Posts by martinus

RAY WILSON & STILTSKIN - Constantly Reminded

Year: 2006

Album: SHE [album review]

Working title: unknown

Credits: Wilson, Metzler

Lyrics: Yes

Length: 05:17

Musicians: Ray Wilson, Nir Z., Uwe Metzler, Irvin Duguid

Played Live: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

mp3 downloads:

Cover versions: none

Notes: Ray's 2006 comeback with Stiltskin, SHE, was most of all, extremely underrated. When we interviewed Nir Z in 2006 he said: "I can tell you that all the people who are involved with my studio were shocked to know that this guy doesn’t have a major record deal when they’ve heard the tracks for the record... It's pathetic."

We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread.

If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!

PHIL COLLINS - Take Me Home

Year: 1985

Album: No Jacket Required [album review]

Working title: unknown

Credits: Collins

Lyrics: Yes

Length: 05:53

Musicians: Phil Collins, Daryl Stuermer, Sting, Peter Gabriel

Played Live: 1985, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2016

mp3 downloads:

Cover versions: none

Notes: There is hardly a song Phil Collins has played more often than Take Me Home. Since its release in 1985 it has been played as the closing song at almost all of Collins's live shows. Genesis fans may be interested to know that the backing vocals were sung by Peter Gabriel.

We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread.

If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!

GENESIS - Stagnation

Year: 1970

Album: Trespass [album review]

Working title: unknown

Credits: Banks, Gabriel, Phillips. Rutherford

Lyrics: Yes

Length: 8:46

Musicians: Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Anthony Phillips, Mike Rutherford, John Mayhew

Played Live: 1970, 1971, 1972

mp3 downloads:

Cover versions: none

Notes: The early period of the band had a number of outstanding tracks that made the band popular - especially when they were played live. Some of those songs, e.g. The Light, have never been released officially. Others ended up on Trespass or Nursery Cryme. Stagnation is perhaps the blueprint for the progressive phase of Genesis.

We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread.

If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!

Monday sodding morning shuffle:

Paul Simon, Graceland

REM, Orange Crush

Nick d'Virgilio, The Light Dies Down On Broadway

Anne Clark, Seize The Vivid Sky

Severa, Kuigai

Anon, Pennsylvania Flickhouse

Alphaville, Forever Young

Beach Boys, Surfin' USA

Faithless, God Is A DJ

Roxette, Crash!Boom!Bang!

bonus track:

A House Somewhere (episode of a BBC radio programme focusing on Chris Stewart)

TONY BANKS - From The Undertow

Year: 1979

Album: A Curious Feeling [album review]

Working title: unknown

Credits: Tony Banks

Lyrics:-

Length: 2:45

Musicians: (tba)

Played Live: never

mp3 downloads:

Cover versions: none

Notes: When you read the title you think of a similarly titled piece on ...And Then There Were Three... When you close your eyes and listen you hear Genesis. When you check the booklet you realize it's Tony Banks solo. The similarity to Genesis songs and the title connection have a reason: Tony has always left his mark on Genesis. Our current Track Of The Week was planned as the introduction to the Genesis song Undertow. It eventually became the opening track of Tony's first solo album.

An instrumental that has a bit of Genesis and a lot of Tony Banks and no way to hide its lineage.

We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread.

If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!

PETER GABRIEL - Here Comes The Flood

Year: 1977

Album: Peter Gabriel I ("Car") [album review]

Working title: unknown

Credits: Gabriel

Lyrics: Yes

Length: 5:54

Musicians: (tba)

Played Live: 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 2002, 2003, 2004

mp3 downloads:

Cover versions: Bette Midler

Notes: So, which version? The intimate version, with Gabriel playing the piano solo live under a single spot in the darkness - or the version on his first solo album, where a joint attack by drums, guitar and an orchestra strive to give the chorus the monumental force of a huge rock anthem? Our Solomonic answer must be: Both of them.

We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread.

If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!

GENESIS - Duchess

Year: 1980

Album: Duke [album review]

Working title: unknown

Credits: Banks, Collins, Rutherford

Lyrics: Yes

Length: 6:37

Musicians: Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford

Played Live: 1981, 1982

mp3 downloads: iTunes

Cover versions: none

Notes: Duchess marks the time drum computers started to feature in Genesis jam sessions. With this song the band also returned to working together on song ideas. The lyrics foretell much of what would happen later in the band's history. When Tony Banks spoke about the third verse of this song in a TV special in the late 1990s he had some trouble keeping his voice even. Many thought the end of the band had come by that time. Duchess was written at the beginning of their commercial period - and stated right away that these times cannot stay forever...

