We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
With earlier efforts by the English prog-rock band Genesis, there seemed to be more prog than rock. That was one of the differences in their 1972 LP “Foxtrot”. The band achieved a break-through for many fans and critics by balancing, as one critic put it “the muscle and the whimsy”.
They kept their deft touch and highly skillful playing with complicated arrangements but also played with the power of a rock band.
Lyrically, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and especially Peter Gabriel drenched the tunes with visceral imagery that moved from the science-fiction of the opening track “Watcher of the Skies” to the political overtones of England’s decline in “Get Em Out By Friday” to the majesty and heft of the battle of good & evil going on in the epic “Suppers Ready” which fills most of Side Two.
The band had played some of this stuff on their last tour and musically entered the studio able to nail it. From Banks moody keyboards including liberal use of a mellotron to the intricate guitar work of Steve Hackett (great solo on “Get Em Out By Friday” and excellent acoustic track “Horizons”) to Rutherfords versatility on bass, guitars and cello, to the fantastic drumming of Phil Collins who really picks up his game on this one.
And then there is Gabriel, embracing his status as front man and bringing costuming to the stage which brought the band much publicity when he came out wearing red dress and fox head mimicking the cover painting on this album. He would continue wearing costumes on stage for the rest of his run with the band.
Although the band would release two very good albums before Gabriel departed, many fans and critics say this is their masterwork. It certainly is a tour d’ force.
