Genesis Appreciation/Discussion

[romdrums]

Many of the b-sides were better than the songs that made the album.  In particular, I liked 7/8, Sign Your Life Away, and Anything Now.  I ended up making a version of the album that felt a bit more consistent than what they actually released.

Calling All Stations
Anything Now
Sign Your Life Away
Alien Afternoon
The Dividing Line
7/8
Small Talk
There Must Be Some Other Way
One Man's Fool

For me, it plays much better than the official album release.

[HOF]

I've made an effort recently to listen to albums by bands I really like that I ignored or only listened to minimally, so Trespass and Calling All Stations have gotten heavy rotation from me in the past few weeks. CAS is a lot better than I remember. The whole back half of the album from The Dividing Line-One Man's Fool is all pretty high quality stuff. And the first half is pretty solid as well. I really don't hear any clunkers, except maybe a few cheesy moments like Shipwrecked and If That's What You Need. I think my favorite moment overall is the dorky keyboard solo at the end of Congo that could've only been written by Tony Banks...it's goofy as hell but so uniquely him to my ears.

Any thoughts on this one? I know there's a whole bunch of b-sides but I've never bothered listening to them since I was so turned off by the actual album but I may seek them out after changing my opinion on the album.

I like just about every song on CAS. I don’t care for If That’s What You Need or Small Talk. I do like Congo and I know a lot of people don’t. I don’t mind Shipwrecked or even Not About Us even if they aren’t great “Genesis” songs if that makes sense. But I think the title track, Dividing Line, and Uncertain Weather are great and stand up pretty well with other 80s/90s Genesis. I also think the last two tracks (There Must Be Some Other Way and One Man’s Fool) are really strong.

As a whole the album is a little darker and edgier than We Can’t Dance. Different for Genesis for sure, may have been better to just form a new project, but I do like it. Every song fades out and some at really bad times, but the production is otherwise strong. Nir Z does a great job on his tracks. NDV didn’t get a chance to stretch out much on his though. Ray Wilson’s voice is a bit of a sticking point, but I’ve come to like it even if he seems pretty limited compared to Phil Collins.

Of the B-sides, I really like the ones that were on the re-issue box set bonus disc. Anything Now is a little bit Peter Gabriel/Sledgehammer-ish. Sign Your Life Away is one that features NDV on drums and has a nice upbeat groove. And then Run Out of Time is a bluesy love song/ballad but Ray Wilson nails the vocal part on it. It’s one that really suits his voice. Cheesy synth saxophone sound though.

[HOF]

Many of the b-sides were better than the songs that made the album.  In particular, I liked 7/8, Sign Your Life Away, and Anything Now.  I ended up making a version of the album that felt a bit more consistent than what they actually released.

Calling All Stations
Anything Now
Sign Your Life Away
Alien Afternoon
The Dividing Line
7/8
Small Talk
There Must Be Some Other Way
One Man's Fool

For me, it plays much better than the official album release.

I have a similar playlist/CD version that I listen to pretty frequently. Mine just drops It’s Not About Us, Alien Afternoon, and Small Talk in favor of Anything Now, Sign Your Life Away, and Run Out of Time.

[DTA]

Many of the b-sides were better than the songs that made the album.  In particular, I liked 7/8, Sign Your Life Away, and Anything Now.  I ended up making a version of the album that felt a bit more consistent than what they actually released.

Calling All Stations
Anything Now
Sign Your Life Away
Alien Afternoon
The Dividing Line
7/8
Small Talk
There Must Be Some Other Way
One Man's Fool

For me, it plays much better than the official album release.

What's the best way to get those b-sides? I'm sure it's on some compilation somewhere but I can't find anything but the regular album on Amazon. I always appreciate an alternate track listing and my biggest gripe about the regular CAS album is the track order/pacing.

I like just about every song on CAS. I don’t care for If That’s What You Need or Small Talk. I do like Congo and I know a lot of people don’t. I don’t mind Shipwrecked or even Not About Us even if they aren’t great “Genesis” songs if that makes sense. But I think the title track, Dividing Line, and Uncertain Weather are great and stand up pretty well with other 80s/90s Genesis. I also think the last two tracks (There Must Be Some Other Way and One Man’s Fool) are really strong.

