TotW 02/06/2023 - 02/12/2023: GENESIS - Heathaze

1st Official Post
    • Official Post

    Your rating for "Heathaze" by GENESIS 29

    1. 15 points - outstanding (8) 28%
    2. 14 points - very good (6) 21%
    3. 13 points - very good - (8) 28%
    4. 12 points - good + (5) 17%
    5. 11 points - good (2) 7%
    6. 10 points - good - (0) 0%
    7. 09 points - satisfactory + (0) 0%
    8. 08 points - satisfactory (0) 0%
    9. 07 points - satisfactory - (0) 0%
    10. 06 points - sufficient + (0) 0%
    11. 05 points - sufficient (0) 0%
    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 - Heathaze
    Year: 1980
    Album: Duke
    Working title: ?
    Credits: Banks
    Lyrics: Yes
    Length: 5:00
    Musicians: Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford
    Played live: never
    Cover versions: ?

    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    Notes: Even though the hot days of the year are yet to come, today we want to dedicate ourselves to a summer phenomenon: heat haze. Along with Guide Vocal and Cul-De-Sac, the track is one of three pure Banks contributions to the Duke album. Commercially, the song always stood somehow in the shadow of the "Duke Suite", but is certainly a real pearl. By the way, the same goes for the 2 years older "Banks child" Many Too Many, which can't deny its kinship with Heathaze. Due to its great atmosphere, which is created by lyrics, melody and Collins' vocals, Heathaze would certainly have deserved greater attention. A good reason to take a closer look at this song again.

    A lovely song. A great example of Tony's keyboard sound of that era, and his trademark chords.


    It makes me think of what he was trying to achieve with A Curious Feeling, but didn't quite manage, in my opinion.


    Also fits in beautifully on the album at the end of side 1


    13 for me

    I never liked this one, consequently I haven't heard it for decades so I just reacquainted myself with it and still don't like it. Yes PC sounds good but that's about it for me. Banks at his most ponderous - "Beware the fisherman..." and PC having to sing the dramatic line-ending "...BUT whereas" 😖. Where others find it lovely and atmospheric I find it lugubrious and heavy-handed. The feel of the music and some of the melody line in the 'chorus' sections is quite nice but just a pity it's buried in this song, and those bridging sections into it, eg after "smoky atmosphere" are awful twee winsome noodlings which sum up the textures I've always liked least about Genesis. The song remains a must-skip on this album.


    I already know I'll likely be the lone dissenting voice on this one. In that sense this is Duke's Mad Man Moon for me.

    Abandon all reason

    At the time of its release, it was the louder tracks on Duke like "Man Of Our Times" and "Behind The Lines" that immediately appealed to me as a teenaged fan.

    It wasn't too long afterwards, though, I found myself more drawn and emotionally moved by the subtle beauty of tracks like "Heathaze" and "Duchess."

    Beautiful composition by Tony combined with a wonderful vocal performance from Phil.

    IMO, this song would not have sounded out of place on W&W or even ATOTT.

    Top score for me.

    anything on Duke is going to score highly from me, as possibly my fav album..so slightly bias, although maybe one of the weaker tracks. Definitely a Banks track with the lyrics, which remind me of some of his Curious Feeling work.

    Phils vocals lift the song to a higher level..11 from me

    DUKE was the album that brought me into Genesis, and I still consider it the high point of the 3-man era. But I have to say that Tony's solo compositions on the album were among the tracks that I took the longest to warm up to. His three songs, along with "Alone Tonight," remain as my least favorite tracks on a favorite album. I still like them, but they're surrounded by songs I like a lot more.


    Backdrifter has summed up the issues with the song better than I could, although I like it better than he does. I do consider it an effective side-one closer.


    P.S.: Am I the only one who was momentarily confused by the title upon first seeing it? i.e., "Heath-what?"

    This was an early favorite of mine, and the appeal has endured. I love the vibe of orange lights and a smoky atmosphere, hot winds of the south, and the image of a fisherman fishing in a dried up river bed. There's something intangible about the track that rings true for me. A yearning of some sort where the odd lyrics, music and Phil's vocals delivery all line up. I like how some of the instrumentation drops out when Phil sings "I feel like an alien...", and then swells again. It's an effective bit of arrangement. 14/15.


    As an aside, I think it would make a great edm track if it were well-remixed.

