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Genesis
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13-06-2008 7:40pmBeen listening to a CD which came free in one of the Sunday papers last week and I'm really enjoying it.
They started life as a ProgRock band, specialising in overblown, overlong but immensely enjoyable songs.
Then around the end of the 70s, they stopped taking themselves seriously and started recording some great pop songs.
I saw them in the early 80s while I was on holidays in France and thought they were great.
So what do people here think of them? Have our younger viewers even heard of them?0
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Im a huge fan as someone may guess from my username!! I seen them in Manchester, London and Chicago last year on what noow appears to be their farewell tour. It was a stunning production. Check out the When In Rome DVD to see it.0
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Hey,
Define 'younger viewers'... ...hehe. I'm 25 now but have heard of them for many years now. I have their greatest hits and I also have Phil Collins' greatest hits. To be honest, I prefer Collins' solo work but Genesis have some amazing songs. Arguably, my favourite is Jesus He Knows Me.
Kevin0 -
Try listening to Peter Gabriel. He has some fantastic cds and live DVDs.0
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Hey,
Define 'younger viewers'... ...hehe. I'm 25 now but have heard of them for many years now. I have their greatest hits and I also have Phil Collins' greatest hits. To be honest, I prefer Collins' solo work but Genesis have some amazing songs. Arguably, my favourite is Jesus He Knows Me.
Kevin
precisely! I'm 24 and have both Genesis and Phil Collins collections. I do prefer his solo work too, to be honest. Quality stuff!0 -
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I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980
album, Duke. Before that I didn't really understand any of their
work, though on their last album of the 1970s, the concept-laden
And Then There Were Three (a reference to band member Peter
Gabriel, who left the group to start a lame solo career), I did enjoy
the lovely "Follow You, Follow Me." Otherwise all the albums
before Duke seemed too artsy, too intelleotual. It was Duke
(Atlantic; 1980), where Phil Collins' presence became more
apparent, and the music got more modern, the drum machine became
more prevalent and the lyrics started getting less mystical and more
specific (maybe because of Peter Gabriel's departure), and complex,
ambiguous studies of loss became, instead, smashing first-rate pop
songs that I gratefully embraced. The songs themselves seemed
arranged more around Collins' drumming than Mike Rutherford's
bass lines or Tony Banks' keyboard riffs. A classic example of this is
"Misunderstanding," which not only was the group's first big hit of
the eighties but also seemed to set the tone for the rest of
theiralbums as the decade progressed. The other standout on Duke is
"Turn It On Again," which is about the negative effects of television.
On the other hand, "Heathaze" is a song I just don't understand,
while "Please Don't Ask" is a touching love song written to a
separated wife who regains custody of the couple's child. Has the
negative aspect of divorce ever been rendered in more intimate terms
by a rock 'n' roll group? I don't think so. "Duke Travels" and "Dukes
End" might mean something but since the lyrics aren't printed it's
hard to tell what Collins is singing about, though there is complex,
gorgeous piano work by Tony Banks on the latter track. The only
bummer about Duke is "Alone Tonight," which is way too
reminiscent of "Tonight Tonight Tonight" from the group's later
masterpiece Invisible Touch and the only example, really, of where
Collins has plagiarized himself.
Abacab (Atlantic; 1981) was released almost immediately after Duke
and it benefits from a new producer, Hugh Padgham, who gives the
band a more eighties sound and though the songs seem fairly
generic, there are still great bits throughout: the extended jam in the
middle of the title track and the horns by some group called Earth,
Wind and Fire on "No Reply at All" are just two examples. Again the
songs reflect dark emotions and are about people who feel lost or
who are in conflict, but the production and sound are gleaming and
upbeat (even if the titles aren't: "No Reply at All," "Keep It Dark,"
"Who Dunnit?" "Like It or Not"). Mike Rutherford's bass is obscured
somewhat in the mix but otherwise the band sounds tight and is once
again propelled by Collins' truly amazing drumming. Even at its
most despairing (like the song "Dodo," about extinction), Abacab
musically is poppy and lighthearted.
My favorite track is "Man on the Corner," which is the only song
credited solely to Collins, a moving ballad with a pretty synthesized
melody plus a riveting drum machine in the background. Though it
could easily come off any of Phil's solo albums, because the themes
of loneliness, paranoia and alienation are overly familiar to Genesis
it evokes the band's hopeful humanism. "Man on the Corner"
profoundly equates a relationship with a solitary figure (a bum,
perhaps a poor homeless person?), "that lonely man on the corner"
who just stands around. "Who Dunnit?" profoundly expresses the
theme of confusion against a funky groove, and what makes this
song so exciting is that it ends with its narrator never finding
anything out at all.
Hugh Padgham produced next an even less conceptual effort, simply
called Genesis (Atlantic; 1983), and though it's a fine album a lot of
it now seems too derivative for my tastes. 'That's All" sounds like
"Misunderstanding," "Taking It All Too Hard" reminds me of
"Throwing It All Away." It also seems less jazzy than its
predecessors and more of an eighties pop album, more rock 'n' roll.
Padgham does a brilliant job of producing, but the material is weaker
than usual and you can sense the strain. It opens with the
autobiographical "Mama," that's both strange and touching, though I
couldn't tell if the singer was talking about his actual mother or to a
girl he likes to call "Mama." 'That's All" is a lover's lament about
being ignored and beaten down by an unreceptive partner; despite
the despairing tone it's got a bright sing-along melody that makes the
song less depressing than it probably needed to be. "That's All" is
the best tune on the album, but Phil's voice is strongest on "House
by the Sea," whose lyrics are, however, too stream-of-consciousness
to make much sense. It might be about growing up and accepting
adulthood but it's unclear; at any rate, its second instrumental part
puts the song more in focus for me and Mike Banks gets to show off
his virtuosic guitar skills while Tom Rutherford washes the tracks
over with dreamy synthesizers, and when Phil repeats the song's
third verse at the end it can give you chills.
