I know the band have now in hindsight all said in various interviews, it should have been called Mama, but surely back then, it was the obvious name for that album?
I wonder why, they want with Genesis ultimately
I know the band have now in hindsight all said in various interviews, it should have been called Mama, but surely back then, it was the obvious name for that album?
I wonder why, they want with Genesis ultimately
I read that they felt it was the first entirely co-written album. I read somewhere they felt Abacab had been equal, in the sense that all tracks were group written, apart from one each from Banks, Collins and Rutherford, so a third each. But 'Genesis' was the first where all titles were by Banks, Collins, Rutherford.
I agree Mama would be a better title, but I suspect that at the marketing stage they had lost some interest/were busy with other things. Certainly the state of the album cover would suggest that....
I read that they felt it was the first entirely co-written album. I read somewhere they felt Abacab had been equal, in the sense that all tracks were group written, apart from one each from Banks, Collins and Rutherford, so a third each. But 'Genesis' was the first where all titles were by Banks, Collins, Rutherford.
I agree Mama would be a better title, but I suspect that at the marketing stage they had lost some interest/were busy with other things. Certainly the state of the album cover would suggest that....
Right on about the album cover. After the abstract artsy cover for Abacab (which I love), the cover for the self-titled album was a real letdown for me. I remember when I bought the album thinking that it looked like they had just taken plastic pieces from a child’s game and photographed them. The whole album had a rushed feel to it. Physically the album I bought wobbled like crazy and scratched almost immediately. Also the fact that there were no leftover songs from the recording sessions would seem to indicate perhaps that the band was in a rush to get something out. Having said all of that the first side of the album featured very good songs.
They were all very busy with their solo careers back then.
I remember when I bought the album thinking that it looked like they had just taken plastic pieces from a child’s game and photographed them.
They had!
I wouldn't mind the cover if they'd removed the title, which is in a horrible font anyway, and just left the image with no text. I'd quite like that, for me just that simple change would've improved it hugely and in a way been quite bold. The use of the shapes as 'icons' for the track numbers was awful.
But I disagree with the earlier suggestions that 'Mama' would've been a better title. It wouldn't. I get the idea of 'Genesis'. It's as though they'd now fully got into their stride as a trio, and with all songs now credited to all there's a sort of sense to the self-title.
I agree there are aspects of "will this do?" in some ways, yes especially the lack of additional recordings. A couple of the side 2 tracks sound like they would have been b-sides in other circumstances.
I don't agree with the concept of a guilty pleasure , you should never guilty about enjoying music, but I can't help myself having guilty pleasure over Illegal Alien. I can't away from the imagery of the video when I hear it. Everything about that song is wrong. But I like it.
I don't agree with the concept of a guilty pleasure , you should never guilty about enjoying music, but I can't help myself having guilty pleasure over Illegal Alien. I can't away from the imagery of the video when I hear it. Everything about that song is wrong. But I like it.
Musically it's Banksily rifftastically nice. Lyrics, accent and video are cringeworthy for me. And before the usual suspects come lumbering in with screeched accusations of hysersensitive wokery, I'm not 'offended' by IA's lyrics and video, I just find them bafflingly naff.
On a more general note I'm 100% with you about the idea of "guilty pleasures" . It's one of those stupid media creations that people have dumbly swallowed. It irritates me when people do that silly voice and face as they say "It's my guilty pleasure". If you like something, you just bloodywell like it. You don't need to hunch your shoulders and look sheepish while you "confess" to it because a few magazines have deemed it somehow questionable, you simpering dope. Well, that's what I always say to them anyway. (I'm kidding, I don't... usually... and not in those exact words... though I often think it).
See also previous conversation about people "confessing" to liking prog "for their sins" etc. Pillocks.
I'm not 'offended' by IA's lyrics and video, I just find them bafflingly naff.
According to the lyrics the guy seems to be trying to get into the U.S. as a "tourist," with the intent of just staying there. Doesn't have a lot to do with real-life illegal aliens, does it? And the lyrics never confirm that he actually becomes an illegal alien at any point.
As for the album as a whole, I've expressed my main beef with it a few times before: It should have included the full versions of "Mama" and (especially) "It's Gonna Get Better" that were on the 12" single. I've put together a custom version of the disc for myself that has those instead of the shorter versions.
As for the album cover, I never had a strong opinion about it one way or the other. (It did strike me as a bit gimmicky that the original illustration for "Just a Job To Do" on the inside was changed from a generic cartoon detective to Dick Tracy. I always thought the former was more fitting.)
Musically it's Banksily rifftastically nice. Lyrics, accent and video are cringeworthy for me. And before the usual suspects come lumbering in with screeched accusations of hysersensitive wokery, I'm not 'offended' by IA's lyrics and video, I just find them bafflingly naff.
