STILL

A much slightly better follow-up to the underated "Bankstatement". Featuring collaborations with ex-Marillion lead singer Fish on a couple of tracks ("Another Murder Of A Day" is one great song) UK teen idol Nick Kershaw are amongst a host of wonderful musicains, whom were brought along to try to give Tony the commercial breakthrough that he has been looking for, yet with no success.Charles

This is really no further along the curve than "Bankstatement". As for the positive praise that well-meaning souls have laid at the foot of "Still", they've simply set the bar too low. True, it's a professional affair, engaging the services of FISH, Nik Kershaw, Andy Taylor and a returning Jayney Klimek on vocals, but I don't hear where this edges out something like Phil Manzanera's Southern Cross on the road to respectability.

If you're looking for BANKS to write pop songs with a certain amount of emotional soul wringing akin to the late '80s, then here you go. Not that the GENESIS keyboardist doesn't have the right to solicit the same audience as Mike + The Mechanics, but he can do so much more. The second half of "Another Murder of a Day" or even the classy ballad "Still It Takes Me By Surprise" are the sort of payoffs I expected, not FISH lamely stating "You're just a devil with a pretty angel face" (from "Angel Face"). The vocalists are all good (even BANKS acquits himself on "Hero For An Hour"), but like Steve HACKETT's "Please Don't Touch" the rotating cast breeds an air of arbitrariness. There are no instrumentals, which is sort of a shame, and no new ground is broken.

The inclusion of FISH will no doubt intrigue many, but honestly they only click at the end of "Another Murder of a Day" (easily the album's highlight). The rest of the material is merely competent pop music with hints of GENESIS' grandiloquence (a scent of "The Cinema Show" wafts through "Still It Takes Me By Surprise") and nods to BANKS' earlier work ("Hero For An Hour" does recall "And The Wheels Keep Turning"). Maybe I'm foolish to expect Tony BANKS to return to prog's green pastures, since his solo work has never leaned to the left side of GENESIS. If I view "Still" as a further straying into commercial blandness, blame it on my intractable allegiance to earlier ideals that were left by the wayside with the '80s.

Sorry to ruin the party but this album for me was TB's lowest point career wise. It was almost panic stations trying to find vocalists to prove a success formula for commercial acceptance. Thankfully he only really got obsessed by it on this album as Bankstatement and Strictly Inc managed to escape the frenzy. Banks is no doubt one of the finest musicians around but even getting Fish or Nick Kershaw on as guests when their prime had already come and gone was a mistake.

Still it takes me by surprise

With "Still" Tony Banks came up with his finest solo album since "A curious feeling". He took the wise step of surrounding himself with top notch musicians, and taking no more than an equal part in the performance himself. Vocal duties are shared between 80's pop star Nik Kershaw, Fish, Jayney Kilmek, and Andy Taylor, with Banks only stepping up to the mike on "Hero for an hour".

Fish sounds more Gabriel like than ever on "Angel face" but the track is never in danger of becoming a Genesis clone due to the female vocal backing and pop related structure. The first three tracks follow this pop trend, and it's only really with "Still it takes me by surprise" that things click into place. Bank's piano work here is beautiful in its deceptive simplicity, with echoes of the intro to "Firth of fifth". Andy Taylor, gives a vocal performance of great sensitivity. The previous track ("The gift") gives no indication he is capable of such a performance. This track alone justifies obtaining the album.

Nik Kershaw takes inspiration from Taylor's performance, and puts in a fine performance on the closing track, the appropriately named "The final curtain".

Yes the album is rather pop based, Banks was clearly getting desperate for some of the success his then current and former colleagues were enjoying. It is nonetheless, a fine collection, well performed, and very enjoyable.

I'm playing the extremely gorgeous song "The Gift" right now so I thought I'd take the time to right a review for this album.

Seems like Mr. Banks was over his head in the success of We Can't Dance and its supporting tour, so he felt inclined to do an album by himself with the same co-producer on We Can't Dance. This album sounds more proggy than WCD itself, but it has an assortment of good assistants, including Daryl Stuermer (that guitar schmuck who played on tour with Genesis and was a member of Phil Collins' own solo band), Vinnie Colaiuta (the wicked drummer who played with Frank Zappa), Luis Jardim (the percussionist whose name you find on a lot of these sorts of albums), and Pino Palladino (who's currently the touring bassist with The Two - formely known as The Who). The vocalists are also top-notch: Nik Kershaw, Fish (I'd like to hear some of his own music - my friend Lise says he's very good), and a lot more! The cover also looks more poppy than prog, rather yuppyish. But that's how the later Genesis was and I think Mr. Banks took some of Mr. Collins' influences and decided to churn them out on his own!

