Posts by AsRael

  • Most Untypical Genesis Song

    I wouldn't say it's untypical within the context of Abacab, similar to how I feel about Who Dunnit?. Maybe it would be untypical had it appeared on another one of their albums. Dodo/Lurker is typical Genesis progressive fare with the Abacab style and direction. No Reply at All and the title track can be considered untypical within the context of Top 40 singles. They're both drastic jumps from Misunderstanding.

  • I Love Calling All Stations (And It Only Took Me Twenty Years)

    I've been listening to CAS several times recently, and for me it's a decent 6/10 album. It is a very challenging album for most folks, a big part of it has to be expectations as to what a "Genesis" album should be. One thing that struck me on my most recent go was in Small Talk. During the fade-out, Ray's "I'll be alright, I'll be alright" shockingly reminded me of Peter Gabriel. It made me realize how much I've underestimated Ray Wilson's vocal character, or it was just a surprise heart-string pull of Gabriel nostalgia, kind of like the ending to Los Endos. I also really like Nir Z's drumming style, very dry and sparse, but of course not as dynamic or technical as Collins.


    One thing I'd like to point out are the songs leftover from those sessions that didn't make it to the album. I'm only familiar with the three featured on the 1983-1998 box set, and even with those I'm baffled as to why they were nicked off the album. Run Out of Time is a major highlight, smooth and passionate, and a ballad I couldn't imagine anyone other than Ray Wilson singing. It's so uniquely him, even though he had no involvement in writing it. Anything Now and Sign Your Life Away could also perfectly fit in CAS with their shared themes of ideological introspection/skepticism.

  • Bands / Artists you used to despise and now love

    This may come as a surprise to you, but 80's-era Genesis was something I didn't care for, even hated. I think it wasn't until I watched American Psycho and shared memes about it that I decided to go back to that particular phase of Genesis. I started with Invisible Touch, tried out Duke thanks to Patrick Bateman's "Do you like Phil Collins?" monolouge, and then it hit me with the realization being "Hey, I un-ironically enjoy this!" I was then converted to a full-on, all-inclusive Genesis fan, thanks to a dark comedy starring Christian Bale.

  • Most Untypical Genesis Song

    Abacab is classic "untypical" Genesis, and though anyone else would likely choose Who Dunnit? as the most atypical, I have to go with No Reply at All. The fact it was a lead single off the album and went to the charts is half of its oddness. That's when you consider the other half. For a traditionally-structured pop song, there are no memorable hooks in the chorus, instead it relies on the simple lyrics of the verses and the Marquee Moon-esque flutters of Banks. It's main hook, which would have been a candidate for the chorus had any other band wrote it, is placed at the ending coda. The bridge stripped out of the song's context could have been from an entirely different ballad, but in the song, like Earth, Wind and Fire's guest appearance, it's seamless and in no way at all jarring. The fact it was at least moderately successful is an Art Pop accomplishment, for 1981 standards. Who Dunnit?, on the other hand, was an album cut and was never intended to be a radio hit. The song itself may be abstract and forward-thinking, but the reluctance to release it as a single betrays any progress the term "forward-thinking" entails.

  • Best Opening Song

    ATM, I would pick No Son of Mine as my favorite Genesis opener. Why? The lyrics are personal, the musicality is tight, focused, and has amazing build-ups and an even better resolution to them. I also have a complicated relationship with my father so I can kind of relate to the song as well. My runner-ups are The Musical Box and Mama.