As a whole the album is a little darker and edgier than We Can’t Dance. Different for Genesis for sure, may have been better to just form a new project, but I do like it. Every song fades out and some at really bad times, but the production is otherwise strong. Nir Z does a great job on his tracks. NDV didn’t get a chance to stretch out much on his though. Ray Wilson’s voice is a bit of a sticking point, but I’ve come to like it even if he seems pretty limited compared to Phil Collins.

Of the B-sides, I really like the ones that were on the re-issue box set bonus disc. Anything Now is a little bit Peter Gabriel/Sledgehammer-ish. Sign Your Life Away is one that features NDV on drums and has a nice upbeat groove. And then Run Out of Time is a bluesy love song/ballad but Ray Wilson nails the vocal part on it. It’s one that really suits his voice. Cheesy synth saxophone sound though.

Small Talk occupies a certain quirky space that I always liked about Genesis...these goofy little songs that aren't great but stick in your head so I'd keep it for that reason just to break up the longer songs. I never had a problem with Ray's voice...it fits the darker tone of the music quite well imo. The last two tracks are really outstanding though it's obvious The Dividing Line is probably the most "important" song on the album

[Stadler]

Many of the b-sides were better than the songs that made the album.  In particular, I liked 7/8, Sign Your Life Away, and Anything Now.  I ended up making a version of the album that felt a bit more consistent than what they actually released.

Calling All Stations
Anything Now
Sign Your Life Away
Alien Afternoon
The Dividing Line
7/8
Small Talk
There Must Be Some Other Way
One Man's Fool

For me, it plays much better than the official album release.

What's the best way to get those b-sides? I'm sure it's on some compilation somewhere but I can't find anything but the regular album on Amazon. I always appreciate an alternate track listing and my biggest gripe about the regular CAS album is the track order/pacing.

All but one ("Nowhere Else To Turn") are on the Congo, Shipwrecked and Not About Us CD singles.   Only the ones from "Not About Us" are on the 1983-1998 Box Set. That was odd; the remaining ones are the only b-sides they cut from the general release package. 

[ytserush]

I've made an effort recently to listen to albums by bands I really like that I ignored or only listened to minimally, so Trespass and Calling All Stations have gotten heavy rotation from me in the past few weeks. CAS is a lot better than I remember. The whole back half of the album from The Dividing Line-One Man's Fool is all pretty high quality stuff. And the first half is pretty solid as well. I really don't hear any clunkers, except maybe a few cheesy moments like Shipwrecked and If That's What You Need. I think my favorite moment overall is the dorky keyboard solo at the end of Congo that could've only been written by Tony Banks...it's goofy as hell but so uniquely him to my ears.

Any thoughts on this one? I know there's a whole bunch of b-sides but I've never bothered listening to them since I was so turned off by the actual album but I may seek them out after changing my opinion on the album.

I've always like Calling All Stations definitely more than We Can't Dance and probably more than Invisible Touch.

[Madman Shepherd]

I've made an effort recently to listen to albums by bands I really like that I ignored or only listened to minimally, so Trespass and Calling All Stations have gotten heavy rotation from me in the past few weeks. CAS is a lot better than I remember. The whole back half of the album from The Dividing Line-One Man's Fool is all pretty high quality stuff. And the first half is pretty solid as well. I really don't hear any clunkers, except maybe a few cheesy moments like Shipwrecked and If That's What You Need. I think my favorite moment overall is the dorky keyboard solo at the end of Congo that could've only been written by Tony Banks...it's goofy as hell but so uniquely him to my ears.

Any thoughts on this one? I know there's a whole bunch of b-sides but I've never bothered listening to them since I was so turned off by the actual album but I may seek them out after changing my opinion on the album.

If you look back in this thread, the album was discussed a bit. I only got into Genesis a few years ago and when I finally got around to buying this, my reaction was much like everybody elses. Still, I liked part of it. I liked Ray Wilson. Many of the songs sounded unfinished and then faded out at a very inopportune time. In fact, I think the band admitted they didn't know how to finish a lot of the songs or something like that.

This album gets heavy play out of me. Like I mentioned the other day, I sometimes connect albums to when I travel. My wife and I were listening to this a lot when we traveled out west so I associate this with a pit stop in Cheyenne, WY, driving around trying to find any restaurant open on the 4th of july, and then a good place to watch fireworks.

