FOXTROT

In rather quick succession in 1974/1975 I had purchased a number of Genesis albums - Selling England by the Pound then Live and then in a single outlay in what was really extravagant for a working class boy from the outer suburbs of Melbourne (Australia) - Trespass, Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot.

Although eventually I would grow to 100+ vinyl LPs (no singles) and more recently 500+ CDs, I still find these early Genesis recordings (through to W+W) amongst my favourites. The reason being the originality in both the song writing and the lyrics which were always at a consistently high standard. I still hear lots of the ideas in this early Genesis being reference in later bands.

My purchase of Foxtrot was the US pressing from an Import Shop. Like Nursery Cryme this was not a gatefold sleeve so the lyrics and stories were missing but I was unaware of this at the time.

Expectations were again very high given the I had already heard of SEPTB, Live, Trespass, Nursery Cryme (although the production quality on Trespass and Nursery Cryme were poor - which I put down in part to the poor quality vinyl on the US pressing).

Again, there is no need to repeat in detail what others have said about Foxtrot. Foxtrot represents a natural progression from Nursery Cryme and displays a band with confidence and strong musicianship to now match the song writing.

Watcher is the classic concert opener and is performed at its best on Live. Timetable is a beautiful song balanced by lyrics that tell a story (tale). And perhaps this is what makes Genesis very different to almost all other bands. The lyrics convey a story with a start and a finish, as demonstrated on the following tracks "Get 'Em Out by Friday" and "Can-Utility and the Coastliners".

Side 1 completed . 4 almost perfect songs. What more could be expected?

Side 2 opens with Steve's short acoustic guitar piece "Horizons" which for a long time I thought was the actual introduction for the tour-de-force of Supper's Ready. Full of time changes, booming bass, hypnotic organ, word plays and biblical imagery. Play it loud, play it soft, play it in the dark, in the light, in the morning, in the night...the magic is always there. If Genesis had only produced a single track like Supper's Ready they would be in a Prog Hall of Fame. That almost each track on each record - Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound are of comparable quality is outstanding.

And perhaps what is even more outstanding is that whilst "The Lamb" goes in a different direction it meets, and arguably passes, the high standard already set.

4.9 Stars.

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