WIND & WUTHERING

This was the last great prog rock album by Genesis, a farewell to Steve Hackett, and his unique and mixed down contributions to the music of Genesis. WAW has some of the most classic Genesis songs, and a couple of inevitable time wasters. This was Tony Banks' favourite album, and it's not surprising when you read the credits. The album opens with the sinister sounding 'Eleventh Earl of Mar' a song which grabs your attention instantly with a very unusual minor chord which gives way to a warmer, though quite dramatic passage into the first verse. The production is bright, classy, hi- tech and way ahead of its time. The drums are powerfull and deep, and the keyboards rich and warm sounding. You know from the first track that they were on a positive vibe when writiing this album, probably as a result of the success of 'Trick of the tail' and of course relief that the world had accepted a Genesis with Peter Gabriel. The second song 'One for the Vine' is a Tony Banks classic. He took almost a year to get this song right, coming back to it in between writing the rest of the album. OFTV is a masterpiece of prog rock. It moves through a variety of moods and musical styles, sometimes sounding like a film score, then sounding like the Beatles, then ending up on a magnificient keyboard driven plain of prog ice (read the lyrics and you'll get my metaphor!) Its after OFTV that disaster strikes. Mike Rutherfords drippy ballard 'Your own special way' is next. It's not appalling, by any means, just lame when stood next to the rest of the album. 'Follow you follow me' from '..and then there were three' still makes 'Your own special way' sound like 'In the cage', dont get me wrong. I've heard worse from post Gabriel Genesis. Much worse. I just think Mike Rutherford should have retained this essentially crap song for one of his solo efforts. What would be the end of side one on Vinyl, is 'Wot Gorilla' a pointless Banks/Collins instrumental designed to use up the end of the studio tape...or something. I cant think of an intelligent reason for including the track on the album. Steve Hackett had presented a song called 'Please dont touch' to the band, which was rejected by Collins, in favour of 'Wot Gorilla'!!!! Anyone who has heard 'Please dont touch' which ended up on Hacketts second solo album, will agree that it is clearly superior to 'Wor Gorilla' The anti Hackett politics was much in evidence here, I think. The rest of WAW is consistently very good music. The lyrics to 'All in a mouses night' are barely worth commenting on, but the music is classic Banks driven Genesis. 'Blood on the rooftops' 'Unquiet slumbers..In that quiet earth' are classic contributions from Steve Hackett, rich in melody, very memorable and very moody. Another review has criticised the moodiness of this album, but I think its the underlying melancholy in Genesis that give them their appeal. WAW is rich in melancholy, and for that reason I feel is one of their best albums overall. The album concludes with 'Afterglow' an anthem to most Genesis fans.

I had been tempted to give this album 5 stars. If Phil Collins hadn't hadn't rejected Steve Hacketts 'Please dont touch' I may well have done.