NURSERY CRYME

My purchase of Nursery Cryme (along with Trespass and Foxtrot) was from an import shop in Melbourne (Australia), circa 1975. Unfortunately Trespass and Foxtrot were the US imports and did not have the gatefold cover and therefore none of the lyrics and stories that would have helped put some of the songs in context. But at least I had a 12" cover to explore. Whereas Trespass had a medieval feel which also came through the songs ... the theme for Nursery Cryme was clearly Victorian.

I had already heard The Musical Box and Hogweed from the Genesis Live album so my expectations were very high.

Was I disappointed? No!

Nursery Cryme has already been reviewed in detail on this site and there is not much that I can add. The standouts are of course Musical Box, Hogweed and Salmacis but the other tracks are equally as good...there are no fillers here.

The real surprise for me is "For Absent Friends". This is one of the shortest Genesis tracks ever (at 1:44) and yet it conveys so much with its quirky lyrics and simple structure. I just love it, and give it a courteous nod.

4.7 Stars. The vinyl sound (US pressing) is not the best but is improved on the remastered CD and again on the Box Set