We're now into GOLD medal territory and at #3 I have
Supper’s Ready from Foxtrot (1972) GOLD
I once spent Christmas Day in Italy where we went to the local hotel for Christmas Day dinner. Expecting the usual three courses I was somewhat disappointed at the tiny portions served up and kept jumping up for seconds. A big mistake as I soon discovered: the courses just kept coming and coming. By the time the 12th course arrived, I was stuffed and there were 11 more to come! A total of 23 courses, uncannily reflective of the 23 minutes of musical flavours in Supper's Ready, the garam masala of Gabriel-era Genesis: featuring 7 different sections of contrasting tempos, recurring motifs, and dramatic musical mood swings. Fast-food fans eager for familiar and easily digestible musical hooks move on: you won’t find it here. But If you’re prepared to chew over your food and savour courses of different texture and flavours and try things that may be foreign to your palate, then reach for your napkin: SUPPER’S READY!
Supper's Ready is feast consisting of 7 courses and served over 23 minutes.
1. "Lover's Leap" (0.00 - 3.47)
This is a tale of two lovers merging as one. In terms of storyline this is somewhat reminiscent of Salmacis, though the arpeggiated guitars create a gentler more romantic sound than the magic of the swirling mellotron. Hackett, Banks and Rutherford all play 12-string guitars here and recreate a medieval feel with paired down percussion (the occasional tinkle of the triangle is heard but no drums) and a dreamy background chant of three part vocal harmonies with a playful piano conclude the section. It's a sublime almost semi-religious opening to the suite. The section segues seamlessly into...
2. "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man." (3.48 - 5.43)
More assertive percussion and keyboards now pick up the pace and the folksy harmonies are exchanged for Gabriel's rousing vocals. This is the wine that accompanies the supper and what a wine to start with. A heady Barolo which swirls delightfully around your head with a stirring melody for the whole of this section. The listener gets his glass topped up with this again in instrumental form at the beginning of section VI, before getting to drain the bottle when it returns to form the body of section VII, with new lyrics. The section cuts abruptly, to a group of children singing "We will rock you, rock you little snakes/We will keep you snug and warm" A brief refrain from Lover's Leap now reappears as a flute melody before making the transition to...
3."Ikhnaton and Itsacon and Their Band of Merry Men." (5.44 - 9.42)
This is the course where the meat of the supper is served up and this is no measly burger. This is a boar's head complete with apple stuffed in its jaws. A gallop of drums and a swirl of mellotron at 6.30 ups the pace dramatically before Hackett appears at 7.19 with a biting solo of pure pork crackling which Banks honours with a generous dollop of mellotron sauce at 8.00. At 9.14 the section ebbs away to an almost monastic silence.
4."How Dare I Be So Beautiful?" (9.43 - 11.04)
The monastic feel continues here with a series of hanging ethereal chords that allow the listener to sit back, catch his breath and digest the heavy course that he's just consumed before the next one arrives
5."Willow Farm," (11.05 - 15.36)
The Marmite* sandwich of our supper.
Hackett aptly describes this as a cross between 'Teddy Bears picnic' and 'I am the Walrus'. A psychedelic hangover from Gabriel and full of tiresome word plays, Willow Farm was originally a stand-alone Gabriel song which Banks wanted to include in the suite in order to distance the piece from their earlier epic, 'Stagnation.' For the love of God, Tony, what were you thinking of? Marmite may be fine as a stand-alone snack but it is completely out of place in this otherwise grand feast and sadly overshadows its final 2 minutes which is actually bloody good and made up of moody atmospheric synth and a beautifully haunting flute solo. Grateful for the small portion size in this otherwise 23 minute feast, I quickly move on.
6."Apocalypse in 9/8," (15.36 - 20.50)
Another heavy course here as pounding rhythm guitars are now served up ad nauseam. In fact, they're so heavy that they end up wrestling with the accompanying synth solo and distracting the listener from its musical accomplishments. Ok, I know this is supposed to be the apocalypse but we are talking of a Tony Banks solo, for Chrissake! And no matter how heavy and atmospheric we want this course of our supper to be, there are only so many dumplings a man can eat. When Gabriel crashes in with his "Six, six, six..." , at 18.53, it's to a sense of palpable release as the incessant clamour is finally given direction. Harnessing those pounding guitars, he sings us out in a climactic fashion before the rhythm falls away naturally to the gentle sound of a flute which then falls further into the sublime with the delicate chiming of three solitary bells.
7 "As Sure as Eggs Is Eggs," (20.51 - 22.54)
This is the final course of our supper.
A faint background drum roll and the dramatic tolling of bells accompany Gabriel's first couple of lines before the drums suddenly come to the forefront and he chants out his angst in dramatic staccato. By the time he's sung the line, "Now I'm back again," at 20.36, we can see the champagne being brought to the table as the bottle of Barolo is finally drained. A few more seconds of musical build-up follow. "Can't you feel our souls ignite?" he cries as the cork is eased from the bottle. Suddenly, Hackett is everywhere, spraying champagne over the assembled throng like holy water. Could this get any more emotional? Well: yes; the final verse. As if Hackett's guitar doesn't touch enough of your soul, now it's openly fused with religious allegory ("There's an angel standing in the sun / And he's crying with a loud voice / This is the supper of the mighty one.") Gabriel sings with religious fervour as Hackett swoops around us like an angel topping up our glasses with virtuosic generosity before our supper is brought to a close with the final climactic lines from the Book of Revelation. (ch.19, v. 17)
"Lord of Lords, King of Kings
Has returned to lead his children home
To take them to the new Jerusalem."
The lyrics over, Hackett is released once more to swirl in ecstasy for a final minute before fading out as the table is cleared.
Banks was once asked why nobody makes music like this any longer. “Well…,” he pondered, “you’re not allowed to."
(*Marmite is a yeast extract spread similar to Vegemite)