"Illegal Alien" is the most explicitly political song the group has yet
recorded and their funniest. The subject is supposed to be sad - a
wetback trying to get across the border into the United States - but
the details are highly comical: the bottle of tequila the Mexican
holds, the new pair of shoes he's wearing (probably stolen); and it all
seems totally accurate. Phil sings it in a brash, whiny pseudo-
Mexican voice that makes it even funnier, and the rhyme of "fun"
with "illegal alien" is inspired. "Just a Job to Do" is the album's
funkiest song, with a killer bass line by Banks, and though it seems
to be about a detective chasing a criminal, I think it could also be
about a jealous lover tracking someone down. "Silver Rainbow" is
the album's most lyrical song. The words are intense, complex and
gorgeous. The album ends on a positive, upbeat note with "It's
Gonna Get Better." Even if the lyrics seem a tiny bit generic to
some, Phil's voice is so confident (heavily influenced by Peter
Gabriel, who never made an album this polished and heartfelt
himself) that he makes us believe in glorious possibilities.
Invisible Touch (Atlantic; 1986) is the group's undisputed
masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility, at the same time
it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums.
It has a resonance that keeps coming back at the listener, and the
music is so beautiful that it's almost impossible to shake off because
every song makes some connection about the unknown or the spaces
between people ("Invisible Touch"), questioning authoritative
control whether by domineering lovers or by government ("Land of
Confusion") or by meaningless repetition ("Tonight Tonight
Tonight'. All in all it ranks with the finest rock 'n' roll achievements
of the decade and the mastermind behind this album, along of course
with the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and
Rutherford, is Hugh Padgham, who has never found as clear and
crisp and modern a sound as this. You can practically hear every
nuance of every instrument.
In terms of lyrical craftsmanship and sheer songwriting skills this
album hits a new peak of professionalism. Take the lyrics to "Land
of Confusion," in which a singer addresses the problem of abusive
political authority. This is laid down with a groove funkier and
blacker than anything Prince or Michael Jackson - or any other black
artist of recent years, for that matter - has come up with. Yet as
danceable as the album is, it also has a stripped-down urgency that
not even the overrated Bruce Springsteen can equal. As an observer
of love's failings Collins beats out the Boss again and again,
reaching new heights of emotional honesty on "In Too Deep"; yet it
also showcases Collins' clowny, prankish, unpredictable side. It's the
most moving pop song of the 1980s about monogamy and
commitment. "Anything She Does" (which echoes the J. Geils Band's
"Centerfold" but is more spirited and energetic) starts off side two
and after that the album reaches its peak with "Domino," a two-part
song. Part one, "In the Heat of the Night," is full of sharp, finely
drawn images of despair and it's paired with "The Last Domino,"
which fights it with an expression of hope. This song is extremely
uplifting. The lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've
heard in rock.
Phil Collins' solo efforts seem to be more commercial and therefore
more satisfying in a narrower way, especially No Jacket Required
and songs like "In the Air Tonight" and "Against All Odds" (though
that song was overshadowed by the masterful movie from which it
came) and "Take Me Home" and "Sussudio" (great, great song; a
personal favorite) and his remake of "You Can't Hurry Love," which
I'm not alone in thinking is better than the Supremes' original. But I
also think that Phil Collins works better within the confines of the
group than as a solo artist - and I stress the word artist. In fact it
applies to all three of the guys, because Genesis is still the best,
most exciting band to come out of England in the 1980s.0 -
Kinaldo, I've seldom read such crap!
An extended version of Christian Bale's ramblings in American Psycho, perhaps? :rolleyes:0 -
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The Swordsman wrote:Bit harsh, that. :mad::mad::mad:
But oh so true.kinaldo wrote:"...the extended jam in the middle of the title track and the horns by some group called Earth, Wind and Fire on "No Reply at All"
That says it all right there, unless he's being facetious. I hope he's being facetious.0 -
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Just a quick question- what are Genesis up to now? Are they currently making any new music?? Does anyone know? I was just wondering, thats all. I like a few of their hits and they wouldnt really be the type of music that I listen to but I find this thread interesting all the same!0
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Kinaldo is quite entitled to express his views on a group he is obviously a big fan of. That said, I would like to pick up on a few inaccuracies on his long homage to Genesis.
"And Then There Were Three" followed the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett. Peter Gabriel had already left a few years previously, reducing the fivesome to a foursome. Two albums were done as a foursome - "A Trick of the Tail" and "Wind and Wuthering", with Phil Collins on lead vocals.
With Genesis reducing to a threesome, in the studio at least, Mike Rutherford did all the guitarwork - lead, bass, rhythm. Kinaldo got his names mixed up here. And of course Tony Banks was the keyboard maestro.
One more thing - the impression is given that Phil Collins was the lyrics writer. Not necessarily true at all. On "And Then There Were Three", for example, "Many to Many" is completed written by Tony Banks. On ABACAB, each member has a song attributed to them.
After that, it tends to be guess-work because all the songs are attributed to Banks-Collins-Rutherford. However, it became clear from an interview that "Land of Confusion" was Mike Rutherford's idea. Genesis have also said that Phil tended to write love lyrics, as the other two were not good with that subject matter! Compare the theme and lyrics of "No Son of Mine" on their "We Can't Dance" album with Mike and the Mechanics' "The Living Years" and I think we can see the hand of Mike Rutherford. I think the more elaborate dreamy lyrics, harking back to the Peter Gabriel-led era, are likely to come from the pen of Tony Banks.0 -
Haha lol!!! Iwouldn't call myself a 'fan'!
