If Genesis truly
established themselves as progressive rockers on Trespass, Nursery Cryme is
where their signature persona was unveiled: true English eccentrics, one part
Lewis Carroll and one part Syd Barrett,
creating a fanciful world that emphasized the band's instrumental prowess as
much as Peter
Gabriel's theatricality. Which isn't to say that all of Nursery Cryme
works. There are times when the whimsy is overwhelming, just as there are
periods when there's too much instrumental indulgence, yet there's a charm to
this indulgence, since the group is letting itself run wild. Even if they've yet
to find the furthest reaches of their imagination, part of the charm is hearing
them test out its limits, something that does result in genuine masterpieces, as
on "The Musical Box" and "The Return of the Giant Hogweed," two epics that
dominate the first side of the album and give it its foundation. If the second
side isn't quite as compelling or quite as structured, it doesn't quite matter
because these are the songs that showed what Genesis could do, and
they still stand as pinnacles of what the band could achieve.
Released
12 November 1971
Recorded
August 1971 at Trident Studios
Length
39:29
Label:
Charisma
Producer
John Anthony
-----------------------------
By Andreas C G "Andreas Carl Georgi" (Huntington Beach, CA United States)
All of the four studio albums of the "classic" lineup of Genesis from 1971 to 1974 are wonderful and definitely worth owning. It's hard to pick one as my favorite. None of them are perfect, and this one is no exception, but there are a couple of things that make it stand out. This is the first album which featured Phil Collins and Steve Hackett, who both brought a higher level of musical skills to the band, and help them polish and define their sound. In addition to being a great drummer, Collins' voice also harmonized in a great way with Peter Gabriel's. While with Trespass Genesis began to define their musical direction, with this album there is a significant improvement and refinement on all levels.
-----------------------------
By Andreas C G "Andreas Carl Georgi" (Huntington Beach, CA United States)
All of the four studio albums of the "classic" lineup of Genesis from 1971 to 1974 are wonderful and definitely worth owning. It's hard to pick one as my favorite. None of them are perfect, and this one is no exception, but there are a couple of things that make it stand out. This is the first album which featured Phil Collins and Steve Hackett, who both brought a higher level of musical skills to the band, and help them polish and define their sound. In addition to being a great drummer, Collins' voice also harmonized in a great way with Peter Gabriel's. While with Trespass Genesis began to define their musical direction, with this album there is a significant improvement and refinement on all levels.
One thing that is immediately apparent is the wonderful cover artwork - easily the best of the four. The image of the girl playing croquet with human heads illustrates the story line of the opening song "The Musical Box", which if I had to pick a favorite Genesis song, would be in a tie with "Supper's ready on 1972's Foxtrot. This song is a masterpiece which has a dreamlike surrealist vibe to it that really transports you elsewhere.
"Musical Box" was apparently a work in progress during the "Trespass" days, and shows the influence of Anthony Phillips, the original guitarist (who left because of stage fright), on the quieter acoustic passages. If you listen to "Trespass" or Phillips' solo album The Geese & the Ghost, you will hear what I mean. Another such W.I.P. was "Twilight Alehouse" a rarity recorded during the "Nursery Cryme" sessions.
"Musical Box" is one of 4 longer, more complex "epic" songs separated by shorter and lighter songs. "For Absent Friends" is actually Phil Collins' lead vocal debut, although it is uncredited. "Return of the Giant Hogweed" is a wonderful sci-fi parody, which touches on the recurring theme of the folly of man's arrogance. The dissonant bombast at the end is a highlight "Seven Stones" is dismissed in many reviews as being weak or inconsequential, but I am actually quite fond of it. It think Gabriel gives a great vocal performance on it, I really like the flute and keyboard interplay in the middle, and anyway I think Melotrons are way-cool! "Harold the Barrel" is a lightweight but amusing absurdist parable, in which Gabriel assumes the role of various characters (which would be become a trademark of his work. The central theme of the fragility of middle class "normalcy" is one that Genesis and Gabriel on his own would revisit several times. "Fountain of Salmacis" is one of the longer "epics" based on Greek mythology, which features some of Steve Hackett's best guitar work with Genesis.
Genesis's sound would get tighter and more polished on subsequent albums, but this album stands out on a creative level. Plus, hey, it's got "Musical Box" - say no more!
"Musical Box" was apparently a work in progress during the "Trespass" days, and shows the influence of Anthony Phillips, the original guitarist (who left because of stage fright), on the quieter acoustic passages. If you listen to "Trespass" or Phillips' solo album The Geese & the Ghost, you will hear what I mean. Another such W.I.P. was "Twilight Alehouse" a rarity recorded during the "Nursery Cryme" sessions.
"Musical Box" is one of 4 longer, more complex "epic" songs separated by shorter and lighter songs. "For Absent Friends" is actually Phil Collins' lead vocal debut, although it is uncredited. "Return of the Giant Hogweed" is a wonderful sci-fi parody, which touches on the recurring theme of the folly of man's arrogance. The dissonant bombast at the end is a highlight "Seven Stones" is dismissed in many reviews as being weak or inconsequential, but I am actually quite fond of it. It think Gabriel gives a great vocal performance on it, I really like the flute and keyboard interplay in the middle, and anyway I think Melotrons are way-cool! "Harold the Barrel" is a lightweight but amusing absurdist parable, in which Gabriel assumes the role of various characters (which would be become a trademark of his work. The central theme of the fragility of middle class "normalcy" is one that Genesis and Gabriel on his own would revisit several times. "Fountain of Salmacis" is one of the longer "epics" based on Greek mythology, which features some of Steve Hackett's best guitar work with Genesis.
Genesis's sound would get tighter and more polished on subsequent albums, but this album stands out on a creative level. Plus, hey, it's got "Musical Box" - say no more!
No comments:
Post a Comment