Posts by Backdrifter

Just seen a question on House of Games, a BBC quiz show where they have a round called Answer Smash. They show a picture and give a clue, and you have to "smash the answers together". e.g. They showed a pic of an avocado and asked, what is the name of a 3D 12-sided shape - answer, avocadodecahedron. Then a pic of some rhubarb, and asked who played Peggy Mitchell in Eastenders - answer, rhuBarbara Windsor.

They showed a pic of our favourite rock trio and asked who played the title role in Carrie - answer of course, Genesissy Spacek!

Anyway, it was a mention of Genesis in the media. I'm sure you thought it was worth it...

Quote from genesis1964

Just put my parents (both sadly dead) house on the market this week. End of an era - family home for over 40 years

That's an emotional wrench. You must have a mix of feelings - it's a job that has to be done, but difficult with 40 years of memories wrapped up in it.

In my cabin on a sleeper train from the Highlands to London. Heading down for the next stage of getting our London flat ready for sale. I'll miss it badly. But it's looked after us and, in a way, it still will be (assuming it sells) - from the likely proceeds we'll be able to get a detached 3-bedroom house in Inverness with a big pile of change left over.

I hope I'll get in and out and sell it before the next national lockdown!

Quote from CountingOutTime

104° F today. Don't think I'll be going outside

10C (50F) here!

Quote from seven-eight

That was a good question!

Here is my question: Genesis rarely had special guests or one-off line up changes. However, 1982 was an odd year that featured a total of 12 musicians on a Genesis stage at one point or another. Who were these 12 musicians?

I had no idea! Great question. I'm going to take a complete guess - obviously the usual 5-man touring line-up plus Gabriel and Hackett = 7. The other 5 though, could it be the Phenix Horns? (I've no idea how many of them there were!)

Quote from Wayne

It is all really puzzling to be sure, it’s as if that’s done, dusted and we ain’t going back there. Maybe the guys don’t need the money.

It's not puzzling at all for the very reason you rightly give - "we ain't going back there" is pretty much the band's prevailing attitude, with the odd exception. It was also reflected in e.g. their tour setlists in which they quite ruthlessly excised even songs they themselves acknowledged as being among their very best.

Your second point is also true - as PC said at the launch event for the 2007 tour, "We're not doing it for the money. None of us are worrying about where the next million or two are coming from."

I'm surprised at anyone wondering about or puzzling over it, it's just their way. I can kind of understand it in context of quite a few other acts putting out fan-service/completist releases with demos, outtakes, run-throughs etc - I mean, even the Beatles did it! It establishes a precedent that means we all want our favourite acts to do the same but Genesis simply aren't prone to do that.

After a run of nice sunny days, grey and drizzly.

Quote from raelway siding

I see what you're saying, but for me it sometimes reminds me too much of what SR is - a collection of songs bolted together (even though it was of course done masterfully). Plus it has the structure of a beginning / middle / end story, it's only the lyrics that don't match that. I was interested by the comparison Phil makes in his autobiography between SR and Tubular Bells and I suppose SR works better if you think of the lyrics as more impressionistic, almost like another instrument.

You say that as though it's a bad thing! Again, for me it's a positive - plus as you do acknowledge, they did it so well.

I'd forgotten PC's comment, I think it's a good point.

Quote from raelway siding

one of the only things I don't like about SR - it starts off as if it's going to tell a story but then it just... doesn't

That's interesting - for me that's a strength. I like that it was never conceived as a 'story song' and just started wandering off in different directions as they expanded on it. Imposing a story on it would've been too 'forced' in my view - and maybe a bit too 'prog cliche' as a 20-minute track with a beginning/middle/end story, which just wasn't them - and might well have skewed it in some way we'll never know. It reflects their organic manner of working - "oh this is good, let's do this" - and also the way we think, which is to jump around a bit rather than linearly.

I'm thinking that they see the 07/08 packages and Archives 1&2 as having done this and see no need to do much more. They always come across to me as a relatively 'unsentimental' band, if that's the right word, combined with a degree of perfectionism. When they were interviewed on the BBC One Show to promote the Sum of the Parts documentary, they were pressed on this very subject, and asked if anything from the vaults would be released. Banks said something like "I'm the band archivist, I'm telling you there is absolutely nothing left to release". I assume he meant nothing they would consider of sufficient quality to release - they aren't the type of band to sanction the release of the kind of curios and run-throughs you mention. Clearly those things exist, e.g. the extensive Headley Grange tapes, but it's not their way. I'm with you, I'd like it to happen but it won't.

Quote from foxfeeder

Agreed on all but Battle, which I like, More Fool Me is the weak spot for me.

