not sure how old you are, but I discovered Genesis more or less backwards and the W&W album was one of my highlights. That track showed me what that band was able to do.
I'm 32, I discover Genesis in January 2000 with this album (a cassette my mother played to test her old tape deck), and I became quite obsessive with it. So it's not related to the actual release of the album at all.
Time has passed and David Hale has released 3 new albums since 2021 !
Business As Usual (2022) :
Paradigm (2023) :
And the brand new, last one :
Off The Record (2025) :
Great childhood memories with this one.
The ending jam alone is worth at least 14 points. One of the greatest Genesis moments.
As for the lyrics, I couldn't understand them when I was a child, so it didn't bother me at all. Now that I can, I find them funny. The album is so encrypted in my brain that I tend to make links between songs that shouldn't have any relation between them: here, I've always imagined that the "loving couple" chasing a mouse was the same couple in the same house as in Blood On The Rooftops, watching TV and drinking tea...
Not so. On two counts. His last "non orchestral" writing was for John Potter's Amores Pasados album in 2015. And this is his third "guest appearance".
I didn't know that. Thank you for the information, I will check what John Potter did !
It's been almost 30 years since Tony wrote something that's not pure orchestral stuff.
Also, it's the first time he collaborates on something that he's not leading.
Can't wait for the release !
Love the mellotron/organ part (Tony, what a genius. Quite simple, but so effective), and the main riff of the intro (first, pianissimo, and then Mike comes in with a little slide on his bass, and Phil switches to the ride cymbal, going crescendo... My God !).
Same for the outro. One of their best.
Both combined, as they did in 1976 and 1982, it's probably my favourite concert closer ever.
About the song part, I like the first verse a lot because it's still fresh, but then I think it repeats itself a bit too much, maybe.
13 points, 15 if I consider only the intro/outro.
Very punchy version of Land Of Confusion !
14 points. I love Nathan East's bass part on this also.
This sounds quite more balanced than the 2007 remix version on Youtube. I also compared it with the 1994 remaster that is also on Youtube, the new version is close with the same snare sound, same stereo feeling on headphones, with a bit more low end (that sounds really good).
I know Youtube isn't the best source, but as far as I can tell, they did a very good job ! 
While beauty can be stirring, not all things stirring fit with my definition of beauty. There are lots of emotionally stirring moments in Genesis music (pretty much every song has some), but for me beauty puts emphasis on the aesthetically pleasing aspects of the music. Music that is harsh, disturbing, uncomfortable can be very emotionally engaging and stirring, but might not meet most people's idea of beautiful.
So going with the definition of beautiful being aesthetically pleasing to the senses, here are a few of my picks of beautiful moments in Genesis music:
- the sections of The Fountain of Salmacis with the main organ riff and the swelling mellotron chords.
- the quiet instrumental section of The Cinema Show between the first and second sections that start with "Take a little trip back...". Plus the main melody section in the 7/8 section (the melody that is played twice).
- the middle section of TLLDOB (and the corresponding section of Carpet Crawlers).
- the intricate intermixing of guitar parts at the beginning of Entangled.
- the first chorus of Ripples.
- the middle section of Eleventh Earl of Mar ("Time to go to bed now...").
- Blood On the Rooftops from the intro up until the beginning of the first chorus.
- As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs, Seconds Out version.
- the intro to Duchess
- the looping string figure at the start of It's Gonna Get Better
I agree 100%. These are precisely the moments I love. I would add the little instrumental section in The Lamia between the "choruses" (with the whole band playing) and the verses (just Tony, Steve on acoustic guitar, Phil on vibraphone, and Peter). The Eb lydian dominant chord with the ascending melody...
It's OK but nothing special.
It's in 6/8, which is very weird. The fact that they kept the original drum fill in 4/4 without any adaptation, and then got back to 6/8 is even weirder.
Between 1:59 and 2:20 , on the "I remember... I remember, don't worry" line and after, Kiefer is a bit off, the pianist is checking the conductor, but thank God they got back together...
I like it. The drum machine "brushes" part is a bit weird but cool. I like the harmony on the chorus, too. To me the heroes are Mike and Phil : what a groove ! 12 points, in the context of the album.
