WIND & WUTHERING

"Wind & Wuthering" is the final album to feature lead guitarist Steve Hackett. Ironically, his presence isn't felt as Tony Banks dominates this album. The music on "Wind & Wuthering" has a wintry and romantic quality. Like other Genesis albums, this album contains a lot of great moments, but also not so great moments. Based on what I have heard from Genesis fans, it seems that most people prefer "A Trick of the Tail" over "Wind & Wuthering", but I actually prefer the latter, mainly due to the impeccable structure. Phil Collins also sounds a bit more confident in himself as a singer on this record and has many great vocal moments.

"Eleventh Earl of Mar" opens the album, and reminds me a lot of the neo-progressive rock music of the eighties and nineties. This song goes through some dynamic changes and provides a powerful start to the album. Mike Rutherford's bass playing is quite good on this track. "One for the Vine" is a Tony Banks piano ballad which ebbs and flows in and out of loud, fast sections and soft, slow sections. "Your Own Special Way" is a saccharine Mike Rutherford pop ballad. I used to detest this song, but now I have actually come to enjoy it. This song is indicative of the music that the band would go on to write on subsequent albums. "Wot Gorilla?" is a jazz fusion number with great Phil Collins drumming. Tony Banks plays similar themes on the keyboard that were heard on "One for the Vine."

The second side of the album would be perfect if it wasn't for "All in a Mouse's Night," which is the weakest song on the album. It's Genesis continuing the trend of including one frivolous song on each album, and while it does have some interesting moments, it's a superfluous track. I think that this album could be a masterpiece if Genesis replaced "All in a Mouse's Night" with "Inside and Out," which was included on the "Spot the Pigeon" EP and is immeasurably superior. "Blood on the Rooftops" is my favorite song on "Wind & Wuthering." It begins with a classical guitar piece which then leads into the song. The atmosphere surrounding this song is magical. Every time the band transitions into the chorus, the music explodes and is pleasing to the ear. The following three tracks all bleed into each other, bringing the album to an epic ending. "Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers..." is an ambient piece, similar to the interludes on "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway." "...In That Quiet Earth" is the grand instrumental of the album, and sounds like a song lifted from a Steve Hackett solo album. Towards the end, the band enter one of the heaviest sections of the record, and I can't help but head-bang to the music. "Afterglow" is the final track on "Wind & Wuthering," and is another favorite Genesis song of mine. It's a climactic ending to a great album, and I almost think I prefer the "Second's Out" live version of the song, as it feels even more epic and climactic. The vocal harmonies are sublime.

"Wind & Wuthering" is the end of an era for Genesis. After this album, they would go in a completely different musical direction while still retaining some of their progressive rock disposition. "Wind & Wuthering" is a bittersweet album for me, as it feels like the final "classic" album from the band, though I do enjoy "Duke" quite a bit. Most fans of Genesis see the band as having different eras, most notably the Peter Gabriel era and the Phil Collins era. Personally, I think Genesis changed the most when Steve Hackett was in the band and when he resigned from the group. I'm giving this album four stars, though I would give it four and a half if I could. It's not quite a masterpiece but better than most four star albums.