by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Wind & Wuthering followed quickly on the heels of A Trick of the Tail and they're very much cut from the same cloth, working the same English eccentric ground that was the group's stock in trade since Trespass. But if A Trick of the Tail played like Genesis' attempt at crafting a great Genesis record without Peter Gabriel, as a way of finding their footing as a quartet, Wind & Wuthering finds Genesis tentatively figuring out what their identity will be in this new phase of their career. The most obvious indication of this is Mike Rutherford's "Your Own Special Way," which is both the poppiest tune the group had cut and also the first that could qualify as a love song. It stands out on a record that is, apart from that, a standard Genesis record, but quite a good one in that regard.
Released 23 December 1976 (UK)27 December 1976 (US)
Recorded September – October 1976 at Relight Studios/Hilvarenbeek, NL
Length 50:54
Label: Charisma, Virgin, Atco
Producer: David Hentschel and Genesis
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By Paul Allaer (Cincinnati)
Released 23 December 1976 (UK)27 December 1976 (US)
Recorded September – October 1976 at Relight Studios/Hilvarenbeek, NL
Length 50:54
Label: Charisma, Virgin, Atco
Producer: David Hentschel and Genesis
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By Paul Allaer (Cincinnati)
Music: 5 stars; DVD material: 4 stars
"Wind and Wuthering" is the 2nd post-Peter Gabriel album, originally issued in 1977. It continued the unexpected success of "A Trick of a Tail" album with Phil Collins stepping in for Peter Gabriel as lead singer. I got the 1994 reissue but the temptation of a bunch of DVD bonus materials was such that I did buy the "Genesis 1976-1982" 6 CD/6 DVD set.
As to the CD, "Wind & Wuthering" (9 tracks, 51 min.) remains a fabulous listen 30 years later. From the opening "Eleventh Earl of Mar", the band sounds on top of their game. The 10 min. epic "One For the Vine" is in my book the best track that Tony Banks has ever penned, period. Mike Rutherford's beautiful ballad "Your Own Special Way" was the unexpected hit (in a shortened version), and foreshadowed things to come ("Follow You Follow Me', and others thereafter). "Wot Guerilla" is the "Los Endos" of this album. Other highlights include "Blood on the Rooftops", Steve Hacket's last main contribution before he left the band. The instrumental mini-set of "Unquiet/In That Quiet Earth" is just terrific, before giving way to the catharsic ending "Afterglow", what a way to end the album, wow!
As to the DVD, it first brings the album in a terrific 5.1 surround system, and it sounds fantastic if you have the proper home music set-up (which I do). As to the visuals, the "Reissue Interviews 2007" brings about 20 min. of the guys bringing their perspectives on the album, quite entertaining. The other video materials are somewhat disappointing: a US bootleg of Your Own Special Way and Afterglow (from a TV show) and a Japanese bootleg of several albums tracks, but the audio and video quality leaves to be desired. Couldn't they have found anything better to include here? That said, I saw Genesis on the "Wind & Wuthering" tour in Brussels in 1977, so this has a lot of sentimental value for me.
If you are considering buying any of the reissued CD/DVD albums, you really should look at buying the "Genesis 1976-1982" box instead as it offer far more "bang for the buck" (only $69 here on Amazon), and on top it comes with a bonus CD/DVD of assorted B-sides, EPs and other hard to find tracks from that era.
"Wind and Wuthering" is the 2nd post-Peter Gabriel album, originally issued in 1977. It continued the unexpected success of "A Trick of a Tail" album with Phil Collins stepping in for Peter Gabriel as lead singer. I got the 1994 reissue but the temptation of a bunch of DVD bonus materials was such that I did buy the "Genesis 1976-1982" 6 CD/6 DVD set.
As to the CD, "Wind & Wuthering" (9 tracks, 51 min.) remains a fabulous listen 30 years later. From the opening "Eleventh Earl of Mar", the band sounds on top of their game. The 10 min. epic "One For the Vine" is in my book the best track that Tony Banks has ever penned, period. Mike Rutherford's beautiful ballad "Your Own Special Way" was the unexpected hit (in a shortened version), and foreshadowed things to come ("Follow You Follow Me', and others thereafter). "Wot Guerilla" is the "Los Endos" of this album. Other highlights include "Blood on the Rooftops", Steve Hacket's last main contribution before he left the band. The instrumental mini-set of "Unquiet/In That Quiet Earth" is just terrific, before giving way to the catharsic ending "Afterglow", what a way to end the album, wow!
As to the DVD, it first brings the album in a terrific 5.1 surround system, and it sounds fantastic if you have the proper home music set-up (which I do). As to the visuals, the "Reissue Interviews 2007" brings about 20 min. of the guys bringing their perspectives on the album, quite entertaining. The other video materials are somewhat disappointing: a US bootleg of Your Own Special Way and Afterglow (from a TV show) and a Japanese bootleg of several albums tracks, but the audio and video quality leaves to be desired. Couldn't they have found anything better to include here? That said, I saw Genesis on the "Wind & Wuthering" tour in Brussels in 1977, so this has a lot of sentimental value for me.
If you are considering buying any of the reissued CD/DVD albums, you really should look at buying the "Genesis 1976-1982" box instead as it offer far more "bang for the buck" (only $69 here on Amazon), and on top it comes with a bonus CD/DVD of assorted B-sides, EPs and other hard to find tracks from that era.
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