Genesis - Foxtrot

Foxtrot marked a decisive point in Genesis's career. An emerging art-rock band who were building up a growing cult following with a busy touring schedule, this album was an artistic and commercial landmark; it was their first album to chart. Including the classic "Watcher of the Skies" and Peter Gabriel's whimsically compassionate slice of life, "Get 'Em Out by Friday," the album's highlight is the ambitious sidelong epic "Supper's Ready." Comprising seven linked subsections, it was inspired apparently by a frightening experience where Gabriel's wife, Jill, felt she was possessed, and is a story of two lovers and the struggle between good and evil. Certainly it was the most innovative and entertaining piece the band had produced to date. The relatively rough production values could be seen as either detracting somewhat from the impact of the album or adding a pleasantly rough edge to what might otherwise be a somewhat prim sound. --James Swift Amazon.com

 Supper's Ready
I have had all the Genesis albums from "Duke" on since the 80's and was a big fan of theirs at the time. About a year ago I found myself listening to them alot and decided to start buying their earlier (studio) CDs. I started going backwards, one CD at a time, and recently got "Foxtrot". I never heard any of the tracks before and was totally surprised to find my favorite Genesis song, Supper's Ready,a 23 minute song, on this CD. I just keep playing it over and over again. I've never done that with any Genesis song. "Nursery Cryme" is next. May 10, 2008

 One of the classics of prog rock
1972's Foxtrot found Genesis even more ambitious than ever before. The band was certainly prepared for this album, that's for sure. The group switched producers from John Anthony to David Hitchcock. This was also the first album to chart in the UK. Also around this time Peter Gabriel started experimenting with costumes during their live shows, which will become a Genesis staple during the Gabriel years.

What can I say? This album regularly gets in the list of "Top 10" prog rock album lists everywhere along with Yes' Fragile and Close to the Edge, Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick, ELP's Tarkus and Brain Salad Surgery, and so on, and for good reason. "Watcher of the Skies" is classic Gabriel-era Genesis all the way through, with that unforgettable Mellotron intro and outro. Strangely I actually remember hearing this song as a small kid on the radio around 1980, during an era where Duke would be the album radio stations would push (and they did, of course). "Get 'Em Out By Friday" is a song that holds true today with the ever rising cost of housing, but in this song, the greedy landlords want to replace the humans with small mutants. "Horizons" is simply a short acoustic piece that leads up to the epic "Supper's Ready", it's without a doubt the lengthiest piece Genesis had ever done. A piece like this was unheard of on Trespass or Nursery Cryme since the group wasn't quite ready. A very complex and ambitious piece going through many different themes without a bad moment. It's little wonder why this piece is considered one of the crowning achievements of prog rock. "Time Table" is a nice short piece with piano, and "Can-Utility and the Coastlines" is an often overlooked piece, especially those Mellotron passages.

If you dismissed Genesis in the past because of their later pop offerings, if Invisible Touch makes you run, you might want to try their earlier stuff, that is, if prog rock is your thing. When you hear Foxtrot, you get to understand why this is a regular prog rock "Top 10" favorite. January 31, 2008

 Imagination, Innovation
You listen to albums like "Foxtrot" and you mourn for the lack of imagination and creativity in most of today's music. There are parts of "Foxtrot" that are a tad over the top and a wee bit silly, but the sheer nerve and verve, the willingness to take chances and the musical virtuosity effectively more than compensate. I understand that "Foxtrot" will be getting another sonic makeover early in 2008. I hope more care is rendered to that project than the current (2007) re-issues from the Phil Collins era which lost too much of their musicality in a sea of increased volume and sonic compression. If they are going to tinker with "Foxtrot", let's hope they tinker lightly. December 29, 2007

 Waste no more Time
My good friend Chris Fournier (aka Fonya) gave me this CD in the mid 90s. I listened to it once, then put it away for a couple of years before I got it back out and really listened to it. Lesson: for many people, music like this takes time to hook you, but once it does, you're hooked for life. Listen, listen, and listen again.

