Your favorite GENESIS studio albums (pick three)

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    many people (including myself) name 'a trick of the tail' among their favourite genesis albums. however, the singles from this album -the title track and entangled- charted very poorly, if at all. it's a pity, because 'a trick of the tail' includes a few songs that could have worked well as singles, the same way that i know what i like did.

    Genesis actually were not a singles band at that time, not like Queen or something similar to that. They were more an album band, like Floyd. Of course we will never find out what might have happened, had they been promoted differently.


    Also, I don't think the value / ranking of an album should be related to hit singles

  • many people (including myself) name 'a trick of the tail' among their favourite genesis albums. however, the singles from this album -the title track and entangled- charted very poorly, if at all. it's a pity, because 'a trick of the tail' includes a few songs that could have worked well as singles, the same way that i know what i like did.


    Genesis actually were not a singles band at that time, not like Queen or something similar to that. They were more an album band, like Floyd. Of course we will never find out what might have happened, had they been promoted differently.


    Also, I don't think the value / ranking of an album should be related to hit singles

    Genesis was very much an album oriented band from 1969 to the late 70s. When Hackett and Gabriel left the band, then the hits started to flow. They moved from the Prog scene more towards commercial success which they achieved.


    A single track can range from 2.5 minutes to let say 5 minutes. Queens Bohemian Rhapsody lasted almost 6 minutes long at 5.55. That was considered a very long track.


    ProgArchives list still a number of Genesis albums amongst the top 50 of all time.


    No2. Selling England By The Pound

    No7. Foxtrot

    No 13. Nursey Crime

    No 51. A Trick Of The Tail


    Genesis to Revelations(1969)could quite well of been a singles album, as most of the tracks are very short.

    Edited 4 times, last by Noni ().

  • Selling, Trick, and Duke for me. I’ve never listened to a single track from Calling All Stations even though I own a copy because I bought all the Box sets. I would consider myself to be an all era fan, but Selling is my go-to album when I get nostalgic for Genesis.

  • I’ve never listened to a single track from Calling All Stations even though I own a copy because I bought all the Box sets.

    Oh, just give it a try sometime. You might actually like it. I did, and 2 of my favorite Genesis albums are the same as yours.

    Little known fact: Before the crowbar was invented...


    ...crows simply drank at home.

  • Selling, Trick, and Duke for me. I’ve never listened to a single track from Calling All Stations even though I own a copy because I bought all the Box sets. I would consider myself to be an all era fan, but Selling is my go-to album when I get nostalgic for Genesis.

    Personally, I think CAS doesn't sound like a "Genesis" album the first time through. Different singer, different drummer, different writing (different positions, different little nurse's outfits; it's hard alright).


    I don't think it's great, but I think it's good. And while certainly not in their top albums, I do rate it higher than a couple other albums from the catalog. I'm not sure how it would sound now though, if I'd never listened to it before.

  • for me, 'calling all stations' belongs on the side projects by genesis members, such as mike and the mechanics. i regard it as an album by tony and mike, with a singer that they recruited.

  • Personally, I think CAS may be my least favorite Genesis album. But that's not a statement about how bad CAS is; it's a statement about how good all Genesis albums are!

    Little known fact: Before the crowbar was invented...


    ...crows simply drank at home.

  • Hammersmith and the now-legendary London Lyceum 7 May for me, £2.50 and £3.


    Yes they did that truncated Knife at the Lyceum but not at the first two Hammersmiths. I queued overnight for my Lyceum ticket.

    Ah, the good ol' days. Waiting in the que overnight for Genesis tickets. Being in the US that wasn't really needed to score tickets until the Invisible Touch Tour. I waited in the line overnight for tickets to the IT show at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. I remember clearly someone in the parking lot blasting the bootleg "Live From the Mouth of the Monster," which was a recording of the theater show in Chicago on the Mirrors Tour. I also remember playing a cassette of a Mama Tour concert on the way to the show at RFK. In the Cage started playing and my girlfriend at the time and her friend started whining "We thought you were only gonna play Genesis music on the way to the concert." My brother and I could only look at each other and quietly shake our heads.

  • for me, 'calling all stations' belongs on the side projects by genesis members, such as mike and the mechanics. i regard it as an album by tony and mike, with a singer that they recruited.

    You know, that's a good way to look at all the post-Hackett-era stuff :)

  • You know, that's a good way to look at all the post-Hackett-era stuff :)

    A bit of a provocateur there but I see what you mean. although I don't agree, without debating the merits of the albums, ATTW3 and Duke, still sounds like Genesis. CAS is Banks and Rutherford and Banks alone is incapable to produce anything not sounding like Genesis, I think he wished he could have on occasions but no. Several songs on CAS sound io me much more Genesis then IT or WCD for instance.

    Edited 3 times, last by Fabrizio ().

  • It's been a very long time since I heard CAS, I have to say. Bought it when it came out, listened to it a few times and that was it.


    But I certainly agree, Banks's keyboards were the heart of the band in so many ways. Those Pro-Soloist lines on SEBTP, that Mellotron on Watcher of the Skies or Seven Stones, that organ on Musical Box, etc. etc. etc. Love 'em :)


    Bankstatement was a bit different, wasn't it? And much better than IT and WCD as far as I'm concerned. But he still needed a rock guitarist, same as with his main gig... Think what Thursday the Twelfth might have sounded like with Steve Morse on the six-string!

    Edited once, last by Lazlor ().

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    new here, have been a "silent member" in the German forum for some time, so I thought why not check this one out. Can't promise anything, I tend to read more than I write in forums.


    3 favorite albums ... that changes frequently. At the moment, I listen a lot to W&W, Duke and Abacab, so I have picked those.

  • This is so interesting! I am not so surprised by Selling England, Trick of the Tail, and Lamb being the top three (currently), but I am indeed surprised by Foxtrot and Nursery Cryme being so low!

    Dressed too fine and smelling of wine!

  • Duke

    Abacab

    Trick...


    Hearing them play Duchess after so long is fantastic. But like a lot of bands who've been around for ages, it shows they neglect their back catalogue. So many great songs they could have played but have neglected (Me and Sarah Jane for example). I don't mean just on their current tour. It's a shame a lot of bands do this and keep including the standards.

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    Another Abacab fan ... welcome ;)