Posts by Thelawnmower

I feel as if I've rather dominated the threads a bit this morning. I wanted to do the Genesis thread as it seemed to give a slightly different angle on the polls, I can't see the same information anywhere else but sorry if I have duplicated, please feel free to ignore/delete

Having posted it for Genesis I realised it would work just the same for solos so I've posted it in each thread, giving my own answers, except in the case of Mike and Ray, where I've uut it in for their followers, although I couldn't give a five favourites in their cases.

It came about after a conversation with a friend who is a huge Rush fan. I asked him for his favourite album and track and he thought for a minute and then said he couldn't answer as it was like asking him which was his favourite of his four children. I then realised why I always struggled to give the answer about favourite Genesis tracks, but that it was always easy to give five tracks that would always be in my top ten, even though the remaining five slots could change. Note, these are not my top five, but they would always be in my top ten.

Following on from my Genesis question and for the sake if completion ......

We’ve had lots of great polls about albums and tracks and I always find it hard to pick a top 1, 5, 10 or whatever it is. My top ten changes over time. I don't follow Ray at all, although I think he has a wonderful voice and I really like his guest spots with Steve live

But for those of you who do follow him which five would always be in your top ten?

Following on from my Genesis question....

We’ve had lots of great polls about albums and tracks and I always find it hard to pick a top 1, 5, 10 or whatever it is. My top ten changes over time. I don't really follow Mike's solo output I'm afraid, but I love Smallcreep's Day and Silent Running

But for those of you who do follow him which five would always be in your top ten?

Following on from my Genesis question....

We’ve had lots of great polls about albums and tracks and I always find it hard to pick a top 1, 5, 10 or whatever it is. My top ten changes over time. But there will always be five songs in my top Gabriel

Solsbury Hill - obviously

Here comes the flood - especially stripped down versions

Mother of Violence - great track and I remember him sitting on the front of the stage singing it when i first saw him in 1979

Sledgehammer - Joie de Vivre

Don't give up - great song, great lyrics, two superb vocalists at the top of their game

Beyond that I have about eight to ten that would take up the remaining five slots

So, which five would always be in your top ten?

Following on from my Genesis question....

We’ve had lots of great polls about albums and tracks and I always find it hard to pick a top 1, 5, 10 or whatever it is. My top ten changes over time. But there will always be five songs in my top ten Phil

Easy Lover - great pop music and drumming

In the Air- picks itself

This must be love - a superb little love song

You Can't Hurry Love - sometimes a cover version is well worth doing

I missed again - shoes his skill as a writer and arranger and great horns and drums

Beyond that I have about eight to ten that would take up the remaining five slots

So, which five would always be in your top ten?

Following on from my Genesis question....

We’ve had lots of great polls about albums and tracks and I always find it hard to pick a top 1, 5, 10 or whatever it is. My top ten changes over time. But there will always be five songs in my top ten Phillips

Silver song - a great reminder of those early days

God if I saw her now - one of the best off my favourite Ant album

Anthem from Tarka - a superb, evocative album

Now what are they doing ...... his voice works well here

Lucy Will - an endearing, yearning song

the Women were watching, love that little penny whistle ( or whatever it is) refrain

Beyond that I have about eight to ten that would take up the remaining five slots

So, which five would always be in your top ten?

Following on from my Genesis question....

We’ve had lots of great polls about albums and tracks and I always find it hard to pick a top 1, 5, 10 or whatever it is. My top ten changes over time. But there will always be five songs in my top ten Banks

A Curious feeling - just like the shout at the start

Somebody else's dream - An interesting track off a great album

Red Day on Blue Street - Not my usual sort of track but he deserves credit for writing a catchy tune

And the wheels keep turning- I like hos vocals on this for some reason

An Island in the darkness - a fine, meandering track

Beyond that I have about eight to ten that would take up the remaining five slots

So, which five would always be in your top ten?

Following in from my Genesis question….

We’ve had lots of great polls about albums and tracks and I always find it hard to pick a top 1, 5, 10 or whatever it is. My top ten changes over time. But there will always be five songs in my top ten Hackett

Star of Sirius - just like the sound of the keys and it all works well together

Hoping Love will last- Steve can write great songs and what a vocal!

Everyday - exuberance with a thoughtful theme

Spectral Mornings- one of his best instrumentals

The Golden Age of Steam - a favourite from his ‘mid period’

Beyond that I have about eight to ten that would take up the remaining five slots

So, which five would always be in your top ten?

We’ve had lots of great polls about albums and tracks and I always find it hard to pick a top 1, 5, 10 or whatever it is. My top ten changes over time. But there will always be five songs in my top ten

Supper’s Ready - the ultimate in grandeur and length

The Musical Box - does most of what Supper’s Ready Does in half the time

Cinema Show, 12 strings, great vocals, everyone playing to their best and those keyboard choirs as it surges near the end

Follow You Follow Me - bit of an our tune

Stagnation - for that proper early Genesis feel

Beyond that I have about eight to ten that would take up the remaining five slots

So, which five would always be in your top ten?

A great track off a great album. I’ve got most of his considerable output and am filling in gaps with the help of the re-releases - which are excellent (are you watching Genesis?)

His voice is an acquired taste to be sure but it suits this lament and the instruments perfectly match the mood and theme.

