TotW 11/21/2022 - 11/27/2022: GENESIS - Down And Out

    Your rating for "Down And Out" by GENESIS 25

    1. 15 points - outstanding (5) 20%
    2. 14 points - very good (6) 24%
    3. 13 points - very good - (2) 8%
    4. 12 points - good + (4) 16%
    5. 11 points - good (3) 12%
    6. 10 points - good - (2) 8%
    7. 09 points - satisfactory + (2) 8%
    8. 08 points - satisfactory (0) 0%
    9. 07 points - satisfactory - (0) 0%
    10. 06 points - sufficient + (0) 0%
    11. 05 points - sufficient (1) 4%
    12. 04 points - sufficient - (0) 0%
    13. 03 points - poor + (0) 0%
    14. 02 points - poor (0) 0%
    15. 01 points - poor - (0) 0%
    16. 00 points - abysmal (0) 0%

    We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread. If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!


    GENESIS - Down And Out
    Year: 1978
    Album: And Then There Were Three
    Working title: ?
    Credits: Banks, Collins, Rutherford
    Lyrics: Yes
    Length: 5:27
    Musicians: Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford
    Played Live: 1978, 1979
    Cover versions: ?



    Notes: For many, And Then There Were Three marked the beginning of the band's commercial phase. But the opener, of all things, was precisely not that. Down And Out was massive, bulky, uncomfortable. Reason enough to discuss the whole thing in the context of the Track Of The Week..

    cheers

    Christian


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    In a way, what might have been. A great opening, stunning drums and fantastic vocal. The unusual rhythm drives it along with a certain tension and it whets the appetite for an album which is going to challenge and explore. Sadly that doesn’t happen and it all gets a bit safe. But it proved that they could still produce music that stood out and made you sit up to listen. When The Musical Box performed this live they needed all hands on deck to get near it. Great stuff

    I remember buying ATTWT on release and this first track showed the direction of the band was changing. It's still a great album and this track falls somewhere in the middle for me.

    I liked what I had heard of the band – a couple of songs from this album were getting regular airplay – so I went out and bought the album.


    This was a perfect intro for me, gently luring me in before launching into this wonderfully bombastic piece of music.


    When I play this album, it never fails to stir fond memories of that early period of discovery which inevitably colours my very high opinion and strong feelings for this album.

    This is a top 10 favourite Genesis track for me. I remember my brother buying the album when it came out and was intrigued to hear their first work as a trio, and this track raised my expectations. The rest of the album, for the most part, lowered them back down. Sometimes I find albums can suffer from Best Track First Syndrome and this is a prime example of that. Ironically, another personal favourite is on ATTWT (Many Too Many). Undertow is good so it was when I got to Ballad Of Big that my enthusiasm started leaking away (and accelerated rapidly come Snowbound. Taking this tangent further, I actually like the shiny fanfare synth line in Big but I wish it was attached to a much better song).


    But anyway, back to D&O. I love the changes in the intro section especially under the guiitar and drum entries. The driving monotonic bass was starkly unusual for them and was offset by the busy drum, synth and guitar. As was noted above, there's a tension in the song which is really nice, also maybe a slightly ominous feel. This is partly reflected in some of the words - while there's "good to see you, have a drink" backslapping welcoming stuff there's also talk of pressure, you better sink or swim and 'only acting under orders'. The music in the verses also matches the "let's just get this over and done with" sentiment in the song.


    For me it's one of the most jarringly out-of-kilter tracks on any album of theirs when compared with its fellow tracks. Maybe that's why I've occasionally seen lukewarm views of it here, which is why I'm pleasantly surprised to see mainly positive ones so far in this thread.

    Abandon all reason

    Although I was already aware of the Genesis world as a callow schoolboy, via Solsbury Hill in February '77 and of course Follow You Follow Me, I can truly trace my fandom back to teatime on Friday 31 March 1978 and hearing this track for the first time. It's an old hackneyed trope to say "life-changing", yet maybe in this instance it's also true.

    Quote from Phil Morris

    Although I was already aware of the Genesis world as a callow schoolboy, via Solsbury Hill in February '77 and of course Follow You Follow Me, I can truly trace my fandom back to teatime on Friday 31 March 1978 and hearing this track for the first time. It's an old hackneyed trope to say "life-changing", yet maybe in this instance it's also true.

    Wow great recollection of when you heard it!...can you remember what you had for tea as well? 😆

    Absolute banger, top 10 track for me too. Love how complex and tense it is, and Phil's performance is brilliant. Mike's is too, they make the intricate rhythm sound effortless. It stands out as a dark Genesis track and an excellent one at that. Even the production can't take away the steely edge. 15/15 for me.

    One of my all time favs! 15/15

    I love those "breaks" in the melody lines. Something they rarely did afterwards. Was also nice to see The Musical Box perform this song a few years ago!

    ... make tomorrow today!

    11/15

    It's a bit similar to my Darkness rating. I like the track, but it's by far not as good as early classics or later long tracks.

    some are wise ... and some otherwise

    I know this will sound crazy to most, but does anyone else hear a bit of "The Grand Illusion" by Styx in the drumming and keyboards on Down and Out? Just a coincidence.