Songs I'm Afraid to Admit I Don't Like

Quote from mdepps

Give me three tracks please. I got Fly and the one straight after (4 mins total). I'll give you Cage and if you insist Back in NYC. Hairless Heart. Then what?

The :Lamb does divide opinion, but I aree with Fabrizio. The music is exceptional on the Lamb. There is some what I would regard as 'filler' mostly on side four, but overall I can't fault any song. My least favourite is probably Cuckoo Cocoon and Anyway (and they're fine) The Lamia and Chamber of 32 Doors are among Gabriel's finest vocal performances IMO.

The Lamb is a unique album in the Genesis catalogue, and while it may be flawed in places (and I can take or leave the story) it remains a 'flawed masterpiece'

Quote from Blacksword

The Lamia and Chamber of 32 Doors are among Gabriel's finest vocal performances IMO.

Right, just putting Chamber32 on again.

Brilliant intro. That bass just rattles through me. Excitement builds. PG starts, yes doing a nice job building it up, this is going to be good. Ooh did I miss this before. Yeah keep going Peter.

Arrrrrghhhh he's ruined it with that banal town man country man chorus!!!! I'm gutted. It was going so well. Massive disappointment. Nope, Chamber32 - back in the bin.

Quote from mdepps

Arrrrrghhhh he's ruined it with that banal town man country man chorus!!!! I'm gutted. It was going so well. Massive disappointment. Nope, Chamber32 - back in the bin.

Totally agree! 😂😂😂

Quote from Backdrifter

I'm not going to "give you three tracks". I'm giving you THE ENTIRE ALBUM.

Ha! Ha! That’s conveniently broad brush enough to avoid any come back. 😂

Quote from Gabble Ratchet

Totally agree! 😂😂😂

Nonsense..you're both wrong!

Quote from Gabble Ratchet

Ha! Ha! That’s conveniently broad brush enough to avoid any come back. 😂

Y'see if someone was having trouble with The Wall I'd be able to help. Here's a great bit of lyricism, there's a great guitar piece. And we could guide you in.

But the Lamb remains unpenetrable, to me at least. I know, let's put Counting Out Time on again. Now we have an irritating verse as well. To the chorus: Erogenous zones I luuurve you. Where's the sick bag?

Quote from mdepps

Y'see if someone was having trouble with The Wall I'd be able to help. Here's a great bit of lyricism, there's a great guitar piece. And we could guide you in.

But the Lamb remains unpenetrable, to me at least. I know, let's put Counting Out Time on again. Now we have an irritating verse as well. To the chorus: Erogenous zones I luuurve you. Where's the sick bag?

Yes, I’m also surprised that no one has stepped up to help unlock its alleged delights. One thing’s for sure, that ‘Counting Out Time’ song isn’t one of them. Its jaunty melody must rank as one of their most irritating and as for the lyrics....

“Honey get hip! It's time to unzip, to unzip, zip, zip-a-zip-a-zip.

Whipee!"

(Take it away Mr. Guitar)

I rest my case, m’lud! 😂😂😂

Quote from mdepps

But the Lamb remains unpenetrable, to me at least.

Oops! Steel yourself for a condescending, ‘you just don’t get it’ comment.

Quote from Blacksword

The :Lamb does divide opinion, but I aree with Fabrizio. The music is exceptional on the Lamb. There is some what I would regard as 'filler' mostly on side four, but overall I can't fault any song. My least favourite is probably Cuckoo Cocoon and Anyway (and they're fine) The Lamia and Chamber of 32 Doors are among Gabriel's finest vocal performances IMO.

The Lamb is a unique album in the Genesis catalogue, and while it may be flawed in places (and I can take or leave the story) it remains a 'flawed masterpiece'

I hardly know of any fillers-free double album or album for that matter. The Lamb certainly has its share of those but in regarding it as a whole, as one should imo, since it is a concept album, I think it is quite solid. It is true that the 4th side is weaker than the rest and I said many times they should have had a stronger song than It to close it, still, the music is exceptional in my view.