I love TB's playing but when you get down to his soloing some of it simply doesn't work
I quite agree with you, this one is not his best, but we have not reached the lowest point yet : have a listen to "There must be some other way" : great vocals thanks to Ray but I've always found Tony's solo very uninspired. Anyway, it's a bit weird, but from 1981 onwards, when there's a keyboard solo, I tend to appreciate the rhythm section more than the actual solo, if it makes sense (but it's bit absurd to separate the elements...). Living Forever is one example.
It would've been ripe for culling to help make a trim, punchier album instead of the over-long bloat we actually got. But hey, at least it had an ACTUAL ENDING.
I would have kept that track, actually, but I agree.
Good work. I like stuff like this.
Me too!
I think the albums that share lettering are :
- Nursery Crime/Foxtrot/Genesis Live
- The Lamb/Seconds Out/ATTWT
- Trick/W&W (at least on the French cassette I have)
- Abacab/3SL
- Invisible Touch/BBC Broadcasts from 2023 (yes, same typefont, I think it Franklin Gothic, Italic, Bold!)
- WCD/The Way We Walk/Live Over Europe 2007/All Genesis Boxsets from 2007/The Last Domino compilation
- Revelation and Trespass lettering are not identical if we look closely, although it's very, very similar.
All this leaves Selling, Duke, "Genesis", Calling All Stations, Archives#1 and #2 and R-Kive alone.
I'm not counting The Hits compilations, since it's a patchwork.
I just got the Cahoots box set a few days ago, thinking "Garth Hudson is the oldest, but he is still alive... Great for him." Sad news.
I first saw him in action in The Band's farewell concert 'The Last Waltz'.
Wow, wish I was there. Luckily we have a great film of this.
I knew The Band because of the Woodstock film that I watched as an early teenager some 20 years ago (as a Neil Young fan, I was very interested in the hippie era at the time). It was only after that I learnt their history and the various things they had done before breaking up (Bob Dylan, Neil Young...).
RIP Garth.
That's interesting. How do we know that?
Sorry, it's not something that has been confirmed at all, it's only my impression. I'm pretty sure it's not written, because it's not musically "constructed" at all : Banks plays no real identifiable melody (think of Firth of Fifth or Cinema Show), he is just fiddling around the harmony. Apparently he had already done this once on An Island in the Darkness : there is an interview on Youtube where he talks about this song, explaining that the piano solo in the middle of it comes from a pure improvisation. I just think the Anything Now solo has kind of the same feeling as the Island one, hence "it's improvised".
Satisfactory. Pleasantly unremarkable and unmemorable.
I agree, but there's that Yamaha CP70 bridge that takes the song somewhat back to the Duke era, kind of... "Surprise !!!". I like it very much. To me, it saves the song, because it's not what we expect at all : it's not a composed part, Banks is improvising, which makes it even more interesting.
I honestly think it could have been on the album.
9 points.
14 points. Banks, Collins and Rutherford are incredible. I also like the experimental intro, where Hackett shines a bit.
French listener here, so I don't have any of the necessary background to fully understand the lyrics (thank you all for the explanation !).
So from a purely musical point of view, I like it. A lot, in fact. Is it remarkable ? Well, not so much, compared to a lot of their other songs. Still, very nice pop tune. I love the blend between the organ and the 12-string guitar (ah, that Genesis thing...). And the pre- "Well, now I'm a real singer" voice is something I've always liked with Phil.
11 great points.
Very well done.
I love the new updated header. One small thing that I regret is the thematic header, different for each artist of the Genesis family. On the previous version, if I remember correctly, it fitted the artist on the appropriate web page (Genesis album covers for the Genesis section, Phil's album covers for Phil's section etc..). I really liked these. In fact, it inspired me to do my own header on my profile page.
the test box here in the forum could have a bit more contrast, please.
12 points, easy. I like the "jam" feel a lot.
EDIT : Also, one of the few tracks where Mike's guitar really stands out throughout the song, and Tony is just accompanying with chords. Quite rare, no ?