I love the Live in Poland bootleg with Ray Wilson. He is such an amazing singer and I actually prefer his version of Carpet Crawlers to the other two. Even though I think he is the "weakest" of the three and his renditions of songs like Domino or Mama aren't as good as Phil's, I still love listening to those versions once in a while.

I struck up a friendship with the guy sitting next to me at a Phil Collins show in 2018 and he travels to Europe almost every year to go see a few Ray Wilson shows. That's too hardcore for me BUT when the pandemic is over, I am considering a Europe trip that will HOPEFULLY coincide with a Ray Wilson show or two.

[DTA]

All but one ("Nowhere Else To Turn") are on the Congo, Shipwrecked and Not About Us CD singles.   Only the ones from "Not About Us" are on the 1983-1998 Box Set. That was odd; the remaining ones are the only b-sides they cut from the general release package.

I really wish they would release an all b-sides collection like the Pumpkins did with Aeroplane Flies High or The Cure with Join The Dots. I'm usually obsessive about getting b-sides from bands I love but for some reason I never tracked down a single Genesis one and the situation you describe is probably why...they're too scattered across different compilations and box sets.

I've always like Calling All Stations definitely more than We Can't Dance and probably more than Invisible Touch.

At this point, I think I like it better than those two as well (and probably also Trespass, ATTW3, and Foxtrot)

If you look back in this thread, the album was discussed a bit. I only got into Genesis a few years ago and when I finally got around to buying this, my reaction was much like everybody elses. Still, I liked part of it. I liked Ray Wilson. Many of the songs sounded unfinished and then faded out at a very inopportune time. In fact, I think the band admitted they didn't know how to finish a lot of the songs or something like that.

This album gets heavy play out of me. Like I mentioned the other day, I sometimes connect albums to when I travel. My wife and I were listening to this a lot when we traveled out west so I associate this with a pit stop in Cheyenne, WY, driving around trying to find any restaurant open on the 4th of july, and then a good place to watch fireworks.

I love the Live in Poland bootleg with Ray Wilson. He is such an amazing singer and I actually prefer his version of Carpet Crawlers to the other two. Even though I think he is the "weakest" of the three and his renditions of songs like Domino or Mama aren't as good as Phil's, I still love listening to those versions once in a while.

I struck up a friendship with the guy sitting next to me at a Phil Collins show in 2018 and he travels to Europe almost every year to go see a few Ray Wilson shows. That's too hardcore for me BUT when the pandemic is over, I am considering a Europe trip that will HOPEFULLY coincide with a Ray Wilson show or two.

I'll dig through the thread for CAS related stuff. It's awesome to rediscover an album that I've owned for 20 years but never gave a lot of time to...it's like getting a brand new Genesis album. About the fadeouts, someone on reddit made a great point that the album is meant to fade in/out like changing radio stations and that the tracklist was reordered at the last minute to make it more front-heavy with hits, thus ruining the changing radio station continuity. He suggested that the original tracklist began with Shipwrecked (due to the radio station noises in the intro) and ended with The Dividing Line because that's the only song with a non-fadeout ending. Not sure it matters to anyone, but it might give a little context as to what they were trying to achieve.

Ray Wilson is great, I especially liked his solo album Chasing Rainbows. I don't know if a show of his is worth traveling outside the US for, but I'd see him in a heartbeat if he came here. His set looks mainly comprised of Genesis covers...I wonder if him and Hackett ever discussed doing a tour together?

[Stadler]

All but one ("Nowhere Else To Turn") are on the Congo, Shipwrecked and Not About Us CD singles.   Only the ones from "Not About Us" are on the 1983-1998 Box Set. That was odd; the remaining ones are the only b-sides they cut from the general release package.

I really wish they would release an all b-sides collection like the Pumpkins did with Aeroplane Flies High or The Cure with Join The Dots. I'm usually obsessive about getting b-sides from bands I love but for some reason I never tracked down a single Genesis one and the situation you describe is probably why...they're too scattered across different compilations and box sets.

