FOXTROT

To me this is the album where Genesis cemented their sound, Steve Hackett and Phil Collins are now well established and any fear that Genesis couldn't carry on without Anthony Philips has been dispelled. Also Peter Gabriel has been wearing his bizarre suits for a while and so the theatrical aspect of Genesis has been born. To me this album has an interesting contrast in its music I don't know if anyone else can pick this up, or If Genesis had tried this consciously, but as the album begins with Bank's classic Mellotron on Watcher of the Skies, the music sounds to me as if this is the beginning of creation (In the Beginning...), as if the world and life on it has begun, the Seven days so to speak, and with that birth you hear a beginning of the the rest of the bands pounding a rythm getting louder and louder building up life, it sounds as if the mist has dispersed and the new creation Genesis has come out its shell. This is a contrast with the end of the album, in Supper's Ready in which the biblical apocalypse and end of the old earth is dealt with in which heaven and earth , and God and man are reunited, in my opinion the music; both the introductory mellotron and ending of Supper's Ready deal with a kind of renewel, which I think is both marvellous, touching and powerful. Gabriel has a great voice idosyncratic, dramatic and powerful. Hacketts small guitar solos on Watcher of the Skies, is touching and powerful, but also in its great uniqueness give the listeners a sense of dizzying heights against the fantastic backing bass of Mike Rutherford and keyboards, which is appropriate since this song is about The Skies, Hacketts guitar sounds like a plane trying to cope with turbulence. The song ends just as powerfully as it begun, In my opinion Genesis were the masters of ending songs with powerful emotive endings with Hacketts masterful powerful guitar work giving dramatic emotional endings. Time Table is a delightful piece reminiscent of A Little Tine Soldier by the Faces, but high quality, Genesis made a potential filler sound like a classic masterpiece, for any other prog act (perhaps other than Yes) this song would be considered a classic. Its just that Genesis have such a group of gifted talented people that anything they touch musically turns to gold, a great piece as well. Get Em Out by Friday is both bizarre musically as well as lyrically. With great imaginative keyboard work by backs, my favourite keyboard parts are when Gabrial sings "I represent a firm...", Banks work on that part of the song is subtle emotional and genius, and directly explains to the listener why he is one of the most important Keyboard players in Progressive Music as a whole. Again you hear Hacketts great guitar work soaring like a jet , Gabrial plays some beautiful flute. This song is a Genesis classic, completely unpredictable and bizarre, yet so elegent and beautiful at the same time. The band in this song manages to condense Humour, insanity, meloncholy and beauty, in the work of genius. As for the lyrics they are so imaginative and unique, about kicking tenants out of their flat because they are going to be replaced with genetically engineered midgits. The building company believe they can fit more tenants in the flat this way thus generating more revenue. I don't know if this song is to be taken as some political metaphor or not, I just love the bizarre lyrics. The song Can-Utility and The Coastliners, is another bizarre piece I have no idea what the heck Gabriel is singing about, but boy! what a great ending, unpredictable and bizarre again, which just proves why Genesis is flat out one of the best Progressive acts of all time. The song has a strong cerebal feel to it with crashing keyboards, and beautiful classical touches to it. Horizons is a lovely classical guitar piece performed solely by Hackett that prepares the listener for the Progressive Juggernaut Supper's Ready. I think Horizens is based on a famous classical piece but I don't know the name of the song nor the composer but I heard it before. Ahh Supper's Ready arguably the greatest twenty minute epic in all of Progdom. Great atmospheric guitars by Hackett, fine keyboard by Banks, well to sum up Just a perfect performance by all of Genesis, with a really powerful ending. An extremely entertaining piece in it called Willow Farm that delights both adults and children alike. The beauty and humour combined make it one of the greatest musical masterpieces ever, this song is incredible. I could say more but this review is overlong as it is. Basically you cannot call yourself a fan of Prog if you do not own this album, its in the top ten on this website for a reason, it is perfection and is amazing and delightful I love all the tracks no fillersl...well... what are you waiting for go and pick up this album at the store.