Genesis--List Your Top 5

[GOS]

Nicely done. Right place, right time. Swivel buckets were the shit. My dad had a Toronado that had those.

You gotta upload a picture if you have one.

I have some negatives from my dad's 35mm collection. I'd have to figure out how to navigate all that.

 

[Willie Wilson]

I have some negatives from my dad's 35mm collection. I'd have to figure out how to navigate all that.

Yeah, old school photography.

 

[Bob Romano]

1. Seconds Out
2. Trick of the Tail
3. Duke
4. Genesis
5. Abacab

 

[svengaleekie]

1. Duke
2. Wind and Wuthering
3. Trick of the Tail
4. Selling England by the Pound
5. Foxtrot

 

[Shermatz]

I have to admit, I have never actually thought about this before. I love Genesis, have almost their entire catalog on vinyl and CD and have seen them live a few times.

Calling All Stations - Just kidding

A Trick of the Tail - this album was the first Genesis record I ever heard, and I was immediately hooked for life. It’s not just my favorite because it was first though. I feel like as a band they poured everything into making this great, knowing that they would be under a microscope with the sizable loss of Gabriel. And it worked. The changing time signatures of Dance on a Volcano, the sweet melodies and the rich 12 string textures of Entangled, on through to the drum featuring finale of Los Endos, this album delivers.

Abacab - this was the very first CD I ever purchased back in 1986 or so. That pressing has all of the characteristics of a CD pressed before people knew how to master for CD, but the vinyl isn’t nearly so harsh and allows the songwriting to shine and the album has a warmth to it that CD never delivered. The horns are a fun addition, but I’m glad they moved on to Phil’s solo career rather than being a mainstay of Genesis. Regardless I think this is the high point of the threesome version of Genesis.

Genesis Live - This album is incredible. IMHO every song on this is superior to the studio versions. There isn’t any other album by any other band where I would claim this, generally I am not a fan of live albums. But this album has an energy to it that makes these songs endure in a way the studio recordings do not. Love love love it, and third might be too low.

Wind and the Wuthering - I love the rich textures and full sound this brings. Tony Banks is really starting to explore the synth as an instrument, and Steve Hackett is still with the band. I understand why he left, but I think it was a big loss to their overall creativity and sound. Genesis with and without Gabriel are different but I like both. Genesis without Hackett is not as good as Genesis with Hackett imho.

Trespass - I know this isn’t going to be a popular pick with Anthony Philips and John Mayhew being on this record rather than Hackett and Collins, but I really enjoy listening to this one. As the years have gone by I find I listen to this one more than those that follow in Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot. Of course the Knife is still better in Genesis Live.

My honorable mention would be Invisible Touch. It’s nothing like the rest of their work but is one of the best pop albums of all time. Five top five singles plus the prog rock domino and the jam session Brazilian and the upbeat anything she does with a topic too risqué for radio play at the time. It’s a great album by any measure.

"Trespass" has been a huge personal favorite for decades, the track "Stagnation" just has a quality of existential, autumnal resignation that still stops me dead in my tracks. The interwoven acoustic guitars, Tony's carefully modulated organ, layered in like sunshine through mist, and the HUGE massed-vocal finale are just sublime to my ears. To be sure, the rest of the Genesis catalogue is INCREDIBLE, but I always find "Trespass" on the top of the stack somehow.

A close second place for me has to be "We Can't Dance" which honestly blew me away with the two prog tentpoles "Driving the Last Spike" then the grand finale "Fading Lights". I always felt it SO unfair to scorn post-PG Genesis as a pop/singles band. YES things were different, how could they not be, BUT there was still plenty of muscular prog still flowing. "Duke" suite, "Abacab," "Home by the Sea," plus much of the Hackett era post-PG material absolutely qualifies as absolute top-shelf prog rock.

I'm also gonna stand up defiantly for "Calling all Stations", SO unfairly maligned. Ray Wilson did a great job, he was (& is) a more than competent singer, and I thought the album on the whole was a worthy addition to the Genesis discography. If Tony & Mike chose to continue without Phil, I was happy to hear what they had to offer, and I remain grateful that they were willing to "Turn it on Again" even though they HAD to know that they'd face withering pre-hate from the sneering UK music press AND snobbish "fans" who somehow believed that they owned the band.

 

[Degrundt]

1. Trespass
2. The Lamb
3. Selling England
4. Foxtrot
5. Duke

 

[SHB]

"Trespass" has been a huge personal favorite for decades, the track "Stagnation" just has a quality of existential, autumnal resignation that still stops me dead in my tracks. The interwoven acoustic guitars, Tony's carefully modulated organ, layered in like sunshine through mist, and the HUGE massed-vocal finale are just sublime to my ears. To be sure, the rest of the Genesis catalogue is INCREDIBLE, but I always find "Trespass" on the top of the stack somehow.