What I posted was in fact the entire 'Genesis' chapter from American Psycho, written by Brett Eaton Ellis.
Sorry I thought that was obvious
I suppose most people have only seen the film which doesn't elaborate nearly as much...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsdd1GQ0oFM
Still lmao!
There are also chapters on Huey Lewis and the News and Whitney Houston...Patrick Bateman wrote:Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News burst out of San Francisco onto the
national music scene at the beginning of the decade, with their selftitled
rock pop album released by Chrysalis, though they really
didn't come into their own, commercially or artistically, until their
1983 smash, Sports. Though their roots were visible (blues,
Memphis soul, country) on Huey Lewis and the News they seemed a
little too willing to cash in on the late seventies/early eighties taste
for New Wave, and the album - though it's still a smashing debut -
seems a little too stark, too punk. Examples of this being the
drumming on the first single, "Some of My Lies Are True (Sooner or
Later)," and the fake handclaps on "Don't Make Me Do It" as well as
the organ on "Taking a Walk." Even though it was a little bit
strained, their peppy boy-wants-girl lyrics and the energy with which
Lewis, as a lead singer, instilled all the songs were refreshing.
Having a great lead guitarist like Chris Hayes (who also shares
vocals) doesn't hurt either. Hayes' solos are as original and
unrehearsed as any in rock. Yet the keyboardist, Sean Hopper,
seemed too intent on playing the organ a little too mechanically
(though his piano playing on the second half of the album gets
better) and Bill Gibson's drumming was too muted to have much
impact. The songwriting also didn't mature until much later, though
many of the catchy songs had hints of longing and regret and dread
("Stop Trying" is just one example).
Though the boys hail from San Francisco and they share some
similarities with their Southern California counterparts, the Beach
Boys (gorgeous harmonies, sophisticated vocalizing, beautiful
melodies - they even posed with a surfboard on the cover of the
debut album), they also carried with them some of the bleakness and
nihilism of the (thankfully now forgotten) "punk rock" scene of Los
Angeles at the time. Talk about your Angry Young Man! - listen to
Huey on "Who Cares," "Stop Trying," "Don't Even Tell Me That You
Love Me," "Trouble in Paradise" (the titles say it all). Huey hits his
notes like an embittered survivor and the band often sounds as angry
as performers like the Clash or Billy Joel or Blondie. No one should
forget that we have Elvis Costello to thank for discovering Huey in
the first place. Huey played harmonica on Costello's second record,
the thin, vapid My Aim Was You. Lewis has some of Costello's
supposed bitterness, though Huey has a more bitter, cynical sense of
humor. Elvis might think that intellectual wordplay is as important
as having a good time and having one's cynicism tempered by good
spirits, but I wonder what he thinks about Lewis selling so many
more records than he?
Things looked up for Huey and the boys on the second album, 1982's
Picture This, which yielded two semihits, "Workin' for a Livin' " and
"Do You Believe in Love," and the fact that this coincided with the
advent of video (there was one made for both songs) undoubtedly
helped sales. The sound, though still tinged with New Wave
trappings, seemed more roots-rock than the previous album, which
might have something to do with the fact that Bob Clearmountain
mixed the record or that Huey Lewis and the News took over the
producing reins. Their songwriting grew more sophisticated and the
group wasn't afraid to quietly explore other genres - notably reggae
("Tell Her a Little Lie") and ballads ("Hope You Love Me Like You
Say" and "Is It Me?"). But for all its power-pop glory, the sound and
the band seem, gratefully, less rebellious, less angry on this record
(though the blue-collar bitterness of "Workin' for a Livin' " seems
like an outtake from the earlier album). They seem more concerned
with personal relationships - four of the album's ten songs have the
word "love" in their title - rather than strutting around as young
nihilists, and the mellow good-times feel of the record is a
surprising, infectious change.
The band is playing better than it last did and the Tower of Power
horns give the record a more open, warmer sound. The album hits its
peak with the back-to-back one-two punch of "Workin' for a Livin' "
and "Do You Believe in Love," which is the best song on the album
and is essentially about the singer asking a girl he's met while
"looking for someone to meet" if she "believes in love." The fact
that the song never resolves the question (we never find out what the
girl says) gives it an added complexity that wasn't apparent on the
group's debut. Also on "Do You Believe in Love" is a terrific sax
solo by Johnny Colla (the guy gives Clarence Clemons a run for his
money), who, like Chris Hayes on lead guitar and Sean Hopper on
keyboards, has by now become an invaluable asset to the band (the
sax solo on the ballad "Is It Me?" is even stronger). Huey's voice
sounds more searching, less raspy, yet plaintive, especially on "The
Only One," which is a touching song about what happens to our
mentors and where they end up (Bill Gibson's drumming is
especially vital to this track). Though the album should have ended
on that powerful note, it ends instead with "Buzz Buzz Buzz," a
throwaway blues number that doesn't make much sense compared to
what preceded it, but in its own joky way it amuses and the Tower of
Power horns are in excellent form.
There are no such mistakes made on the band's third album and
flawless masterpiece, Sports (Chrysalis). Every song has the
potential to be a huge hit and most of them were. It made the band
rock 'n' roll icons. Gone totally is the bad-boy image, and a new fratguy
sweetness takes over (they even have the chance to say "ass" in
one song and choose to bleep it instead). The whole album has a
clear, crisp sound and a new sheen of consummate professionalism
that gives the songs on the album a big boost. And the wacky,
original videos made to sell the record ("Heart and Soul," "The Heart
of Rock 'n' Roll," "If This Is It," "Bad Is Bad," "I Want a New
Drug") made them superstars on MTV.