We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread.

If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!

MIKE + THE MECHANICS - Another Cup Of Coffee

Year: 1995

Album: Beggar On a Beach Of Gold [album review]

Working title: unknown

Credits: Rutherford/Neil

Lyrics: Yes

Length: 4:42

Musicians: Mike Rutherford, Paul Carrack, Peter van Hooke, Adrian Lee, Gary Wallis

Played Live: 1995, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2013

mp3 downloads:

Cover versions: none

Notes: Whatever you think about the Mechanics, they have always had a good nose for great melodies. In 1995 they shifted to a more acoustic or "more organic" sound, as Mike would put it. The result was a relaxed album that spawned several radio and single hits. One of the best-known and most successful singles from the album is Another Cup Of Coffee.

We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread.

If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!

PHIL COLLINS - Long Long Way To Go

Year: 1985

Album: No Jacket Required [album review]

Working title: unknown

Credits: Collins

Lyrics: Yes

Length: 4:23

Musicians: Phil Collins, Daryl Stuermer, Leland Sklar, Sting

Played Live: 1985 (Live Aid), 1997

mp3 downloads:

Cover versions: none

Notes: Long Long Way To Go is a ballad. It is the odd one out on the album, perhaps even a hidden gem. Far more unobtrusive than in-your-face pop hits like Sussudio and Don't Lose My Number, Long Long Way To Go represents the quiet, unconventional part of the album. And it's our Track Of The Week.

We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread.

If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!

Quote from Backdrifter

I do find some of their story songs quite cringey. But as I said in another thread, I tend not to focus much on lyrics anyway.

I pay attention to lyrics (as I said at probably great length in the Fountain of Salmacis TotW, but it is always the music that comes first. With Squonk, it's the music and the lyrics that I, frankly, do not enjoy that much.

The story of Squonk is based on the descriptions of a curious animal called the squonk that have been passed on since the early 19th century in Pennsylvania. After 350 years in which the bearers of the indigenous North American folk legends were cast out, exploited, killed and generally treated in similarly friendly ways, people develop a desire for a "local legend", and out comes the squonk. Such are the blessings of Western culture.

Back to the topic: Squonks are said to be extremely shy, extremely ugly, and can dissolve into a puddle of water in extreme danger. The song is about a hunter who captures a squonk with a trick and carries it home in his bag. In the end the bag has some water damage. (My guess is his fellow hunters would have shared a grin: "A squonk, yeah right. You just haven't trained your dachshund properly, that's where that comes from").

The song alludes to the nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty, but I think it is an allusion for allusion's sake (Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, / Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, / All the King's horses and all the King's men, / Couldn't put Humpty together again.The parallel is, of course, that neither creature can be put together again.

The lyrics allude to another fairy-tale, the Ugly Duckling by Hans-Christian Andersen. Those who are more familiar with English fairy-tales and nursery rhymes will probably be able to find more allusions, but I will leave it at that. Squonk just is not one of the Genesis songs I enjoy. In fact, it prompts me to press "next". It is too affected and it has this unpleasant odour of "Oh yes, let's write a song with a funny story."

It appears that Squonk was the first song Genesis wrote after Peter Gabriel had left. There are first songs. There are best songs. Most rarely does a song belong to both groups.

6 points.

GENESIS - Squonk

Year: 1976

Album: A Trick Of The Tail [album review]

Working title: Indians

Credits: Banks, Rutherford

Lyrics: Yes

Length: 06:30

Musicians: Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford

Played Live: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983/84 (parts of it in a medley)

mp3 downloads: iTunes

Cover versions: none

Notes: Squonk was the starting gun for post-Gabriel Genesis. It was the first song Collins sang in the studio because he simply sang it better than all the candidates the band tried out. A Led-Zeppelin-esque "heaviness" had frequently been noticed in the song. It was played live mainly in the 1970s.

We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread.

If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!

STEVE HACKETT - A Place Called Freedom

Year: 2011

Album: Beyond The Shrouded Horizon [album review]

Working title: unknown

Credits: Hackett

Lyrics: Yes

Length: 05:56

Musicians: Steve Hackett, Roger King, Nick Beggs, Amanda Lehmann, Gary O'Toole, Rob Townsend

Played Live: 2011

mp3 downloads: iTunes

Cover versions: none

Notes: Things get folk-y with this song. Steve Hackett has a knack for putting a pleasant melody into the right musical structure. His 12-string picking may remind you of his time in Genesis.

