I didn't know about WF being pre written. I assume the lyrics are all by PG so if the whole of WF was pre written then it would make sense that WF was the first lyrics written in the song.
Posts by Mr.Farmer
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https://tsort.info/music/6yw5gb.htm
This link gives a list of albums and best charted history...similar to early list...although the Lamb slightly higher
That must be it. The trivia I came across was that CAS was the ninth best selling studio album outselling all the PG era albums bar the lamb and W&W and SO. Also I see it outsold Live over Europe. Quite surprising. (So that would have been my straight forward question but couldn't find the info verify it easily). Surprising how difficult it seems to be to find an up to date list of actual sales . Also surprising to to see where CAS ranks on the sales figures. Didn't do to badly.
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Fire and Rain - James Taylor
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Fire and Rain - James Taylor
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The Pushbike Song - The Mixtures
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Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City - Whitesnake
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Cheese and - Onions - The Rutles.
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To The Grey Havens - Mostly Autumn
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Overture- Forge Of Sauron - Mostly Autumn
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Heaven - Chris Rea
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Your Big Assed Mother - The Wonderstuff
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You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
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Butterfly Caught - Massive Attack
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Astounding Sounds Amazing Music - Hawkwind
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The piece of trivia I came across in a book I brought away with me is that CAS outsold all the PG Genesis albums bar TLLOB, and that surprised me, but I couldn't find a list very easily to double check it. According to your guess it outsold them all. Although in comparison to IT and WCD it flailed , (though what would anyone expect) it wasn't such a failure then as it's believed to be especially if it's based on recent figures. Anyway, does anyone have the definitive answer?
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Anyway I'm away right now. Managing to relax , a bit of hot tubbing, a bit of reading , a bit of Genesising, a bit of eating and a lot of drinking. As I peruse this site have mused over a question and came across a bit of trivia. ( Which I'll discuss after the answer) But I need to check it out and I can't find the answer for sure and am not hunting around the net right now.
SO, this is the question and and I don't have the answer but someone here will tell me and then set the next question.
Rank the Genesis albums in terms of all time sales. I know the highest few and lowest one but the midrange I can't find and I think there is a suprise if I'm right.
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I should have been a little more specific as to the UK being the country of origin, the question is correct for England. Both those albums were pressed on the pink label here only first. Before being moved over to the Mad Hatter label. Obviously they must have used it in different areas for longer. With not having access to any USA pressings I was unaware of Foxtrot also using it sorry.
I was under the impression that Foxtrot didn't come with the pink label. Must be only the US copy, I didn't know that. So there's another vinyl to look out for.!!
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You've got me thinking back to it now.
Not long past 38 years ago... wow. If I remember correctly, Sunday 19 September 1982, Shepton Mallet Showering Pavilion in the English westcountry. My girlfriend, a friend and I had booked for that gig as we got excited when the tour was announced and booked straightaway - we lived in London but no London dates were announced. Subsequently they did 4... We were too young (17) to know about how tour dates were released or about selling on/exchanging tickets.
This venue turned out to be a concrete shed used for agricultural shows, in a remote field. Getting there and especially getting back was an adventure in itself.
I recall they came on under dim purple lights and launched into a medley of Volcano, Behind the Lines and Follow You. Then Dodo/Lurker, which gave me my first view of the varilites in action (I hadn't gone on the Abacab tour or seen footage). They'd cleverly not moved the lights yet, just had a few colour changes which was already impressive - it was a different time! But on the "must die-ie-ie" line they lit up, splayed forward - then as one swept inwards and it was absolutely stunning. Of course the effect is now commonplace but at that time seeing an entire bank of rig lights moving in unison was mindblowing. Again, it was smart of them to minimise it - after that they barely moved again (a little in SR) until they all swept in on Collins at centrestage at "Outside the cage..." then went all-over insane during "keep on turning..." (what I gather techs call "panic").
From Dodo to Abacab, then a pause while PC said "this is one we haven't done in a while" and not just Stuermer and Rutherford, but Banks as well, picked up acoustic 12 strings. Straight away that alerted us to an old 70s number about to be played. I immediately thought Musical Box. This was underlined by Collins's intro, explaining "this one has lots of LOUD BITS" (big cheer) "and... quiet bits" (soft cheer). He did that a few times then shouted "QUIET BITS!" (loud cheer) "aha, caught you out!" Pause, then - "Supper's Ready" - cue wild cheering that went on for what seemed like ages. It was still going on as the song quietly started.
I've always loved the switch into Sanctuary when it breaks and that was just epic at this gig. In decades of gigs it remains a goosebumps moment. Another strong memory is the stark jagged lighting during Apocalypse, reflecting the rhythm, and at times all the lights briefly being off and how oddly thrilling that was. Then the slow heavy swell of Eggs and at "Jerusalem" the varilites white beams multi-splitting and slowly swirling amid a haze of red and what a beautiful effect it was.
Then as I said, end, wow, amazing - applause applause - and into Misunderstanding! 😂
I wish could remember it as well as you.
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On the other hand I could definitely do without the Willow Farm section. It may be necessary in order to get to what happens after, but it just doesn't do it for me. The other sections I haven't mentioned are fine, but not up to par with the best portions of the song.
Willow Farm is great. You have the beginning section of the song which takes a downturn in HDIBSB when WF lifts it with a jolly tune to get us ready for the drama to come. SR may have separate sections but it makes a tremendous whole with the sum of the parts being even greater . I read Tony Iommi's autobiography and he deliberately puts in the lighter stuff to make the heavier stuff heavier and WF fits on with this philosophy. All Great stories have light and shade and Willow Farm provides that balance . I've read that Suppers Ready is a hard listen but to me it's an easy listen. Like all their stuff there is nothing that goes on too long , no time to get boring.
Much of SR lyrics create an imagery , oftem without specifics . This gives the listener room to put their own interpretations on it which is great. I've read that WF is just some silliness. I've read it's about a retreat or fat farm .I've read it has nothing to do with the rest of the song . Maybe it's right . But I see it in this way. There's a battle and people die. WF is the after life. They're dead. Like it or not, like what you got your under the soil, literally buried maybe awaiting rebirth bodies melting, .... all change...Theegg was bird... oh no I'm gonna change into a human being, ..... you name them all we've had them here ... And then life goes on to fit our places... mum washing and dad officing.The fox on the rocks is the devil.( PG said the fox is the devil. Spelt focks?) Everything is there. The sheer surface silliness of WF creates a slightly chilling atmosphere and gets us ready for the final battle between good and evil. Well that's how I see it and I like it that way. It fits perfectly.
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I can't plaiy a note of any instrument and music particularly Genesis sound quote magical to me. My step son plays the guitar drums. He tells me all the technical stuff about all sorts of things and why this that or the other is good or not. I played him Apocalypse and he was just gobsmacked. Refering to the drumming he said in was insane, and remained mystified as how anyone could that. It's favourite piece of drumming of all time.