"Red Day On Blue Street" is an energetic track that sounds kind of like a theme song from a TV drama show. Unfortunately, it goes a bit too long and it's hard for me to keep attention.

"Angel Face" is a dark but touching track sung by Fish. This one is more mellow but more powerful than the previous track.

There is no lovelier pop song from 1992 than "The Gift." Listening to it puts so many images in my head: 1) wandering down the London Drugs on Hastings Street on a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon - 2) lovely female models walking on a platform during a fashion show - 3) useless TV ads for talking with scantily clad females - 4) driving around downtown Vancouver at night with some friends - so many great images for me! There are more, but they are a bit too risque for this site. Whenever I feel lonely, I like to slip this track on and I feel in regalia! The lyrics are also very genial, and Andy Taylor sings them with great emotion! This is the best track on the entire album and a track that I'd give 10 stars to! IT IS LOVELY!

"Still It Takes Me By Surprise" is a tad-too-sweet number that's dominated by Andy Taylor's vocals and Mr. Banks's keyboards. It goes on a bit too long so it's my least favourite on the album.

The happy-go-lucky "Hero For An Hour" is a rare moment when we get to hear Mr. Banks himself sing the song. Mike Rutherford did a terrible job of doing that on his 1982 solo album Acting Very Strange (he was probably trying to sound like any one of Phil Collins' solo albums), but Tony sings with precision and excellence. The lyrics are kind of humourous, and the keyboards are pretty top notch on this track. The lyrics talk about a man who rescues a little girl from danger and becomes the "headline story."

"I Wanna Change The Score" is quite different from anything else on the album. The guitars sound more stadium rock-like and Nik Kershaw sounds a tad like Bryan Adams!

"Water Out Of Wine" is a relaxed track sung by Jayney Klimek. It's not a great track, but the lyrics are kind of enthralling.

"Another Murder Of A Day" is the second best track. Fish comes back to the mic and tries his hand at storytelling. This track suggests a more straightedge version of "Driving The Last Spike," and, as you can probably judge by the title, it sounds like a track out of a mystery movie.

"Back To Back" is a powerful track driven by Vinnie Colaiuta's full-speed drumming.

The gorgeous closer "The Final Curtain" has Nik Kershaw back again, singing some of the sweetest lyrics on the album, and he even sounds as though he's sad the album had to end. And technically, so am I!

I came across this CD at Zulu Records in late November 2002 out of curiosity. I bought it because I was a fan/collector of Genesis and had no idea I was in for one of the most lovely prog albums ever recorded. If you enjoyed We Can't Dance, you're bound to like this album. And if you don't like the Phil Collins-era Genesis much, you'll at least get a fix of Tony Banks's fine songwriting skills.

Unlike "A Curious Feeling" which was produced by David Hentschel (Genesis's producer) and Tony Banks, "Still" is produced by Tony Banks and Nick Davis. The change in producer has in a way impacted on how the album was approached and written. In "A Curious Feeling" Tony used same line-up throughout the whole album but in "Still" he used session players. On vocal department he hired Nik Kershaw, Fish (previously with Marillion), Jayney Klimek and Andy Taylor. While on guitars he hired Genesis's on tour guitarist Daryl Stuermer.

Musically, this album is inferior compared to "A Curious Feeling" in terms of composition. Yes, there are some good tracks like those sung by Fish (it's probably I like Marillion during Fish era that makes me liking these songs). Throughout the album Tony wants to create something more pop than previous album while maintaining his keyboard style like in Genesis. You can find the keyboard solo in "Still it Takes me by Surprise" (6:25) (track 4) is interesting. Overall, it's not bad at all. I can only recommend to the completionist who love the music of Genesis to have this CD in the collection. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Derek Dick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was the first Tony Banks album I ever heard. I was pretty excited because of how good of a writer he is. What I discovered was a very mixed and inconsistent album. By that, I mean that half of it is good and half of is not so much. The songs that Fish sing on is excellent, especially "Another Murder of a Day", which is the best song on the album. Tony does a great job of creating an atmosphere on this song, both with the chords he uses and the guitar sounds that Daryl makes. This song is worth getting the whole album. It is excellent. The other highlights are "Angel Face", "The Gift", "Still It Takes Me By Surprise". "Hero for an Hour" is also good and quite catchy. I really like the synth lines. Overall, a good album. You might have to ignore some of the weaker songs, like "Back to Back" and "I Wanna Change the Score" (despite having parts in 7/4) if you're not tolerant of pop.