Produced by the band, Sports opens with what will probably become
their signature song, "The Heart of Rock 'n Roll," a loving ode to
rock 'n' roll all over the United States. It's followed by "Heart and
Soul," their first big single, which is a trademark Lewis song
(though it's written by outsiders Michael Chapman and Nicky Chinn)
and the tune that firmly and forever established them as the premier
rock band in the country for the 1980s. If the lyrics aren't quite up to
par with other songs, most of them are more than serviceable and the
whole thing is a jaunty enterprise about what a mistake one-night
stands are (a message the earlier, rowdier Huey would never have
made). "Bad Is Bad," written solely by Lewis, is the bluesiest song
the band had recorded up to this point and Mario Cipollina's bass
playing gets to shine on it, but it's really Huey's harmonica solos that
give it an edge. "I Want a New Drug," with its killer guitar riff
(courtesy of Chris Hayes), is the album's centerpiece - not only is it
the greatest antidrug song ever written, it's also a personal statement
about how the band has grown up, shucked off their bad-boy image
and learned to become more adult. Hayes' solo on it is incredible and
the drum machine used, but not credited, gives not only "I Want a
New Drug" but most of the album a more consistent backbeat than
any of the previous albums - even though Bill Gibson is still a
welcome presence.
The rest of the album whizzes by flawlessly - side two opens with
their most searing statement yet: "Walking on a Thin Line," and no
one, not even Bruce Springsteen, has written as devastatingly about
the plight of the Vietnam vet in modern society. This song, though
written by outsiders, shows a social awareness that was new to the
band and proved to anyone who ever doubted it that the band, apart
from its blues background, had a heart. And again in "Finally Found
a Home" the band proclaims its newfound sophistication with this
paean to growing up. And though at the same time it's about
shedding their rebel image, it's also about how they "found
themselves" in the passion and energy of rock 'n' roll. In fact the
song works on so many levels it's almost too complex for the album
to carry, though it never loses its beat and it still has Sean Hopper's
ringing keyboards, which make it danceable. "If This Is It" is the
album's one ballad, but it's not downbeat. It's a plea for a lover to
tell another lover if they want to carry on with the relationship, and
the way Huey sings it (arguably the most superb vocal on the
album), it becomes instilled with hope. Again, this song - as with the
rest of the album - isn't about chasing or longing after girls, it's
about dealing with relationships. "Crack Me Up" is the album's only
hint at a throwback to the band's New Wave days and it's minor but
amusing, though its antidrinking, antidrug, pro-growing-up statement
isn't.
And as a lovely ending to an altogether remarkable album, the band
does a version of "Honky Tonk Blues" (another song written by
someone not in the band, named Hank Williams), and even though
it's a very different type of song, you can feel its presence
throughout the rest of the album. For all its professional sheen, the
album has the integrity of honky-tonk blues. (Aside: During this
period Huey also recorded two songs for the movie Back to the
Future, which both went Number One, "The Power of Love" and
"Back in Time," delightful extras, not footnotes, in what has been
shaping up into a legendary career.) What to say to Sports dissenters
in the long run? Nine million people can't be wrong.
Fore! (Chrysalis; 1986) is essentially a continuation of the Sports
album but with an even more professional sheen. This is the record
where the guys don't need to prove they've grown up and that they've
accepted rock 'n' roll, because in the three year transition between
Sports and Fore! they already had. (In fact three of them are wearing
suits on the cover of the record.) It opens with a blaze of fire,
"Jacob's Ladder," which is essentially a song about struggle and
overcoming compromise, a fitting reminder of what Huey and the
News represents, and with the exception of "Hip to Be Square" it's
the best song on the album (though it wasn't written by anyone in the
band). This is followed by the sweetly good-matured "Stuck with
You," a lightweight paean to relationships and marriage. In fact most
of the love songs on the album are about sustained relationships,
unlike the early albums, where the concerns were about either
lusting after girls and not getting them or getting burned in the
process. On Fore! the songs are about guys who are in control (who
have the girls) and now have to deal with them. This new dimension
in the News gives the record an added oomph and they seem more
content and satisfied, less urgent, and this makes for their most
pleasingly crafted record to date. But also for every "Doing It All for
My Baby" (a delightful ode about monogamy and satisfaction)
there's a barn-banning blues scorcher number like "Whole Lotta
Lovin'," and side one (or, on the CD, song number five) ends with
the masterpiece "Hip to Be Square" (which, ironically, is
accompanied by the band's only bad video), the key song on Fore!;
which is a rollicking ode to conformity that's so catchy most people
probably don't even listen to the lines, but with Chris Hayes blasting
guitar and the terrific keyboard playing who cares? And it's not just
about the pleasures of conformity and the importance of trends - it's
also a personal statement about the band itself, though of what I'm
not quite sure.
If the second part of Fore! doesn't have the intensity of the first,
there are some real gems that are actually quite complicated. "I
Know What I Like" is a song that Huey would never have sung six
years back - a blunt declaration of independence - while the
carefully placed "I Never Walk Alone," which follows, actually
complements the song and explains it in broader terms (it also has a
great organ solo and except for "Hip to Be Square" has Huey's
strongest vocals). "Forest for the Trees" is an upbeat antisuicide
tract, and though its title might seem like a cliché, Huey and the
band have a way of energizing clichés and making them originals
wholly their own. The nifty a cappella "Naturally" evokes an
innocent time while showcasing the band's vocal harmonies (if you
didn't know better you'd think it was the Beach Boys coming out of
your CD player), and even if it's essentially a throwaway, a trifle of
sorts, the album ends on a majestic note with "Simple as That," a
blue-collar ballad that sounds not a note of resignation but one of
hope, and its complex message (it wasn't written by anyone in the
band) of survival leads the way to their next album, Small World,
where they take on global issues. Fore! might not be the masterpiece
Sports is (what could be?), but in its own way it's just as satisfying
and the mellower, gentler Huey of '86 is just as happening.
