Posts by Witchwood

    I was never a great fan of Phil's sad and sentimental songs.

    And that’s why NJR always appealed to me. It’s comparably upbeat and it includes some of my favourite songs, Take Me Home and Inside Out among them.


    While Face Value (my 2nd favourite album of Phil's) hit higher heights for me with tracks like In The Air Tonight and The Roof Is Leaking, the ballad-heavy second half of that debut album always brought me down.

    Tough to choose as W&W is one my favourites — a top 3 or 4 album for me.

    I like every single track and enjoy it from beginning to end.


    BOTR is my No. 1 but then there are at least three tracks tied at No. 2.

    I went with One For The Vine and Afterglow but on another day I might have replaced one of those with Eleventh Earl of Mar.


    Nice to see some votes for Wot Gorilla? — one of the commonly (and IMO unfairly) maligned tracks on the album.

    I love it, it’s among my favourites.

    Hogweed matches the power of the Knife and then exceeds it by keeping me captivated right to the end, unlike the Knife which, for me, loses momentum shortly after its intro.


    The solos are interesting. Steve produces some unique sounds – I detect Fripp’s influence here. It’s one of Steve’s best showcase moments within the band.

    I also really like the interplay between the guitar and keyboards throughout.


    Thoroughly enjoyable.

    I don't think it's among my Top 10 Genesis tracks but it is almost certainly in my Top 15.

    Given how biased and downright dishonest much of the media is, "replaced by CGI characters" isn't as far from reality as you'd think. There's a reason one American political party consistently gets portrayed in popular media in a much better light than the other, and that reason has everything to do with who owns most of the popular media.


    ...



    Well, FOX does claim to be the most watched news channel in the US.

    It's clear both CNN and FOX present facts with a political spin, though to my observation FOX is much more blatant in that respect.


    If you filter out the talking heads on these news channels, an independent observer can certainly assess Trump's merits on his words alone, his portrayal of events and of his own achievements. not to mention the division within the country he seems to fuel and thrive on.

    I became a fan in 78 and by 1980 I regarded PG as some sort of musical deity.

    Yet, the first time I saw him live in concert was December 2002.

    I don't know if life just got in the way or I didn't hear about the shows in time to get tickets...


    Regardless, I've seen him in concert twice.


    My favourite was the last time I saw him which was September 2012 on the Back To Front tour.


    There were things to like about both setlists

    The major difference about the second show is that I had great seats, just a few rows from the front, whereas the first time I saw him, I was in an upper deck looking down. The other difference is I preferred the composition of his band in 2012 compared to the 2002 lineup, though I did enjoy the Blind Boys of Alabama coming on for Sky Blue during that first show.

    I recall reading an interview in which one of the founding members spoke about Supertramp initially modeling themselves after Traffic.


    It was intriguing to me because I am a huge Traffic fan and I always felt Indelibly Stamped hinted towards the sound of Traffic – not only due to the addition of a sax/flute player but also the folk/rock quality of several tracks.


    It's also notable when Hodgson responded to Rick's ad in Melody Maker and auditioned to join the band, the song they asked him to play was Dear Mr. Fantasy.

    Also a big fan, I think the first album, Supertramp, from 1970, is their best...

    You certainly topped me there.

    I thought the mere fact I prefer the first two albums over Breakfast was a bit radical. ;)


    Nothing controversial about my three favourites, though ... Crime, Crisis and EITQM in that order.

    But then I like the debut and Indelibly Stamped.


    Never understood the complete dismissal of those early albums by the band and most fans.

    I always felt those two were virtually as good or as enjoyable as the albums that followed.

    I agree. That yin/yang, light/dark contrast between Hodgson and Davies is part of what made those albums so great.


    Having said that, I don’t mind the first post-Hodgson release, Brother Where You Bound — in fact I prefer it to the band’s previous release Famous Last Words.

    I’ve heard some decent tour rehearsal recordings of bands doing a run-through of a proposed set.

    Those are OK.


    I wouldn’t be too interested, though, in more jam sessions or studio outtakes where songs are being developed.

    As unique as they are, they’re a bit like a novel brand of candy – very enticing, but not very fulfilling.

    I find once I’ve satisfied my curiosity, I rarely search through my collection to hear them again.

    Long-standing Leafs fan here, stemming back to the early 70s,

    Like a spouse spiritually devoted and resigned to an unfulfilling marriage, I endured many years of mediocrity throughout those decades, but the current lineup is certainly providing me with some hope.

