So after going to see The Musical Box the other night, I felt it was time to get into the final leg of my Genesis binge and put this one on. (It was a treat to hear rarities like "Blood on the Rooftops" and "Wot Gorilla" performed live.)
A very pleasing mix here. It's very immersive. Like the other titles in the mid-period box set, the keyboards often are mixed to fill up the whole space, rather than being hard panned to one corner like the albums in the Gabriel era. There are some very sweet moments here. The softer section during "Eleventh Earl of Mar" is very sweet, with acoustic guitars behind you. There's a nice spread of multiple guitar parts across all speakers during "Your Own Special Way." The instrumental break during "One For the Vine" has some cool percussion flying around the surround field. Phil's layered vocals at the end of "Afterglow" sit nicely in the rear channels for a very effective ending to the album.
As for the fidelity, I did hear a little bit of what others have commented about regarding the high end. But it wasn't headache inducing like Invisible Touch. And for much of the album it wasn't really noticeable at all.
As for the material, it's an amazingly strong collection of progressive rock. There's a real confidence here. The previous album and tour proved that they could survive and thrive without Peter Gabriel. "Afterglow" would remain a concert staple up through the band's final tour in 2007. "Blood on the Rooftops" is stunningly beautiful. "Unquiet Slumbers/Quiet Earth" is as great as instrumental prog rock gets. "Eleventh Earl", "One For the Vine" and "All in a Mouse's Night" are all fantastic epics. There isn't a weak cut here. Fortunately they really knew what their best material was. The weaker tracks from the session were relegated to the Spot the Pigeon EP. Hackett was apparently upset that he didn't get any songs on the album where he was the sole writer while Banks got three. But the proof is in the pudding. Banks' three songs are all excellent. Hackett wanted the band to include his song "Please Don't Touch" (which would surface the following year on his solo album of the same name.) But for me that song doesn't stand up well against what's on Wind and Wuthering. To include it (and therefore then have to remove a song) would have only lowered the overall quality of the album. (And it was Collins who rejected "Please Don't Touch".)
Musically the album gets a 10/10 from me. I will give 9 out of 10 on fidelity and 9 out of 10 for the mix. (The mix is very enjoyable, but for me it doesn't quite scale the heights of the best mixes from the Gabriel era box.) A very strong 9.
A very pleasing mix here. It's very immersive. Like the other titles in the mid-period box set, the keyboards often are mixed to fill up the whole space, rather than being hard panned to one corner like the albums in the Gabriel era. There are some very sweet moments here. The softer section during "Eleventh Earl of Mar" is very sweet, with acoustic guitars behind you. There's a nice spread of multiple guitar parts across all speakers during "Your Own Special Way." The instrumental break during "One For the Vine" has some cool percussion flying around the surround field. Phil's layered vocals at the end of "Afterglow" sit nicely in the rear channels for a very effective ending to the album.
As for the fidelity, I did hear a little bit of what others have commented about regarding the high end. But it wasn't headache inducing like Invisible Touch. And for much of the album it wasn't really noticeable at all.
As for the material, it's an amazingly strong collection of progressive rock. There's a real confidence here. The previous album and tour proved that they could survive and thrive without Peter Gabriel. "Afterglow" would remain a concert staple up through the band's final tour in 2007. "Blood on the Rooftops" is stunningly beautiful. "Unquiet Slumbers/Quiet Earth" is as great as instrumental prog rock gets. "Eleventh Earl", "One For the Vine" and "All in a Mouse's Night" are all fantastic epics. There isn't a weak cut here. Fortunately they really knew what their best material was. The weaker tracks from the session were relegated to the Spot the Pigeon EP. Hackett was apparently upset that he didn't get any songs on the album where he was the sole writer while Banks got three. But the proof is in the pudding. Banks' three songs are all excellent. Hackett wanted the band to include his song "Please Don't Touch" (which would surface the following year on his solo album of the same name.) But for me that song doesn't stand up well against what's on Wind and Wuthering. To include it (and therefore then have to remove a song) would have only lowered the overall quality of the album. (And it was Collins who rejected "Please Don't Touch".)
Musically the album gets a 10/10 from me. I will give 9 out of 10 on fidelity and 9 out of 10 for the mix. (The mix is very enjoyable, but for me it doesn't quite scale the heights of the best mixes from the Gabriel era box.) A very strong 9.