Small World (Chrysalis; 1988) is the most ambitious, artistically
satisfying record yet produced by Huey Lewis and the News. The
Angry Young Man has definitely been replaced by a smoothly
professional musician and even though Huey has only really
mastered one instrument (the harmonica), its majestic Dylanesque
sounds give Small World a grandeur few artists have reached. It's an
obvious transition and their first album that tries to make thematic
sense - in fact Huey takes on one of the biggest subjects of all: the
importance of global communication. It's no wonder four out of the
album's ten songs have the word "world" in their titles and that for
the first time there's not only one but three instrumentals.
The CD gets off to a rousing start with the Lewis/Hayes-penned
"Small World (Part One)," which, along with its message of
harmony, has a blistering solo by Hayes at its center. In "Old
Antone's" one can catch the zydeco influences that the band has
picked up on touring around the country, and it gives it a Cajun
flavor that is utterly unique. Bruce Hornsby plays the accordion
wonderfully and the lyrics give you a sense of a true Bayou spirit.
Again, on the hit single "Perfect World," the Tower of Power horns
are used to extraordinary effect. It's also the best cut on the album
(written by Alex Call, who isn't in the band) and it ties up all the
album's themes - about accepting the imperfections of this world but
still learning to "keep on dreamin' of livin' in a perfect world."
Though the sang is fastpaced pop it's still moving in terms of its
intentions and the band plays splendidly on it. Oddly this is followed
by two instrumentals: the eerie African-influenced reggae dance
track "Bobo Tempo" and the second part of "Small World." But just
because these tunes are wordless doesn't mean the global message of
communication is lost, and they don't seem like filler or padding
because of the implications of their thematic reprise; the band gets
to show off its improvisational skills as well.
Side two opens smashingly with "Walking with the Kid," the first
Huey song to acknowledge the responsibilities of fatherhood. His
voice sounds mature and even though we, as listeners, don't find out
until the last line that "the kid" (who we assume is a buddy) is
actually his son, the maturity in Huey's voice tips us off and it's hard
to believe that the man who once sang "Heart and Soul" and "Some
of My Lies Are True" is singing this. The album's big ballad, "World
to Me," is a dreamy pearl of a song, and though it's about sticking
together in a relationship, it also makes allusions to China and
Alaska and Tennessee, carrying on the album's "Small World" theme
- and the band sounds really good on it. "Better Be True" is also a
bit of a ballad, but it's not a dreamy pearl and its lyrics aren't really
about sticking together in a relationship nor does it make allusions
to China or Alaska and the band sounds really good on it.
"Give Me the Keys (And I'll Drive You Crazy)" is a good-times
blues rocker about (what else?) driving around, incorporating the
album's theme in a much more playful way than previous songs on
the album did, and though lyrically it might seem impoverished, it's
still a sign that the new "serious" Lewis - that Huey the artist hasn't
totally lost his frisky sense of humor. The album ends with
"Slammin'," which has no words and it's just a lot of horns that quite
frankly, if you turn it up really loud, can give you a ****ing big
headache and maybe even make you feel a little sick, though it might
sound different on an album or on a cassette though I wouldn't know
anything about that. Anyway it set off something wicked in me that
lasted for days. And you cannot dance to it very well.
It took something like a hundred people to put Small World together
(counting all the extra musicians, drum technicians, accountants,
lawyers - who are all, thanked), but this actually adds to the CD's
theme of community and it doesn't clutter the record - it makes it a
more joyous experience. With this CD and the four previous ones
behind it, Huey Lewis and the News prove that if this really is a
small world, then these guys are the best American band of the
1980s on this or any other continent - and it has with it Huey Lewis,
a vocalist, musician and writer who just can't be topped.Patrick Bateman wrote:Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston burst onto the music scene in 1985 with her selftitled
LP which had four number one hit singles on it, including "The
Greatest Love of All," "You Give Good Love" and "Saving All My
Love for You," plus it won a Grammy Award for best pop vocal
performance by a female and two American Music Awards, one for
best rhythm and blues single and another for best rhythm and blues
video. She was also cited as best new artist of the year by Billboard
and by Rolling Stone magazine. With all this hype one might expect
the album to be an anticlimactic, lackluster affair, but the surprise is
that Whitney Houston (Arista) is one of the warmest, most complex
and altogether satisfying rhythm and blues records of the decade and
Whitney herself has a voice that defies belief. From the elegant,
beautiful photo of her on the cover of the album (in a gown by
Giovanne De Maura) and its fairly sexy counterpart on the back (in a
bathing suit by Norma Kaman) one knows that this isn't going to be
a blandly professional affair; the record is smooth but intense and
Whitney's voice leaps across so many boundaries and is so versatile
(though she's mainly a jazz singer) that it's hard to take in the album
on a first listening. But you won't want to. You'll want to savor it
over many.
