Posts by Duke of Earl of Mar

    Feeding the Fire and Do the Neurotic really stand out.

    I always thought some tracks on the album should have been b-sides ; not that they are bad, but maybe less interesting : Anything She Does (this song, to me, is a perfect b-side), In Too Deep, and Throwing It All Away (You will probably think that I don't like softer tracks, but I do...). I find the last two tracks more "Collins-esque" than "Genesis" sounding. I like them but I think I could survive without them...


    Just for fun, I thought about a rearrangement of the album, that would have been "better" for my taste :


    Side 1
    23:04
    Invisible Touch (1st single)
    3:29
    Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
    8:53
    Feeding The Fire
    5:52
    The Brazilian
    4:50
    Side 2
    22:40
    Land of Confusion (2nd single)
    4:45
    Domino 10:45
    Do The Neurotic 7:10
    TOTAL 45:44

    Exactly what I was thinking... Watching the videos.

    The energy was there. I don't know if it's me being accustomed to his current state, but he seemed way younger than at the start of the tour. Which is good new for him, really. His voice is coming back as the tour progresses. And I think yesterday was kind of perfection. Words seemed to come easily too.

    I've never seen Mike being so "engaged" in this rock and roll attitude. What a joy ! Clearly, he moves and smiles a lot more than in the last... 35 years ?

    Compare it with 2007, he was way quieter to me...

    I know this discussion is now becoming kind of "pointless" since the tour has begun, but I like to think about alternative choices they could make (just as a game). Especially because we know some songs were rehearsed and didn't make the cut...

    - Instead of playing Turn It On Again, they could segue Duke's Intro with Abacab (only the sung part, without the instrumental part, like the single): it's the same kind of straight 8th notes pattern as TIOA. It should work in G, like TIOA now. That way, we have a track from the Abacab album in the setlist. Mike would play the bass and Daryl the guitar, since it's what they are playing for Duke's Intro ;

    - Playing Misunderstanding, and then Duchess ;

    - I like the country feel of "That's All", but they also could choose Supper's ready (only the Lovers Leap section).

    - Instead of The Lamb, why not Ripples (without the instrumental part) ? We would have a track from Trick of the Tail (I admit that its omission in the setlist kind of disturbs me, it's like there is something missing...)

    - As a final second encore after Carpet Crawlers (I am specifically thinking about the London Shows, their very last), why not the closing section of Musical Box in D instead of F#, maybe segueing into the closing section of Watcher of the Skies in D also (you know, with a slow rubato transition, like when they played It>WOTS in 1976 or The Lamb>WOTS in 1982)


    I would be very happy with that, because all the albums, except CAS, would have been played at least a little (for Trespass, there is the Stagnation bit in IKWIL).

    Playing Misunderstanding makes sense, even if I prefer Duchess over this one (and I love Misunderstanding too), since it had success in America and has a kind of "American" feel over Duchess, which seems much more "British" to me (and I'm French, so you will probably find my view laughable).


    I had a kind of strange wish, that they would perform poppier songs in America (because I always have the impression that America, in general, is much more fond of "pop music" than "prog" - I know, especially speaking of Genesis, that it is much more subtle than putting things in these two boxes, it is just to summarize my point), and then coming back to Europe, for the last concerts in London, they would think "Now that we have done the pop stuff... let's choose a few surprising numbers... and let's end this tour with the final bit of Musical Box or Watcher Of The Skies".

    But I know it's not going to happen.

    Eleventh Earl Of Mar.

    I can still see my mum putting the tape in the old portable cassette recorder she had, to test it.

    I was hooked by the intro, I think because of the strange melody... And then there is Hackett's part "Time to go to bed now..." then the unexpected climax "Features are burning... BAMMM !"

    I was like... "wow... !"

    What comes next is One For The Vine, another masterpiece, so basically after this song, everything could happen, I was a fan.

    If we stay in the "pop/rock" area, I have 3 bands/artists that are essential part of my life since my childhood :

    Genesis

    Neil Young (I discovered him first, at 5 or 6 years old)

    Prince (I discovered him quite late, in 2011 at 18-19 years old, and the first thing that came to my mind was "How is it possible that I have missed that for so long ??)


    Being a Genesis fan, I also love everything in their "area" :

    Sting and The Police

    Kate Bush

    Pink Floyd

    Supertramp

    Alan Parsons Project


    I'm into jazz and classical music too :

    Debussy and Ravel (I was listening to their work before getting into Genesis, again as a child, and since both had a strong influence on Tony Banks, I understand why Wind and Wuthering had such an impact on me...)

    Thelonious Monk

    Miles Davis

    Bill Evans

    Keith Jarrett

    Quote

    It's a bit like saying Cinema Show would be just as good without the instrumental parts, isn't it...

    You know, Cinema Show instrumental is based on a Banks/Collins/Rutherford jam... So, what's your point ? Hackett is God ? Everything without him is shit ?


    Hackett himself said it took some time before daring to compose and propose things to the band, because he didn't feel as strong as the others. So he wasn't "all over the place" at all. There are greater chances that any bit you like in the "classic-prog" era was actually composed by Gabriel/Banks/Rutherford.

    It wasn't until he released his first album that he felt he was strong enough, and from this point, he never stopped composing but his ideas were often rejected, for being too... "convoluted" I think.

    The problem is, I think, that he thought his role had to evolve in the band : he went from a "shy" player, greatly contributing to the sound, but not composing too much (For Absent Friends, Can-Utility, end of Moonlit Knight, After the Ordeal, Cuckoo Cokoon), to a full composer asking for an equal share.

    At the same time, Banks and Rutherford, who were founders of the band, were also composing a lot. The position and status were different.

    So Steve chose to leave...

    The band went on, Steve too...


    It's not that dramatic. We should get over it, it has been 44 years.

    He is 17 years old. He plays drums first and foremost, and he has done a lot of Genesis covers (and I mean very, very good ones...) but he is also a multi-instrumentalist.

    He has released two albums so far, one 2 years ago, the other this year.

    Well, the music speaks for itself... I think you will like it. I thought it was so good that I had to create a Youtube account to comment about it and congratulate him...


    First album :

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    Playlist : https://www.youtube.com/watch?…sNZtt8QwsO9SQBAaZhReGb8Xc


    The second one :

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    Playlist : https://www.youtube.com/watch?…vSpfpyAGO27ebldvwj-UguaHY


    A cover (and there are others to listen too...) :

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    Apparently, there is a new sub-variant of the Delta coronavirus appearing in England : the AY4.2. (nice name, isn't it...).

    Hope it's nothing too serious, now that a good proportion of people are vaccinated, in England and elsewhere (roughly...). Let's hope everyone won't suffer and go to the hospital.


    Fingers crossed for March 2022 !

    Well, I'm not expecting this thread to go very far. I made some research before, and found nothing related to the idea I have... which is :

    - To post anything related to the band and its members that makes you laugh, even when it's stupid like this :

    https://va.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_qzmarhl8m91zsy4xt.mp4



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    ;)

    "Cocktails with Pattie Boyd..."

    Quote

    the former wife of George Harrison

    How is it possible that I didn't make the connection right away !?

    Her name did ring a bell with me but I couldn't figure why...

    Now it just seems so obvious...


    There is a rumor, which is that George Harrison played on Hideaway, the final song of Mike's second solo album.

    Since Pattie seems to know Mike for a long time, that rumor could gain in consistency...


    EDIT : Actually, not a rumor anymore, but a fact it seems. Someone named Martyn Ford on Youtube put a comment under this video. Since he's credited as the string arranger for the track...


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