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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Early Genesis at their very best, 4 Aug 2004
When I was young it was always the 'Lamb lies down on Broadway' for me. I loved the surreal, Sci-Fi element. However age has brought me to re-apparaise this fine album. In terms of production, and musicianship, this is probably where Gabriels Genesis peaked, despite NOT being their last album with him. This album is very English, very eccentric and sits quite comfortably between prog rock wierdness and pop sensibility, never, for one minute risking the accusation of being a 'sell out' High points are the fantastic 'Dancing with the moonlit knight' a fussion of rock, jazz, folk, medievel melodies and a tranquil accoustic guitar outro, allowing you to catch your breath before 'I know what I like' comes in. This was their first hit single, it reached 21 in the singles chart in '73, and was inspired by the artwork on the cover of the album. Other hi-lights are 'Firth of Fifth' and 'The cinema show', both showing off the bands rich musical literacy. A must! Enjoy..
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Summer days and a rippling whimsy..., 9 Feb 2006
I first heard this as a young man in a car driving through central France in the summer of 1979 and it evokes the fondest memories. Beautifully articulate, eccentric and quite, quite different to anyone else aspiring to the so-called (and much maligned genre) "prog-rock". No blues influence at all, hard edges curiously softened - arguably a delicate, feminine quality - and utterly English. I spent many hours learning Firth of Fifth's piano introduction (much to my tutor's irritation! She did seem to appreciate its demanding quality once I'd mastered it). I still find it hard to recognise any clearly definable musical influence on these guys from Nursery Cryme to Wind and Wuthering. Music which defined itself with no recourse to fashion or pandering to popular tastes; I guess that's why it still sounds brilliantly inventive after all these years
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genesis' absolute peak, 2 Mar 2007
This is the very peak of Genesis' output. Gabriel's lyrics, the instrumental arrangements, the incredibly clever song structures, the great melodies, all combine to create something utterly moving and magic. The whole mood of this album is quite unlike anything else - a mixture of mythical, medieval and modern; bombast and humour, but above all, beauty.
This is the album on which Tony Banks creates his most magical keyboard soundscapes (but not forgetting to add plenty of fresh, exciting piano), Hackett gets the biggest chance to shine that he ever would on a Genesis album, and Gabriel writes some of his funniest, cleverest and most interesting lyrics, delivering them as only he can. There are some of the most emotionally devastating instrumental moments here on any Genesis album - any album FULL STOP, in fact - for example; Hackett's gut-wrenching guitar solo in 'Firth of Fifth', and Banks' extended keyboard solo at the end of 'The Cinema Show', where his keys create a swirling mass of colourful sound that envelops the listener and seems to come straight from the heart. And amongst all this, Gabriel draws you in with his commentaries on the degeneration of modern England, as well as transporting the listener back to the mythological England that never was.
Nowhere is this more apparent than on the opening track, 'Dancing with the Moonlit Knight', a song with so many twists and turns that you're left gasping for breath at the end, or at least you would be if there were not a two-minute outro of soothing, plucked acoustic guitars and textural sounds from the keyboards and flute.
Next we have 'I Know what I Like (In your Wardrobe)', with another winner of a lyric from Peter and a stomping beat, giving the band its first minor chart success.
'Firth of Fifth' follows, and what strikes you about this track is how intelligently written its instrumental section is, taking the listener along many different musical landscapes, and building tension until culminating in the aforementioned Hackett solo.
Following this is 'More Fool Me', a pretty little acoustic ditty from Phil Collins about a broken down relationship, that does not fit in with the rest of the album at all, but in a way makes it all the more appealing for this little idiosyncrasy. Anyhow, it breaks up the album between two lengthy compositions, much like 'I Know what I Like' and 'After the Ordeal' do, so that taken as a whole it is not too overwhelming.
Talking of which, the next track, 'The Battle of Epping Forest' is the longest on the album at 11:46. It is about a gang battle for rights over land in East London, and Peter Gabriel goes all-out with his theatrics, assuming the roles of so many different characters, and putting on so many different voices, that you can't help but laugh. There's also the strange interlude in the middle of the track about goodness knows what - something to do with a reverend - that seemingly has nothing to do with the rest of the song, but does a great job of keeping the listener's interest (much like 'Willow Farm' in 'Supper's Ready').
Next up we have the instrumental 'After the Ordeal', with some beautiful piano and guitar work from Banks and Hackett respectively; I often get a sense of freedom when listening to this, as indeed I do when listening to most of the album.
After this we have 'The Cinema Show', combining, like 'Firth of Fifth', lyrical sketches with extended instrumental passages, including, of course, the again aforementioned Banks keyboard solo. This leads back into one of the main themes from 'Dancing with the Moonlit Knight', but shifted across the bar, which in turn leads into 'Aisle of Plenty', a reprise of a small section of 'Dancing with the Moonlight Knight' but with different lyrics and a haunting mood, to make you feel complete at album's end.
This is not only my favourite Genesis album, but probably my favourite album of all time, and one of the best musical works (classical or otherwise) that I have heard.
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