Genesis

It seems that no matter where I go I can't escape Pink Floyd. Don't get me wrong, I am by no means a hater of their work, I just think that they are one of the most overrated bands of all time. That does not in any way suggest that I find their music lacklustre or uneventful, in fact my opinion is quite the opposite. The way I see it, the majority of their albums have a timeless quality to them that is difficult to replicate. In spite of this accolade, however, unfortunately most music fans have a tendency to place them on this unattainable pedestal. I have had many heated arguments at houseparties with strangers over this and 90% of the time they hit me with the line "you just don't understand it," which has to be one of the biggest cop-out rebuttals of all time.

I'm not bitter about this topic, I just think that there are plenty of other works out there which equal or better the likes of Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here or The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. I do have respect for those who mention the Syd Barrett era because a lot of those older albums are misunderstood, but Dark Side Of The Moon, in particular, is an album of contemporaneous elation and contention for me. While I love it for what it is, too many people drop it into conversations as the be all, end all of Progressive Rock. This couldn't be further from the truth. People tend to forget that Progressive Rock existed for a very long time (until Punk effectively killed it) and had a large foothold within society within that time. For every Dark Side Of The Moon, there is a Close To The Edge, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, ... In The Court Of The Crimson King, Gentle Giant or Brain Salad Surgery.

Out of all these albums, the recording band that stands out the most is Genesis, mainly because they are treated with both admiration and detestation. Their newer work is considered blasphemy amongst progressive enthusiasts, yet their earlier stuff is in many respects unsurmountable. Like Quentin Tarrantino summarises in Pulp Fiction regarding The Beatles and Elvis, you are either a fan of Peter Gabriel or a fan of Phil Collins. Unlike Tarrantino's assertion, however, it isn't quite as cut and dried as that as personally I like both old and new Genesis. There, I said it, start the witch hunt. I wouldn't say I like all of their newer work but on a similar level I'm not down with all of their older stuff either.

The album that is considered by many to be the ignition of the spark of their inevitable downfall is their self-titled album. It was the first album that truly strayed off the track, owing more to pop than prog. Many fans abandoned ship upon hearing this record, which gives some degree of indication as to just how radical it was perceived to be. Here was a band responsible for creating some of the greatest progressive masterpieces of all time doing exactly the opposite. The song Illegal Alien personifies this the best with its Reggae-esque, Sting-like vocals and intriguing song structure. Admittedly, it took me a very long time to warm to this track (it is still hit or miss) but the rest of the album just presses all the right buttons. The compositions aren't quite what you'd expect, but they are not only incredibly original but also a pleasure to listen to. Though certain tracks really give the impression that they were trying to break the mainstream one step at a time with this record, it is still very Genesis-like, but in a different way. The musicanmanship is not only tight, but extremely unique. I'm not talking unique as in Sleepytime Gorilla Museum or Brand X unique, but rather unique as in catchy hooks combined with effective vocal melodies that suggest a creative intrigue that is hard to come by in this day and age. I'm not saying the album is a masterpiece, it has its highs and it has its lows. What I am saying is that listeners shouldn't automatically dismiss it as pop nonsense or 'new Genesis'. Instead, listen to it with a clear conscious and an open mind and see where or if it takes you.

For this post I have chosen four of my favourite songs from the album: the storming opening Mama, the extremely catchy That's All, a song I've just learnt to properly appreciate tonight, Silver Rainbow, and one of my favourite songs and favourite lyrical piece of all time, It's Gonna Get Better. Enjoy.

Genesis - Mama
Genesis - That's All
Genesis - Silver Rainbow
Genesis - It's Gonna Get Better