Written by:	AndMetalForAll
Published:	18.10.2012

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - 1974

Rating: 10/10

This record is a two disc concept album about the surreal story of a half Puerto Rican juvenile delinquent named Rael living in New York City who is swept underground to face bizarre creatures and nightmarish dangers in order to rescue his brother John. Like any concept album it has various perspectives (Phil Collins remarked that it's about split personality). This is the sixth full-length studio album and the last featuring Peter Gabriel as lead singer. Personally, it's one of the perfect albums in the music industry and the first perfect album Genesis composed. Everything is perfect, the story both in concept as well as lyrically is surreal and very creative; overall, the band's performance is top-notch and production is very good. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is one of the most theatrical albums ever devised, very creative and one of the strongest and most powerful musical compositions of all time. By this time, Genesis were already considered a "must-see" band in live shows - because of their theatrical performances - with this album, their shows became more and more artistic with masks, costumes and background slides in the set to accompany the stories. Also worth mentioning, this album contains 23 tracks and is over one and a half hours in length. Like I mentioned above, the band's performance is truly spectacular, in my view. None of the members are "left behind"; drum compositions are very rhythmic, intense and sometimes melodramatic; Peter Gabriel as one of his best performances; Rutherford is extremely good with amazing bass compositions; Hackett's guitar has major relevance with some great solos; Banks makes the album something quite magical being important in each track of this epic album. Highlights: "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", "In the Cage", "Counting Out Time", "The Carpet Crawlers", "Anyway", "The Colony of Slippermen", "It".

A Trick of the Tail - 1976

Rating: 10/10

This is the first album with Phil Collins as lead vocalist and drummer in live performances. After a long effort to find a replacement for Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins reluctantly accepted the place. A Trick of the Tail isn't a continuation of the band's previous album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, quite the opposite this album has a different approach mixing progressive with melody. It's the band's seventh album and it is much more the image of Selling England by the Pound or Nursery Cryme, for example. Although not being a concept album, in my opinion it's one of the band's finest albums, for me one of the perfect albums 10/10. Peter Gabriel was a big part of the artistic and theatrical aspect of Genesis, his departure left a big hole that the band was able to fill with a lesser conceptual and progressive vision but more melody mixing two genres: progressive and melodic. The group returns to the fanciful fairy tale nature of its earlier records. Actually, I feel this album is more memorable and outstanding than Selling England by the Pound, Foxtrot or Nursery Cryme, personally I truly like the more commercial era that was coming in the 80's. The perfect score gives away my feelings about the band's change, performance, melody, or production. Also the fact that it contains two progressive epics such as "Dance on a Volcano" and "Los Endos" and most of the songs are major hits for the fans and true favorites on live shows. This is the start of the change of Genesis that is in my opinion really great and solidified the band's position in the music industry, the next album is more progressive than this one, although it contains signs of the band's future musical direction. Highlights: "Dance on a Volcano", "Squonk", "Robbery, Assault and Battery", "Ripples...", "Los Endos".

Wind & Wuthering - 1976

Rating: 9.5/10

Wind & Wuthering is the last album featuring Steve Hackett, from the next album forward Genesis would be featured as a three-piece group. This is the last progressive rock album the band released, in my view, more progressive than the previous one. It's a progressive rock album but with signs of the band's future musical approach. Epics such as "Eleventh Earl of Mar" and "One for the Vine" are two amazing technical showdowns typical of early 70's Genesis. The last three tracks are a conceptual song segueing together; the tracks 7 and 8 are inspired from the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. The keyboard plays a major role in the entire album with less importance given to Hackett's guitar making this album much more orchestral and less straightforward than A Trick of the Tail, although I believe this album has less melody and more technical elements, "Your Own Special Way" is the first real love song and it's a clear message of the band's musical direction taken in the 80's. Highlights: "Eleventh Earl of Mar", "One for the Vine", "Your Own Special Way", "Wot Gorilla?", "?In That Quiet Earth", "Afterglow".



...And Then There Were Three... - 1978

Rating: 8/10

The album title is a reference to the fact that it was the first album released by the band after the departure of Steve Hackett (who left the band because in his opinion he felt constricted by his lack of freedom and level of input) that reduced the band to a trio. Instrumentally and lyrically is a progressive rock album, tracks like "Down and Out" or "Ballad of Big" are good examples of that. Although it's called the first pop/rock oriented album it contains many progressive rock features that made Genesis famous. In my opinion it can have a bit of Wind & Wuthering and a bit of A Trick of the Tail; ...And Then There Were Three... mixes commercial rock (Genesis 80's), and contains great progressive instrumental compositions (early Genesis). I recognize I am bias regarding the more commercial and melodic orientation the band took in their albums after the departure of Peter Gabriel, because I'm very fond of the work they did in the 70's and 80's. With this release the band was no longer as progressive and conceptual as it used to be. Genesis left the fantastical, literary landscapes that marked both the early Genesis LPs and the two transitional post-Gabriel releases, as the band members turned their lyrical references to contemporary concerns and slowly worked pop into the mix. It can be referenced as progressive rock ("Down and Out" or "Ballad of Big" e.g.) and as a soft rock ("Many Too Many" or "Follow You Follow Me" e.g.) album. Wind & Wuthering contained certain pop elements and signs of what could be the future musical direction; A Trick of the Tail contained progressive rock elements along with more melodic sound. Highlights: "Down and Out", "Ballad of Big", "Burning Rope", "Deep in the Motherlode", "Follow You Follow Me".

Duke - 1980

Rating: 9/10

Duke is the tenth studio album and the second record as a trio; it contains a more mainstream sound but still retaining a strong progressive rock influence including a 30-minute suite featuring songs in the order of "Behind the Lines/Duchess/Guide Vocal/Turn It on Again/Duke's Travels/Duke's End", that could very well fit in on any 70's Genesis album, and tells the story of fictional character Albert, but the band decided to separate the songs in order to avoid comparisons with the epic track "Supper's Ready". Still this album breaks-up with the band's typical sound oriented to a more progressive and conceptual direction, including emotional tracks such as "Misunderstanding", "Alone Tonight", "Heathaze" or "Please Don't Ask" (reflecting, most probably, troubles that Phil Collins was having at the time with his marriage), the emotional tracks are very deep with strong and depressive instrumental and very deep lyrics, Collins' voice makes every one of these tracks a heartbreaking experience for every listener. Personally I consider one of the top albums of the new Genesis, giving it a solid score, this album is mainstream oriented with amazing pop/rock songs, but also, great progressive tracks as the 30-minute suite can indicate. Highlights: "Behind the Lines/Duchess/Guide Vocal/Turn It on Again/Duke's Travels/Duke's End", "Heathaze", "Please Don't Ask".