Genesis
A Trick of the Tail (Craft/Rhino)
Wind and Wuthering (Craft/Rhino)
As we continue our journey through the mass of awesome Genesis vinyl reissues that we recently received, we start part 2 with a bit of blip. Following the departure of Pater Gabriel, but with guitarist Steve Hackett still in the ranks, the band really seemed to struggle to define itself with these two albums.
In retrospect, it feels like they were trying to be exactly the same band, without Gabriel, and that was never going to work. They're missing the old singer here, the songs aren't strong enough, and it's clear that some reinvention was going to be necessary. On the plus side, the sleeve art for A Trick of the Tail is one of Genesis' best.
Genesis
And Then There Were Three (Craft/Rhino)
The reinvention came on the very next album. Hackett left the band leaving, as the album title suggests, just the three of them -- Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks.
It's a fascinating record too, because it feels like Genesis is morphing into a new Genesis, right in front of our eyes (or ears). They're getting more and more comfortable with overt, polished melodies, suiting Collins' vocals beautifully. People often talk about Gabriel's art-rock Genesis, and Collins' pop Genesis, but it was far more complicated and nuanced than that.
By the time this album concludes with "Follow You Follow Me," we know exactly what we now have.
Genesis
Invisible Touch (Craft/Rhino)
One of the band's best studio albums (along with Duke, which we didn't get in this batch), Invisible Touch finds Genesis at ease in its new skin. The title track is note-perfect, "In Too Deep" is beautiful, and "Anything She Does" is epic.
While they didn't ever completely abandon their prog-rock roots, by Invisible Touch, the term classic rock suited them far better.
Soulful, pained and honest, this set the bar for future Genesis releases.
Genesis
We Can't Dance (Craft/Rhino)
This writer can remember receiving this album as a Christmas gift in 1991, the year of its release. A young metal-head with a penchant for punk, it's telling that this late Genesis release still resonated.
The double album starts with a slowy--"No Son of Mine." But somehow, it works. It sets the tone for the quality of the songs throughout, which is remarkably high. This is one of Genesis' more underrated albums; they certainly weren't fashionable in '91. But the likes of "I Can't Dance" and "Tell Me Why" are gems.
Genesis
Calling All Stations (Craft/Rhino)
Eight years after We Can't Dance, Collins had left Genesis, and Rutherford and Banks were joined by Scottish singer Ray Wilson (formerly of alt-rock band Stiltskin).
It wasn't a flop, though it wasn't as commercially successful as its predecessors. Critics generally didn't like it, but it really didn't stand a chance. Nobody was asking for a Genesis album with Collins or Gabriel.
But the thing is, with some time passed, it's much better than many remember. Wilson's work in Stiltskin was gritty and dark, where he's far more restrained here. But songs such as the title track and "Congo" are well constructed and eminently listenable.
Better still is "If That's What You Need," and the closing "One Man's Fool," which actually harken back to Gabriel's depth and poetry.
