FOXTROT

Foxtrot came after Nursery Cryme, and this meant Genesis had a lot they had to prove this time around. Gabriel had become one of THE GREATEST frontmen in the history of rock already- wearing bizzare costumes and cavorting around the stage like a madman. The group now had a great drummer, and they sounded extremely confident about their direction on Nursery Cryme. I've always looked at Foxtrot as something of a departure and a continuation at the same time on their past work. There is less really really heavy tracks and more melodies, more complexity, nothing demonstrates their ability to lump every genre of music imaginable and unimaginable together than "Supper's Ready." How many bands can cover a side with a suite and not get boring at least for a small section of it? Not many, and Genesis are THE BEST. My only complaint is Steve Hackett's unneccessary whining guitar at the end of "Watcher Of The Skies." I've always thought it was a dumb inconsequential ending to a great song. That said, there is nothing here I would change and out of all the Genesis records I consider masterpieces this one is the one that will probably be in my memory as a tear jerking representation of a happy time in my life. With that time long in the past and with the music still something I listen to I can say that Genesis together with (don't laugh) Uriah Heep have aged the best of bands from this era. There simply isn't a datedness about the music, and with Peter Gabriel how could there be. Side One contains two tracks that are overlooked even by afficianados of the group sometimes- "Timetable" about Medieval England and many other things and "Can Utility And The Coastliners." The latter song is astonishing both lyrically and musically. I actually am always asking the same question after I hear it: "How Are They Ever Gonna Top This?" Well, "Supper's Ready" comes and covers all of side two and Genesis take off into some strange universe known only to them. I have tried to write like this song, with all the subtleties and all the most vulgar elements too- rarely do I succeed and rarely does anyone succeed. I still don't quite know what the story is about, but I don't think you are supposed to know: it's Gabriel's secret. I believe that this is Tony Banks' best performance for a whole record and also Mike Rutherford's. Gabriel's voice is just splendid. Foxtrot also is a special album because Genesis would enter a slightly new phase on their next studio album Selling England By The Pound. That would be a switch to something for the most part much mellower and dreamier. This isn't to say that they would never be intense again, just that the kind of intensity heard on Trespass, Nursery Cryme, and parts of this album would take a backseat to some of the softer elements of their sound. This album represents a special place in time when anything was possible. I treasure it.