I'm a b-sides guy, too, so don't get me started!   The Archive sets were supposed to do that, but they blinked and left off Me And Virgil and Match of the Day, and edited Submarine and It's Yourself.  Then the "big" box sets came out and they restored all the missing tracks, and used different edits of Submarine (to better approximate the original release, whose master was damaged).  But then they left off some of the CAS b-sides.    I used to scream for a b-sides collection from Gabriel and Collins, and FINALLY, this past year they released them digital only, which blows but is a start.  I don't get it; it's their music, and (some) fans want to buy it.

[Madman Shepherd]

I'll dig through the thread for CAS related stuff. It's awesome to rediscover an album that I've owned for 20 years but never gave a lot of time to...it's like getting a brand new Genesis album. About the fadeouts, someone on reddit made a great point that the album is meant to fade in/out like changing radio stations and that the tracklist was reordered at the last minute to make it more front-heavy with hits, thus ruining the changing radio station continuity. He suggested that the original tracklist began with Shipwrecked (due to the radio station noises in the intro) and ended with The Dividing Line because that's the only song with a non-fadeout ending. Not sure it matters to anyone, but it might give a little context as to what they were trying to achieve.

Holy shit! I've never heard this before. That makes me want to rearrange the tracklist and listen to it that way. If anyone can find out what the original track order was, please let me know.

His set looks mainly comprised of Genesis covers...I wonder if him and Hackett ever discussed doing a tour together?

Wilson has guested on a few songs with Hackett so it wouldn't be totally out of the question.

[DTA]

Holy shit! I've never heard this before. That makes me want to rearrange the tracklist and listen to it that way. If anyone can find out what the original track order was, please let me know.

Here’s his post on Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Genesis/comments/i4qs1h/hindsight_is_2020_42_the_dividing_line/

It’s just his personal theory but it actually sounds plausible.

[Madman Shepherd]

Cool thanks! I didn't catch in your post that it is just his theory but it does indeed sound plausible and with how little the band talks about this album, I can see it not being mentioned by them.

[HOF]

That Reddit post is an interesting theory. I don’t know that it makes the album better or not to order it that way. Personally, I always felt The Dividing Line was kind of well placed in the middle of the album. It’s well, the dividing line. And it sets the tone for more upbeat second half pretty well. I also think One Man’s Fool is a great closer, and it is a little hard to imagine it earlier in the album.

[Fritzinger]

I'll dig through the thread for CAS related stuff. It's awesome to rediscover an album that I've owned for 20 years but never gave a lot of time to...it's like getting a brand new Genesis album. About the fadeouts, someone on reddit made a great point that the album is meant to fade in/out like changing radio stations and that the tracklist was reordered at the last minute to make it more front-heavy with hits, thus ruining the changing radio station continuity. He suggested that the original tracklist began with Shipwrecked (due to the radio station noises in the intro) and ended with The Dividing Line because that's the only song with a non-fadeout ending. Not sure it matters to anyone, but it might give a little context as to what they were trying to achieve.

Holy shit! I've never heard this before. That makes me want to rearrange the tracklist and listen to it that way. If anyone can find out what the original track order was, please let me know.

His set looks mainly comprised of Genesis covers...I wonder if him and Hackett ever discussed doing a tour together?

Wilson has guested on a few songs with Hackett so it wouldn't be totally out of the question.

Holy shit that is so interesting  And I thought I knew most things to know about Genesis.

I think Ray Wilson and Steve Hackett touring together would be awesome, I would also love to know what would happen if they decided to write music together! But I think Ray mostly (mostly!) covers post-Hackett songs, and I doubt Steve would ever play those live.

[DTA]

All but one ("Nowhere Else To Turn") are on the Congo, Shipwrecked and Not About Us CD singles.   Only the ones from "Not About Us" are on the 1983-1998 Box Set. That was odd; the remaining ones are the only b-sides they cut from the general release package.

I really wish they would release an all b-sides collection like the Pumpkins did with Aeroplane Flies High or The Cure with Join The Dots. I'm usually obsessive about getting b-sides from bands I love but for some reason I never tracked down a single Genesis one and the situation you describe is probably why...they're too scattered across different compilations and box sets.

I'm a b-sides guy, too, so don't get me started!   The Archive sets were supposed to do that, but they blinked and left off Me And Virgil and Match of the Day, and edited Submarine and It's Yourself.  Then the "big" box sets came out and they restored all the missing tracks, and used different edits of Submarine (to better approximate the original release, whose master was damaged).  But then they left off some of the CAS b-sides.    I used to scream for a b-sides collection from Gabriel and Collins, and FINALLY, this past year they released them digital only, which blows but is a start.  I don't get it; it's their music, and (some) fans want to buy it.