I read another review saying that a radio station in Los Angeles used to play Supper's Ready in its entirety. I lived near Pittsburgh, and the station there played the entire Dark Side of the Moon album! I wish they would have introduced me to Foxtrot back in the early 70s too. All these years without hearing Get 'em Out by Friday, Can Utility and the Coastliners, and, of course, Supper's Ready. What a shame...

This is not my favorite Genesis album/CD, but it does have my favorite song by any artist: Supper's Ready. The story seems to parallel the Book of Revelation in the Bible. I like to think of it as a love song--a man expressing the depth of his love for his wife by comparing it to the Bible's story of Christ's love for the church. The music is incredible! I particularly like Apocalypse in 9/8--this is Phil Collins at his finest as a drummer. November 22, 2007

 Genesis' second album from the "classic era" still sounds superb 35 years on
Genesis' fourth album Foxtrot was released in October of 1972.
The album came out in a year that arguably prog was at its peak. That was the year that The Moody Blues hit #1 with Seventh Sojourn. ELP gave us the double whammy of Pictures at an Exhibition and Trilogy. Also, Yes gave us two classic out of Fragile and Close to the Edge. Jethro Tull gave us the album length suite Thick As a Brick (which hit #1). Also, Pink Floyd gave us Obscured by Clouds and were recording their masterpiece The Dark Side of the Moon.
It was also in 1972 that Genesis gave us Foxtrot (complete with the cover depicting a woman wearing a fox's head and a red dress). This was the album that saw lead singer Peter Gabriel, keyboard player Tony Banks, bass player Mike Rutherford, drummer Phil Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett refine the sound that they had hinted at on its predecessor, 1971's Nursery Cryme. Foxtrot was also the album that gave the band its first charting success in the UK and helped bring them a following as you will find out why in this review.
We open the album with the epic "Watcher of the Skies" which starts the album off. The piece begins with Banks' swirling mellotron intro and then morphs into a classic Genesis track with superb playing by the Genesis members and Gabriel's vocals just burn here. This piece remains a fan favorite to this day. Next is the nice balladish sounding "Time Table". Some write this beautiful song off as "filler" but is still a great piece. Next is another highlight of the album which is the album's second epic called "Get 'Em Out By Friday". The piece is a bizarre story with superb lyrics from Gabriel and superb music by the band. We conclude the album's first half closed with "Can-Utility and the Coastliners" which was a great song.
Now, the second half of the album starts with "Horizons" which shows why Hackett was arguably Genesis' best guitarist. This classical guitar solo is so superb. Then the album's last piece is the 23 minute "Supper's Ready". This suite is up there with "Tarkus", "Close to the Edge", "Echoes", "2112" and "Thick as a Brick" in greatest long epics. The first part "Lover's Leap" is exceptionally strong with Gabriel's multi-tracked vocals, bizarre lyrics and superb 12-string work from Messieurs Banks, Rutherford and Hackett. Then the suite has a piano solo from Banks which segues into "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man" section. Quiet vocals lead into a major key section which has everyone playing (Hackett's lead playing and superb drumming from Collins). The "Ikhnaton and Itsacon and their Band of Merry Men" follows and includes arguably Hackett's guitar solo on a Genesis record. Then this segues into the atmospheric "How Dare I Be So Beautiful" which is dreamy and exquisite. Then we go into the section's classic funny part known as "Willow Farm" which is just wild. All I can see is Peter wearing his flower mask whilst performing it (he got the idea of the flower mask from watching an old British kids show when he was a child). Then after a wild music section we go into the superb "Apocalypse in 9/8" section which has powerful lyrics plus an instrumental part that is amazing. Phil's drumming here is TOP NOTCH and Banks proves why he is the master of the organ. We then segue with bells tolling into the final section called "As Sure as Eggs is Eggs". It starts with a reprise of the music of "Lovers Leap" then morphs into a slowed down reprise of "The Guaranteed Eternal" section. Gabriel sings this part like it was the last piece he would ever sing. It is that great.
Foxtrot would almost reach the UK Top 10 and just missed the American charts but sales notwithstanding, this album is a testament to the classic "prog rock" era of Genesis.
RECOMMENDED! November 7, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...