Opinions of course. Personally I find it quite humorous.

Quote from mdepps

Y'see if someone was having trouble with The Wall I'd be able to help. Here's a great bit of lyricism, there's a great guitar piece. And we could guide you in.

This is the problem for me with this bit of the discussion: the whole notion of some sort of 'tuition' on an album you love for someone who doesn't like it. I love The Lamb but if someone doesn't like it, so be it and fair enough. Bar the odd track here and there I don't care for The Wall but would give the shortest tiniest bit of shrift I had in my shrift drawer to anyone attempting to "guide me in". (I'm not dismissing the possibility you're being supremely subtly tongue-in-cheek by the way!).

In relation to a separate post - I certainly wouldn't attempt any kind of "Ah, you just don't get it" condescension to anyone saying they didn't like The Lamb. Does that happen here?! I don't recall seeing it here or on the old board.

It seems to me that if you were really enjoying Chamber as much as you said but allowed it to be totally ruined by that line of lyric, you're highly unlikely to be well-disposed to anything you didn't already like on that album. Wouldn't it be best to stick with the ones you do like and the other albums you prefer?

Quote from Gabble Ratchet

Yes, I’m also surprised that no one has stepped up to help unlock its alleged delights.

As someone for whom it's my favourite Genesis album, I'm very unsurprised. I couldn't care less if someone dislikes it. It happens, and it's not exactly unexpected. It's so out of kilter with the albums either side of it it'd be amazing if it wasn't a problem for lots of fans. I'd sit back with my arms folded and watch with interest if any Lamb fans do show up to try "explaining" its attractions, though.

Quote from Backdrifter

I'd sit back with my arms folded and watch with interest if any Lamb fans do show up to try "explaining" its attractions, though.

I have been guilty of that I confess….A couple of decades ago though. Now, as I said I lost any appetite for it. I might still enjoy the debate with someone who is really familiar with the record: meaning he knows the track listing, knows what the story is about, knows the lyrics or at least the gist of it, perhaps the chords, can hum the tunes and perhaps can appreciate the musicianship displayed on it. It hardly happens I found. The point still remains though: 0 interest in defending it, even when it's being trashed and it happens and 0 interest in extolling its virtues which remain many imo.

Quote from Fabrizio

I have been guilty of that I confess….A couple of decades ago though. Now, as I said I lost any appetite for it. I might still enjoy the debate with someone who is really familiar with the record: meaning he knows the track listing, knows what the story is about, knows the lyrics or at least the gist of it, perhaps the chords, can hum the tunes and perhaps can appreciate the musicianship displayed on it. It hardly happens I found. The point still remains though: 0 interest in defending it, even when it's being trashed and it happens and 0 interest in extolling its virtues which remain many imo.

To me, the attraction comes mainly from the ghostly atmosphere created by the keyboards and guitars working so well together. The mellotron against those guitar chords on Fly on a windshield. The organ riff, against the driving rhythm on In the Cage, the beautiful piano on The Lamia, the chaos of the Waiting Room.

The story I'm less interested in, but individual lyrics are some of Gabriels best IMO. I also like the contemporary, although other worldly feel of the album. The fact that is such a departure from SEBTP and ATOTT, makes it sand out in the catalogue as a brave and well executed experiment. There ae mixed feelings about it within the band. Oddly - perhaps - Collins really liked it, but Banks was quite critical.

Quote from Blacksword

To me, the attraction comes mainly from the ghostly atmosphere created by the keyboards and guitars working so well together. The mellotron against those guitar chords on Fly on a windshield. The organ riff, against the driving rhythm on In the Cage, the beautiful piano on The Lamia, the chaos of the Waiting Room.

