NURSERY CRYME

Funny thing about Genesis. You could hand a knowledgeable music lover their first nine albums and upon several listenings, he would probably be able to put their releases in order, even with no previous experience with their music. Every album has its place musically and sonically. NURSERY CRYMES is leaps and bounds beyond what TRESPASS merely hinted at, but not quite as seasoned and consistent as FOXTROT. If you can get beyond the overall muddy sound quality, NURSERY CRYMES has a lot to offer,and is worthy of rediscovery every year or two. Highlights include THE RETURN OF THE GIANT HOGWEED, an 8min.+ tune that is 100% pure British progressive. Great keyboard/guitar intro that feeds into a driving keyboard melody and urgent vocals dispensing the true tale of a weed that takes over the English countryside. Brilliant! Beautiful, emotionally charged short pieces,(HARLEQUIN), are interwoven with longer compositions,(THE MUSCAL BOX). By far the best piece in this set is THE FOUNTAIN OF SALMACIS. Swelling mellotrons quickly establish this moody piece of Greek mythology. It'll grab you and won't let go until it's over. Clearly, SALMACIS is one of the all-time greatest progressive tunes by anyone, period. Yes, it's that good! By the way, Steve Hackett did a killer update of this song on his GENESIS REVISITED CD. If you're new to GENESIS, I would recommend FOXTROT and THE LAMB... first, then pick up NURSERY CRYMES once you've become acclimated with their unique sound and style.