It opens with "You Give Good Love" and "Thinking About You,"
both produced and arranged by Kashif, and they emanate warm, lush
jazz arrangements but with a contemporary synthesized beat and
though they're both really good songs, the album doesn't get kicking
until "Someone for Me" which was produced by Jermaine Jackson,
where Whitney sings longingly against a jazz-disco background and
the difference between her longing and the sprightliness of the song
is very moving. The ballad "Saving All My Love for You" is the
sexiest, most romantic song on the record. It also has a killer
saxophone solo by Tom Scott and one can hear the influences of
sixties girl-group pop in it (it was cowritten by Gerry Goffin) but the
sixties girl groups were never this emotional or sexy (or as well
produced) as this song is. "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" is a
glorious duet with Jermaine Jackson (who also produced it) and just
one example of how sophisticated lyrically this album is. The last
thing it suffers from is a paucity of decent lyrics which is what
usually happens when a singer doesn't write her own material and
has to have her producer choose it. But Whitney and company have
picked well here.
The dance single "How Will I Know" (my vote for best dance song
of the 1980s) is a joyous ode to a girl's nervousness about whether
another guy is interested in her. It's got a great keyboard riff and it's
the only track on the album produced by wunderkind producer
Narada Michael Walden. My own personal favorite ballad (aside
from 'The Greatest Love of All" - her crowning achievement) is "All
at Once" which is about how a young woman realizes all at once her
lover is fading away from her and it's accompanied by a gorgeous
string arrangement. Even though nothing on the album sounds like
filler, the only track that might come close is "Take Good Care of
My Heart," another duet with Jermaine Jackson. The problem is that
it strays from the album's jazz roots and seems too in. fluenced by
1980s dance music.
But Whitney's talent is restored with the overwhelming "The
Greatest Love of All," one of the best, most powerful songs ever
written about self-preservation and dignity. From the first line
(Michael Masser and Linda Creed are credited as the writers) to the
last, it's a state-of-the-art ballad about believing in yourself. It's a
powerful statement and one that Whitney sings with a grandeur that
approaches the sublime. Its universal message crosses all boundaries
and instills one with the hope that it's not too late for us to better
ourselves, to act kinder. Since it's impossible in the world we live in
to empathize with others, we can always empathize with ourselves.
It's an important message, crucial really, and it's beautifully stated
on this album.
Her second effort, Whitney (Arista, 1987), had four number one
singles, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody," "So Emotional," "Didn't
We Almost Have It All?" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" and
was mostly produced by Narada Michael Walden and though it's not
as serious an effort as Whitney Houston it's hardly a victim of
Sophomore Slump. It starts off with the bouncy; danceable "I Wanna
Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" which is in the same vein
as the last album's irrepressible "How Will I Know." This is
followed by the sensuous "Just the Lonely Talking Again" and it
reflects the serious jazz influence that permeated the first album and
one can also sense a newfound artistic maturity in Whitney's voice -
she did all the vocal arrangements on this album - and this is all very
evident on "Love Will Save the Day" which is the most ambitious
song Whitney's yet performed. It was produced by Jellybean Benitez
and it pulsates with an uptempo intensity and like most of the songs
on this album it reflects a grownup's awareness of the world we all
live in. She sings and we believe it. This is quite a change from the
softer, little-girl-lost image that was so appealing on the first album.
She projects an even more adult image on the Michael Masserproduced
"Didn't We Almost Have It All," a song about meeting up
with a long-lost lover and letting him know your feelings about the
past affair, and it's Whitney at her most poetic. And as on most of
the ballads there's a gorgeous string arrangement. "So Emotional" is
in the same vein as "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance with
Somebody" but it's even more rock-influenced and, like all the songs
on Whitney, played by a terrific backup studio band with Narada on
drum machine, Wolter Afanasieff on the synthesizer and synth bass,
Corrado Rustici on synth guitar, and someone listed as Bongo Bob
on percussion programming and drum sampling. "Where You Are" is
the only song on the album produced by Kashif and it bears his
indelible imprint of professionalism - it has a smooth, gleaming
sound and sheen to it with a funky sax solo by Vincent Henry. It
sounded like a hit single to me (but then all the songs on the album
do) and I wondered why it wasn't released as one.
"Love Is a Contact Sport" is the album's real surprise - a bigsounding,
bold, sexy number that, in terms of production, is the
album's centerpiece, and it has great lyrics along with a good beat.
It's one of my favorites. On "You're Still My Man" you can hear how
clearly Whitney's voice is like an instrument - a flawless, warm
machine that almost overpowers the sentiment of her music, but the
lyrics and the melodies are too distinctive, too strong to let any
singer, even one of Whitney's caliber, overshadow them. "For the
Love of You" shows off Narada's brilliant drum programming
capabilities and its jazzy modern feel harks back not only to
purveyors of modern jazz like Michael Jackson and Sade but also to
other artists, like Miles Davis, Paul Butterfield and Bobby McFerrin.
"Where Do Broken Hearts Go" is the album's most powerful
emotional statement of innocence lost and trying to regain the safety
of childhood. Her voice is as lovely and controlled as it ever has
been and it leads up to "I Know Him So Well," the most moving
moment on the record because it's first and foremost a duet with her
mother, Cissy. It's a ballad about… who? - a lover shared? a longlost
father? - with a combination of longing, regret, determination
and beauty that ends the album on a graceful, perfect note. We can
expect new things from Whitney (she made a stunning gift to the
1988 Olympics with the ballad "One Moment in Time") but even if
we didn't, she would remain the most exciting and original black
jazz voice of her generation.0 -
The Swordsman wrote: »Bit harsh, that. :mad::mad::mad:Haha lol!!! Iwouldn't call myself a 'fan'!
What I posted was in fact the entire 'Genesis' chapter from American Psycho, written by Brett Eaton Ellis.
Sorry I thought that was obvious
I suppose most people have only seen the film which doesn't elaborate nearly as much...