Tony Banks is one of my all-time favorite musicians, and I have all but one of his solo albums (The Wicked Lady). Although all of his solo albums can be criticized for inconsistency, I feel that this is his most outstanding work overall. There are a few duds: The Gift, Angel Face, and especially Hero for an Hour. But fortunately, Tony limits his singing only to Hero and elsewhere employs a stellar cast of guest vocalists. And that is what makes most of this album work so well -- instead of trying to do it all himself or employing the same band on every track, he wisely selected different players to suit each song. The results are delightful to hear, especially on Still it takes Me By Surprise, I Wanna Change the Score, Red Day on Blue Street, Another Murder of a Day and the exquisite Final Curtain. As with all of Tony's albums, you will have to learn which tracks to skip over, but most of these songs are richly satisfying.

P.S. Tony, if you're going to hire Pino Palladino, please don't bury him in the mix!

This is another reason to not rate an album on first impressions. When I first got this CD, as a promo when it was released, I absolutely hated it. I listened to it once, and put it away in my collection. On second listen today, it's not quite as bad as I thought. In between the many unmemorable songs there are some glimmers of progressiveness.

Banks' playing on this is mostly straightforward and unchallenging, as it is on most of the Genesis albums of the 80s & 90s. But here and there, he manages to rise up and create something listenable. I would single out the piano solo section of Still It Takes Me By Surprise, and Another Murder Of A Day as the highpoints of this album. The low points, the last 2 songs, are just dreadful. I wish I could have that ten minutes back.

But how Tony Banks has made for you it makes this album so bad? Tony Banks of Genesis keyboard played on beautiful album, his solo career had trouble began with 'A Curious Feeling "but Tony Banks was doing pretty good. Here surrounded by 2 great singer, Nick Kershaw and Fish he made an album that has no flavor. Daryl Stuermer will not do anything for him, the titles are fm pop, nothing to do with progressive rock. The album is not even recommended someone who loves Pop, both titles are lacking capacity has pleasing melodies very poor. It seemed that Tony Banks would make a commercial album and it crashed masterfully, making this a rejection of rock music really is a pity.

A well made melodious pop / rock album. Not much prog elements on it, so be warned.

As it comes to sound, this Tony Banks album is definitely an improvement on its predecessor, "Bankstatement". To start with, the production is much better. "Still" has a full, warm, organic sound in comparison to the somewhat mechanical sounding "Bankstatement".

Also positive is the return of Daryl Stuermer (who was also present on "The Fugitive"). Stuermer gives the album more of a rock feel. In fact, this is the album where Banks more than ever before uses rock. This does the sound of the album good, there's no doubt about it. Some of Banks earlier albums missed some sort of punch. This is the best sounding Tony Banks album up to date (which doesn't mean that it's his best album artistically). Banks has some top session musicians as well: Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Pino Palladino on bass. The latter puts himself on the background, but is very important for the wonderful sound of the album. Colaiuta puts himself more on the foreground, and I'm glad that he did: he is a very skilled and emotional drummer.

So this is already a winning team. For the rest: Banks uses the same formula as on Bankstatement: using different singers on the album, and it has to be said: this is good for the variety within the songs and it helps Banks to develop more of his versatility as a song writer.

But how about the compositions? The album has some of the best songs ever made by Banks, and a few forgettable ones. As for the highlights on the album: Banks is best at making songs with heavy keyboard layers, somewhat slow songs with a dramatic vocal performance, completed by wailing guitars. In general, the songs sung by Fish (ex -lead singer of Marillion) are the best on the album. These are songs with tempo changes, great keyboard work, wonderful somewhat Clapton - like guitar lines by Stuermer, and Fish who offers a great vocal performance, with wonderful story telling lyrics. The Fish - songs also have some prog elements. Fish fans should check this out! "Angel Face" and especially "Another Murder Of A Day" (about a prostitute who is waiting for her next customer) are wonderful tracks, where Fish is really excelling.

Also good, in the same vein as the Fish songs, is "Still It Takes Me By Surprise", where Andy Taylor sings lead. He doesn't do as good a job as Fish, though. He doesn't seem to get his voice fully around Banks' song, and one sees his limitations as a singer. Banks should have used Fish for this song also. Still, this song and the two Fish songs that I mentioned, are real highlights of the album. They are very much compelling songs.

Nik Kershaw, an artist admired by Banks, is also present on the album. He sings the album opener "Red Day On Blue Street", which sounds like a hit single (and probably was meant as such), but Banks throws a lot of chord changes in the song, which makes it attractive after all. The sound of the song is also very powerful, and those who would gruel by the idea of Banks using saxophone on the album can relax: Banks does it very sparesome, but the song has some Miami Vice / Jan Hammer sensibilities, though more subtle. Banks is ever subtle on the album, even when the record has some commercial streaks.

