIT KNIGHT (SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND): "Can you tell me where my true love lies, said the unifaun..." Shades of "Greensleeves here, and very much lives up to the title of the album in style. Genesis at their prog best here as Hackett's guitar thunders through the strolling bard harp to create a heady, intoxicating fusion of sheer quality. Yet not the best song on this album...
4. THE CINEMA SHOW (SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND) This track was my musical "Road to Damascus" moment. Ever since I heard it first in February 2005, I was utterly hooked on this band. The joy of discovering such excellent music was tempered by the reality of asking myself what the fuck I had been doing for the past 29 years of my life to have overlooked this.
To think that the band came close to axing the second half of this song! Thankfully they didn't, otherwise the best outro of all time (along with the live version of Dire Straits' "Tunnel of Love) would have been lost to us all.
3. ONE FOR THE VINE (WIND AND WUTHERING): Gabriel's departure? still a non-issue. I rate this up there with anything - ANYTHING from the Gabriel era. It starts of innocuously enough but the middle third is tremendous. Tony Banks' keyboard again transports us to a higher plane. If Genesis' early work is underrated, then this song is ridiculously so. Faultless.
2. CAN-UTILITY AND THE COASTLINERS (FOXTROT) Based on King Cnut's attempt to turn back the tide in an attempt to lampoon the sycophancy of his followers and ergo another massively pleasing example of Genesis bringing together early English history with majestic (forgive the pun!) music. Gabriel's voice rises and falls like the water lapping at the royal feet, before Banks takes it away once again with another perfectly sweet (albeit slightly shorter) keyboard solo.
1. MUSICAL BOX (NURSERY CRYME): Selecting the best Genesis song is no mean feat, and I daresay if you ask me again in five years time this list may look signifcantly different. However, for the past few years I have steadfastly felt that "Musical Box" cannot be beat. A lengthy piece like this demands a dramatic, orgasmic ending. And that is precisely what you get with Gabriel demanding that you "Touch me, touch me NOW! NOW! NOW!" and Hackett's guitar really providing the vinegar strokes. There are many, many highlights though; Hackett's guitar and Bank's keyboard battle it out midway through the song, an instrumental sparring match where there can only be one winner - the listener. Perfect from start to finish. A masterpiece, and I don't use that word lightly.
Same cannot be said though for the namesake band of the first book of the bible. Omnipotence can certainly be argued with conviction here; it's a mystery of sorts that such a gifted band can somehow be so universally underrated, and that they are only truly remembered in the mainstream as the 80s mutation they eventually became.
There is a wealth a little-known brilliance that Messrs Gabriel, Collins, Hackett, Banks and Rutherford were responsible for, yet while their contemporaries like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Bowie et al are (deservedly, by the way) feted, Genesis seem to have been largely forgotten.
Not that this is necessarily a tragedy; those of us who have been fortunate enough to become spellbound by the mesmeric Banks keyboard solos, capitvated by the driving Hackett guitar and in thrall to the ethereal, almost first-millennium magnificence of Gabriel's mystical lyrical genius are wont to feel a mite smug that we have been able to keep these prog rock treasures to ourselves.
Those who do have an inkling of an idea of this glittering past usually regurgitate second-hand statements like "Genesis became rubbish when Gabriel left" or slightly less ill-informed, "everything after Wind and Wuthering can be safely ignored."
While I definitely have a greater appreciation for Genesis' works between 1970 and 1980 than what went after (or, indeed, before), the point of this article is not to get trapped in asinine and overly simplistic arguments about Gabriel Genesis v Collins Genesis; it is to list my favourite works from the band's entire career. As you will see, while the majority of these coincide with the Gabriel/Hackett era, it is by no means exclusively so.
My hope is that anyone who stumbles across this blog and who is curious about Genesis will find this an interesting and informative introduction to, in my opinion, the most criminally underappreciated band of all time.
Here, then, my top 30 Genesis songs in ascending order (the parent studio album in parenthesis):
30. SILENT SUN (FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION): I'm going to throw you a curveball straight away; Genesis started out as effectively a 60s boyband (at the behest of Jonathan King, who discovered them). Thankfully, for many reasons, they ditched King and changed direction completely but "Silent Sun" is not without merit. It sounds a but dated now but is emotionally powerful in a similar vein to Status Quo's "Spicks & Specks" from around the same time.
29. HAROLD THE BARREL (NURSERY CRYME):Proof that Genesis could create an impactful and catchy story song and pack it into three minutes, just as well as they could an elaborate 12-minute epic. I love the hint of the bizarre in stories such as Harold's; "Harold the Barrel cut off his toes and he served them all for tea."
