NURSERY CRYME

''The Musical Box'' ought to be one of those songs one person must be required to have listened to in order to earn ''prog fan'' credentials. It's one of the first prog pieces I've heard way back when I was first getting into the genre; that classic soft intro to hard and heavy middle to epic conclusion sounds great to me even if countless other bands make this structure sound terribly forced.

''The Return of the Giant Hogweed'' and ''The Fountain of Salmacis'' are nothing to scoff at either; the subject matter might be corny, but the grandiose majesty of the instrumentation more than makes up for it. Rutherford and Collins really let their instrumental talents known on these pieces, but to most proggers, Hackett's spider-like guitar work and the mellotron infestation of the ''Salmacis'' are the highlights (and I certainly can't disagree).

''Harold the Barrel'' is a massively overlooked track that manages to cross a wicked sense of humour with a spellbinding musical performance that takes many twists and turns. ''Harlequin'' and ''Seven Stones'' are nice tunes, but practically unmemorable. ''For Absent Friends'' does it for me better for its relatively short length and Phil Collins's vocals which are quite restrained here.

Magnificently epic barring slight production faults, but the compositional quality is what makes NURSERY CRYME one of those elite classic of progressive rock.