THE FUGITIVE

What shall we call this album, BANKS' first attempt at pop? I have a feeling the boy just wanted to have fun, play around a little, get away from the old GENESIS routine. Ok, I'll admit it: I'm biased when it comes to Tony B. - the man simply can do no wrong. But it wouldn't be fair to all of you proggers so I'll try to be honest. I suppose if an unknown artist has put this album out, no one (including myself) would have cared to listen to it, save go out and buy it. But it just so happens that we, prog-starved mongrels of the boring 80's, would get our hands on anything remotely G-related at the time. "The Fugitive" is far from genial but some tunes do save the day: "This Is Love", "And the Wheels Keep Turning", "By You" and the instrumental track "Thirty-Three's" do it for me. As for "Charm", it is quite moving but every time hear it, I feel as though it had been recorded from a warped LP, or one with an off-centered middle hole. As for TONY's voice, it's surely not stunning but it does have its charms; I personally prefer it to all the average vocalists he has hired over the years.

"The Fugitive" is a nice piece of memorabilia and perhaps your only chance to hear him 'warble' his own tunes (as Dave Connolly so wittily put it) on an entire album.