28. THE BRAZILIAN (INVISIBLE TOUCH): I watched a documentary about the band in 2005 (actually, that was what prompted me to start digging deeper into their back catalogue) and there was an interview with a long-time fan who deried Invisible touch as "pure pop." I think this is somewhat unfair - there are two tracks on the album which categorically cannot be pigeonhold thus. "The Brazilian" is one of them. This track oozes atmosphere.
27. DRIVING THE LAST SPIKE (WE CAN'T DANCE): Even by 1991 when the band was pretty much in its death throes, the triumvirate of Collins-Rutherford-Banks could still turn the clock back 20 years and produce a lengthy story song with a shit-hot melody. The keyboard intro sets the "depressing" scene before a word is sung. Love it.
26. A MAN OF OUR TIMES (DUKE): This is the album where many "Gabriel Genesis" fans arbitrarily draw the line. Songs of a less progressive nature were beginning to creep in with more regularity, and Duke is one of them. That's no bad things in its case, though. Collins belts this number out with passion and for my money it is the pick of this album.
25. FOLLOW YOU, FOLLOW ME (AND THEN THERE WERE THREE): The first studio album following Hackett's departure. Again, some fans who allow for "Trick" and "WAW" being creditable efforts (talk about damning with faint praise) argue that while Gabriel's departure left Genesis grieviously wounded, it was Hackett's exit that dealt the mortal blow. There are two very strong counters to that viewpoint, and this track is one of them.
24. DOMINO (INVISIBLE TOUCH): The two best songs of this album are certainly the final two. "Domino" is the penultimate song, and just with "Driving the Last Spike" on the final album, this song knocks the middle stump out of shallow arguments that Genesis had completely sold out by this stage and abandoned their prog roots.
23. RETURN OF THE GIANT HOGWEED (NURSERY CRYME): What I find so appealing about "Hogweed" is that Genesis could spin a scintillating prog gem out of something as seemingly mundane as a Victorian explorer collecting a previously unknown botanical specimen and transplanting it to Kew Gardens. Wonderful balance of historical accuracy with sci-fi embellishment here. One can picture the anthropomorphized hogweed wiping out humanity in retribution for their ecological meddling. This song could almost be part of a Day of the Triffids-esque musical.
22. TIME TABLE (FOXTROT): It's a tough one, but if I had to choose I think "Foxtrot" would probably be my favourite Genesis album. TT is one of the main reasons why. Marvellous throwback piano work and we'd all do well to think on the line "Why, do we suffer each race to believe that no race has been grander?"
21. LOOKING FOR SOMEONE (TRESPASS): The first "prog" album by the band isn't very highly regarded in general, and certainly it pales as a whole next to at least the six next albums. It's all relative though, and Trespass does start and end strongly. This is the opener; I really enjoy the keyboard solo which sounds not unlike in-game music from "Jet Set Willy!"
20. KEEP IT DARK (ABACAB): Has the highly "produced" Collins sound, but the way this song hiccups along is compelling.
19. FIRTH OF FIFTH (SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND): Tony Banks is really to the fore here, yet it really says something about the exceptional quality of this album that while the piano solos are exquisite, it's not even his best work on this album. Stay tuned...
18. THE KNIFE (TRESPASS): Begins with the jaunty, bouncy keyboard of Banks but the real highlight is towards the end when Hackett really thumps his guitar with consecutive machine-gun blasts of delightful noise. This is a great taste of what is to come as Genesis start to get comfortable with their sound and style.
17. THE BATTLE OF EPPING FOREST (SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND): The way Gabriel manages to meld English Civil War romanticism with modern gangland warfare is a wonder to behold. No Eastenders wide-boy was a patch on Liquid Len "of Wine, Women and Wandsworth fame." Puzzles me that this song is not infinitely better known.
16. SEVEN STONES (NURSERY CRYME): Beautifully mellow, has a similar sound to "Can-Utility and the Coastliners," a song to be found on Foxtrot (and a lot higher up on this list!)
15. AFTER THE ORDEAL (SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND): A requiem following the bloodshed of "Epping Forest," maintains that Olde Englande sound initially and then is a superb melancholy guitar solo somewhat of the ilk of "Layla" by Eric Clapton. Only better. The crying guitar and flute combo at the end gets me every time.
14. FLY ON A WINDSHIELD (THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY): Generally received wisdom is that the Lamb narrowly beats out Selling England as the best Genesis album. I have my own views as I said earlier, but Gabriel certainly bowed out on a high with a complex and intriguing concept album. This song's tour de force is its ending: "With needles - needles and pins."
13. SUPPER'S READY (FOXTROT): The ultimate prog rock song. 23 minutes long and, in truth, seven songs rolled into one. Segues seamlessly from one section to the other and has crescendoes and lulls like a movie epic. A perfect illustrative example of this is at the end of "How Dare I Be So Beautiful?", where serenity is the order of the day, before "Willow Farm" explodes out of nowhere and off we go again. Exalted.
