Post by Mr. Atari on Dec 28, 2011 0:37:49 GMT -5
And we're off. I figured I'd give a star rating (1-5), just because.
From Genesis to Revelation (1969)
This is definitely Genesis's "KTMA album". They guys were still teenagers, and recorded the album at the prompting (and creative control) of their old classmate and manager. The band doesn't even own the rights, and most fans regard it as little more than a demo. Formative, but not really worth much except for the novelty.
*
Trespass (1970)
If "From Genesis to Revelation" is the KTMA album, then this would certainly follow suit as the "Season 1" album. In fact, the analogy is very apt, as far as personnel is concerned. Anthony Phillips was J. Elvis. Steve Hackett is TV's Frank, and Phil Collins is Kevin Murphy. (Or, the more obvious connection that Phil Collins is Mike Nelson, as he contributed for years before replacing the main guy; and yes, Peter Gabriel is Joel.) Like season 1 of MST, Trespass showed the form and style of what made Genesis great, but was missing some key contributors of what would become the golden age (namely, Hackett & Collins).
That doesn't mean it's a bad album; far from it. The opening track, "Looking for Someone" is one of the forgotten gems of the early days. It's a nice mixture of madrigal and heavy rhythm crunch, a recipe that pretty much summarizes the band's '70s output; and it's all on display there in the first track. It's also a nice showpiece for Gabriel's "harsh" voice. I find that when Gabriel is shout-singing, he's unmatched. The emotion and plaintive power when he sings loudly is wonderful. When he whisper-sings, with his exaggerated enunciation, it's very off-putting to me. Fortunately, Trespass has far more of the former than the latter.
The second track, "White Mountain" is a fun little song about a wolfpack. It also has a pretty 12-string & flute interlude, but it isn't cloying or overdone. The main riff has a nice driving groove, and Banks puts a catchy Hammond organ staccato riff over the top.
The next three songs don't really go anywhere and aren't all that memorable (with the exception of the last 2 minutes of "Stagnation"). After listening to the album straight through a few times again, it becomes noticeable how much drummer John Mayhew loves 16th notes. Boy howdy. Odd trivia: The band fired Mayhew after the recording was done and he disappeared. He never claimed his royalty checks, and wasn't heard from again until a few years ago when his brother found him working as a carpenter in Australia.
The album closes with "The Knife", a fan favorite and their first classic song. It features a driving shuffle beat reminiscent of Hendrix's "Manic Depression". Banks shines on the organ, Rutherford's rocking a fuzz bass, and Phillips's guitar lines couldn't be better. The violent lyrics and vocals are a bit of a shock after an album's worth of pastoral themes about mountains, rivers and snowy meadows.
All in all, Trespass is a good album with a couple great moments, but not a great album. One criticism often levied at progressive rock bands is that they can get too noodle-y without really going anywhere, leaving the listener to say, "GET ON WITH IT!" (Well, the sober listener, anyway...) Genesis eventually became masters of the instrumental interludes that had memorable melodic and rhythmic hooks that worked more like a symphony than a pointless jam session. Not so much here, though. Even the great "Looking for Someone" and "The Knife" would be much better if they were 3 minutes shorter. Still, considering what else was going on in the music world in 1970, that music this complex and pretty came out of anywhere is remarkable.
***
From Genesis to Revelation (1969)
This is definitely Genesis's "KTMA album". They guys were still teenagers, and recorded the album at the prompting (and creative control) of their old classmate and manager. The band doesn't even own the rights, and most fans regard it as little more than a demo. Formative, but not really worth much except for the novelty.
*
Trespass (1970)
If "From Genesis to Revelation" is the KTMA album, then this would certainly follow suit as the "Season 1" album. In fact, the analogy is very apt, as far as personnel is concerned. Anthony Phillips was J. Elvis. Steve Hackett is TV's Frank, and Phil Collins is Kevin Murphy. (Or, the more obvious connection that Phil Collins is Mike Nelson, as he contributed for years before replacing the main guy; and yes, Peter Gabriel is Joel.) Like season 1 of MST, Trespass showed the form and style of what made Genesis great, but was missing some key contributors of what would become the golden age (namely, Hackett & Collins).
That doesn't mean it's a bad album; far from it. The opening track, "Looking for Someone" is one of the forgotten gems of the early days. It's a nice mixture of madrigal and heavy rhythm crunch, a recipe that pretty much summarizes the band's '70s output; and it's all on display there in the first track. It's also a nice showpiece for Gabriel's "harsh" voice. I find that when Gabriel is shout-singing, he's unmatched. The emotion and plaintive power when he sings loudly is wonderful. When he whisper-sings, with his exaggerated enunciation, it's very off-putting to me. Fortunately, Trespass has far more of the former than the latter.
The second track, "White Mountain" is a fun little song about a wolfpack. It also has a pretty 12-string & flute interlude, but it isn't cloying or overdone. The main riff has a nice driving groove, and Banks puts a catchy Hammond organ staccato riff over the top.
The next three songs don't really go anywhere and aren't all that memorable (with the exception of the last 2 minutes of "Stagnation"). After listening to the album straight through a few times again, it becomes noticeable how much drummer John Mayhew loves 16th notes. Boy howdy. Odd trivia: The band fired Mayhew after the recording was done and he disappeared. He never claimed his royalty checks, and wasn't heard from again until a few years ago when his brother found him working as a carpenter in Australia.
The album closes with "The Knife", a fan favorite and their first classic song. It features a driving shuffle beat reminiscent of Hendrix's "Manic Depression". Banks shines on the organ, Rutherford's rocking a fuzz bass, and Phillips's guitar lines couldn't be better. The violent lyrics and vocals are a bit of a shock after an album's worth of pastoral themes about mountains, rivers and snowy meadows.
All in all, Trespass is a good album with a couple great moments, but not a great album. One criticism often levied at progressive rock bands is that they can get too noodle-y without really going anywhere, leaving the listener to say, "GET ON WITH IT!" (Well, the sober listener, anyway...) Genesis eventually became masters of the instrumental interludes that had memorable melodic and rhythmic hooks that worked more like a symphony than a pointless jam session. Not so much here, though. Even the great "Looking for Someone" and "The Knife" would be much better if they were 3 minutes shorter. Still, considering what else was going on in the music world in 1970, that music this complex and pretty came out of anywhere is remarkable.
***