Posts by Blacksword

    I find I Can't Dance untypical for Genesis. There are very few layers of music, and I think the song was written just to take the mickey at that commercial for a certain brand of jeans - which is probably a first and a once-only in Genesis's catalogue.


    The tricky thing is, perhaps, that Genesis have done a lot in different ways, so there is nothing that is "typical Genesis" ... except that it may be typical for Genesis songs that they are not typical Genesis songs, if you know what I mean (and I hope you do because I think I just got caught in a tight logical and grammatical tangle...).

    There is no logic to Genesis. I think they always just did what the f**k they wanted, which is fair enough.


    I'm not even sure what sort of music 'I can't dance' is. Personally, I never like it. Always made me feel queazy.

    Funny ... I came here to write that I despise Mama. I've never been part of a Genesis forum until now, and I never would have guessed that Mama was so loved.


    That laugh ... ugh.


    But then again, aside from Silver Rainbow, I don't like anything from the eponymous album.

    For me, 'Shapes' is their most consistent album since A Trick of the Tail. It's by no means one of my favourites, as less consistent albums such as Duke and ATTWT have better high points, but overall it;s only really Illegal Alien that lets it down.

    Completely agree on Shapes. Home by the Sea was my #9. Which of the band members said Side 1 of this album was the best thing they did - and Side 2 was the worst?


    I.T! Occasionally I feel I ought to spin it again, put it on, skip this one, skip that one, 5 mins later I’m done. And it’s their bestseller!

    I was listening to side 2 of 'shapes' last weekend for the first time in ages. On re-evaluation it's really not that bad. Just a job to do, Silver Rainbow and It's gonna get better are all a least listenable....Illegal Alien, however is an abomination, and a complete musical aberration! The worst thing they ever committed to tape!

    Anything She Does. A lyric about page three models, written by Tony Banks, with music that is distinctly ska. Move over Buster Bloodvessel!

    Interesting. It never struck me as Ska. Different rhythmically to Ska. More of a Motown influence IMO.


    Not that I'm an authority on either..! Can you explain why you think it's Ska influenced? I will say, the chorus does bring to mind the Police (at least for me, it does.. :P) who had an obvious reggae influence which is a relation of ska.


    Shoot me down by all means!

    Totally! Mama is a runner and rider with me bouncíng around with a couple of others just outside the top ten. Some say Genesis were "descending into pop" about now but Mama is as original and imaginative a song as you could imagine ever hitting the charts. Collins claims he ripped the spooky laugh from Grandmaster Flash but he's doing himself a disservice - it's a different sound completely.

    Mama is a classic Genesis song. It came out just before I really got into the band, and I loved it on first hearing on the radio. I hadn't heard anything like it. The spooky intensity alongside that strange drum machine ryhthm make for a really unusual musical brew! I'm surprised and was very pleased that it made it to number 2 in the UK charts. Well deserved.


    As for the Grnadmaster Flash infleunce.... Genesis were always influenced by other artists from The Beatles to Led Zep. When inpspired by John Bonham, Collins still didn't sound like him. I was inspired to take up the drums by listening to Phil Collins and Neil Peart... I promise you, when I play In the Air Tonight, it don't sound much like Phil Collins :D My point being, just because he was influenced by GMF on Mama, doesn't mean the intention was for it to sound like GMF. The challenge to the band was making it 'sound like' Genesis, in a context relevent to the times. With Mama they achieved that.

    A good detailed decsription of an excellent song. I'm a member of a prog rock forum, and the Genesis heads there (including myself) love this song. For me, it's arguably Bank's best composition. It never fails to move me. It's epic, beautiful, complex and melodic. For once like Mr Bank's lyrics too.


    It's the centre piece of W&W, an album which I regard as a flawed masterpiece. There are some incredible peaks of quality therin, and some gutting missed opportunities too, IMO, but suffice to say OFTV is in my top 10, where exactly, you'll have to wait and see :)

    Number 5: The much malligned "Chamber of 32 Doors" from The Lamb


    I have always loved this track, and find it very emotional. I love Gabriels vocal perfomance, the moody mellotron and Hacketts weeping guitar licks.


    I don;t care what anyone says. Sue me! 8)

    I’m sure I read somewhere that Banks felt he couldn’t do it justice live. I think it was to do with the tech available at the time and the impracticality of going on tour with a grand piano. However, considering the truck loads of sound equipment they ferry round with them whilst on tour, I’m sure they could have got round this had they really wanted to.

    Yeah other bands managed to cart around grand piano's; Queen, ELP et al.... Blimey Ketih Emerson played the effing thing spinning through the air once. Broke his fingers when the lid slammed down, but hey...one pays for their art.