On a more general note I'm 100% with you about the idea of "guilty pleasures" . It's one of those stupid media creations that people have dumbly swallowed. It irritates me when people do that silly voice and face as they say "It's my guilty pleasure". If you like something, you just bloodywell like it. You don't need to hunch your shoulders and look sheepish while you "confess" to it because a few magazines have deemed it somehow questionable, you simpering dope. Well, that's what I always say to them anyway. (I'm kidding, I don't... usually... and not in those exact words... though I often think it).
See also previous conversation about people "confessing" to liking prog "for their sins" etc. Pillocks.
I thought you would be quick to reply on that one. I just think it's the only example of a song /.music that makes feel like that . If it were a rich Texan taking the piss out of under privileged Mexicans in a country song, I would think l it well out of order, as I do with IA. Stereotypical imagery naff accents etc. It's one song I didn't like like live, happy clappy singalong was right out of place for a Genesis show. They pre dated Borat by many years with the I'll fitting suits and moustaches. I don't think it's right. ...
Why didn't they include the Full Length Mama song on the album and then a shorter version for radio.
Seems a weird choice to do the reverse.
I think Mama on the album is just as long as it needs to be. But I agree the full-length IGGB should've been on. Lose TIATH, have it as a non-album b-side as it sounds like one anyway. Yes, yes, I know it ended up as one but you know what I mean.
It's one of the few Genesis albums that I can't listen to until the end.
The other is We Can't Dance.
It's one of the few Genesis albums that I can't listen to until the end.
The other is We Can't Dance.
Its funny as I have Genesis albums on my phone and I always skip the last few songs from this album and Invisible touch single and go straight into TTT
I think I said elsewhere on this site Genesis is my most played Genesis album. Its not my favourite by far but really listenable. I have to be in right place to listen to many albums and generally don't like to over play my favourites, but for some reason I go back this one so often. I always enjoy Mama much more than I think I will every time . If there is a song that can sum up Genesis then HBTS has has to be a contender. It seems to have elements of all Genesis eras. Part 1 is recognisable as later years Genesis with jauntiness that has a HTB , RAAB element. Part2 has a grandeur of their more proggy years. The lyrics have a quirkiness and the fantasy story telling element they were always famous for. It's a live staple and although it may not break into my top 10 Genesis songs but it still remains tremendous. When listening , even on headphones, I feel compelled to raise my arms and waggle my hands just before it starts. Don't know why. I've already said about IA and really enjoy all the other songs with TA being the best of them. It's an album that suffers from side 2 being just not as good as side 1and in many ways all are also ran Genesis songs but I still find them enjoyable and listenable and really good songs . I find it's IGGB a really uplifting song and an uplifting end to the album. Considering that most of the songs and the album are so low in my Genesis ranking it just goes to show what Genesis ( the band ) means to me that I still love it so much..
Is anyone else bothered by the fade out on the chorus at the end of Silver Rainbow? To me it would have sounded better if they had transitioned back to chugging, churning music of the verses and faded out on that.
Is anyone else bothered by the fade out on the chorus at the end of Silver Rainbow? To me it would have sounded better if they had transitioned back to chugging, churning music of the verses and faded out on that.
As with quite a few of their fade-outs I do find it frustrating and do think they should've returned to the verse backing track but brought that to an ending rather than fading it.
Back to original thread. Yes they called it Genesis because they felt it was the first truely co-written album all the band contributed equally to all the songs. It would have been helpful if they did sleeve notes to tell us about that. It's would have made interesting reading . That, with a photo/picture of the band for the cover would have been another first and would have fitted with the theme. They could have called it something on the lines of We Are Genesis. Maybe they wanted to continue with the abstract art they did with Abacab but it got messed up. Truely a terrible cover and I just don't get it. If they called it Mama they would have needed to have changed the cover.
It would have been helpful if they did sleeve notes to tell us about that. It's would have made interesting reading . That, with a photo/picture of the band for the cover would have been another first and would have fitted with the theme. They could have called it something on the lines of We Are Genesis.
Not sure how much you're joking about any of this but oooooooohhhhh no, those would've all been awful ideas. "We Are Genesis" is an amusing idea as a bit of retrospective chewing-over but oh my word if they'd actually done that at the time.... (shudders)
"We Are Genesis" is an amusing idea as a bit of retrospective chewing-over but oh my word if they'd actually done that at the time.... (shudders)
1983: We Are Genesis is released.
1984: Genesis (1967-83) were an early purveyor of prog rock who defied the odds, surviving the loss of key personnel and punk rock. Resilient to the end, they found arena level success on the back of front man Phil's solo smash single In The Air of The Night before wrapping up with their final, disappointingly titled album, We Are Genesis. Ironic of course, as shortly after it's release, they were no longer Genesis. Their quirkiness and adaptability shall be missed. Their lamentable inability to name the capstone on their modest career with any sort of nous will not.
I'll get me coat.