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Genesis - Nursery Cryme CD (album) cover

NURSERY CRYME

Genesis

 

Symphonic Prog

4.42 | 3577 ratings

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natewait
4 stars What a magical album Nursery Cryme is! Genesis are a band that is very near and dear to my heart since they are one of the first prog bands I was introduced to when my dad was getting me interested in progressive rock. This is in fact the first Genesis album I ever heard (my dad liked to go through the albums chronologically and he didn't have a copy of Trespass). It was a magical experience, and because of it, I'll always view this album in high regard. I'm going to keep this review short since so much has already been said about it, but I'll point out some highlights.

"The Musical Box" is one of the greatest Genesis songs, and it is 10 minutes full of highlights. It goes from the two different Genesis extremes, starting with a calm pastoral passage where the focus is on gentle tinkling acoustic guitar and flute before becoming a high charged powerhouse with Phil Collins pounding away at the drums. One of the reasons this band was so special was because of the character that Peter Gabriel put into his vocal performances. I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of the tone of his voice, but the character and emotion more than makes up for it. "For Absent Friends" is a pleasant acoustic number that gives Phil Collins a chance to sing. I really like his vocals and feel they are a good compliment to Peter Gabriel.

"Return of the Giant Hogweed" shows the bands tendency to delve into more fantastical lyrics. This is one of the heavier Genesis songs, and it is always a lot of fun to listen to with some great keyboard work from Tony Banks. "Seven Stones" is another pleasant ballad, this time sung by Peter Gabriel. It is beautiful and fits the tone of this album brilliantly. "Harold the Barrel" is a more whimsical song that has a bouncy beat and is a lot of fun to listen to. "Harlequin" is another brilliant acoustic ballad that fits in nicely with the other two on the album. Very beautiful and nice to the ears.

Opening with beautiful mellotron is the brilliant "The Fountain of Salmacis". Steve Hackett does some brilliant guitar work in this album as the buildup occurs to the grand finale complete with choir and magnificent mellotron. This song is absolutely astounding and a brilliant closer to a brilliant album. I love this album because it shows a very young band already coming into maturity. I am impressed with both this album and Trespass because of the amount of complexity and originality this band had right from the beginning of their career.It is magical and there is not a bad moment on the whole album. It is a necessicity for all prog fans.

natewait | 4/5 |

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