[.ca] Nursery Cryme

The first outing of a great musical period:
I recently rediscovered this one and, after 30-plus years, it sounds even better than I remember it. As a random observation, what Genesis always seemed to have over other progressive rock bands from that era was a wicked sense of humor--as witnessed especially in tracks like "Return of the Giant Hogweed" and "Harold the Barrel". The wicked side of their humor especially comes through in "Harold" where the humorous scene turns horrorshow at the drop of one or two beats. The flip side of this is witnessed in a tune like "The Musical Box" where the weird events of the performance actually have their impetus in a rather funny short story that was originally included in the album's liner notes. "The Musical Box" is also a masterpiece of complexity, moving through many musical stylings while building in intensity. "Seven Stones" is a forgotten gem of beautiful, baroque interplay between the vocals and Tony Banks' classic Hammond B3 playing. Great composing, great musicianship, and great lyrics overall--even the short pieces "Harlequin" and "For Absent Friends" are interesting in their instrumentation and treatment. It's a shame nobody makes music like this anymore.

Strangeness and Charm:
Nursery Cryme came at perhaps the most interesting time in the band's career. They had just picked up much needed muscle with Hackett and Collins, but were still trying to find their voice as a band. The result is some of the oddest, most original music they have ever composed, played at a new level of competency. For me the most fascinating progressive rock can be the strangest, and--make no mistake--Nursery Cryme is Genesis at their strangest. Here they move away from the folky tendencies of the albums that preceeded it, but are not yet producing music as streamlined and professional as that which would soon come. This is one of the most unique albums in prog rock history. One of the best things about this album is that the ego jostling has yet to set in. Steve Hackett plays a large role and Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford sing background prominently in some places. Banks even delivers the "Mighty Hogweed" line in "Return of the Giant Hogweed," which is, by the way, a good example of a song with the bizarreness I alluded to earlier. There are others. "Harold the Barrel" is a off-center but moving mini-opera that takes place in about three minutes, and "Seven Stones" reveals the influence that the first King Crimson album must have had on the band, especially Hackett's guitar solo in the middle and the Mellotronic thunder at the end. Kind of a creepy song in its own way. And speaking of creepy, while "The Musical Box" is an acknowledged epic masterpiece, its theme of a reincarnated (...)fixated villain is so disturbingly obscure that they had to explain the story on the liner notes of the remastered CD (whose sound IS much better than the original vinyl pressing). The oddness of the music of this record is certainly reflected in the band's colorful stage persona at the time, all infused with a wonderful sense of artistic discovery. We know the three albums to come are the five star classics, but there is something singularly exciting about this record that you won't find anywhere else.

Genesis regroups with strong sound, but not their best songs:
Original lead guitarist Anthony Phillips had left Genesis after the "Trespass" album, and the band also wanted to upgrade their drummer situation. They settled on Flaming Youth drummer and former child actor Phil Collins and neophyte guitarist Steve Hackett. The album that resulted, 1971's "Nursery Cryme", had a harder sound than "Trespass", with fewer overdubs and solid production by John Anthony. The downside is that "Nursery Cryme" has the weakest set of songs of any Genesis album from the '70s. Keyboardist Tony Banks hit the nail on the head, saying in Armando Gallo's "I Know What I Like" book that "we seemed to be a bit lacking in material. I think that 'Musical Box' and 'Salmacis' are the two songs that sort of carry that album." "The Musical Box" is the standout track, a 10-minute piece that alternates loud and quiet passages, climaxing with Banks' best guitar-playing moment, as he trades leads with Hackett, and also slips in a quick electric piano solo. The album closes strong with "The Fountain of Salmacis", which tells the Greek mythological tale of Hermaphroditus, who was turned into the first...well, you know. In between are a couple more long songs and three short pieces that are all pleasant, but are a tier below Genesis' usual level. "The Return of the Giant Hogwood" is a sci-fi epic reminiscent of "The Day of the Triffids", with evil plants out to take over the Earth. "Seven Stones" is the weakest track, and a truly strange choice for the single. The short songs include the silly, upbeat "Harold the Barrel" and ballads "Harlequin" and "For Absent Friends". The latter was Collins' first lead vocal for Genesis. This is a 3-1/2 star album. (1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)

And the true magic begins...:
While Trespass was an important album, Nursery Cryme was the first Genesis album on which the band fully realized the magical potential of the sum of the parts. NC is a quantum leap from Trespass and the springboard into the majesty of Foxtrot. I still remember the sheer thrill of being a Genesis fan at this time, this being before they started on the highway to mega stardom. Even the fan club communications came in hand-written envelopes, often stamped with hearts and flowers and words such as 'LOVE'. Alas, I can't remember the names of the original UK fan club women, but they did a superb job. Everything from the haunting Paul Whitehead cover to the lyrically and musically intriguing songs - all of them - make this a landmark album in progressive rock and therefore in the career of the mighty Genesis. Even though they may have technically surpassed NC, it still remains the album for which I have the most affection. Favorite track? Hmmm, either The Musical Box, Seven Stones or The Fountain of Salmacis, but then Hogweed is a unique masterpiece in itself. A classic album with absolutely no dud tracks, and highly recommended.

A strong effort:
Nursery Cryme was the third Genesis album of their early period (1967-1975) and even better then Trespass though thats a four star album too. Phil Collins and Steve Hackett were good additions to the band and the playing all around is quite good. The only drawback is the short throwaway songs For Absent Friends and Harlequin in the absence of a good long song. The 3 long songs on the album are very good as are the fun Harold The Barrel and the more dramatic Seven Stones.

• Musical Box
• For Absent Friends
• Return of the Giant Hogweed
• Seven Stones
• Harold the Barrel
• Harlequin
• Fountain of Salmacis