Does it still seem harsh?
Whatever the motive in posting - no doubt harmless time-filling- the pasted quote was riddled with inaccuracies, and therefore crap, imo. I was pretty much right about the source, too.
An attack on the post, not the poster.0 -
rebeldiamond wrote: »Just a quick question- what are Genesis up to now? Are they currently making any new music?? Does anyone know? I was just wondering, thats all. I like a few of their hits and they wouldnt really be the type of music that I listen to but I find this thread interesting all the same!
The band are taking the rest of this year off, Phil Collins in particular wants to spend more time with his family.
They haven't discounted the possibility of writing some new stuff, but probably not a full "standard length" CD, but there will be no mega-tour to promote it.
There's also the somewhat remote possibility that they will get together again with Peter Gabriel & Steve Hackett to do a very few shows of the '74 concept album "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". This possibility has been doing the rounds for years, but Peter Gabriel seems to have trouble committing to it.0 -
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The Swordsman wrote: »I did not read the book (I did see the movie a few years ago - don't remember much about it), so I thought the post was from an enthuastic fan.
OK. Your post was harsh.
You misunderstood me.
I meant that I was attacking the post and not the poster.
Kinaldo's reasons for posting it don't faze me at all, I was only pointing out it was full of errors. And that it was clearly a copy & paste job, not his own words. I don't think that's harsh, but it's all about opinions, eh?0 -
You misunderstood me.
I meant that I was attacking the post and not the poster.
OK. That's fair enough.And that it was clearly a copy & paste job, not his own words.)
When I read the post, I actually noticed the error relating to ATTWT and Peter Gabriel, but I thought it was just a genuine mistake.it's all about opinions, eh?
Anyway, no harm done.
Back to the real business. Genesis, anyone?0 -
Well, that was uncommonly civilised for boards!
back to Genesis indeed.....I heartily recommend using up all those HMV vouchers your grannies gave you for your birthdays on the When In Rome DVD.
Awesome stage show, fabulous musicianship, good mix of older & newer songs, and comes with a documentary disc that shows just what's involved in putting on a show of that scale, as well as how the guys came to getting back together again for the tour.
I've been a big fan for a long long time, but for the casual listener, I suspect the Mail on Sunday disc will remind a lot of people just how many great songs are in the Genesis catalogue.
When in Rome will not disappoint.0 -
The band are taking the rest of this year off, Phil Collins in particular wants to spend more time with his family.
They haven't discounted the possibility of writing some new stuff, but probably not a full "standard length" CD, but there will be no mega-tour to promote it.
There's also the somewhat remote possibility that they will get together again with Peter Gabriel & Steve Hackett to do a very few shows of the '74 concept album "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". This possibility has been doing the rounds for years, but Peter Gabriel seems to have trouble committing to it.
Cheers for that mate! I really was curious after reading through this thread! So thanks for the info!0 -
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As regards a Genesis reunion, it would be interesting to see how many ex-members could be assembled. Most people, when they think of Genesis, think of either the most successful recording line-up:
(a) Collins, Banks and Rutherford or
(b) the successful concert line-up from their prog-rock days:
the aforementioned trio plus Peter Gabriel on lead vocals and Steve Hackett on lead guitar.
However, over the years, Genesis have had other members. The original lead guitarist was Anthony Philips. Indeed, he featured on all their singles and albums in the '60s. He even contributed to the song-writing. Phil Collins, like Steve Hackett, joined the band in the early '70s, which means there were drummers before him. In fact, Genesis went through a few before settling down with Phil, namely Chris Stewart, John Silver and John Mayhew.
When Phil Collins called a halt to his involvement in Genesis during the '90s, which had become a part-time thing anyway with the three guys' various other musical projects (not to mention the fact that Phil was very successful as a solo artist), Ray Wilson was drafted in as singer for the album "Calling All Stations" in 1997.
So - how about a reunion involving Gabriel, Hackett, Collins, Banks, Rutherford, Ray Wilson, Anthony Philips and at least one previous drummer. Now, that would be an unusual prospect!0 -
Didn't Gabriel rejoin the band for one show at some festival or charity gig in the 80s?
I seem to remember there was a lot written about it at the time (The zeppelin reunion last year reminded me a bit of it) but if I remember correctly the show itself didn't go so well as Gabriel kept forgetting the words of the songs.
You would imagine that now would be a good time for a reunion as their solo careers don't seem to be as successful as they once were.
BTW, I hadn't realised that Phil Collins was still in the band in the 90s or that they had released any music during that time. I actually thought they had split up in the mid 80s.0 -
Declan's first...
Nice to see someone with more than just a passing knowledge of the band- they were never massively popular here!:)
I think you can safely disregard any notions of the earlier drummers making a Genesis comeback. It's a long, long time since any of the album tracks they were involved in (& that's not many!) were played live.
Ray Wilson did indeed take up the vocals job on Calling All Stations, and whatever you think of his performance, the album & tour flopped big time. In fairness, the band had probably had their days in the sun by then, also, many long-term fans found it difficult to accept the Stiltskin man as a replacement for Phil Collins.
Best, and most probably only chance of seeing Genesis on stage again is if Peter Gabriel finally commits to doing a few live shows of The Lamb. Phil Collins has said he'd happily stay behind the drumkit for a few, and only a few, live Lamb gigs. Peter though still seems keen to find reasons not to do it.
Swordsman, you're right - you're recalling the "Six of the Best" gig at the Milton Keynes Bowl in 1982. I was there & can confirm:
a) It was indeed under-rehearsed
b) There was rain of biblical proportions
c)The crowd loved it, regardless.
