Genesis

The Genesis doc was excellent. Lots of stuff I'd never heard or seen before. Interviews seem geniune and candid, they not afraid to talk about each other being dicks. Hackett got shorted, his complaint was legit - but even Gabriel got shorted too. This doc is the Genesis and Collins show.
 
Aw, that's kinda sad. I haven't watched it yet since I live in Sweden so the BBC iPlayer doesn't work. What a load of-
...and I don't have the BBC2 channel on our television. :(
 
The documentary will be released on DVD and blu ray this month under the title Genesis Sum of the Parts.
I really look forward to watching it.
 
Supper's Ready was a revelation for me once I "got" it. I first heard the Seconds Out version at age 17 but it didn't grab me like the rest of that live album did. At 19, I joined a band with a guitarist who got me into the Gabriel era. First thing he did was lend me Foxtrot and the Armando Gallo book I Know What I Like. I read Gabriel's account of the song and such stuff, heard the music like never before, and it became my favorite song of all time (until Metropolis finally climbed up there years later).

Supper's Ready entirely changed my perception of what an epic could be. It changed the kind of songs I try to write. It changed the standards by which I judge music.

Most significantly in the long run, Genesis epics became how I define prog. Most normal non-prog songs don't go anywhere, they stay on a few repeated sections. Progressive music doesn't rely on repetition. Genesis moves smoothly from one section to the next, and doesn't need to repeat a hook for a song to make sense. Of course there is some repetition in some epics. Much of SR is based on the Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man chord progression. (Seriously, look at the score, even when it's disguised it's still there.) Moonlit Knight has a verse/chorus that repeats. But the inner instrumental sections are always unique.

And then you have epics like Stagnation, Musical Box and (except for one chorus) Cinema Show which are fully progressive. Once Genesis moves on to the next section, they have progressed and do not return to the earlier material. By the very nature of what denying thematic closure does to the typical listener, such music also forces a listener out of the comfort zone and demands attention. I respect that.

Which brings me to the real point: Supper's Ready is my favorite Genesis epic, but The Musical Box comes to a very close #2. Supper's Ready is really as much of an overgrown song as it is a prog epic, while The Musical Box is pure unfiltered prog.
 
I'm torn on this one, but it's either "Supper's Ready" or "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight".

While it's nowhere near the best, I'd also like to throw in a good word for "The Battle of Epping Forest". It's somewhat awkward in parts, but it might be the funniest song they ever did, and I like the grim resolution to the story ("there's no one left alive - must be a draw").
 
Ok soap box time... I know the majority of the posters here are more into Genesis's 70s stuff, and I am as well, but, I will admit to liking a fair amount of their 80s pop-rock stuff.. So it's not exactly as "progressive" as the 70s stuff, so what, they're fun catchy songs, and, I like listening to Phil Collins on the Genesis songs he sings on, but I don't really like his solo stuff, way too soft for me... Nonetheless, some of their 80s songs I like are "Land of Confusion", "That's All", "Misunderstanding", "Turn It On Again", "That's All", "Invisible Touch", and, probably their softest song ever but I like it, "In Too Deep"
 
Never thought I'd ever comment on a Genesis thread, but I'm with you on Land of Confusion, SiT84. I got five free music downloads last week, and that's one of the ones I chose.
 
I love 80s Genesis. As far as I'm concerned, it's 80s pop at its best. I think the thing about Genesis is that they were always great songwriters. Way above their prog rock peers in this respect. You even see it in their long songs. Take Supper's Ready for example, a lot of the material on Supper's Ready could be (and was at some point) very strong individual songs. And they always had moments like Time Table and I Know What I Like, which are still examples of great songwriting imo. So naturally when you get to 80s Genesis, the pop stuff is good! It doesn't really seem that alien to me, the essence of Genesis is still there. I remember there was a discussion not too long ago about Genesis' humor, that was always a prominent element and it carried over all the way through the 80s until Phil left. In fact i think a major flaw with Calling All Stations was how devoid of any humor or just lightheartedness in general it was. Plus they still threw the prog rock fans a bone at least once on every album and those were always nice. Not to mention the stunning medleys they did that featured the old stuff. I think they're one of the few 70s rock bands who remained just as good in the 80s, even after overhauling their sound.

It'd be hard to pick a favorite 80s album but I think it'd be between Abacab and Invisible Touch. The Mama album has grown on me recently too, very strong.
 
While I like Abacab and Invisible Touch, mostly Abacab but whatever, my favorite 80s Genesis album is the Mama album. In fact, it's my favorite album ever!
 
I've never cared much for 80s Genesis. Some of it is OK, I guess, but nothing more. I prefer Gabriel's solo stuff to anything Genesis did after his departure, except maybe A Trick of the Tail.

Has anybody else listened to Hackett's solo records? Spectral Mornings (1979) is really good, one of my favourite "guitarist albums".
 
Shadow said:
Has anybody else listened to Hackett's solo records? Spectral Mornings (1979)
Click to expand...

I actually have that and Please Don't Touch on CD, but haven't played them in years. I remember thinking that the guitar was great but the songs less so. Please Don't Touch was kind of quirky, like his Flex-Able, and Spectral is more like a regular album (IIRC).
 
I think that's a fair assessment. What I like about Hackett is that he's less showy than many other guitar hero types, who tend to weigh their songs down with so much playing that each song loses any individuality.

A taster for the uninitiated:

 
I think it has to be Watcher of the Skies. The way it opens with those sweet mellotrons still gives me chills. Perfect way to start an album.
 
Oh yea forgot about Behind the Lines. I also like the way the piano fades in on The Lamb, it's a very captivating start and makes me want to hear more, though the rest of the track is not quite as strong imo.

Dance On a Volcano is a great song but isn't as memorable as an opener to me as Behind the Lines or Watcher for me.
 
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