GENESIS

The tour was called "Mama", the album? Just "Genesis", after all, why would you call an album "Mama" but at the same time, what other name could've given you to this album? That speaks a lot for this album already. What's up with the cover then? Have you seen a less inspired cover than this one aside from the one on the previous album? and even then that one had something in mind, this album cover is one of the things the band recognizes as something they would change if they could go back, yes, that bad.

So, after that, let's hear the songs:

1.- Mama 5/10 From just the beginning of the album you can feel that something is different with the band. This song compared to the rest of the catalogue has a more stripped out approach, yet it builds so much tension, its the better "In The Air Tonight", or should i say the "Genesisided" version of that song, with all those powerful chords and... that. I can't appreciate much of what Mike is doing since he just seems to be following what Tony did, yet i think it was a group effort, he is probably responsible for keeping Tony in check. Also, Phil gives his all here, its incredible, he even laughs for some reason wich adds to the tension i think. Whatever, after all this that i have said, i just can't hear this song in its entirety, i like most of what's done here but it's just a song that takes time to listen and that i don't want to listen most of the times, it bores me now, the first listen is excelent but after that you probably won't come back again until you forget because it really drags out, you just have to like the pulsating drum machine sound A LOT to really enjoy the song, not even hearing it live (on a bootleg) does the trick for me. Sounds kind of ironic, most prog songs take time to get at first, but this one isn't a song that you'll like more in multiple listens, completely on the contrary, i can tell you that i've tried.

2.- That's All 6/10 This is "easy" and addictive to listen and to play on the piano, but aside from that, it repeats a ton, the simplicity of it doesn't hold the song for much and when it reaches the release... it's just boring, i think that's because the piano is playing the notes of what Phil sings. Ok, there's more good here than you'd think, this song has a very small piano solo, a kind of long guitar solo to end the song and in the "boring release part" the drums try to get you interested. Everything is quality, but it's not something that i really want in its entirety, yet for the time that this song lasts, yeah, sure give me all, this pop song is excelent and more complex than you might think, just those parts mess with my patience and are something that i just don't care to hear again and again. With all that said, i can listen more to this song than Mama, that's not saying much though.

3/4.- Home By The Sea 10/10 At first i was very bored, i couldn't believe that prog-rockers where recommending me this song, but as with many prog-rock pieces, the song clicks after a few listens, and it did! I sat down and i started relieving my life on what this song was telling me, the atmosphere, this song can be so simple yet so complex and competent, its incredible. The song was asking me to sitdown and hear, a song where the voice is excelently delivered, yet it feels as if the keys talk more to me than his voice. The second part is an instrumental, so simple yet so addictive, its amazing to hear where this guys go with every tool they have and yet without overusing them, the way all 3 compliment each other musically, and have done since the very early days is something to behold. It's hard to give a song like this a 10, it's not overly complicated, it doesn't exploit every single musical technique or every instrument to its fullest, i don't think that this is the way that we should evaluate everything, Genesis is concerned about feel, this song jumps the rope with that word. A masterpiece that somehow is even better live, so i suggest for you to listen to this album version first and the live versions later, specially the ones from 1987, enjoy.

5.- Illegal Alien 5/10 The joke song on the album, has funny lyrics, funny sounds, sick bass line, nice chords, dumb sounding voice, too much repetitive drum fills. I don't know how they did it to make this song both so annoying and so catchy, the actual piece on a piano is actually a joy to play, this would've been so much better with a simple more stripped down version, yet they went all out with the technology, reutilizing sounds from "I Don't Care Anymore" by Phil, wich is kind of ironic. Yet this song isn't such a surprise, Genesis has like atleast one joke song by album session, what's surprising for many is the topic that was chosen, for me? Not at all, it's a well made joke song that's good fun and very funny as well. Aside from being repetitive, having boring drum fills and a ridiculous voice, i think that this also has too much sound effects, now that those sounds aren't novelty anymore, Nick should release a mix of this song without those sounds.

6.- Taking It All Too Hard 5/10 Why is this so relaxing sounding while Phil screams? When Phil stops screaming, this reminds me a little of "Another Murder of a Day" by Tony Banks, wich is good. I have to say that this song is still kind of boring, most of what sounds gets repeated as much as the pulsating sound in the first song, yet there's something on those keys that keep bringing me back. I really don't know what they where trying to do with this song. The structure is just boring, this was probably part of something else, yet this was a single for some weird reason, defintely something more going on here, i just don't know, maybe i'm taking it all too hard.

7.- Just a Job To Do 6/10 What a slapper, not only are the lyrics good, but the feel of what they're portraying is precise, its not something that sounds very Genesis at first, but the structure and chords, the signature Genesis stuff is still present here. I'm just happy to hear Mike shredding the bass this hard after some time. The biggest downside of this song for me are the brass trumpets, whatever, i think that they don't sound great, the other thing is the parts that are repeated are repeated a little too much and that section where the bass kind of goes away is a little lame, specially because i absolutely dislike rhymes that overuse the "-ing" part, so lazy.

8.- Silver Rainbow 7/10 That beginning is excelent, i really want more of that. I like the sense of urgency that this song does in its length, probably the first song that i truly liked from this album and that i still do. The lyrics are a little weird, yet i prefer the alternative lyrics of this track. The weird chords here have taken a whole new meaning, aside from the forced "hump, hump" through out the song, i would say that this piece is excelent. The instrumental could be named "Badass Bass and Chords + the exquisite Drum Fills". The chorus is so weird, i love it.

9.- It's Gonna Get Better 5/10 I was so dissapointed when i learnt that this track has sampled audio, i was kind of proud that Genesis never sampled anything, yet it was all a lie. At the same time, not only was that dissapointing but after all this time has passed, this song has gotten pretty stale for me, its too chill, the lyrics and inflexions done by Phil are annoying. Its a curious song for me, most of the melody done by bass, guitar riffs and the voice, i really miss Tony here, even though what keeps me listening to this are his own chords, well, if those chords are his anyway.

So, overall, this album grew less for me, over time, Abacab started growing on me more, Invisible Touch and We Can't Dance too, but this one, for me right now is the weakest album, i listen to atleast one song from each album everyday, and this album is the one i always skip. 2/5 Stars.

Share this GENESIS review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to FalconBleck
• Report this review (#1820719)
• Buy GENESIS music online with PA partners
• Show all GENESIS MP3/Stream
• Go to GENESIS page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Genesis page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for GENESIS related discussions