They just posted a cryptic instagram photo with the classic 5 member lineup so while a Gabriel reunion is always out of the question, maybe they're announcing a comprehensive b-sides collection?? 

[DTA]

That Reddit post is an interesting theory. I don’t know that it makes the album better or not to order it that way. Personally, I always felt The Dividing Line was kind of well placed in the middle of the album. It’s well, the dividing line. And it sets the tone for more upbeat second half pretty well. I also think One Man’s Fool is a great closer, and it is a little hard to imagine it earlier in the album.

Yeah, I don't think it will improve anything (and I agree that One Man's Fool sounds like a closing song) but it's interesting to see that maybe there was a deeper concept there that they attempted

[ytserush]

I've always like Calling All Stations definitely more than We Can't Dance and probably more than Invisible Touch.

At this point, I think I like it better than those two as well (and probably also Trespass, ATTW3, and Foxtrot)

Although I have them, I really don't listen to the Gabriel years. Genesis really doesn't begin for me until A Trick Of The Tail so I'd much rather listen to Calling All Stations more than anything from the Gabriel years.

[Fritzinger]

I've always like Calling All Stations definitely more than We Can't Dance and probably more than Invisible Touch.

At this point, I think I like it better than those two as well (and probably also Trespass, ATTW3, and Foxtrot)

Although I have them, I really don't listen to the Gabriel years. Genesis really doesn't begin for me until A Trick Of The Tail so I'd much rather listen to Calling All Stations more than anything from the Gabriel years.

I've NEVER heard this opinion before 

[ytserush]

I've always like Calling All Stations definitely more than We Can't Dance and probably more than Invisible Touch.

At this point, I think I like it better than those two as well (and probably also Trespass, ATTW3, and Foxtrot)

Although I have them, I really don't listen to the Gabriel years. Genesis really doesn't begin for me until A Trick Of The Tail so I'd much rather listen to Calling All Stations more than anything from the Gabriel years.

I've NEVER heard this opinion before 

Just never got those years. Still don't. Can't explain it. Maybe I would have had to have been there instead of getting into them at Duke.

[DragonAttack]

Well, you tend to be the one who always views things as 'partly cloudy' when others see the world as 'partly sunny'.

To be honest, I had 'heard' Genesis, went to a concert during the 'Wind and Wuthering' tour, but didn't get 'into' them until a laser light quadrophonic show in East Lansing of '...And Then There Were Three'.  Mind blowing.  Nothing will top that experience.  A few years later, I got ahold of some of the Gabriel era LPs.  Not all the tracks are my cup of tea, but the ones that were ...well... I guess, to each their own.

To be honest, Dream Theater didn't begin until 'Images & Words', even though I didn't know of the band until 'Six Degrees'.  The older albums resonated with me. Some fans here love this, love that, hate this, hate that.....

Oddly....some Queen fans don't like their 70's releases, and some Beatle fans don't like Sergeant Pepper onward, whilst others don't like the releases before 'Rubber Soul' or 'Revolver'.

Darn, I'm arguing against myself here.

[ytserush]

Well, you tend to be the one who always views things as 'partly cloudy' when others see the world as 'partly sunny'.

To be honest, I had 'heard' Genesis, went to a concert during the 'Wind and Wuthering' tour, but didn't get 'into' them until a laser light quadrophonic show in East Lansing of '...And Then There Were Three'.  Mind blowing.  Nothing will top that experience.  A few years later, I got ahold of some of the Gabriel era LPs.  Not all the tracks are my cup of tea, but the ones that were ...well... I guess, to each their own.

To be honest, Dream Theater didn't begin until 'Images & Words', even though I didn't know of the band until 'Six Degrees'.  The older albums resonated with me. Some fans here love this, love that, hate this, hate that.....

Oddly....some Queen fans don't like their 70's releases, and some Beatle fans don't like Sergeant Pepper onward, whilst others don't like the releases before 'Rubber Soul' or 'Revolver'.

Darn, I'm arguing against myself here.

I tend to think I'm more realistic/ fatalistic rather than "partly cloudy" but there could be an element of that. I won't say I dislike every song from the Gabriel years.