Quote from ShroudedMan

I sense quite a negative vibe here in this thread. Why not wait until we hear the complete album?

I know what you mean. I try to be positive. I’m a big Steve fan, have all his stuff and have seen him on nearly every tour since 1979. I’ve met him three times and he is the nicest of people. I really want him to produce another great album. But like a lot of people here I’ve found the albums since Wolflight (except the acoustic one) to be very samey and uninspiring. I don’t blame him. He’s hit a formula, live and on record, that sells well and he’s developed a lifestyle on the road which suits him and Jo and the best of luck to them and the team. I’m actually a little, very cautiously, optimistic that this album might be better because of the concept aspect and I don’t dislike the cover as much as others. This first track sounds a bit more like what I’d call his middle period but it’s a bit of a pastiche (which is probably fine for a concept album). So, yes, I’ll reserve judgment until I hear it all and I look forward to it. But I understand people being weary of his output over the last few years. When I go to play a Hackett album it’s rarely a recent one. At the moment it’s Guitar Noir, which I’ve recently discovered having somehow missed or first time around. Hopefully the new album will have some of its contrasts and room to breathe.

Quote from Witchwood

I think it makes complete sense for the artist to try to match the feel of the music with the lyrics.

There are plenty of songs about battles or fighting that have a highly frenetic quality.

A prime example is Gates of Delerium by Yes, which is thematically about war and peace, and has this stretch of musical madness that eventually winds down and brings the listener back to a place of serenity.

Do I believe Genesis had this approach in mind when they created TBOEF?

No, because from what I recall reading in Gallo's book, the band members concurred that the battle between the music and lyrics heard in this song was completely unintentional..

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I agree, It could be argued the music and words suit the theme but my reading has always been that it got away from them when they put Peter's words to the band's backing tracks and they couldn't find a way out of it. As I've said, I like it and I agree with Backdrifter that the volume of the words is good. Some band members have suggested that the music before the lyrics were added sounded really strong- it's undoubtedly good, but I have tried to imagine it as an instrumental and then how it would sound with less cluttered lyrics and I cant see it. It either needed a completed re-think or its pretty good as it is, which seems to be how it was left.

They are all pretty much classics, I’d have to choose between Watcher, Mar and Dance. Watcher could have been produced a bit better, Dance opens up a new era but the second half doesn’t live up to the first so maybe 11th Earl of Mar. It has such grandeur and power that it sets up the album beautifully, even if not everything that follows matches up to it. But. Then there’s Moonlit Knight, Mama, Abacab and Behind the Lines. Doh!

And Looking for Someone. Double Doh!

And then one of my very top tracks - Musical Box. So I’m going with that. I think.

Quote from Henry Hamilton-Smythe

Did he really do a lot or research? I thought I remembered Gabriel saying it was based on a newspaper article that he had read, but then was unable to find the article when writing the song.

Anyway, I gave the song an 8. Some good playing and an interesting story, but there's just way too much going on.

I think he tried hard and took out adverts in newspapers to get more information. How far he got I don’t know but at least he tried.

Not the best and one of the weaker songs on my favourite album but I like it. It’s a bit long and it’s a bit cluttered, as others have said, and the silly voices have dated, but it contains a lot of great ideas and fantastic backing track. The Reverend is one of my favourite bits of Genesis music. I like the idea that Gabriel played it live with a stocking mask on and I like that he did a fair bit of research into the story that inspired it - before turning it all into Gabrielese. It’s a bit of fun and they’ve thrown the kitchen sink at it but so what? It’s still good to listen to.

Thanks for that. Looking forward to this one.

Indeed, Christian, I know you will not want to say much until you do a proper review, but can you say if your advance copy of the album is a physical one and, if so, is there more artwork than just the cover picture? Is all the artwork by the same artist?

Thanks

Quote from thewatcher

I think we should pause and a take a moment to reflect on the profound genius of this piece of work. It's Sistine chapel-esque in its ambition.

It's a shocker. ironically, if he had just used the picture with the long fingers, it would have been better, although he'd have been accused of ripping off a Gabriel-esque idea. We can only imagine what any rejected covers might have looked like....

I've just checked and he did use that image on the single, it's not much better.

[Blocked Image: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61xg9TvivFL._UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg]

Hackett - like Voyage, Spectral, Darktown, Wild Orchids and the the first Genesis Revisited. Don’t like Cured, Highly Strung

Gabriel - first three excellent plus Us and Passion. Don’t like Security

Collins - all pretty good

Banks - don’t like any of them but first two ok. Don’t like Still

Rutherford Smallcreep’s quite good - ACV dire can take or leave the rest

Phillips - really like most of them, especially Geese and Wise. Not keen on Slowdance or Invisible men

Not quite sure where to out this as the solo section is for each member and this covers them all.

A place to discuss solo album covers, triggered by the debate over Steve’s latest. I’ll have to contribute properly later on as I have to go out now - off the top of my head Steve’s Voyage is a favourite, as is Gabriel’s second and third. Ant has quite a few really good covers. Amongst the clunkers, Acting Very Strange, Still and I’m sure others but I need to think a bit more. I’m more than happy for this thread to be moved if it’s in the wrong place or duplicated elsewhere in some way.