FOXTROT

The test of time is one of the hardest things for an album to pass. Is it possible for an album that was adoured 30 years ago to sound just as good today or again in 10 years time. Well with Foxtrot Genesis seems to pull iy off, though we'll have to wait 10 years for second bit.

From the intro of Watcher Of The Skies to the outro of Suppers Ready there isnt one dull moment on this record and that is quite impressive. As everyone knows, Watcher Of The Skies, Get Em Out By Friday and Suppers Ready are the celibrated pieces and to be honest they rightly should be, all three are fantastic tracks and the strongest on the album. Suppers Ready inparticular has influenced many bands since as it is the ubiquetus epic weighing in at 23 minutes it mianders through up tempo passeges and slow, quiet sections all the time being held together by a fantastical story and the reguler returns to the acoustic oveture that gives this song a backbone that all other sections are based around. Specific mention should go to the tracks last five minutes, parts 6 and 7. Apocalypse in 9/8 is a truly evil passage that raises the hairs on the back of the neck like few others and it quitly segues into As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs witch finishes the song witht the anthemic Jerusalum, a passage that just begs the listner to sing along.

However there are parts of this album that get overlooked at times, most noticably Time Table. Now i know that many people on this site have called Time Table the albums weakist track and to an extent their right, but that shouldnt be held against it as it still holds me rapt. Can-Utilaty And The Coastliners is a wonderfull track that sadly has the misfortune to be the follow up to Get Em Out By Friday, so has resulted in it being overlooked by some people. When you listen to this album, be sure to give Can-Utilaty... your undivided attention, you wont be sorry. Finaly Horizons is a very nice, short acoustic track that shows Steve Hackets abilatys and acts as a really nice interlude before the magnum opus of Suppers Ready.

In short, this is one of the greatest albums I have ever heard, it is essential to all prog fans and must be given the time it deservs to be fully apreciated. 5 stars.