Still, Nik Kershaw is not an emotional singer in any way. That is no problem for the song "Red Day On Blue Street", because the music itself is powerful and emotional, but it is for "I Wanna Change The Score", which is a bit of a filler. The closing song on the album, "The Final Curtain", also sung by Kershaw, is a great song, but here also one would have wished some more emotion in the vocals.

A song that also succeeds on the album is "Water Out Of Wine". Once again, not because of Jayney Klimek's vocals, but because of Banks' excellent composition.

There is, like on Bankstatement, one song that is sung by Banks. "Hero For An Hour" is nice and original, and even though Banks is not a very good singer, he has a characteristic voice, and once again Banks delivers a nice musical story.

No doubt Banks tried to make a commercial album with an artistic edge. Yes, commercial, I said the C - word. Too bad that Banks was trying to reach the masses, because he didn't succeed and with every next pop album he estranged his original audience from him. Still, however commercial sounding the album is, there's still a lot to enjoy on, lets say, seven songs of the album. The other three are not really convincing, close to being fillers.

This album is an improvement on Bankstatement, in sound, even in compositions, though Banks should have used more soulful vocalists. Fish is a very good singer, but Andy Taylor doesn't succeed in his vocal performance, and Jayney Klimek and Nik Kershaw are not very good vocalists, a bit too cold sounding for Banks' compositions. Still, the album can take you by surprise, especially on the songs sung by Fish.

Tony Banks' music is about feeling rather than intricacy and chops, hence the vast difference between reviews. One either feels it or they don't. Coming off his personal least favorite offering, Bankstatement, Banks' compositions really shine on 'Still', in many places. 'Red Day On Blue Street' is a perfect opener, loaded with summery melody, and powerful chord changes. This track alone arguably has more in the way of substance than the entire Bankstatement album, and the production is phenomenal. The strong mood conveyed in the opener is not continued on the next 2 tracks, which though good songs, are almost a let down after the powerful opener. 'Still It Takes Me By Surprise' is another great track, reminding of his work with Genesis in songs like 'Heathaze' or even 'One For The Vine'. A beautiful, poignant track with a glorious instrumental break. The only serious instrumental break on the album. The other highlight is 'Another Murder Of A Day', with great vocals by Fish. This sounds like a great lost Genesis classic to my ears. Very emotional, with a strong, compelling mood, like a more adventurous 'Me and Sarah Jane', mixed with some of 'The Lamb'.

2 other poignant songs are the haunting 'Water Out of Wine', and 'The Final Curtain', this latter track completely made by the gorgeous middle section, leading to the outdoorsy instrumental break that marks another album highlight.

Elsewhere, 'Back To Back' is to me better left off the album, annoying after the masterpiece that is 'Another Murder of a Day'. So, not a perfect album, but a very good one nonetheless, and far and away his best since 'A Curious Feeling'.

I was curious about this album. I had heard the 9-minute prog "epic" from it ("Another Murder of the Day" with guest vocals by ex-Marillion singer Fish) prior to hearing the complete work. In very blunt terms, that song kicks butt!

However, I also read some of the reviews that said this album was pretty poppy. Well, yes, it is pretty poppy. Tony Banks made an album that could've been an 80's Genesis album, except with a bunch of different singers instead of Phil Collins.

Now I do like a lot of 80's Genesis, but even after multiple listens the majority of this album hasn't really grown on me.

The main problem is that a lot of the vocals don't feel like they fit the music. I kept expecting Phil to break in at any given moment to give these songs some punch.

The songs are sung by Fish, Andy Taylor (yeah, the one from Duran Duran & The Power Station apparently), Nik Kershaw, Jayney Klimek, and for one song, Tony Banks! Maybe because I know Fish from Marillion and his solo work, the songs he sings ("Angel Face" and the aforementioned "Another Murder of the Day") are pretty immediately likable. The other songs range from syrupy to tolerably bland. Maybe if Banks had one vocalist (like Fish) the album would have felt a little more cohesive.

Actually, the track Banks sings ("Hero For An Hour") is pretty decent. It sounds a little like something off Genesis' ill-fated (but underrated) Calling All Stations. Also, the tracks on which Klimek takes lead vocals are fun just for the fact that it gives a hint of what a female lead singer in Genesis might have sounded like.

In the end though, I'm "Still" not able to give this album a very strong recommendation - aside from the Fish tracks - or for curiosity's sake.

