Posts by Micklemus

  • GENESIS - Consistent five tracks

    Suppers Ready (Live 77)

    The Musical Box

    Fly On A Windshield / Broadway Melody

    Blood On The Rooftops

    Entangled

    Los Endos (Live 77)

    Firth Of Fifth (version varies depending on mood)


    Oh that’s eight already, damn it. And the chances are that my other two would normally be Cinema Show (live) and Stagnation as well!

  • TotW 11/27/2023 - 12/03/2023: GENESIS - The Battle Of Epping Forest

    FAR too busy. There is already a lot going on musically, so the lyrics piled on top make it an uncomfortable listen. There are few songs by Genesis that I actively avoid, nearly all of them are on the last two studio albums, and then there's this one. It would have been better if Peter had tried not to out do the musicians, or it would have given the illusion of being better if it wasn't on an album full of Genesis masterpieces. A generous 8 for clever musicianship but the song leaves me cold and wishing for it to end. I agree with the earlier comment that Get 'em Out by Friday worked better by miles as one of Gabriel's story songs.

  • MIKE + THE MECHANICS - Living Years (album thread)

    Feels like a lifetime ago that I saw them at Hammersmith on that tour. Nobody's Perfect was the opening track, as on the album, I remember that much. That odd synth sample like a cross between Jan Hammer and a strangled penguin going on for ages while they all came on; a sort of gnarled imitation of the Mama drum machine intro on the IT tour, but done left-handed on a Casio keyboard from Woolworths.


    As for the album, I gave it a listen a few weeks back and it doesn't work for me now. It was middle-of-the-road at the time, but now it seems to have acquired some extra large chunks of cheese. Black and Blue, oh come on. Too much of the Rutherford aspect that gives me the hump - a very basic and polite guitar riff with 80s keyboards and production dolloped around it. Like Invisible Touch, but considerably worse. I definitely preferred the album at the time, although even then I preferred the previous one.


    However, back to Hammersmith, I remember the bass line on Nobody's Perfect was of the Richter scale level, like when Genesis were giving it the "sheets of double glazing" live. Which (sort of) leads me back to when I think Rutherford is at his best. Balls out, giving it large. Wallop, have it, that sort. Eleventh Earl over Don't, that sort of thing. And please don't anybody tell me Poor Boy Down had the required cajones. Oh no. Balls out every time. The alternative of politely cupped balls happened too often in the 80s and didn't bring much satisfaction! "It must be haaaaaarrrrdddddd"!!!


    Still, the single was a massive hit and is loved by local radio to this day.

  • GENESIS - Seconds Out - album thread

    Great review of a great album. This was the album that got me hooked on Genesis at 11 years old and I still love it. For me they never sounded better than here, in the studio or live.


    I like the review's description of its "ethereal" sound, which to me is spot on. The arrangements were perfect for those songs, delicate when needed, incredibly powerful at times, but never overblown or fatiguing.


    Genesis at their peak as far as I am concerned.


    10/10

  • 50th Anniversary - GENESIS: Selling England By The Pound - some questions for you

    1. When did you buy Selling England By The Pound (or have received it as a gift)?

    About 1983


    2. How old were you when Selling England was released?

    2


    3. Was Selling England your first Genesis album? If not, how many Genesis albums did you own before getting Selling??

    Nope. It started with Duke for me, then Seconds Out, Trespass, Abacab, And Then There Were Three, The Lamb, Foxtrot and Three Sides Live


    4. If you had to rank all Genesis albums, where does Selling England stand?

    Always in my Top 5, which usually consist of Selling, The Lamb, Trick, Wind & Wuthering and Seconds Out. The order changes depending on mood.


    5. Which track was your favourite when you bought the album?

    Cinema Show


    6. Which track is your favourite today?

    Firth of Fifth


    7. Which track do you think is the best track on the record despite your own taste?

    Firth of Fifth. Love the near-classical arrangement.


    8. How many versions of the album have you bought / owned? (Vinyl, CD, Remaster, Cassette, SACD etc)

    Cassette, vinyl, CD and 5.1

  • Phil Collins - Going Back (album)

    Very similar here. Got it, listened to a couple of tracks and I appreciated the care that had been taken to recreate the Motown sound. However, nobody was going to match the originals, not even Phil, and his voice wasn't suited to many of the songs even if he loved them.


    It might just be me though. With the band and most of the individual members my interest in new material diminished after certain points in time. In Phil's case "Going Back" was beyond the event horizon for me.

  • The Genesis Museum: A book about collecting Genesis stuff and collectors

    Mine’s just arrived, so I’ve not read it yet. First impressions from flicking through: it’s made to last and has many pictures that I haven’t seen before in the well-known releases. However it’s about collectors and rarities, so if you’re looking for more from the band members then don’t fork out for this one. Definitely for collectors, as the title suggests.