NURSERY CRYME

This was my first Genesis album, and was the first Gabriel-era Genesis I had heard(having likely heard a bit of the Collins-era material on the radio). I loved it. The contrast between quiet, lyrical sections and heavy rock resulted in what was almost a life changing experience for me. Steve Hackett's guitar soloing and duel with keyboardist Tony Banks in "The Musical Box" is breathtaking. That song also features a soft, majestic opening, as well as one of my favorite non-segue song endings ever. The next track, "For Absent Friends" is a nice folky number sung by Phil Collins, which I think is very good and quite underrated, in addition to being a nice period of calm after the epic preceding track and the following "Return of the Giant Hogweed". The aforementioned song is rather heavy and loud throughout, which I enjoy, and has some great soloing, as well as a classic performance by Peter Gabriel. I will admit that I often get "Harlequin" and "Seven Stones" confused, although I'm not sure why, as I like "Seven Stones" quite a bit. It is a more down to earth, less dramatic, yet memorable piece. "The Fountain of Salmacis", i think is rather overrated, particularly, as it's compared to "The Musical Box", it is nice, and it is understandable why it's so well loved, but The Musical Box is much different, more diverse and more dynamic.