WIND & WUTHERING

I've read that this is Genesis's last great album before they became Phil Collins and the Genesi (which would be a great band name, by the way). I've read that the album maintains Genesis's original explosive progression. In my opinion, I read wrong.

This is not Genesis's last great album; it would have to be a great album first, which it most certainly is not. It has its moments, but on the whole, this album feels too much like a Collins album. He hasn't completely hijacked the sound like he did in the 80's, but his influence is definitely there. If Genesis in the 70s was a pristine mountain lake located in the mountains of Colorado, and 80s "Genesis" was a putrescent toxic waste dump, this album is like a farmer's pond. It still supports life, but the water is fairly stagnant and oxygen poor, and the surface bears a film of oil. The water is murky and is certainly not something you'd want to swim in unless it was scorching hot outside and you were desperate. Likewise, this album is no comparison to the band's golden years, but it is still listenable.