Highlights: "Another Murder of the Day"

#25 Review

Update from March 7th 2022 Why do i keep going back to update this review? Well, i found out that i had a different mix than the latest one and my apreciation for this album has really changed in a few years.

1.- Red Day On Blue Street 8/10 Percussion is insane, chord changes are beautyful, and although it repeats for a while, it keeps it entertaining by adding progressively more to the track as each section repeats, probably the weakest part of this track is the solo with those fake trumpets and Nik repeating the chorus too much in the end... although that seems to be an industry standard. This track is still insane though, the change on "We are the chosen ones" is beautyful, its a Tony Banks standard though, but i'm always happy to hear that. I had complaints about the mixing, it feels too cluttered, and that hasn't been fixed, yet i don't mind that as much as i did back then, but it could be a turn off for some people. Also, the chord changes make me want for the track to never end, but it lasts exactly what it needs to last.

2.- Angel Face 5/10 (same score as always) I'm a little harsh towards this track mainly because i find it too repetitive and the chord change sounds to happy for my liking, but i still really like the wall of sound here and the cruel lyrics, probably not a big fan of Fish's singing in this one and the percussion here needs more room to breath, a song that its again very affected by clutter, this one worst than any other on this album. The mixing changes put the keyboards more in front in some sections, and the guitar in others, the best thing about this track is the guitar solo in the end.

3.- The Gift 9/10 I can't believe that i once said that this track is really basic, this track really grew on me a lot, its insane, its almost as if i never listened to it in its entirety. The biggest problem i had with this track is the music video, i don't like it and it gets me dizzy along with the music. The thing with this track is that they keyboard never stops, and the chords are very special, it feels like the track is almost always distinct, the part were it goes to "the magic glow" its a little bit different and feels like the chorus, but then the song changes drastically and keeps going up, it just doesn't stop and then magically goes back. It has kind of this "pyramid" structure to it, although with a tail, that being the final repeat of the chorus. This song was really hard to take in because of the sound, and i remember that at first i thought that it was a song for little kids, probably because of the sound as well, but no, this track is one of the most difficult in the album, that would be if it weren't for the next one.

4.- Still It Takes Me by Surprise 9/10 The singin and the playing here is lovely, this is the closest to classic romantic Tony Banks song on this album. One of my grips with this track that doesn't seem to have been fixed is what i call the "Nic Davis spit mix", were he just leaves the sound of saliva from the singer, really gross, a huge turn off for me in listening this track more often, but the track is great, i would listen to it more without the singer, he does a great job but the mixing doesn't. The solo in this track is beautyful, this is the longest solo in the album, and at first i wasn't sure about it but its a joy to listen to it, i probably expected Tony to go in a different direction, but this was the one with more taste to say in a way, although the coming back from it into the track is not very smooth.

5.- Hero for an Hour 8/10 I was kind of harsh to this track again, because it felt like a little kids track, but its very weird and interesting, its a track that goes with the journey being told and what an special one is at that, i learned to appreciate the chords, specially the change on "little x you are on your own, you're so scared and far from home", that's very scary but somehow fits with the playfulness of the track. I was also harsh because of the weird voice effects and constant repetition, but the repetition works in favor of the weird story and the weird voice effect is accompanied by a sound that reminds me of a Prophet 5 effect, and that's always a treat.

6.- I Wanna Change the Score 8/10 (keeps the score) The beginning chords are what drive me towards this song, the sound so ominous, yet they go kind of happy for a track that talks about very sad things, yet the happy part is in an odd time signature. This was the earliest track for me to like on this album and i see why, i was really into odd time signatures and i still am. The weakest part on this track is definitely the solo, its too simple, but tasteful.

7.- Water Out Of Wine 6/10 (keeps the score) Even though it repeats a ton, the chord change is very impactful, reminds me of something else that already exists for some reason. A new observation i have towards this track is that Tony really wanted to continue the solo after the fade-out, you can barely hear it but he was really going in with it and i would like to hear the full thing.

8.- Another Murder of a Day 8/10 If the title track is more classic Tony, then this track is more classic Genesis, its the kind of track that Fish probably always wanted to do with Tony, a 9 minute long epic, with many changes, an interesting story and a very small but cool solo. I originally considered this to be the best track in the album, so i was already very positive on the track, but then i say that the song losed my interest in the last 3 minutes of the track, i still have that sentiment but not as much because i really love the choir sounds near the end... with all that the song has done in the previous 6 minutes, i should be more than willing to listen to the conclussion, but its still something that could've been done differently.

