FOXTROT

We open the album with Watcher Of The Skies. It starts with some majestic sounding Mellotron, which feels very sci-fi-ish. After about two minutes of Tony Banks playing it, the rest of the band fades in. Peter Gabriel's vocals are his strongest yet, and while the song does feel a bit chaotic, it most certainly does not get in the way. Time Table is alright, with an okay electric piano solo. If it was on an album by some other artist, it would've been a highlight. But with the two great mini-epics on this album, it's a bit of a step down. After that we have Get 'Em Out By Friday. Peter's speaking in all sorts of voices here, and while they may seem charming at first, eventually they just become annoying. Closing out Side One is Can-Utility And The Coastliners, which tells of the ancient and well-known legend of King Canute. Heard of it? Yeah, me neither. Nevertheless, it's an okay track, but it once again is a bit chaotic. Opening Side Two is the short and sweet instrumental Horizons, which borrows a bit from Bach and doesn't do much else. Taking up the rest of the side is Supper's Ready, widely considered to be Genesis' masterpiece. You can view it as a medley, but that wouldn't do the song justice. I won't get into the plot of the song much, but basically it's a story which involves a couple traveling across a strange world together. They get turned into seeds down at Willow Farm, and when they finally bloom, they witness the Apocalypse. What bad luck. Overall, the album is a good'un, with its highs and lows, and it's a perfect example of prog rock, warts and all.