Oddly enough I do like "I Know What I Like" and the title track to "Lamb" and probably a few others. The weird part is if I hear a cover of a Gabriel-Genesis song live I tend to like it more than not.

Favorite Dream Theater albums for me are When Dream And Day Unite, Six Degrees, Octavarium and perhaps The Astonishing so I'm pretty spread out on that front and Queen too. It really depends on the album not when it was recorded.

[Stadler]

Different albums, but I'm with Ytserush here; I kind of tend to not follow the trends.   

Huge Genesis fan - huge - but I'll take Abacab over any of the Gabriel albums (except MAYBE The Lamb).   Wind and Wuthering and Duke as well.   People seem to love "Selling England..." but Cinema Show is the only essential song on there (I like Firth Of Fifth, but the intro is the only reason I ever listen to the studio version). 

Dream Theater, Images and Words is my favorite (that's when I got into the band) but I'd take Octavarium over anything else.

Queen starts and ends with Queen II, but A Kind Of Magic is a top three Queen album; either Works or Innuendo is third.   If it wasn't for The Prophets Song, I'm not sure I would ever listen to A Night At The Opera.   

[Orbert]

One for the Vine is amazing, my favorite from that album and one of my favorites overall.  I have a sheet music book with the two '76 albums (A Trick of the Tale and Wind & Wuthering) and was frustrated -- but not surprised -- that those wonderful instrumental breaks weren't transcribed.  So I worked them up myself.  Spent hours in the piano room in my dorm hall, and eventually came up with a 10-minute performance piece, One for the Vine arranged for solo piano.

Orbert, I'd love to hear that sometime.  Is it on tape/video?

My son was at work, and my wife and daughter were grocery shopping for today's festivities.  That just left me, the piano, and a fairly large quantity of what is now legal in the State of Illinois.  I considered whether to record it "cold" (I haven't played in a weeks) or run through it once to warm up.  I decided to run through it once.  This was a mistake.  It's a ten-minute song, so by the second time through, I was already exhausted.  The first take was better, fewer fuck-ups.  But here it is, warts and all, live from Orbert's basement mess studio.

Orbert playing the piano - LOL

I've heard that YouTube is totally cracking down on copyright infringements and shit these days.  I tried to obscure the name of the band, album, and song, but foolishly didn't change the title of the video itself, so maybe that's how it got flagged less than ten minutes after I uploaded it.  We'll see how long it stays there.

[LudwigVan]

Nice! 👍

[romdrums]

Nicely done, Orbert.  Hardly noticed any clams!

Hearing that song on piano really brings out Tony’s knack for interesting chord progressions and how he voiced them.  His playing can be very lush and has a certain romanticism about it. For some reason, the word “Pastoral” comes to mind.  I would argue that Tony’s harmonic sense was the best of any of the classic Prog keyboardists. 

[Orbert]

Thanks!  Tony is my favorite prog composer.  He doesn't just write songs, but with a lot of his stuff, you can hear how it started with a piano composition that evolved into something else, something more.  His neoclassical stuff is full of those amazing chord changes, except we get to hear them played by a symphony orchestra.  Just amazing stuff.

A few pretty obvious f-ups, but two or three in a ten-minute piece isn't too bad.  Good enough for live music.  I suppose that's the difference between real virtuosos and mere mortals such as myself.  There are guys that play three-hour concerts every night, and every single note is perfect.  Those guys also practice hours and hours every day and are actually part man, part machine.  I can't do that.  I would come to resent the one activity I truly do for fun, and I won't spoil it for myself.  That's the real reason why there aren't any recordings of me playing.  I'm always gonna f-up here and there.  But since I'd recorded it anyway, I figured WTF.

[HOF]

Very cool, Orbert.

I love the way Banks writes. Even some of the simpler ballads have really cool chord sequences (Taking it All Too Hard is one that comes to mind).

[Stadler]

All of the above, times two.    And add that compositional skill to that lovely sound he gets - I don't know "keyboards" or "pianos" so I don't know what he's playing, but it's that "electric-y piano sound" that was all over the W&W/Duke/Abacab period - and I can listen to all day.

LOVE LOVE LOVE how you worked in that ascending run (about 2:30 in); so subtle, but it's presence makes that section come alive.  I also liked how you did the buildup at 5:30 or so on just the piano.  Really tasteful.