9.- Back to Back 6/10 (keeps the score) At the 1 minute and 40 second mark, there is a very interesting change and the chords take the protagonism on the track, and i really like how it sounds, but again, the track is very repetitive until the great small guitar solo that fades out for no reason.

10.- The Final Curtain 5/10 The track somehow goes up a ton, it doesn't stop when you think it will and the Tony busts out the synths, and then goes back somehow. At this time, Tony really felt like everything was going to end, with Fading Lights on Genesis and this track on this album. I really like the changes, not so much the sound, the intention, structure and even singing, it doesn't feel very original, its like a song that already exists but with a HUGE Tony Banks twist, and that's very cool. This is the only Still track that i listen less than any of the others, i know why, already said it, but sometimes i feel like listening to that change, or just want to listen to it because i feel like it, but i'm not always up for it, yet i don't feel like finishing the album without listening to this track.

So now this album has a 72/100, and that means... another star is added, i really enjoy the album now, it really did took time and probably many others will increase as well... well done Tony Banks, i bought Banks Vaults, really enjoy it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Update from April 3rd 2019 I woke up and suddenly my mind said "remember I Wanna Change the Score?" and the music started playing out of nowhere in my mind, and i was really happy, then at work searched the album on youtube and heard the first track and i was in love with it, then read this old review and realized "damn, i was mean to this album, i gotta give it justice", so i heard the whole album and pointed out what i liked and what keeps being the same.

1.- Red Day On Blue Street 7/10 The lyrics, chord changes and progression are brilliant, it fits the formula for a hit, but as any hit is repetitive and as a Tony Banks it could use a little more of his talents, the small solo doesn't satisfy me and the horns are a little annoying.

2.- Angel Face keeps its score, but i have to point out that the good atmosphere that sets at the start doesn't carry on.

4.- Still it Takes me by Surprise 8/10 Yes, i skipped The Gift because that one its the same for me, but this one as i said in the review is the best song in the album still for me, but i increased the score.

5.- Hero for an Hour 5/10 While the song its a little dumb at times, it doesn't deserve the same score as The Gift, it also has some nice vocal distortions like in The Fugitive, but this song has the better use.

6.- I Wanna Change the Score 8/10 You could say that i changed the score, this song was so stuck to my head and it surprised me even more after realizing that one part was made in 7/8, not only that, but it was cleverly implemented, probably one of the best uses of that time signature since i heard Solsbury Hill. This song its good cheese but it could add a little more Tony Banks.

9.- Back to Back 6/10 Water out of Wine, Another Murder of a Day and the last song after this one keep their respective reviews, but as of this song, i liked it a little more now and i can't understand how it wasn't a hit, also, that guitar solo its fine, a little short.

Final Score this time is 60/100, wich increases 1 star, making it a 3 star, this is the review in wich i felt the most need to do something about it, i was unfair to the album and now i kind of understand why people praise it so much, while with Abacab i'm still having trouble (i updated that one as well and the score remained the same). I enjoyed Still, and now i'm going to listen to those hit hidden gems again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Original Review from October 18th 2018 After a long hiatus i'm finally back, there have been many changes in my life, but i also had lost inspiration in reviewing for some time, that's why i'll approach this really simple to approach album... well, not really, every time that i listened to it i wasn't paying atention because of how simple it felt, but now i'll try to pay atention and actually do a review about it.

I like that many people are cooperating with Tony here, some people that we've seen in his past work and people that we will see later again. It'd be cool if he worked with them again... except with whoever designed his album art, really boring.

1.- Red Day On Blue Street 5/10 Mostly happy and harmless pop song, i have the feeling that this album will keep being like this, not good, just ok.

2.- Angel Face 5/10 This one gets more intense, like what i've been accustomed already, something that i forgot to mention about the past song that this one also has, lyrics over music or atleast music at the service of lyrics, nowadays is voice over instruments.

3.- The Gift 4/10 Reminds me of a later release... Strictly inc. Heavy on scales, reminds me of "The Serpent Said" where in the review i said "chord progressions" when i wanted to say scales . It is happy, sounds like a modern church song near the end, really basic.

4.- Still It Takes Me by Surprise 7/10 The title track, a normal ballad, more complex than everything so far. Finally a piano solo, not the best one but good. I like the chord changes and scales, i would've done the song shorter and added some more instruments... like a mellotron, everything is better with mellotron.

5.- Hero for an Hour 4/10 I haven't pointed who was singing in each song, that's the sellout of the album, i really don't care that much if the songs are still boring, but it is always something special to know when Tony is singing his own songs. This song is just ok, a little simple again, more lyrics than music again, repetitive and a little charming, but it doesn't have much going on.