I've always liked MFM. Side 1 is one of the best sequences they ever did, four completely different tracks, slotted together brilliantly well. One of the many reasons I love this band is that few others, if any, would've been capable of programming a side like that. And MFM kind of sums it up for me - two absolutely stonking but very different prog epics and a catchy quirky single, rounded off by a delicate acoustic ballad. It's a bit incongruous, unexpected, but that's why I love it. I completely get why many here dislike it and feel it's out of place but obviously I don't share that view.

To just qualify my dismissal of Battle: I like some of the wordplay and PG's vocal dexterity and I absolutely love The Reverend. I actually think it's one of the best things they did of that era. I also admire the front to stop the song and insert a distinct segment musically seemingly unrelated to what's gone before, telling a story within the story, then smoothly take us back to the main theme. It stands out quite starkly. But the track as a whole doesn't hang together.

Quote from Nanunami

I came across this rather unqique review here:

I'd say I only agree with half of it, but it made me think. Was Foxtrot a better album, as a whole, i.e. better balanced, as the reviewer writes? Does Selling only stand out due to its three all time classics Firth of fifth, Cinema show and Dancing with the moonlit knight? Did it really mark the end of a era?

Open for debate ... still think it might be their masterpriece

Again, I have to disagree with yet another harsh dismissal of After the Ordeal. But yes I know loads of fans dislike it so anyway, there it is.

Personally I think SEBTP is far superior to Foxtrot and much more consistent, with Battle being the only weak point for me.

Quote from raelway siding

Wow. Great question. Hidden in plain sight.

For the new question: is it Apocalypse in 9/8 (time signature) and ABACAB (chord sequence)?

Although Apocalypse isn't a song, but it's up to the question-setter whether that's relevant!

Quote from Dr. John

This is the question that has stumped us most so far. I can't even keep track of all the guesses!

When the answer is revealed it had better be bloody good. If it isn't the Genesis equivalent of unlocking the secrets of the universe I'm going to be furious.

Quote from thefarmer

This weekend I have been mostly wallpapering.

On the rare occasions we need any done, having done it ourselves before, we now hire people in to do it.

The only benefit was writing scary messages on the wall before papering over it. The flat I'm hoping to shortly sell has wallpaper over one bedroom wall on which I wrote things like HELP ME and SARAH THEY KNOW. GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN (though it means I can only sell to Sarahs).

The Guy Garvey radio show on BBC6 Music today was a Kate Bush special and featured Steve Hackett. I missed his segment, there were interviews with various musician fans of hers so I'm guessing he featured in one of those.

It might be re-run this evening, and will be available on the listen again feature for those who can access that.

Quote from Simon1967

i think may have already had this answer..and not sure fits the clues but...

The singles were released in order as on the album?...so abacab first single ...no reply at all 2nd single and so on

Same for The Lamb

I think it'd have to be strictly US releases for that to work, which doesn't rule it out admittedly. What do you think were the Lamb singles?

Quote from Wayne

Is it the inter relationship between fly on a windshield and Broadway melody of 74 and Dodo and Lurker on side two being two separate songs but joined I don’t know worth a shot

Though it wouldn't square with it only being LP1 of Lamb, as you could say the same thing about Light Dies Down and Scree, and all the other joined/crossfaded tracks throughout the album, plus Abacab side 1 is somehow involved. But yes we're all reaching for anything at this stage.

Would anyone care to join me in calling on DecomposingMan to just tell us? But I'd understand if people want to go all Mrs Doyle ("NO CLUES!") and insist on getting the answer no matter how long it takes. (I don't suppose the answer is 'Father Todd Unctious'?)

It's just that I'm starting to think correctly answering this simple question is going to last longer than coronavirus.

Quote from raelway siding

On the Lamb LP, fly on a windshield and Broadway melody are listed as separate tracks on the label but are a single track on the vinyl. On Abacab, the same is true of Dodo and Lurker.

Quote from Schrottrocker

^ I was just going to say that. Two "songs" not separated by an empty groove.

Quote from Wayne

Is it to do with the physical vinyl album itself

Everyone's forgetting or didn't notice that DecomposingMan said you don't need to physically look at the LPs, just to "look carefully" at the track listings on Wikipedia.

Quote from Thelawnmower

That’s a great suggestion but then could there be some doubt as to where Duchess begins or is it definitely at the end of the drum machine passage and parts of sides three and four of The Lamb blend a bit

And also, why would it be both sides of Abacab with all track breaks on side 1, and only LP1 of Lamb which has crossfades all through both LPs. But hey I think we're all scrabbling around for the simple answer!

Quote from thefarmer

When I only had vinyl I thought BMO1974 started at the dramatic music but the CD showed it was still FOAW.

Yeah the CD thing was a manufacturing error that persisted. I think it programmed BM74 as just the little tranquil coda before Cuckoo.