Gabriel singing Heathaze? That would be incredible.
Of all of the non-Gabriel tracks, I have always thought that about Heathaze and, One for the Vine too, for that matter. I think Gabriel would have done a tremendous job with both of them. Collins is great on those, don't get me wrong, but they would definitely fit with Gabriel singing them. Abacab and going forward, not so much, I'd say. At least I wouldn't say he'd really enhance them.
I think some might have worked on the foursome LPs, but not really in the Gabriel era. Although I've always thought it would be cool to hear Peter Gabriel sing Heathaze, don't know why.
It may be a strange question, but did anyone ever think that this song was talking about Hackett? They say they all get along, but he seems to be excluded often and there is definitely an awkwardness in the interviews on Sum of the Parts.
Interesting review. I have a couple of questions about who writes some of the lyrics. The reviewer seems to attribute Fountain of Salmacis to Gabriel where I always thought it was Rutherford. I think I had read that somewhere and also recall reading that he was particularly into mythology. He wrote the lyrics to Squonk, so that fits too. Anyone know for sure?
He also credits the lyrics to Hogweed to Gabriel, which I think is correct, but at one time questioned it because it doesn't rhyme, which is more characteristic of Banks. Certainly the content seems Gabrielesque, particularly its poking fun at British royalty. I do think this is Gabriel, but was wondering if anyone knew for sure.
While we await the sudden influx of people's opinions on NC here's a review I recently came across on Julian Cope's Head Heritage site.
Harold is a great song and a great lyric. People don't really care. He's inconveniencing their lives like when someone throws themselves in front of a train at rush hour.
"We're all your friends, would you come on down and talk to us Harry?" "You must be joking!!!"
Have heard a number of people over the years refer to the Lamb story as too bizarre and mostly hogwash. I've researched the lyrics thoroughly and feel that as rock operas go, this is by far the most brilliant. A spiritual journey where the protagonist starts out as a street punk and finally achieves the "it", a term from Zen Buddhism, I believe, that refers to the transpersonal self. Tommy, Quadraphenia, the Wall and others, have nothing on Gabriel and this ingenious concept told through all kinds of metaphors from religion and mythology that I'm not going to pretend to fully understand, but much of it is decipherable, despite what many people say about it being a lot of nonsense.
I don't believe Gabriel ever really wastes words with his lyrics. There's not a lot of filler here. Almost every lyric is necessary to get to the over-arching meaning he wants to convey. Though the second album has some weak moments musically, or seems to get too drawn out, the lyrics don't fail and continue to tell of maybe the greatest obstacle in Rael's spiritual evolution, his shedding of his physical (or "earthly") urges, his sexual perversions, as told through the Lamia and the Slippermen. Awesome.
I am always interested in more insight on the Lamb if anyone would like to weigh in. Most of what I've learned was from members on an old forum years ago.
Definitely Nursery Cryme and SEBTP. Third could be Duke, but that may be nostalgic or sentimental because it was my first Genesis album. I remember buying it because of Turn it on Again and when I played it for the first time and heard the first 3 songs, I realized there was a lot more to this band.
But at one time or another, all the 70's albums were my favorite.
Display MoreThe Lamb, Duke and Invisible Touch.
The Lamb remains their most beguiling work. Ahead of its time and so far removed from what everyone else was doing at this point. Genesis never did anything like it before or since; the music has real bite. Yes, the concept is flawed - Peter Gabriel is a singer, not a novelist, and this is the damning proof - but that seems to be part of its charm.
Duke. I may have voted in haste here because I could easily lose Alone Tonight off this album. That said, the album is more than a sum of its parts. The three-man lineup found their feet here and this marks the beginning of a new era for the band. Undoubtedly, Chester and Daryl's playing had a positive effect on the way the band wrote their music. They're looser, much more open to different styles of music and there's an appealing immediacy to the songs that doesn't feel like a compromise.
Invisible Touch. This is where I came in so, even if it wasn't the slice of perfection that it is, I'd still vote for it on the grounds of nostalgia. Every track on this album works. From the unashamed r'n'b of the title track, through the dense soundscapes and mounting drama of Tonight Tonight Tonight to the brilliantly catchy Throwing It All Away. Too young to go and see them on tour, I heard their triumphant performance at Wembley Stadium as broadcast on Radio One (this was back in 1987, when that station still played music) and it introduced me to a whole host of other tunes from their past. Phil Collins availed himself as their perfect front man during that show: self-effacing, unpretentious and a consummate performer.
Haha! Yes, I can imagine that. My first Genesis album was Duke. Then Abacab and Genesis. And then I got Three Sides Live and was blown away by In the Cage. I was already a Yes fan, so I liked prog. Didn't realize they had a prog past. From there, it was all the Gabriel albums and ATOTT and WW and they easily became my favorite band of all time.
I concede that Selling England is probably their finest work, but Nursery Cryme has always been my favorite. It is a perfect album and the three epics on it showcase the talents of the band maybe more than anything else in the catalog. The other songs, while simple, are excellent too. I particularly love the way For Absent Friends acts as a brief respite between the two powerhouses on the first side. Harlequin plays a similar role before Salmacis. The ending of The Musical Box is arguably one of the most climactic moments is rock music and the beginning of Hogweed was incredibly inventive at the time. The album has a definite mood, almost haunting, yet the subtle humor in Harold and Hogweed show us that they're not taking themselves too seriously. SEBTP, The Lamb and Foxtrot always get their well deserved props, but not Nursery Cryme. Why?