    Always a favourite off this album, and a spiritual partner to "Evidence of Autumn" which should have been on there too, IMO. Spoilt only by the rather lifeless keyboard sound that Banks had become tied to around this time, which has made me drop a point off it.


    The lyrics seem to be an issue for some. Can't say that's the case for me, it sets up a nice mood, though as I've said before, Banks needs others to flesh out his, often sterile otherwise" approach to arrangement and performance. Frankly, if the lyrical alternative is stuff like "Just as I thought it was goin' alright, I found out I'm wrong, when I thought I was right", I'll take this anytime!

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!

    Like 1

    Oh I'll take

    Quote from foxfeeder

    Just as I thought it was goin' alright, I found out I'm wrong, when I thought I was right

    over the sub-Adrian Mole "beware the fisherman casting out his line into a dried-up riverbed" every time!


    EDIT: though on reflection the fisherman one is at least amusing

    Abandon all reason

    I can completely understand if the subject of a song is something you're violently opposed to (celebrating pedophiles or white supremacy).

    But I've actually always found it strange when people say they don't like a song because of the lyrics or they find a particular turn of phrase pretentious, silly or non-sensical, and that ruins the song for them.


    I think back to my teens when one of my older brothers who is a born again Christian would disparage me for listening to Black Sabbath. I told him I didn't care if some of their songs gloried Satan. I just loved the music, and I still do.

    Same applies to when I listen to Italian prog. I don't understand the words. It's the sound of the music combined with the quality of the voice that moves me or appeals to me.

    Quote from Witchwood

    I can completely understand if the subject of a song is something you're violently opposed to (celebrating pedophiles or white supremacy).

    But I've actually always found it strange when people say they don't like a song because of the lyrics or they find a particular turn of phrase pretentious, silly or non-sensical, and that ruins the song for them.


    I think back to my teens when one of my older brothers who is a born again Christian would disparage me for listening to Black Sabbath. I told him I didn't care if some of their songs gloried Satan. I just loved the music, and I still do.

    Same applies to when I listen to Italian prog. I don't understand the words. It's the sound of the music combined with the quality of the voice that moves me or appeals to me.

    Agreed, I have albums sung in German which are far from an easy language to follow for someone like me (Do you speak English? No? Then fetch me someone who does! ^^) and enjoy them immensely. In the case of the lyrics I quoted above though, they could have been written by a 4 year old. At least Adrian Mole was 13 3/4!

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!

    Quote from Witchwood

    I've actually always found it strange when people say they don't like a song because of the lyrics or they find a particular turn of phrase pretentious, silly or non-sensical, and that ruins the song for them.

    In my case with this song, to be clear, the line I quoted doesn't ruin the song for me. The song ruins the song. Music, lyrics, everything


    Quote from foxfeeder

    In the case of the lyrics I quoted above though, they could have been written by a 4 year old. At least Adrian Mole was 13 3/4!

    Then well done that 4yo. It's still better than Banks's bargain-bin philosophising!

    Abandon all reason

    I'm more of the school that specific lyrics don't bother me, than otherwise. I think I just don't pay attention probably 😃. In rare circumstances I'll find particular lyrics good and hugely additive to a song - for example, Needle In The Hay by Elliot Smith, or Living Dead by Suede. Or less commonly I'll notice something clunky that I'd rather wasn't there. Tony Banks often uses a clumsy structure - the best example I can think of off the top of my head is "he asks not why?" in Seven Stones (a song I also love). "Here comes a man with a face so sincere" I think on Red Day on Blue Street is another. Extra words just to fill up the space.


    For the most part though, if they sound good, the content doesn't sink into the part of my brain that I use to think about the world and life. I think the lyrics to Heathaze sound good - which is much more a testament to Phil's vocals skills than Tony's lyric writing skills. The few words that do strike home simply add to the sense of dislocation and longing I get from the song.


    Btw if I'd had to pick a Totw that would generate a long discussion I wouldn't have banked (haha) on it being Heathaze!

    Just played it again and quite enjoyed it. It’s by no means the strongest track on Duke but neither does it let the side down. I like Tony’s sometimes impenetrable rambles and the melancholy nature of his chord structures suits the words well. I think it adds a good bit of balance to the drama of the suite, the immediacy of the singles and the directness of tracks like Please Don’t Ask. I’d expect Phil to struggle to ‘get behind’ these lyrics but you’d never guess as it’s one of his best performances I think. 12 points from me.