I like this track I gave it a 12 - I find the overall album a little disappointing - Phil just sounds tired on much of it - but this is a highlight. Why he left It's Over and I Don't Want to Go off this album in favour of some of his most forgettable material never fails to blow my mind.
But yes this is one of the songs on the album where you can tell he's genuinely invested in the material and as such it feels stronger and more engaging
It's a frustrating one for me. The opening is really good followed by the slightly tense build-up... to a big arm-swinging chorus that totally punctures it, making it feel like the song has just deflated. It typifies my problem with pretty much all the M&tMs stuff. It either has no effect on me at all, like musical argon, or in this case it comes close to being edgy and interesting then goes all anodyne.
I don't think that's an unfair judgement - and like a lot of their songs it's let down by Mike's somewhat trite lyrics in the chorus - see also Word Of Mouth, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Way of the World etc etc. Sometimes a song can be strong enough to distract from them but they can also be quite jarring which I think is true here. It does have a great intro and a really good verse which is let down by the chorus. Beautiful Day is similar where I love the intro and the opening riff - but again the chorus feels a little weak but I give it a pass.
There are some great Mechanics tracks but often they lack the spark that sets them apart.
I think Nobody’s Perfect was also a really strong single plus I like Mike’s guitar work on Beautiful Day very much indeed - that’s a real highlight. Outside of that I would agree that it’s not a great album often let down by some poor lyrics and perhaps hasn’t dated so well, the albums either side of it are better. However I guess because of the title track it seems to have become their “definitive” record and the one which has been reissued since - several times.
13! I always hoped to see that live oine day. But it probably was too challenging?
They definitely rehearsed it, apparently it was close to being included on the tour - I can’t find the quote but I remember reading it somewhere. Agreed that it would have been a good addition and could have come alive on stage
This is a classic Gabriel deep cut. A really lovely little track with lots of interesting touches and very much forgotten among the big hitters on So. Great song.
I think the Treapass album is a fabulous record and this is a highlight. Great vocal from Peter. 14 for me.
I think the writing on this album is really good. Hideaway is probably one of the lesser tracks - I would say with a different singer it could have been a minor hit - same for Halfway There which is a really great pop song (I also love the Phil influenced horns in Who’s Fooling Who?).
I’ve given it a nine - I like this album probably a lot more than Mike does and listen to it quite a bit but yes, he’s not really a singer. It’s a nice end to the album and a well written song.
Record collector were not referring to an inevitably dull tribute album from the usual bunch of prog also rans. A proper expanded reissue is ready to go. It is of course possible that there is a further delay or issue - Genesis and Gabriel in particular have form in that respect, but it is not the tribute release that’s being referred to here
This is absolutely not what the magazine was alluding to. Something more will be announced soon.
I really like the atmosphere - it comes at the perfect time on the album and is a key moment in the narrative. My only issue with it is the lyrics which are clearly not Gabriel’s and suffer for the it. He would never have written a phrase like “gun of paint” it’s very clunky and stands out. But it’s really an interlude hardly a song in its own right but it doesn’t slow things down and fits in really well. 12 for me
I got quite emotional reading this thanks for sharing. So good to know that Phil is up to doing these kinds of interviews etc even if he is clearly still weak. While I have no expectation of ever hearing anything new from him music wise I’m glad he’s taking pleasure from something
I’m sure you’re right. I will listen to the gig - it’s been a long time. I guess the memory does cheat, either way it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the gig and set list wise I think it was their best since the Mama Tour.
Hmmm. I’ve got photos from Twickenham and I walked there from some distance away. Maybe the weather was up and down and maybe the memory cheats a little. Either way I enjoyed it a great deal.
I was at Wembley 87 but I was young and miles away from the stage. Great atmosphere though
I went to all three of the final nights in London 2022 - and while it was incredibly emotional objectively it wasn't the best gig. Twickenham 2007 was probably best - partly because I had such good seats and it was a lovely summer evening. I did a few gigs in 92 as well but I think the 07 setlist was better (as were my seats).
I've seen Gabriel a number of times but Earls Court 93 was absolutely phenomenal - an incredible concert. I've done Collins and Mike a few times too but Gabriel 93 and Genesis 07 are the ones I really remember.
You may well be right actually listening to it again. It’s very well done but it could be fan created. There is a pretty good 10 minute version of Silent Running on YouTube as well which is well done but almost certainly a fan creation
There is an extended mix of Taken In on YouTube which runs 7 minutes and sounds official rather than a fan edit or whatever. Does anyone know where it’s from? I can’t find details of a release.
Break ups are so complex and there will be times when you will reflect together almost nostalgically and wish each other well while the next day you’re hating each other. It is a bit odd but not impossible that in a moment of peace between them Andrea said how happy she was that Phil had found happiness again and gave him a few lines for the song he was working on. It seems a very odd thing for the journalist to make up and it’s clearly not misheard.
Either way it’s a very interesting previously unhighlighted detail
As you say it is none of our business - he has chosen to step away from public life and we should respect that. All I hope is that even in his physically diminished state, he is able to find some happiness and take some joy from what he has left of his life. A man who has brought pleasure to so many and given so much, but one who is clearly prone to depression - particularly when he's not working - I can imagine it's tough for him.
It is clear in recent years that critical opinion is turning and his legacy is being re-evaluated. I really hope he is aware of this and sees some validation there.
I think it’s one of the things the reissue program did well - the video clips and slide stills used on the lamb DVD are actually pretty well done. This could be expanded on slightly with what other footage there is but it’s nicely done as is
Yeah I agree with others who mention a little over familiarity but it’s a very solid and well constructed pop song. Timeless and universal. Really impressive achievement. Even if not entirely to my tastes.