Is there symbolic meaning to the light bulb?  Nuggetz?  (It IS a prog site we're on, after all!!!). 

[Orbert]

Thanks.  The ascending Ab run is very important to that section, and it was one of the things I knew I had to include.  And as mentioned elsewhere, this was all back when I was young and fearless, so it was just a matter of taking the time to figure it out.  The big instrumental break around five minutes in took a while, too.  So many key changes, so many chords.  Tony is such a genius.  When I hear his music, I'm not content to just listen to it.  I want to play it!

No particular meaning to the light bulb.  A few feet to the right of the piano (more or less where my phonecam was set up), is the access to our crawlspace.  There's a single light fixture in there, and I had to replace the bulb a few years ago.  As I crawled out of the crawlspace, I grabbed the side of the piano to pull myself up because I'm getting old and creaky.  I set the bulb down there to dust myself off.  As I said, that was a few years ago.  Now that I think about it, maybe more like five.  There's a photo sitting near it, next to the music stand; it's my daughter, taken when she was three years old, climbing a fence or something.  She's 22 now.  But I like that picture.

Some people's houses look like they could be movie or TV sets.  Nice art on the walls, matched furniture, everything clean and tidy.  Our house is the opposite of that.  It looks "lived in".  There are things that someone set down somewhere, meaning to get to it eventually, and it's still there.  Hat or gloves by the front door, still there in the middle of summer.  A book on a table.  No actual garbage or leftover food; everyone has their line and that's mine.  You don't leave wrappers or a half-eaten bowl of pasta sitting.  Take care of that shit.  But pretty much anything else, if you put it down somewhere, it's not someone else's job to put it away for you, so usually it just sits.

[ytserush]

One for the Vine is amazing, my favorite from that album and one of my favorites overall.  I have a sheet music book with the two '76 albums (A Trick of the Tale and Wind & Wuthering) and was frustrated -- but not surprised -- that those wonderful instrumental breaks weren't transcribed.  So I worked them up myself.  Spent hours in the piano room in my dorm hall, and eventually came up with a 10-minute performance piece, One for the Vine arranged for solo piano.

Orbert, I'd love to hear that sometime.  Is it on tape/video?

My son was at work, and my wife and daughter were grocery shopping for today's festivities.  That just left me, the piano, and a fairly large quantity of what is now legal in the State of Illinois.  I considered whether to record it "cold" (I haven't played in a weeks) or run through it once to warm up.  I decided to run through it once.  This was a mistake.  It's a ten-minute song, so by the second time through, I was already exhausted.  The first take was better, fewer fuck-ups.  But here it is, warts and all, live from Orbert's basement mess studio.

Orbert playing the piano - LOL

I've heard that YouTube is totally cracking down on copyright infringements and shit these days.  I tried to obscure the name of the band, album, and song, but foolishly didn't change the title of the video itself, so maybe that's how it got flagged less than ten minutes after I uploaded it.  We'll see how long it stays there.

Great stuff! Thanks! Just had Three Sides Live (Well Four Sides Live. It was the 94 Remaster Disc Two) in the car earlier today so this was a nice surprise.

[Fritzinger]

That's a beautiful version Orbert and I completely agree with you on the assessment of Tony's compositional genius. I think no one jumps through keys like Tony does. Very well arranged and played by you! I think your version showcases just how complex Tony's compositions are. His approach to harmony progressions and arrangements of functions of notes within chords is unmatched in the music world in my opinion. He is also a master of arpeggios (Can-Utility!)

I wish I was as good a pianist as you are, I would love to learn this, but I'm a guitarist and my piano skills suck. It took months for me to learn the Firth Of Fifth intro on piano, but I wanted to be able to play this since it's one of my favorite songs of all time. Then, I rearranged the song into a 3 or 4 minute solo piano piece. I inserted another chord at the end of intro to lead into the part starting at 3:26 (of the original) and played the flute solo in octaves with the right hand while the left played the bass arpeggios. The song usually leads into the full band version of the intro, but of course I just repeated the regular intro and had the song end on what sounds like the tonic chord (but let's be honest, Tony's compositions are so complex sometimes that no one can be 100% sure where the tonal center is  ). Maybe I'll relearn it and post a video here - though of course it's not nearly as well thought out as your Vine version (again, I'm a guitarist).