The story I'm less interested in, but individual lyrics are some of Gabriels best IMO. I also like the contemporary, although other worldly feel of the album. The fact that is such a departure from SEBTP and ATOTT, makes it sand out in the catalogue as a brave and well executed experiment. There ae mixed feelings about it within the band. Oddly - perhaps - Collins really liked it, but Banks was quite critical.

I can see what you mean by the ghostly atmosphere. You almost make me want to give it another go and perhaps I would if it wasn't a double album and such a heavy slog. It reminds me of the Beatles white album: experimental but ultimately forgettable, imho.

I'd be interested in hearing why Banks was so critical of it. With one or two exceptions, weren't he and Rutherford responsible for all of the music? Didn't he like what he'd composed or was it the lyrics / storyboard that bothered him?

Quote from Blacksword

To me, the attraction comes mainly from the ghostly atmosphere created by the keyboards and guitars working so well together. The mellotron against those guitar chords on Fly on a windshield. The organ riff, against the driving rhythm on In the Cage, the beautiful piano on The Lamia, the chaos of the Waiting Room.

The story I'm less interested in, but individual lyrics are some of Gabriels best IMO. I also like the contemporary, although other worldly feel of the album. The fact that is such a departure from SEBTP and ATOTT, makes it sand out in the catalogue as a brave and well executed experiment. There ae mixed feelings about it within the band. Oddly - perhaps - Collins really liked it, but Banks was quite critical.

I agree: such a radical departure nor only from SEBTP but also from what other prog artists were doing at the time. Clearly Peter was done with certain lyrics and atmospheres, for him at least, that chapter was closed, not so for the rest of the band evidently, although I suspect, Phil would have gladly gotten along. I can understand that drifting away from familiar themes might have turned off some fans although personally I am glad we didn't have a double, concept album based on the Little Prince One thing I noticed about the detractors' front is that it is quite heterogenous, meaning they have different reasons for disliking it. Clearly the fan who got on board with Tarzan's soundtrack by Phil will have a hard time appreciating when going back, but also fans who were more comfortable with the previous records were a bit disconcerted. Some I heard, think it's too easy and some others think it's too intricate and it's all good and valid. The only thing I would push back against, if I were interested I guess, is the notion that it lacks quality and the music or the songs are subpar. It is imo demonstrably not true.

Quote from Backdrifter

It seems to me that if you were really enjoying Chamber as much as you said but allowed it to be totally ruined by that line of lyric, you're highly unlikely to be well-disposed to anything you didn't already like on that album.

I understood it to be the whole chorus that ruined it for Eppsy, supremely irritating though that lyric may be.

Quote from Gabble Ratchet

I can see what you mean by the ghostly atmosphere. You almost make me want to give it another go and perhaps I would if it wasn't a double album and such a heavy slog. It reminds me of the Beatles white album: experimental but ultimately forgettable, imho.

I'd be interested in hearing why Banks was so critical of it. With one or two exceptions, weren't he and Rutherford responsible for all of the music? Didn't he like what he'd composed or was it the lyrics / storyboard that bothered him?

Mostly the story and I'm sure I heard him say he didn't like the production job either. It also bothered im that Gabriel took complete control of the lyric writing and story board. He said he liked individual lyrics, but found the overall concept rather weak.

Quote from Blacksword

It also bothered im that Gabriel took complete control of the lyric writing and story board. He said he liked individual lyrics, but found the overall concept rather weak.

I guess that was a particularly sore point for him, as the the two of them would feud often within the band. That said, I believe he had a point, the story is dodgy. As a Gabriel's fan, I heard Peter many times defending the concept and the story but I remained unconvinced. Brilliant lyrics though, his finest work up to that point in my view.

Quote from Blacksword

Quote from Blacksword

Mostly the story and I'm sure I heard him say he didn't like the production job either. It also bothered im that Gabriel took complete control of the lyric writing and story board. He said he liked individual lyrics, but found the overall concept rather weak.

I have to agree with him. It’s all a bit out-dated and trippy but then again, what else was on offer? Mike’s ‘Little Prince’ concept? 😱