[.ca] Nursery Cryme

It would be a Cryme to pass up this musical box!:
Released in 1971 with Genesis taking up it's beloved classic line-up, Nursery Cryme is the album where Phil Collins first showcased his talent both on the drums and is also where Collins took lead vocals for the first time, not on Selling England By The Pound. The production of this CD is absolutely atrocious but the remastering does help Nursery Cryme a lot and sounds vastly superior to the older version. I must say that the album front cover sleeve with the striped field and the nurse playing tee ball, showcases the schizophrenic and psychotic mood of the LP. 1971 was one of the years of the golden era of prog-rock and Genesis were among the top bands of that style of rock and there's plenty of it on Nursery Cryme. Genesis in fact, never abandoned their prog-rock roots, even with their heavily polished, squeaky clean production of their 1983 self-titled debut and Invisible Touch as well as We Can't Dance and even Calling All Stations. There is no radio-friendly material on here but what there is is 7 tracks of sheer beauty with bizarre production with some of the strangest lyrics that Peter Gabriel has ever written. I might come into confrontations with those purists who can't seem to like any of the LPs Phil Collins at lead vocals, however, even I sometimes think about where Genesis would've gone if Steve Hackett had stayed but nonetheless, Genesis were among the most consistent bands of all time. Return of The Giant Hogweeds is a standout cut. I just love the buzzing guitar chord changes in the beginning of it and it¡¦s menacing musicianship and Gabriels fierce storytelling vocals and it truly showcases it¡¦s theme. It¡¦s an epic tale of giant plants that escapes from captivity to wreak terrible revenge on the human race and the guitars and organs are amazing! The other standout cut is For Absent Friends as it¡¦s where Phil Collins for the first time in his career, sings on lead vocals. While his voice was a bit mousey at that point, the song is a beautiful, simple, & acoustic ballad. The only thing that keeps this track from being great is that it¡¦s less than two minutes long! As much as this CD is great, I must honestly admit that the muddy production as well as it's short playing time of only 39 minutes does keep this from being an essential recording like Genesis latter material compared with Foxtrot or Selling England By The Pound. For the fan base whose tastes are mostly confined to the Phil Collins-era LPs, Nursery Cryme may not be an easy album to get into easily, even for those who loved Wind & Wuthering or Trick Of The Tail but even for those ppl, I do recommend trying NC for something different as Genesis are like a chameleon band. Despite all the cons, Nursery Cryme is a wonderful record that is one worthy of checking out even if it turns out not being all that appreciating. Sure it may not have gotten noticed at the time of it¡¦s release but guess what, it¡¦s still in print after 31 years! An enduring classic that is not quite an essential but definitely one worthy of checking out. Foxtrot and the two after it though have more edge to them than this one does and all of Genesis albums should be in your collection¡K..And I¡¦m not talking about just Peter Gabriel¡¦s LPs with them either¡K..Pick up the Turn It On Again: The Hits CD too! ’º

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)

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