Your favorite GENESIS studio albums (pick three)

    Quote from Backdrifter

    I'm happy with No Reply [...] of course the horns cause a certain amount of automatic door-slamming from some fans regardless of what else is going on in the song.

    I remember well how I felt when listening to it for the first time. I had found the LP in a vinyl record store. Until then, speaking of studio recordings, I only knew the 1970-1980 period... And Face Value.

    It was a bit of a shock. First, I already knew the live version of Abacab because my Mum had Three Sides Lives, and I was kind of disappointed by the early fade-out of the song in the album, compared to the "rocking out" final of the live version...

    And then, this. "Horns !? WTF ? What are they doing ? Mhh, not their best..."

    Of course, I hadn't listened to the second side...

    When "Who Dunnit" came, I was like "No.. No No No... NOOOO !" :D

    It took me a few years to accept it...

    Now I'm fine with it, haha !

    Quote from Duke of Earl of Mar

    When "Who Dunnit" came, I was like "No.. No No No... NOOOO !"

    A friend heard the album before I did and was incredulous about some of it, particularly the "meanwhile lurking...." bit followed by the chirpy synth line, and Who Dunnit though he wasn't especially peeved by NRAA. I picked up on a general disbelief and dismay about WD among fans but from the start I never much minded it. I get people's dislike of it but it's never bothered me.


    Rutherford's bass playing is superb on NR, also on You Might Recall. Overall it's a well put-together song with an especially nice middle eight. I've always really liked it. Yes it's got the horns on but as a song it's 100% Genesis.

    Abandon all reason

    Like 1
    Quote from Backdrifter

    Rutherford's bass playing is superb on NR, also on You Might Recall.

    Yes it is, that's why I tend to like it over the years. Collins' groove is great too, and surprisingly, Chester never seemed to capture it on the live versions.

    If you take a song like Duchess, Phil's and Chester's grooves are quite different, but Chester adds his own thing that I really like (Duchess live is probably in my top 5 Genesis song list).

    Quote from Duke of Earl of Mar

    Yes it is, that's why I tend to like it over the years. Collins' groove is great too, and surprisingly, Chester never seemed to capture it on the live versions.

    If you take a song like Duchess, Phil's and Chester's grooves are quite different, but Chester adds his own thing that I really like (Duchess live is probably in my top 5 Genesis song list).

    I thought NR live didn't cut it in any way at all. You're right about the drumming on the original, deceptively tricksy but laying down a terrific groove.


    I know some fans prefer live Duchess but for me it simply can't measure up to the original. They achieved such a distinctive almost other-worldly feel that never occurred anywhere else in their work and also a rich layering and overall soundscape that can only ever be a studio creation. In that sense their live renditions did the best they could with it. The intro section was wonderful on the recent tour but it was a slight come-down that the lovely gradual conclusion of the original, like layers smoothly unpeeling, was replaced by a big old traditional live rock ending. But never mind, I was just so pleased they brought it out for this final tour.


    While CT is obviously a terrific drummer I often thought his very different, more open sort of groove didn't suit the songs. An example is Dodo in which I much prefer the more taut, stark feel of the drumming in the original. But don't get me wrong, he was generally a great addition to their live sound and the duets were great to see.

    Abandon all reason


    Came across this Tiermaker thing on another band's reddit. Gimmicky but here's my rushed Genesis one. I think the S tier is at variance with my vote on this thread, where CAS is in place of Abacab in the top 3.


    Edit: it's hard to see, but FGTR is the only one in the D tier.

    Quote from thewatcher


    Came across this Tiermaker thing on another band's reddit. Gimmicky but here's my rushed Genesis one. I think the S tier is at variance with my vote on this thread, where CAS is in place of Abacab in the top 3.


    Edit: it's hard to see, but FGTR is the only one in the D tier.

    What does S means :?:

    Quote from FeelItComing

    And.... Extremely, and I mean extremely, approximate.


    I noticed they had a "Genesis songs" option but hadn't tried it yet! A formidable but enjoyable task 😂. A lot of CAS tunes in your A tier given the album is in your C tier.


    Also, yes S is for superb or superlative or something.

    Yes.... I have mixed feelings about CAS. I do think it's a better album than most people think. Honestly if I did it again, I might put it above Wind & Wuthering, which is an album I can't get a hold of. Some of those ratings, particularly for .... Three and FGTR, aren't even trying to be accurate. Looking at it again I think there are too many C songs.

    Quote from FeelItComing

    Yes.... I have mixed feelings about CAS. I do think it's a better album than most people think. Honestly if I did it again, I might put it above Wind & Wuthering, which is an album I can't get a hold of. Some of those ratings, particularly for .... Three and FGTR, aren't even trying to be accurate. Looking at it again I think there are too many C songs.

    I didn't notice CAS here as much as I did The Lamb. That stuck out to me, in part because of where you have The Lamia, which I rate much higher. Then I noticed that you have a lot of the Lamb's tracks in the D category. The album, you rate as a B, but if I counted correctly, only 7 tracks B or higher, and 16 tracks C or lower.


    My guess is that if I was to go through this same exercise, I would see similar differences between how I rate an album, versus how I rate each of the songs on that album. I probably think I really like an album, because I love a couple songs, and I sort of forget about the songs I don't really like. Similarly, I might think I dislike an album because of a couple songs, forgetting that there are other really great tracks. I might have to go looking for this thing.

    Quote from drw4d

    I didn't notice CAS here as much as I did The Lamb. That stuck out to me, in part because of where you have The Lamia, which I rate much higher. Then I noticed that you have a lot of the Lamb's tracks in the D category. The album, you rate as a B, but if I counted correctly, only 7 tracks B or higher, and 16 tracks C or lower.


    My guess is that if I was to go through this same exercise, I would see similar differences between how I rate an album, versus how I rate each of the songs on that album. I probably think I really like an album, because I love a couple songs, and I sort of forget about the songs I don't really like. Similarly, I might think I dislike an album because of a couple songs, forgetting that there are other really great tracks. I might have to go looking for this thing.

    Yes, again, the tracks from Lamb are all lumped together. I'm going to revise it. It still won't be totally accurate but...


    NB: Maybe the songs part should be moved to another thread.

    • Official Post

    Just a little update on this


    If you haven't done already, please place your votes in our poll on page 1 in this thread


    The German fans obviously rate We Can't Dance and Invisible Touch a bit higher, but the Top 3 is pretty much the same. Wind & Wuthering is more popular here...



    Foxtrot, Selling England, Abacab.


    The first two are what got me into Genesis, I absolutely adore the pastoral British sound mixed with some hard rocking and surrealism. But after recently giving Genesis's 80's output a listen, I became enthralled with Abacab and how it threw away with the "rules" of Genesis songs, the group even admitting such.


    The theme of abstraction is perfectly conveyed through the nonsensical lyrics and jamming nature of some tracks. This aspect of it gives the album a timeless nature, with each new listen granting a new perspective.

    Quote from fartbrah

    Foxtrot, Selling England, Abacab.


    The first two are what got me into Genesis, I absolutely adore the pastoral British sound mixed with some hard rocking and surrealism. But after recently giving Genesis's 80's output a listen, I became enthralled with Abacab and how it threw away with the "rules" of Genesis songs, the group even admitting such.


    The theme of abstraction is perfectly conveyed through the nonsensical lyrics and jamming nature of some tracks. This aspect of it gives the album a timeless nature, with each new listen granting a new perspective.

    This is a great description of Abacab.