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

  • Is there enough support for Like It to make it one of 'those' songs?

    You would be surprised, I know I was. I' always thought of it as a filler, some throw-away song from the Acting very Strange writing sessions, another album I thought was really terrible, particularly after Smallcreeps' brilliance. I found it sappy, pedestrian, uninspired and probably the only song on Abacab, Phil sings poorly. He really doesn't sound convincing and convinced on this one. He tries so hard to infuse some life in it that his pitch is all over the place in the end. Then someone came up with the internet and Genesis Forums and I found out some fans think highly of it: a great ballad, a great love song, a great pop song and so on. I was and remained baffled.

  • I’m not! As Fabrizio has said, Steve never could write a decent chorus. Mike Rutherford was right. Steve’s strength was as a guitarist not a songwriter.

    Since this one has been cropping up from time to time, I feel I have to challenge it. So he can't write a decent chorus? Compared to what exactly? Supper's Ready? The Musical Box? The Fountain of Salmacis? Perhaps I should cast the net a little wider: Bohemian Rhapsody?


    For a start, probably about a third of Steve's output is instrumental, so that can be discounted, but let's take a popular song of his, like Every Day. Is that so much worse than Paperback Writer, for example?


    It was Fabrizio who first raised this point back on the old forum, and I'm sure (really, REALLY sure!) he'll pop along to explain his logic :) but it seems to me others are merely using it as a whipping post to denigrate Steve with reference to their particular Genesis hero. Fine, but let's not pretend others aren't also capable of turning out similar things. Shock the Monkey, for example, a chorus that could render my stereo at risk!

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!

  • It was Fabrizio who first raised this point back on the old forum, and I'm sure (really, REALLY sure!) he'll pop along to explain his logic :) but it seems to me others are merely using it as a whipping post to denigrate Steve with reference to their particular Genesis hero. Fine, but let's not pretend others aren't also capable of turning out similar things. Shock the Monkey, for example, a chorus that could render my stereo at risk!

    I was actually going to but the second ''REALLY'' all caps, convinced me otherwise ;) Suffices it to say that I don't think his songs carry a particular punch and, I think you already know that though, I am not one to denigrate Steve particularly not comparing him to my personal Genesis hero. I might not think highly of him as a songwriter but I have much respect for him as a player and his contribution to the band.

    Edited once, last by Fabrizio ().

  • I’m not afraid to admit to disliking these, I know they won’t be popular choices though. There’s quite a few I don’t care much for that are held in high regard by many. Here goes.....


    Stagnation

    Harlequin

    For Absent Friends

    Watcher Of The Skies

    Battle Of Epping Forest

    Mad Man Moon

    Ripples

    All of And Then There Were Three (except Follow You Follow Me and Many Too Many)

    Man Of Our Times

    Fading Lights

  • There's not much I don't like. Illegal Alien, Since I Lost You, Never A Time, If That's What You Need are the only ones that really spring to mind as songs I find dull enough to always skip.

  • I can't believe Illegal Alien was part of their live classic medley, and they included it on The Longs album. I also dislike Jesus He Knows Me. I believe Phil mentioned in an interview that he can't stand watching some of their live concert footage due to his goofy antics. It certainly turned me off.

  • I can't believe Illegal Alien was part of their live classic medley, and they included it on The Longs album. I also dislike Jesus He Knows Me. I believe Phil mentioned in an interview that he can't stand watching some of their live concert footage due to his goofy antics. It certainly turned me off.

    on the mama tour shows, at times they looked like a comedy group rather than a rock band.

  • .... where to start?

    Never liked Happy The Man - then also Anything She Does is far from being a favorite of mine.


    Basically, there a tracks from all albums that I dislike, but these are my "worst moments"


    Battle Of Epping Forest

    Dusk

    Harold The Barrel

    Back In NYC

    Trick Of The Tail

    Match Of The Day

    Scenes From A Night's Dream

    Alone Tonight

    Keep It Dark

    Taking It All Too Hard

    Invisible Touch

    Since I Lost You

    If That's What You Need


    jus a selection ...

  • Ah but Nanunami are you "afraid to admit" you don't like them? Doesn't seem like it. And quite right too.


    Two of my favourites are in there, NYC and Keep. As is my most disliked Genesis track, Scenes, in my view the absolute worst thing they ever did. The others I'm mostly neutral on, perhaps leaning towards not liking.

    Abandon all reason

  • Happy the man is a total favourite of mine.

    Late at night I regularly listen to the Italy tour from early 1972 when they started with it and then Stagnation.

    I love those recordings, warts and all, though Piper Club is by far the one I listen to the most.

  • I love Happy The Man too, and I also love the '72 live shows. I just wish the Genoa show wasn't the only recording of Seven Stones. I guess they didn't have it in the set for very long.

  • There is nothing that I ever skip when I put a CD on, but I don't listen to anything pre-Trespass. I also regard their post-And Then There Were Three output as far more variable in quality compared with their earlier material, which I think of as being consistently very very good.


    The nearest I would come to saying 'songs I don't like' are both from the same album: Who Dunnit? and Another Record.

  • I really like Say its alright Joe, until it gets to the instrumental part when it seems Tony reverts back to an 8yr old with a new keyboard hitting the sound affect buttons thinking it's cool.

  • I really like Say its alright Joe, until it gets to the instrumental part when it seems Tony reverts back to an 8yr old with a new keyboard hitting the sound affect buttons thinking it's cool.

    The instrumental section is by far the best part of the song. And it’s not even that good of an instrumental section.


    I’m not sure how your post even relates to this old, old thread.

  • Back in NYC is one of the best Genesis song…