The gig was arranged to let the band help out Peter Gabriel, who got into serious financial sh*t with his WOMAD (world of music and dance) festival & the band wanted to help out.
Incidentally, Gerry Ryan, a great Genesis fan, was also going to that gig, but the rain put him off & he went to the pub instead! :eek:
Phil left the band after the We Can't Dance tour of 1992, although it wasn't officially announced until a couple of years later.
Like I said above, the prospect of a Lamb Lies Down gig has been doing the rounds for many years, but PG always finds a reason to be busy elsewhere. It was last discussed when they all met in Glasgow a couple of years ago, PG said he was busy with a solo project-again- and Banks, Collins, Rutherford decided to do a tour anyway, basically a homage to the entire back-catalogue. Phil Collins has made it very clear he has no interest in doing a major tour again, and probably not even another solo album. 2 or 3 nights performing the Lamb is all we can hope for.
For anyone old enough to have seen the Lamb tour in 1974, the prospect of seeing it done again with modern technology is truly mouth-watering.0 -
can't see Peter Gabriel ever doing it - his whole career has been about moving forwards & I think he regards Genesis as the adolescent phase of his career. Would also cost a fortune to do, but wouldn't pull in the crowds to the same extent as the Phil Collins-fronted tour last year.
I was a big fan when I was a teenager, initially of their 80s stuff, then the earlier proggier stuff. I downloaded "Suppers Ready" out of nostalgia recently - its certainly still distinctive, but didn't make me want to listen to any of their other records again....0 -
I really like the early prog stuff, Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, but I think the Lamb is awful. Some of the Steve Hackett's solo stuff is good e.g. Voyage of the Acolyte, and I like Gabriel's games without frontiers period.
I think Genesis did well to for a while without Gabriel and Hackett, but really anything after Abacab I think is awful. Some of Collins early solo stuff has its moments, Face value is not bad at all.
But this is where its at for me, classic Genesis, Fountain of Salmacis, God I love that mellotron, and Hackett is a very fine guitarust
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I never got to see Genesis live but I recently bought the When in Rome DVD which is very good. But watching it and watching a Peter Gabriel DVD is so different. Collins is a good frontman,good entertainer and good with the crowd,Rutherford and Banks may as well be at home for all the effort they put in,like watching Bill Wyman.
I have seen Peter Gabriel several times. Great frontman who puts in plenty of effort into every show. The music isalways excellent but Gabriel is also a visual artist and puts a lot into every tour he puts together.He has a great band including Tony Levin on bass who puts in tremendous effort into Gabriel's work.
Gabriel left Genesis behind a long time ago and moved on to higher things in my opinion and it would be a step backwards for him to rejoin and to be honest neither really need each other.
The funny thing about Peter Gabriel in most peoples eyes is "SLEDGEHAMMER". He has a huge catalogue of excellent music to check out and for me is one of the innovative artists of the last 30 years. Also check out the dvds Growing Up, Still growing up and Secret world live and watch how a band put on a show not just one individual.0 -
Nice surprise to see this thread still running!:)
About any possible 5-man reunion.........it's very much down to whether Peter wants to do it. You're right to say he doesn't look backwards as fondly as the others, and musically, and even more so lyrically, he seems embarrased by some of the early output. Phil Collins has been making similar noises recently with regard to the old lyrics.
However, I still think there's a chance that a few Lamb shows could happen. Peter in particular put an incredible amount of work into the stage show for the original Lamb tour & I believe he'd like to do it again with modern technology. But I do believe it would maybe be limited to 2 nights in the UK & maybe 2 in New York for filming purposes as that would limit Peter's step backwards & satisfy Phil's rider that no way is he doing another extended tour.
When it happens, I'll be there. Meantime, as a few of you have already said, there's a fabulous back catalogue of both band & solo projects to enjoy.0 -
I'd pay any money to see a Genesis reunion of the Banks-Collins-Rutherford-Gabriel-Hackett lineup. I foolishly didn't go to any of the Turn It On Again shows, but I went to see the Dusseldorf show broadcast live in the Vue Cinema in Liffey Valley with surround sound, and it was excellent. Then I REALLY regretted not going to the UK to see them. Oh well.
I met Daryl Stuermer and Chester Thompson when Phil Collins played his last show in the Point a few years ago, and they signed my We Can't Dance tour programme.
Possible favourite albums:
Selling England by the Pound, A Trick of the Tail, Genesis
Possible favourite tracks:
Ripples, Supper's Ready, Firth of Fifth
The "blue" box set they put out a few years ago with the 5.1 mixes had a superb extra disc with all the killer b-sides and EP tracks like Match of the Day and Paperlate. It didn't leave my car stereo for weeks.2024 Gigs and Events: David Suchet, Depeche Mode, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, The Smile, Pixies, Liam Gallagher John Squire/Jake Bugg, Kacey Musgraves (x2), Olivia Rodrigo, Mitski, Muireann Bradley, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Eric Clapton, Girls Aloud, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Rewind Festival, The Smashing Pumpkins/Weezer, Henry Winkler, P!nk, Pearl Jam/Richard Ashcroft, Taylor Swift/Paramore, Suede/Manic Street Preachers, Muireann Bradley, AC/DC, Deacon Blue/Altered Images, The The, blink-182, Coldplay, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Nick Lowe, David Gilmour, ABBA Voyage, St. Vincent, Public Service Broadcasting, Crash Test Dummies, Cassandra Jenkins.
2025 Gigs and Events: Billie Eilish (x2)
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Yeah, you missed out big time, Delbert!
Did you get (OR SEE) the When In Rome DVD? Much to enjoy there:)0
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