12. HORIZONS (FOXTROT): Sandwiched between the flair of "Can Utility" and the awesome power of "Supper's Ready," this song has a lot to live up to. Another instrumental, this sublime Hackett solo stems from the prelude of Bach's first cello suite but evolves into a baroque piece equally masterful. without detracting from it, this could almost be music from a nostalgic children's TV programme like Bagpuss.
11. YOUR OWN SPECIAL WAY (WIND AND WUTHERING): Scrumptious dessert after the sumptuous main course of "One for the Vine," this track has got Collins' hallmark all over it. None the worse for that, the to-and-fro guitar in the background really sets the mood. Lovely keyboard solo too. Us hard-bitten cynics who demand ever-changing keyboard rhythms and surreal lyrics are allowed to shed a tear to this song, which wouldn't sound out of place in a Tim Rice musical soundtrack.
10. CUCKOO COCOON (THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY): Early on in the story; at this stage on first listen I wasn't sure what Rael was doing, or who he was doing it with. I only wished I was doing it too. "..or some sort of Jonah shut up inside the whale. No, I'm still Rael - and I'm trapped in some kind of cave." Out of sight.
9. MAD MAN MOON (TRICK OF THE TAIL): A tragic and sad (very much in the positive sense) paino kicks us off here, but it really comes into its own when the tempo is sped up and Mr Banks does his thing. "Sand is much thicker than blood." This was the first album following Peter's departure and on the evidence of Trick, taking his leave did not disrupt the band's musical mojo in the slightest.
8. BURNING ROPE (AND THEN THERE WERE THREE): I'll have words with anyone who says Genesis became rubbish overnight after Hackett walked out. this number is the best riposte to such accusations, and could easily sit with the masterclasses that went before. "The Man in the Moon who seduced you, and silently loosed you" never fails to send shivers up my spine.
7. RIPPLES (TRICK OF THE TAIL): More stunning keyboard work from Banks in the middle of this track. The build-up is cracking too, dramatic track.
6. THE LAMIA (THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY): Picture it - Rael comes face to face with three female creatures of such diverse beauty that he is practically overcome. They are as deadly as they are beautiful, but what a way to die! The only thing that could enhance such a death would be this song playing at high volume in the background.
5. MOONLIT KNIGHT (SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND): "Can you tell me where my true love lies, said the unifaun..." Shades of "Greensleeves here, and very much lives up to the title of the album in style. Genesis at their prog best here as Hackett's guitar thunders through the strolling bard harp to create a heady, intoxicating fusion of sheer quality. Yet not the best song on this album...
4. THE CINEMA SHOW (SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND) This track was my musical "Road to Damascus" moment. Ever since I heard it first in February 2005, I was utterly hooked on this band. The joy of discovering such excellent music was tempered by the reality of asking myself what the fuck I had been doing for the past 29 years of my life to have overlooked this.
To think that the band came close to axing the second half of this song! Thankfully they didn't, otherwise the best outro of all time (along with the live version of Dire Straits' "Tunnel of Love) would have been lost to us all.
3. ONE FOR THE VINE (WIND AND WUTHERING): Gabriel's departure? still a non-issue. I rate this up there with anything - ANYTHING from the Gabriel era. It starts of innocuously enough but the middle third is tremendous. Tony Banks' keyboard again transports us to a higher plane. If Genesis' early work is underrated, then this song is ridiculously so. Faultless.
2. CAN-UTILITY AND THE COASTLINERS (FOXTROT) Based on King Cnut's attempt to turn back the tide in an attempt to lampoon the sycophancy of his followers and ergo another massively pleasing example of Genesis bringing together early English history with majestic (forgive the pun!) music. Gabriel's voice rises and falls like the water lapping at the royal feet, before Banks takes it away once again with another perfectly sweet (albeit slightly shorter) keyboard solo.
1. MUSICAL BOX (NURSERY CRYME): Selecting the best Genesis song is no mean feat, and I daresay if you ask me again in five years time this list may look signifcantly different. However, for the past few years I have steadfastly felt that "Musical Box" cannot be beat. A lengthy piece like this demands a dramatic, orgasmic ending. And that is precisely what you get with Gabriel demanding that you "Touch me, touch me NOW! NOW! NOW!" and Hackett's guitar really providing the vinegar strokes. There are many, many highlights though; Hackett's guitar and Bank's keyboard battle it out midway through the song, an instrumental sparring match where there can only be one winner - the listener. Perfect from start to finish. A masterpiece, and I don't use that word lightly.
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