Nursery Cryme - most underrated album

  • I concede that Selling England is probably their finest work, but Nursery Cryme has always been my favorite. It is a perfect album and the three epics on it showcase the talents of the band maybe more than anything else in the catalog. The other songs, while simple, are excellent too. I particularly love the way For Absent Friends acts as a brief respite between the two powerhouses on the first side. Harlequin plays a similar role before Salmacis. The ending of The Musical Box is arguably one of the most climactic moments is rock music and the beginning of Hogweed was incredibly inventive at the time. The album has a definite mood, almost haunting, yet the subtle humor in Harold and Hogweed show us that they're not taking themselves too seriously. SEBTP, The Lamb and Foxtrot always get their well deserved props, but not Nursery Cryme. Why?

    • Official Post

    Someone on here with more insight than I might be able to give you an accurate answer. I remember getting this album as a Christmas present from my Dad. I was probably 9 or 10 at the time. I was obsessed with Phil Collins’s solo stuff, and the Genesis stuff off of Invisible Touch. I had Serious Hits! Live, I played that CD so much I probably wore it down to nothing . When I got Nursery Cryme and played it for the first time, I was confused. Wait a minute this is Genesis, this sounds nothing like Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, or Something Happened on the Way to Heaven. I would play it occasionally, but it wasn’t until I was older that I really appreciated it for what it is. Like you said, it’s complex, yet simplistic. It’s funny in a dark comedy type of way. To me it’s in their top three or four albums, and a classic prog album.

  • Haha! Yes, I can imagine that. My first Genesis album was Duke. Then Abacab and Genesis. And then I got Three Sides Live and was blown away by In the Cage. I was already a Yes fan, so I liked prog. Didn't realize they had a prog past. From there, it was all the Gabriel albums and ATOTT and WW and they easily became my favorite band of all time.

  • I agree, if you ranked Genesis albums from most underrated to least, NC would be close to the top. I think Trespass and Abacab are more underrated, but NC is up there. I prefer it to Foxtrot and SEBTP. I adore Seven Stones. And with tracks like Harold the Barrel and For Absent Friends it feels like it has hidden corridors and back doors. Musical Box, Hogweed and Salmacis are major achievements, all on one album.

  • I agree it is better than Foxtrot, and I've said it before, For Absent Friends is an undiscovered masterpiece, 2 lads just into their 20's, accurately reflecting the mindset of 2 pensioners. Impressive!

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!

    • Official Post

    I agree it is better than Foxtrot, and I've said it before, For Absent Friends is an undiscovered masterpiece, 2 lads just into their 20's, accurately reflecting the mindset of 2 pensioners. Impressive!

    true


    nevertheless, I see Nursery Cryme (and also Trespass) as some kind of prototype / test bed for their perfect prog albums that would follow (Selling England and Trick Of The Tail). Nursery Cryme is sometimes a bit rough and also it's not top notch a-z, I never liked Harlequin or Harold the Barrel.

  • Harold is a great song and a great lyric. People don't really care. He's inconveniencing their lives like when someone throws themselves in front of a train at rush hour.


    "We're all your friends, would you come on down and talk to us Harry?" "You must be joking!!!"

  • true


    nevertheless, I see Nursery Cryme (and also Trespass) as some kind of prototype / test bed for their perfect prog albums that would follow (Selling England and Trick Of The Tail). Nursery Cryme is sometimes a bit rough and also it's not top notch a-z, I never liked Harlequin or Harold the Barrel.

    I love that NC is a bit rough. It's energetic, raw and unvarnished in a way those other albums you refer to are not. I prefer Trick if I'm forced to choose, I just think that album is quite special, but Selling England, despite it's standouts, feels lacking in edge to me. A bit too smooth.

  • Can someone move this to the music forum, where it belongs?


    As far as NC, I absolutely love The Musical Box, possibly my favorite Genesis song of all time. The rest is pretty hit and miss, for me. There are parts of Hogweed and Salmacis that are brilliant, but both songs have weak spots, for me.