We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread.

If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!

Secret World on Us is a good song that suffers from the way the album was mixed. It is all a bit too uniform and too flat for me.

Secret World live is a great song. The song really only came into its own in the live situation. 13 points.

Quote from jwckauman

BTW, did the new FGTR release (titled '50 Years Ago' I think) provide us with anything new or different?

Yes it did. Steffen and Tom have examined very closely. Here's their review of 50 Years Ago.

Quote from slowdancer

Martinus, you should update the title above the points. It still says "The Fountain Of Salmacis".

Thank you for pointing that out. It's been fixed.

As a convenience for you, here's a list of all Tracks of the Week of 2018 complete with links.

0001 - 09/01/2018 GENESIS - The Fountain Of Salmacis

0002 - 09/08/2018 PETER GABRIEL - Secret World

0003 - 09/15/2018 STEVE HACKETT - A Place Called Freedom

0004 - 09/22/2018 GENESIS - Squonk

0005 - 09/29/2018 PHIL COLLINS - Long Long Way To Go

0006 - 10/06/2018 MIKE + THE MECHANICS - Another Cup Of Coffee

0007 - 10/13/2018 GENESIS - Duchess

0008 - 10/20/2018 PETER GABRIEL - Here Comes The Flood

0009 - 10/27/2018 TONY BANKS - From The Undertow

0010 - 11/03/2018 GENESIS - Stagnation

0011 - 11/10/2018 PHIL COLLINS - Take Me Home

0012 - 11/17/2018 RAY WILSON & STILTSKIN - Constantly Reminded

0013 - 11/24/2018 GENESIS - The Lamia

0014 - 12/01/2018 PETER GABRIEL - Mercy Street

0015 - 12/08/2018 MIKE + THE MECHANICS - The Letter

0016 - 12/15/2018 GENESIS - Fading Lights

0017 - 12/22/2018 BRAND X - ...And So To F...

This list may still be short, but there are so many Tracks of the Week to come. (Even if you leave out most of Anthony Phillips' library music )

PETER GABRIEL - Secret World

Year: 1992

Album: US [album review]

Working title: unknown

Credits: Gabriel

Lyrics: Yes

Length: 07:13

Musicians: Peter Gabriel, Manu Katche, Tony Levin, David Rhodes, David Bottrill, Doudou N'dlaye Rose, Malcom Burn

Played Live: 1993, 1994, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009

mp3 downloads: iTunes

Cover versions: none

Notes: Secret World has become one of the big anthems in Peter Gabriel's catalogue. The studio version held back a bit, the 1993/1994 live version had something secretive and mystical , the 2002-2004 versions really hit audiences' ears. Peter Gabriel had firmly fixed Secret World in his set and made the song an indispensible classic.

We invite you to share interesting facts and tidbits about this track. Let's look at the track in the context of the band's / the artist's history, at the music, the songwriting and all other aspects that are relevant for this track. Please do stick to the discussion of the track above. Comparisons to other tracks are okay, but remember that the other track you may be keen to talk about has or will have its own Track Of The Week thread.

If you spot a mistake or if you can close a gap in the fact sheet above please feel free to contact martinus or Christian about it; we will gladly add and improve!

Quote from DecomposingMan

(1) The part at the end where the guys go "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-AAAHHH-ahh!" (after "unearthly calm" and "both had given") is one of my favorite Genesis "backing vocals" moments.

For reasons that are unlikely ever to become clear, that point in the some always reminds me of the "stone circle riddle" scene in that very old adventure game Conquest Of Camelot.

If you ask me what I enjoy about Genesis I have to say it's two things. One, the music. If I did not like the music I wouldn't bother with the rest, obviously.

The second thing I really love in Genesis is the lyrics, though I must say this applies foremost or only to their output up to and including The Lamb. There is, in my mind, no bigger injustice you could to to the Four Big Albums of the Gabriel era, i.e. Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England and The Lamb, than to call the lyrics trite. I love coming back to those lyrics, reading them over again, listening to them again, and discovering new aspects, new allusions, a quote I had not noticed before...

With The Fountain Of Salmacis I can enjoy the music and the clever lyrics and my soft spot for classic Roman poetry and storytelling. 13 points from me for this wonderful song.

Quote from Backdrifter

Who's it by?

The people (I hesitate to call them a "band" or a "project") call themselves 20 Fingers... the song is called "Short dick man". There, I said it