Posts by Fabrizio

  • 50th Anniversary - GENESIS: Selling England By The Pound - some questions for you

    1. When did you buy Selling England By The Pound (or have received it as a gift)?


    I bought iy around 78, I guess, I was buying or borrowing Genesis albums in a very random order

    2. How old were you when Selling England was released?

    almost 10


    3. Was Selling England your first Genesis album? If not, how many Genesis albums did you own before getting Selling??


    It wasn't, I borrowed Foxtrot, that was my first then Trick and Trespass, then NC and ATTW3, finally SEBTP and te Lamb

    4. If you had to rank all Genesis albums, where does Selling England stand?

    2nd personally, after Trick, a very, very close second though


    5. Which track was your favourite when you bought the album?

    FoF, I guess.


    6. Which track is your favourite today?

    Cinema show is IMO together with Supper's Ready and The Musical Box the holy trinity in Genesis' songbook. Least favorite, After the Ordeal, I used to like it when I bought the album but in time, I just got tired of it.


    7. Which track do you think is the best track on the record despite your own taste?

    Good question, it does diverge sometimes, for instance I love MMM on Trick but I think Entangled is the best track. Here, it matches, the Cinema Show


    8. How many versions of the album have you bought / owned? (Vinyl, CD, Remaster, Cassette, SACD etc)

    Vinyl, CD, remaster.

  • The GENESIS single "Mama" was released 40 years ago

    That brings back memories, I had been drafted and I was packing to leave for the army when I heard Mama on the radio. The radio...That too, brings back some memories, I rushed to the next music store to buy it, even though I knew it would have necessarily been a very short listen. I was thrilled, Abacab had been a bit of a letdown for me and it sounded like they were back in top form. For my money their best new-course song and Phil's best vocal performance.

  • TotW 05/29/2023 - 06/04/2023: GENESIS - Driving The Last Spike

    Quote from Henry Hamilton-Smythe

    seems that I’m the only one who doesn’t love this song. I’ve tried, but it just doesn’t work for me. Quite honestly, the entire album leaves me cold. I don’t dislike it, it just does nothing for me.

    I understand how you feel about the album in general, I find it quite ''flat'' and even if Phil hadn't decided to leave, it was probably time for them to end it there, they sounded on autopilot mode. Still, I believe, it's a good song, in an album context and particularly in that album context it stands out, generally speaking, of course Genesis had much stronger moments.

  • Your favorite GENESIS studio albums (pick three)

    Quote from Henry Hamilton-Smythe

    For me, the brief instrumental passages in ‘It’s Gonna Get Better’ are interesting, but the song itself I find very dull. Like you said, it’s all personal preference.

    I agree, there are a couple of interesting bits on It's gonna get better but ultimately pretty much lightweight, pleasant enough but doesn't really leave a mark IMO. You are always going to find fans of the odd song, and Why not? I remember somebody raving about Like it or not, of all songs but when the dust has settled, they are definitely not the songs these albums are remembered by.

  • Your favorite GENESIS studio albums (pick three)

    Thinking about it, i think this what I resent the most about Genesis' new course in the 80' and the 90'. It's not the change per se but how sketchy the quality of the albums became. From 1970 to 1980, with the exception of half of ATTW3, they released really solid albums. There was always the occasional filler but overall the material was great. Starting from Abacab, there are good songs but no great albums, subjectively, of course. The exception would be Invisible Touch which is a hits machine and truly a homogenous album, but I have no problem admitting that it isn't really my cup of tea. Anyway, Mama alone is enough to make me rate Shapes higher than other ''new '' albums. It's the one song I'm sure Phil dreaded singing but simply had to. You can't leave that one out.

  • Your favorite GENESIS studio albums (pick three)

    Quote from BillysNumber

    I wonder if the album may have looked more appealing to fans if the songs on side one were spread out a bit:

    Perhaps in the beginning, upon release and up until the release of the next album but things have a way to fall into place. We are assessing them after 30 years and it is what it is, no matter the tracks sequence. Half of the album is simply weak, the same can be said IMO about ATTW3 and Abacab. Still, I find these albums more solid than WCD. Of the 12 songs there, I can personally only listen to 3 or 4.

  • TotW 04/17/2023 - 04/23/2023: GENESIS - Eleventh Earl Of Mar

    Quote from thewatcher

    Haha, I'd like to have seen Phil's reaction to that.

    I don't think Phil particularly cares or resents that, provided he read it or heard it. Tony has always been very outspoken. it's just his style, he doesn't make it personal he just speaks his mind. Personally, I prefer the studio version, all the arrangements on W&W are very layered with a lot of textures and I find they don't translate very well live.

  • TotW 04/17/2023 - 04/23/2023: GENESIS - Eleventh Earl Of Mar

    Quote from HomeByTheSea

    I gave this a 13 (very good) rating. For me the reason it falls short of outstanding is the repeated "Daddy you promised" lyrics that just me cringe today. However, the rest of the song is outstanding for me from the awesome increasingly loud intro to the quiet calm of the "house of dreams" section in the middle of the song. My favorite version is the live version from 1978 in Chicago...

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    I remember Tony saying he liked it better live, particularly because of Chester. Phil, in his opinion played it too "stuttery". I truly have no opinion on that.