    ACF is not only my favourite Banks album but among my favourites (not necessarily Top 5 but easily in the Top 10) of any of the G men solo albums.

    For me Still is the only other one that comes close to that realm.


    I like both The Fugitive and Strictly Inc. very much. I've never had an issue with Tony's voice on The Fugitive. I thought he did a fine job.

    I've warmed up to Bankstatement over the years. Initially, I felt it only had a handful of good songs on it.


    I still find Soundtracks uneven. It's probably my least favourite of the rock albums.

    I actually prefer the keyboard tracks on Wicked Lady above anything from Soundtracks.


    And the symphony albums just don't appeal to me at all.

    To be honest I only bought the first one. I know some people would say, "Oh, you should get the second or third, they're better."

    But symphony music is just not my thing, and for me a Tony Banks album without keyboards interests me about as much as a Steve Hackett album without guitar.

    Nothing set yet, but Big Big Train announced last year they would be touring Canada and US for the first time.


    I'm wondering if we're looking at a spring tour because they've got one date in the US already booked, that's in May, and then a bunch of dates booked in Europe beginning in July.


    I'll have to keep my ear to the ground so I don't miss out.

    Haven’t done a snail mail trade in years but I do still collect live music and download the odd show from time to time. And live recordings still represent a fair portion of what I listen to – probably 15 to 20% of the time.


    I think what keeps it desirable for me is the fact I was never stuck on collecting live recordings of just one band.

    So occasionally I will see something new or something old that piques my interest, but rarely these days is it Genesis or related.

    Curiously, I’ve seen a few fan reviews hailing the new album as a major improvement over Endless Wire.

    I actually prefer Endless Wire – though I don't think that's a slight against the new album.

    I quite like the last two Who albums - certainly far more than the previous pair released in the early ’80s.

    Perhaps not too surprising a point of view if you believe, as I do, that in the ’80s, Townshend was setting aside his best material for his solo albums.

    Peter’s third and fourth albums represent, to me, the pinnacle of his solo career and I hold them in such high regard that I would stand them up next to his best works in Genesis.

    The incorporation of dark African rhythms - elements I had heard and embraced previously in Santana - but in a “progressive” rock setting, seemed so ground-breaking to me at the time.

    It sounded amazing then and still moves me to this day.


    Shock The Monkey isn’t my favourite song on PG4 – that honour would go to San Jacinto or Rhythm Of The Heat – but I would certainly include it in the top half of my favourites from that album.

    I enjoyed the acoustic version when I saw him on the 2012 tour but my favourite is the one recorded on Plays Live.

    Rush marks the origins of my musical fanaticism.

    They were my first favourite band and remain among my favourites to this day.

    It all started when I was 13, a friend brought the album All The World’s A Stage to class for us to listen to. It immediately broadened my perspective of what music could offer, raised my expectations and influenced my tastes from that moment on.

    The highlight on that album for me then and now was a track called “Working Man” which featured this memorable 10-minute drum solo.


    We’ve lost some irreplaceable musical heroes in recent years.

    But this one really cuts deep for me.

    A big-ish album for me as it was during a Genesis-heavy year for me, seeing my first gigs by them, Gabriel and Hackett and listening to this one a lot.


    ... think he really hit his stride with SMs and this. It's sad to say it about an artist still going strong during now in 2019 that his peak was 40 years ago but it's what I feel.


    ...

    I could have written this myself, as it applies to me as well.

    Defector is my second favourite SH album, and admittedly my fondness for it is bolstered not only by the music but the memories I attach to that album, the period of discovery and joy I was experiencing at that time with Genesis, and seeing SH live for the first time.


    When it comes to rating certain albums, there are often intangibles for me that don't necessarily involve the music - and that tends to be the case when I'm discussing my feelings for Defector, PG2 and ATTW3,

    WATE has traditionally been my default answer though it is difficult for me to definitively narrow it down to a single album only because I like different ones for completely different reasons.


    PP&P2, The Sky Road and Pathways & Promenades are among my favourite instrumental albums, and I love playing them in the car when I'm travelling, The music virtually plays out like a soundtrack to the visuals of open highway and rural scenes.


    But then how do I compare that pleasant experience to TG&TG and WATE which are probably my two favourite song-based albums? Between those two, I honestly couldn't tell you which I like better.


    As for a favourite track...

    I've always been strangely enchanted by Tibetan Yak Music (from PP&P1). It's a delicate piece played on 12-string and if you love the sound of that instrument, you're in heaven. For me it seems to encapsulate what makes Ant such a unique and endearing artist..