Now I have to revisit the late-70s albums by Genesis! Very under appreciated in my opinion, everyone always talks about the Gabriel albums, but Trick and Wind are just as good, if not even better. Collins also stepped up his game for these albums. His playing here was phenomenal. Just listen to ...In That Quiet Earth, holy shit. I think I'm gonna listen to Wind & Wuthering now.

[Stadler]

There are a couple bands like this, of course, including our host band, but one of the things I love about Genesis is how multi-layered they are.  They can be both visceral and cerebral, sometimes all at the same time.

If I'm in the mood for introspective piano melodies... check.  If I'm in the mood for some emotive, powerful, propulsive drumming, check.  If I'm in the mood for an ear-worm melody that I can hum for days, check.  If I'm in the mood for...  you get the idea.  I can either listen analytically, or just lose myself in the music as an atmosphere, and it doesn't matter.   Pretty much that's why Wind And Wuthering is one of my favorite albums of all time.   A band like Kiss - who I love, you all know that - is almost exclusively a "feel" band; they hit the spot when I'm interested in just losing myself to a vibe; I don't think I've ever put on a Kiss song becasue "I want to hear that particular drum part", or because "the melodic composition is emotive in and of itself".   

[romdrums]

Listened to Trick and W&W earlier this morning, and now I'm on Seconds Out.  I think my favorite aspect of these albums is how driven they were to prove they were more than just Peter Gabriel's backing band, Tony in particular.  I don't think songs like Mad Man Moon and One for the Vine would have happened if PG was still in the band, and those end up being two of my favorite Genesis tunes. 

On another note, I don't know how many in this thread are also Frost* fans, but Jem Godfrey has clearly done his homework when it comes to Tony Banks.  Check out the instrumental "A Nice Day For It" from their album Falling Satellites.  Brilliantly calls back to Duke's Travels in particular, but very Banksian in its approach.

[The Great Zo]

On another note, I don't know how many in this thread are also Frost* fans, but Jem Godfrey has clearly done his homework when it comes to Tony Banks.  Check out the instrumental "A Nice Day For It" from their album Falling Satellites.  Brilliantly calls back to Duke's Travels in particular, but very Banksian in its approach.

Yep, Jem confirmed it in an interview in 2016 too. Excerpt:

Iris: Who are your biggest influences, and can you ‘hear’ them on the new album?

Jem:  Well yeah, there’s a Tony Banks moment in the track Nice Day For It. Genesis split up and Tony Banks is retired now. I was impressed by that because a lot of bands, in generally, don’t know when to stop. What I really like about Genesis is that they said “Ok, that’s enough”. I know that Tony lives in Surrey and he’s quite keen on gardening, apparently. He’s got a few quid in the bank and keeping himself to himself, and I thought to myself “That’s what I want to do, I want to be like Tony Banks when I’m 65/70”. Because we might never hear from him again musically, that bit in Nice Day For It became my little musical ‘thank you’. I think the rest of the music is a mash-up of the things I listened to in the last thirty years I suppose.

[Fritzinger]

On another note, I don't know how many in this thread are also Frost* fans, but Jem Godfrey has clearly done his homework when it comes to Tony Banks.  Check out the instrumental "A Nice Day For It" from their album Falling Satellites.  Brilliantly calls back to Duke's Travels in particular, but very Banksian in its approach.

Yep, Jem confirmed it in an interview in 2016 too. Excerpt:

Iris: Who are your biggest influences, and can you ‘hear’ them on the new album?

Jem:  Well yeah, there’s a Tony Banks moment in the track Nice Day For It. Genesis split up and Tony Banks is retired now. I was impressed by that because a lot of bands, in generally, don’t know when to stop. What I really like about Genesis is that they said “Ok, that’s enough”. I know that Tony lives in Surrey and he’s quite keen on gardening, apparently. He’s got a few quid in the bank and keeping himself to himself, and I thought to myself “That’s what I want to do, I want to be like Tony Banks when I’m 65/70”. Because we might never hear from him again musically, that bit in Nice Day For It became my little musical ‘thank you’. I think the rest of the music is a mash-up of the things I listened to in the last thirty years I suppose.

Well, I guess the band is not that consequent after all