TotW 07/22/2024 - 07/28/2024: GENESIS - That's All

Good song, which I quite enjoyed when it was new. Then I grew tired after the "overexposure" of Genesis/PC in the mid-80s... Today I find it an enjoyable & well-crafted pop song. Not my favorite Genesis song by far, but a good example of what made them very popular in the 80s!

I remember reading an interview with Tony around this time (probably Keyboard magazine) where he mentioned that the organ solo was played using the Emulator, not a "proper" organ... certainly fitting of the 80s keyboard mindset, excited by the new sampling technology!

Sometimes I love and sometimes I hate this track. Right now it's worth 7pts for me.

Quote from foxfeeder

You are not alone!

It was the last album I bought as a fan, apart from the opener and closer, it does nothing for me, not news, I've said it before. (I taped a copy of IT, which didn't encourage me to restart.

Lyrically weak, and I'm not getting a country vibe at all, (but then I'm a Nanci Griffith fan, so that box is ticked already).

I've given it 3, and I umm'd and Arghed over that, cos 2 was calling to me!

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Looks like it's me and you that are in the 3 club!

Quote from Christian

did they really play That's All there? I know it was rehearsed.

Yes, after PC's set TB & MR came on and they did Mama, That's All, Throwing and TIOA.

I like so much the acoustic version from the last tour. It improves a lot the song.

A decent pop song, but more than 11pts would be strange, especially compared to the stronger tracks on the record (Mama, HBTS, Silver rainbow ...)

13 !!

Love it. Simple, straight to the point and catchy.

Here's a live recording from Ray

13! One of their better pop songs. I liked the stripped down version during their last tour!

It’s a good rack

I would say 12 points are okay.

14 points for me.

A Genesis classic. Although not on the top of my "fan favorites" list, it's high up on my "favorite hits" list. It's a great melody, has a great keyboard part from Tony, which essentially supports the whole song. It's also very translatable to different genres and feels-as evidenced by all the different videos posted here. I'd go as far as to say; in terms of simply crafting a very well put-together single, That's All might be Genesis' best-for the reasons listed above, and also for its simplicity, it's iconic and universally recognizable sound, enjoyable but not-overly indulgent song structure, relatable lyrics and memorable (but not monotonous) melody. It's even very well-performed and cleanly put together, from a mixing and mastering standpoint.

From a nostalgic standpoint, I distinctly remember hearing this song come on the radio often when I was a kid, as I was riding in the backseat of our car. That was back in the days when PC had like six or seven songs that would regularly come on the radio all at once!

In a way, I felt it was the Genesis album (rather than Abacab) that was the re-defining album for the band and the one that served more as a turning point in their sound, as it introduced a much 'edgier' sound than they'd been known for up to that point. Abacab was indeed quite experimental, but still held on to some of the more complex and unusual lyrics, prog-sounding keyboard melodies and multi-part song structures.

I have a vague theory about That's All. Phil didn't write it but it kind of sums up all the angsty end of relationship songs he'd been doing by himself - in a Genesis way!