6.- I Wanna Change the Score 6/10 Reminds me of "Moving Under" from "The Fugitive". This song fits right into a slice of life relaxing 90s movie, better than ok, gives a good mood and does it right even tho i don't feel like the music should be so happy because of the lyrics.

7.- Water Out Of Wine 6/10 A haunting song, its average, the chords sound special tho, it gives some certain intranquility. I have to point out Jayney Klimek because i really liked her work in Bankstatment and here she shows that she works really good with Tony Banks.

8.- Another Murder of a Day 7/10 Already a really nice atmosphere, the best song from Tony with Fish on vocals. This song is really good, but near the last 3 minutes, it feels as if Tony went tired, and the song gets happy while also giving the queue to the short guitar solo, if it wasn't for the last 3 minutes, this would be 1 point higher, it is still the best song on the album. The last piano notes are too late to save the song from losing my interest.

9.- Back to Back 5/10 Pumping that rythm out, it sounds good, it gets very repetitive but it has some moments near the end. At this point i'm a little tired of this album, i would've given it a 4.

10.- The Final Curtain 4/10 Another song that reminds me of "Strictly Inc." and i'm already tired of this album, but wait, at half of the song, it gets more hyped, but that doesn't stop the song from being repetitive and boring. I don't feel like it deserves a 3 tho, its a little better than that.

Overall this album gets a 53/100, wich is 2 stars and the lowest overall score so far, i expected less but i finished surprised. I still feel like not recommending any song unless you like the musicians involved that aren't Tony Banks, this album offers good moments instead of good entire songs.

I still don't know what's certain in the future but who does, i'll probably review Six next.

Together with Strictly Inc, these two albums represent peak in Banks' clever pop output, their commercial flop can be attributed to lack of promotion and no touring, since most of the songs have a commercial potential. Still, Still offers solid musicianship and is actually at least a 4-star pop album with some remote echoes of progressive arrangements as heard in longer songs.

The first song is perhaps the most known from the album and could be heard in European radios for a short time. Upbeat tracks are alternated by reflective and melancholic songs. Banks is at his most confident songwriting in his solo career; that could explain the album cover with himself depicted on a chair. Synth arrangements are competent and you won't find typical (prog) rock soloing; it is about providing a supporting layer.

The result is a memorable and catchy album that should have performed better in the charts considering the Genesis comeback in 1991.

However, little to be found for proggers and therefore 3 stars only.

If you ever - even only once - heard a classic Tony Banks keyboard solo like the ones he nailed on Genesis songs such as "The Cinema Show", "The Colony of Slippermen" or "Duke's Travels" (but to pick a few cherries from his vast orchard), you'd be tempted to seek out ALL of his solo works in search of more keyboard nirvana....and you might end up being surprisingly disappointed. At least I was.

I mean, I actually like most of his solo albums, but I'm really amazed at how little they resemble the sound of Genesis (with the exception of his first album, "A Curious Feeling"). But there are always hints of Banks' genius and signature keyboard styling in every one of his albums (e.g., listen to "An Island in the Darkness" on his "Strictly, Inc." cd), even though he took a decidedly "poppier" route in many of the songs. Many of these solo albums were issued in the 80's!

I think "Still" contains some of his proggiest sounding songs outside of Genesis, with lots of great keys and his typical chord changes in some of the songs. Yes, there is certainly a lot of "pop" sound here too, but they are all very good songs done well.

I'm going to limit my review here to just two songs on the second half of the album, since many of the reviews have already done a great job of noting the overall flavor of the cd, and also because these two songs just happen to be my favorites on the cd - maybe my favorites of Banks entire solo output.

"Another Murder of a Day" is just great - written in the classic Genesis style with Fish's Gabriel-like vocals, the music moving through a few different great themes, and circling back to the original keyboard lick that began the song. The lyrics are moving, the mood transitions are perfect, and the performance is flawless. But as great as it is, it is preceded by an even BETTER song...

Tony Banks cd's are the only places that I've ever heard of the singer Jayney Klimek. She does a nice impersonation of Pat Benatar on the ninth track, "Back to Back". But her delivery on the eerie and mysterious "Water Out Of Wine" is GORGEOUS. And what a composition! Banks has numerous subtle chord changes - which Klimek nimbly follows - and he leads her voice between the bounds of two full octave ranges. I truly believe that this is one of the most underrated songs in Tony's entire catalogue, and it's really a shame that it will go unnoticed except by us loyal Genesis fans looking for keyboard wizardry. (And I suspect that because it's sung by a woman, even many of us proggers might dismiss it out of hand without giving it its proper due.) This is a GREAT composition and performance. Buy the cd for that song, and enjoy the rest of the cd accordingly.

