TRESPASS

1970's Trespass could be considered the first proper album from Genesis after the poor From Genesis to Revelation album, but generally I feel that Trespass has been left in the shadows due to the success of the later classic albums from the band such as Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot. Even I had my doubts and preconceptions of this album but I was more than glad to find out that they all would soon to be proven wrong.

Overall Trespass is very balanced and great piece of work. The progressive element of Genesis might not had yet reached its peak as it would on the albums to follow Trespass, but I think that the listener will get a pretty good idea where Genesis would be heading next. Even though the tracks are not as progressive as you would expect from Genesis, they work as songs pretty well. The overall soundscape on this album is quite calm and peaceful and it represents perfectly Genesis as a sophisticated and elegant band. The music is well constructed and it has a large number of layers in it, which can be difficult to notice first due to the relatively poor quality of the recording and the low-level volume. For example the brilliancy of Anthony Phillips's guitar playing and Peter Gabriel’s flute playing can be left unnoticed if not listened carefully. So in order to get the most out of this album it should be listened in quiet place without any noise or sounds to distract the listener.

The album kicks off with the track Looking for Someone which is not so special in itself, but nevertheless works fine as an opener of the album. The following track White Mountain is entirely different story and proves perfectly that Trespass is a great album. The song is quite beautiful and sensitive and it contains one the most beautiful flute solo I can think of. White Mountain also presents brilliantly Gabriel’s odd singing style and the storytelling concept in the lyrics, which became very popular on the Genesis albums to follow Trespass. Visions of Angels has a little melancholic vibe in it even though it is much more lighter experience than the previous track White Mountain. Visions of Angels has also some great flute playing in it and overall the musical layers are constructed brilliantly. Stagnation starts off very calmly and quietly, but brightens up at the end where another completely different side of Gabriel's personal singing style can be heard. Anthony Banks provides an excellent and hypnotic mellotron solo for the song as well. Dusk is easily the most peaceful and calm track on the album and it has some mellow and soft choir parts, which work like a dream. The album reaches its peak with the track The Knife which fires up right away with a suprisingly rocking organ riff by Anthony Banks and Anthony Phillips offers a couple ripping electric guitar solos. It’s only a shame that the quality sound is quite poor on the album. Overall this track differs from the others by being more energetic and works perfectly as the closing track. Along with Stagnation this track also differs from the rest by having a more progressive song structure that would define the sound of Genesis in the future.

In general Trespass is a quite fine album, better than you might expect. I recommend the album for everyone who enjoys other classic Genesis albums such as Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot or Selling England by the Pound and overall Trespass is a fine addition to any progressive music fan’s record collection.