TotW 09/25/2023 - 10/01/2023: GENESIS - Fly On A Windshield

Terrific track that comes in like a bang after the introductory opener to the album.

Lots of people sound out Squonk as their heaviest track but, for me, this one has more bite and grit.

I particularly like the Trick of the Tail tour version that segues directly into Carpet Crawl on the Genesis In Concert 1976 film.

Wish it was played more live on later tours. Was it played again after 1976?

I count it as up to the word "Echoes", and for that it's top level Genesis, 15 pts.

Quote from Trick of the Wuthering

Terrific track that comes in like a bang after the introductory opener to the album.

Lots of people sound out Squonk as their heaviest track but, for me, this one has more bite and grit.

I particularly like the Trick of the Tail tour version that segues directly into Carpet Crawl on the Genesis In Concert 1976 film.

Wish it was played more live on later tours. Was it played again after 1976?

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I don't think it was played on subsequent tours. But it was played at the reunion in 1982 with Peter on vocals - as part the The Lamb/Fly/Broadway Melody/In The Cage sequence.

Great - having said that I have given it a 13/15 - 15 is reserved for the absolute masterpieces, so 13 is relative to that.

Great heavy track, with the guitar (obviously) and drums always standing out for me. One of the highlights of the recent Musical Box shows.

Plus a superb transition into Broadway Melody.

I suppose it's one of Steve's obvious absolute standout moments on the album, although his guitar playing is great on the whole thing.

I love this track, which somehow feels like it's tucked away in the recesses of their catalogue, maybe because of the lack of later live outings. It's very punchy and has tremendous tension. Gritty as Trick of the Wuthering said. I like also how the music feels like it fades back a little with the repetitive guitar chords, as if hope is being lost. Fits in so well with the pieces either side too. 14.

I agree it's a standout. It's the whole band in top-notch form and for me it's especially Banks at his best, his inimitably slightly skewed lines conveying the sense of Rael entering this weird universe. When it breaks it creates a sense of menace they (frustratingly) rarely had. It showcases Hackett's supreme sense of economy, coaxing maximum effect from sparse lines, which comes across even more strongly on the Archive 1 set. Other rock guitarists would be noodling away over Banks's chords to show how many notes they could cram in, but not Hackett - he was the master of keeping it simple. Ditto Rutherford and Collins whose rhythm section work is unfussy while maintaining the dark brooding feel.

As to the query over whether it had a working title, isn't the first section what they referred to as 'Pharaohs' while developing it?

Quote from Mozo

I suppose it's one of Steve's obvious absolute standout moments on the album, although his guitar playing is great on the whole thing.

He used to say he felt rather sidelined on this album and that it was a step back from SEBTP, but I agree with you. His brilliant subtlety on the album is masterful and really demonstrates the colour he'd bring to Genesis.

All time Genesis top 10 track for me. So powerful and atmospheric. 15

This is peak Genesis for me. Great pile-driving groove from Phil. Colouring 12-string chords from Mike. Ever-shifting tension and release chords from Tony on the mellotron. Steve painting in accents and shades just enough. And Peter introducing everything with a poignant vocal.

Quote from Dr. John

This is peak Genesis for me. Great pile-driving groove from Phil. Colouring 12-string chords from Mike. Ever-shifting tension and release chords from Tony on the mellotron. Steve painting in accents and shades just enough. And Peter introducing everything with a poignant vocal.

agreed!

If any track is worth 15 pts, then this one (among a few others)

It is one of the good moments on this album, though the downside is it is one these incomplete tracks - when regarded on its own, without Broadway Melody of 1974 - that The Lamb has a number of. You just started, it gets going really strong, and you're already in another song. In this case the transition works well but I still wished they would have gone for more complete songs.

Quote from Schrottrocker

It is one of the good moments on this album, though the downside is it is one these incomplete tracks - when regarded on its own, without Broadway Melody of 1974 - that The Lamb has a number of. You just started, it gets going really strong, and you're already in another song. In this case the transition works well but I still wished they would have gone for more complete songs.

I get that, but for me and I assume others it's not incomplete. It's exactly what it needs to be, nothing more. If they'd run it any longer it wouldn't make sense and would be overstretched. This being a long complex story album it's appropriate to have the structure it does.

One of the many things I love about this, my absolute favourite Genesis album by some distance, is the different approach it necessitated which led to them using strong fragments as whole songs where they'd normally have joined them into longer multi-sectioned songs. But I understand why that wouldn't sit well with some fans.

I can’t add much to the very eloquently expressed praise for this track. Everyone is playing at the top of their game here and considering that it was by all accounts a difficult time they sound very together as a band. Maybe their frustrations around the state of Genesis at the time fuelled the fire in this glorious few minutes. Everyone has correctly pointed out the merits of all the players here, so I’ll just add a word about one of my favourite bits of Collins’ playing when he strikes that off beat drum three times (2.16 on the above clip) for no apparent reason - except he knows exactly what he’s doing and why it’s there, just to throw a little extra edge into the mix and to set up Hackett leading the charge into the final phase of this absolute gem.

13 from me.

It's a highlight on "The Lamb", but rather short, so I'll leave 14 or 15 for other tracks.

Quote from Ashley

13 from me.

It's a highlight on "The Lamb", but rather short, so I'll leave 14 or 15 for other tracks.

it may be short, but still outstanding. 15/15!