FOXTROT

While Genesis has, in my opinion, released several masterpieces, "Foxtrot" stands out as it is the closest Genesis has come to reaching perfection. Every Genesis album is flawed to a certain extent, but on "Foxtrot," I can't seem to find any flaws, which is part of the reason why it's my favorite Genesis album. Each song is breathtakingly beautiful. This album made a huge impact on me when I first heard it and made me even more obsessed with progressive rock music than I was before I listened to it. When it comes to seventies progressive rock, I don't think that it gets better than this. Genesis defined the sound of progressive rock in the seventies and are arguably the most influential band of this genre. "Foxtrot" sees the band gaining confidence in themselves as a unit and in my opinion, this album is Genesis' magnum opus. I can't praise it enough.

"Watcher of the Skies" is a dark opening track. The minute and a half mellotron intro sets the mood for the song and album perfectly. At first, when I listened to this song, I remember thinking to myself, "What is this that I am listening to?" It didn't take me long to realize how epic this song truly was, because once the rhythm section rises underneath those haunting mellotron chords, I get full body chills. That then leads into the verse which contains Peter Gabriel's bounciest vocal performance ever. The polymeter during the coda feels odd but it works extremely well and resolves in a satisfying way at the end of the song. "Time Table" is a ballad with a beautiful vocal performance by Gabriel. The main piano melody sounds like it could modulate up for eternity until the song fades out. "Get Em' Out By Friday" reminds me of "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" off of "Nursery Cryme," as it is somewhat amusing. The song is borderline musical theater as Peter Gabriel portrays different characters. "Can-Utility and the Coastliners" is one of the most underrated Genesis songs. It's quite dense considering that it's not even six minutes and it goes through so many musical and dynamic changes, making it a dramatic end to the first side.

The second side is the piece de resistance of "Foxtrot," as if the first side wasn't already incredible. It opens with "Horizons," which is a Bach-inspired classical guitar piece and acts as a prelude to the twenty-three minute epic, "Supper's Ready." This piece is in my top three songs of all time. It captures everything that makes Genesis special. "Supper's Ready" contains seven sections which all bleed into each other seamlessly. "Lover's Leap" is the first section and is similar to the beginning of "The Musical Box" as it features twelve-string acoustic guitars. The bass pedals give the piece a feeling of foreboding, like the calm before the storm. "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man" is the first bombastic moment on the album, and it gives the listener a mere taste of what's to come. Steve Hackett's emotive guitar playing and Tony Banks' melodic keyboard playing complements Peter Gabriel's voice beautifully. This section smoothly transitions into "Ikhnaton and Itsacon and Their Band of Merry Men" which brilliant portrays the feeling of going into battle with Phil Collins' snare rolls, Tony Banks' cascading keyboards, and Mike Rutherford's galloping rhythm guitar. "How Dare I Be So Beautiful?" provides a nice break in the song which is then interrupted by "Willow Farm", which reminds me of "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" by The Beatles. Up to this point, "Supper's Ready" was another "The Musical Box" kind of piece, but the ugly chord progression in this section juxtaposes every other section of the piece, making it unlike anything Genesis has ever written. The song is brought down again dynamically as we transition into "Apocalypse in 9/8 (Co-Starring the Delicious Talents of Gabble Ratchet)". It starts with classical guitar and flute and slowly crescendos until the drums enter. Like the title says, the song is in 9/8 time, and is one of the most intricate pieces of music I've ever heard. This section alone captures some of the best playing from Tony Banks and Phil Collins. When Peter Gabriel starts singing during the "666" lyric, the music is so intense, and Gabriel's vocals for the rest of the piece are some of his most passionate. "Supper's Ready" ends with "As Sure as Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet), which reprises "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man", but this time, the music is slower and more powerful. The lyrics paired with each musician's performance is absolutely magical, and I can't help but feel emotional at this point in the song. It takes what is already an amazing album, and elevates it to a stratospheric level.

In conclusion, "Foxtrot" is an essential masterpiece of progressive rock music. Very few albums come close to or even surpass "Foxtrot" in terms of quality of music. While some may argue there are other superior Genesis albums, for me, this is without question my favorite release of theirs. This album, to put it simply, makes life better.