A close second place for me has to be "We Can't Dance" which honestly blew me away with the two prog tentpoles "Driving the Last Spike" then the grand finale "Fading Lights". I always felt it SO unfair to scorn post-PG Genesis as a pop/singles band. YES things were different, how could they not be, BUT there was still plenty of muscular prog still flowing. "Duke" suite, "Abacab," "Home by the Sea," plus much of the Hackett era post-PG material absolutely qualifies as absolute top-shelf prog rock.

I'm also gonna stand up defiantly for "Calling all Stations", SO unfairly maligned. Ray Wilson did a great job, he was (& is) a more than competent singer, and I thought the album on the whole was a worthy addition to the Genesis discography. If Tony & Mike chose to continue without Phil, I was happy to hear what they had to offer, and I remain grateful that they were willing to "Turn it on Again" even though they HAD to know that they'd face withering pre-hate from the sneering UK music press AND snobbish "fans" who somehow believed that they owned the band.

When I did this poll back in June of 2020. Trespass wasn't in my top 5. Since then I have come to appreciate the album very much. Stagnation is currently my favorite Genesis tune.

 

[Shermatz]

When I did this poll back in June of 2020. Trespass wasn't in my top 5. Since then I have come to appreciate the album very much. Stagnation is currently my favorite Genesis tune.

I saw Genesis in Chicago on the "Trick of the Tail" tour, and their set list still included "White Mountain," obviously sung by Phil. An interesting choice, but OK. (I'm pretty sure they also did "Fountain of Salmacis" also, another EXTREME "deep tracks" selection!) They mixed in a few bars of the "Stagnation" closing theme in their "old medley," better than nothing, BUT I knew it was too much to hope for a full live run-through of the entire track. I have to admit it would be difficult to capture the special, hypnotic quality of "Stagnation" in a cavernous arena. There are several EXCELLENT YouTube cover versions that remind me I'm not the only "Stagnation" fan captured in its amber.

 

[privateuniverse]

I'm also gonna stand up defiantly for "Calling all Stations", SO unfairly maligned. Ray Wilson did a great job, he was (& is) a more than competent singer, and I thought the album on the whole was a worthy addition to the Genesis discography. If Tony & Mike chose to continue without Phil, I was happy to hear what they had to offer, and I remain grateful that they were willing to "Turn it on Again" even though they HAD to know that they'd face withering pre-hate from the sneering UK music press AND snobbish "fans" who somehow believed that they owned the band.

I share your love of Calling All Stations. A criminally underrated album that a lot of people would not give an open-minded listen to. Ray did a great job and there are some great tunes on there.

 

[Chronic Quadraphonic]

I’m in the market for the 1970-1975 box set (CD/SACD/DVD). I’d love to find one that is reasonably priced.

 

[timbre4]

Hard to believe I never posted on this one. If I had to say which today:

1. Foxtrot - just about perfect front to back, even the minor songs are compelling (Can Utility & The Coastliners)
2. Selling England By The Pound - should be #1 but bored with Battle Of Epping Forest (skip it and then the album fits on a cassette)
3. Seconds Out - superb performance / production with great cross-section of material
4. Trick Of The Tail - stunning renewal, debut of strong tunes played for many years since
5. Wind & Wuthering - so many emotional reactions packed into one beautiful album

I have all the SACD/CD & DTS DVD/CD boxes and enjoy most all of it.

 

[SHB]

I saw Genesis in Chicago on the "Trick of the Tail" tour, and their set list still included "White Mountain," obviously sung by Phil. An interesting choice, but OK. (I'm pretty sure they also did "Fountain of Salmacis" also, another EXTREME "deep tracks" selection!) They mixed in a few bars of the "Stagnation" closing theme in their "old medley," better than nothing, BUT I knew it was too much to hope for a full live run-through of the entire track. I have to admit it would be difficult to capture the special, hypnotic quality of "Stagnation" in a cavernous arena. There are several EXCELLENT YouTube cover versions that remind me I'm not the only "Stagnation" fan captured in its amber.

I usually catch Musical Box when they are in town. In the late 2000's they did the Trick of a Tail tour & it was so cool to hear White Mountain. No way as good as the real thing, but still great. The Watch does a nice version of Stagnation.

 

[timbre4]

I usually catch Musical Box when they are in town. In the late 2000's they did the Trick of a Tail tour & it was so cool to hear White Mountain. No way as good as the real thing, but still great. The Watch does a nice version of Stagnation.

Just saw TMB yet again last month. A twist this time as they performed 'Genesis Live' (1973). Since that was only 45 minutes, they also played The Knife, Seven Stones, Twilight Alehouse (?!) and closed with Can Utility & The Coastliners. [photo during strobe light sequence]

 

[SHB]

Just saw TMB yet again last month. A twist this time as they performed 'Genesis Live' (1973). Since that was only 45 minutes, they also played The Knife, Seven Stones, Twilight Alehouse (?!) and closed with Can Utility & The Coastliners. [photo during strobe light sequence]

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Sweet. Good for you! I didn't know they were performing Genesis Live. I listened to the 5.1 DVD last week. Nice seats!