Review Nº 417

"Still" is the fourth studio album of Tony Banks and was released in 1992. It was originally going to be named with the same name of one of the tracks "Still It Takes Me By Surprise", but it was later shorted to "Still".

"Still" has ten tracks. All songs were written by Tony Banks except "Red Day On Blue Street" and "I Wanna Change The Score" which were written by Tony Banks and Nik Kershaw and "Another Murder Of A Day" which was written by Tony Banks and Fish. The first track "Red Day On Blue Street" is sung by Nik Kershaw. It's a very good and energetic track, very powerful and emotional, that sounds very well from the beginning to the end. Musically, it's a simple song in terms of composition but it has some good and interesting musical appointments, like the use of the sax on it. The second track "Angel Face" is sung by Fish. This is another very good track and it's more energetic, powerful and emotional than the previous track. However, this is a song that sounds more mellow and dark than the previous song, and this is probably because the vocal interpretation by Fish. Here, Fish sounds probably more close to Peter Gabriel than ever. The third track "The Gift" is sung by Andy Taylor. This is another very good song that keeps the album in a very good and high quality level and it's very well balanced. It's the shortest song on the album, but it's very well constructed and performed and it has also good and nice lyrics. This song represents very well how a song composed to be a pop hit can be so good, lovely and with good quality. The fourth track "Still It Takes Me By Surprise" is also sung by Andy Taylor. This is another type of a song that sincerely took me by surprise. It's a very emotional song sung with great sensitivity by Andy Taylor. But, the great highlight of the song, for me, is the piano performance of Tony Banks. His performance is very beautiful and reveals such sensitivity that every time I hear it, always comes to my memory "Firth Of Fifth" of Genesis. This is, without any doubt, one of the highlights of the album. The fifth track "Hero For An Hour" is sung by Tony Banks. We are in presence of another different type of song on the album. It's also a good song, very nice and pleasant to hear. However, I think it has less quality than the previous songs because it's more repetitive, simpler and less imaginative. However, we may say that we are in presence of a very pretty and decent track, indeed. The sixth track "I Wanna Change The Score" is sung by Nik Kershaw. It's a type of song totally different from anything else on the album. This is typically a song where the guitars and the rhythm of the song sound totally as a pop rock song. It's a song that reminds me strongly the albums made by his colleague from Genesis, Mike Rutherford with The Mechanics. This is a good song but too much pop for a progressive rock album. The seventh track "Water Out Of Wine" is sung by Jayney Klimek. It represents another different track on the album. It's a very beautiful and relaxing song on the album with good and nice lyrics and it's beautifully sung by Jayney Klimek. Probably, this isn't a great track, but personally, I like very much of it. Curiously, this song reminds me very much the type of music made by the Italian band Aries on their eponymous debut album, "Aries". The eighth track "Another Murder Of A Day" is sung by Fish. It represents, without any doubt, with "Still Takes Me By Surprise" the two best musical moments on the album. This is the best, the lengthiest and it's also the most progressive track on the album. Here we can clearly see the hand of Fish all over the song, not only on the vocals but also in the composition. It's a fantastic neo-prog song that reminds me, at the same time, the music of Genesis and Marillion. This is, in reality, a great song and represents a perfect marriage between Tony Banks and Fish as a duo of composers. The ninth track "Back To Back" is sung by Jayney Klimek. This is another song composed to be a great pop rock song. It's a very nice and powerful track very well performed and sung, which constitutes a nice and pleasant song to hear. However, it isn't very imaginative and creative. It's also very repetitive and despite being interesting, it isn't one of the high points of the album. The tenth track "The Final Curtain" is sung by Nik Kershaw. It's a fine track with a nice and good vocal performance by Nik Kershaw. Here, he sings some of the sweetest lyrics on the album and he sings it with a passion never seen before in the whole album. This is a perfect way to close the album and the name of the song represents and provides, in reality, a good and nice final curtain to this album.

Conclusion: From all Banks solo albums, I only know very well, "A Curious Feeling", "The Fugitive", "Bankstatement" and this album "Still", until now. So, I've no doubt in saying that "Still" is less good than "A Curious Feeling", but definitely better than "The Fugitive" and "Bankstatement". Musically, "Still" is slightly inferior compared to "A Curious Feeling", in terms of composition and progressivity. However, it's a very good album, well balanced and in reality, it has only one weak song "Hero For An Hour". On the other hand, it has many good songs, especially "Another Murder Of A Day", which is, for me, a real gem on the album. So, in my humble opinion, it deserves to be rated with 4 solid stars.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)