Genesis - Duke

Duke saw Genesis start, somewhat unwillingly, to shed their progressive-rock mantle. Partly this was a response to the radically changing musical scene, partly a result of Phil Collins's new-found influence within the band as a songwriter, and partly it was a logical direction if they were to capitalize upon the success of "Follow You Follow Me" from 1978's And Then There Were Three. Recorded at Abba's Polar Studios in Stockholm, Duke showcased a more commercial sound, brisker arrangements, and more down-to-earth (some would say merely more prosaic) lyrics. Though Tony Banks was still responsible for the majority of the songwriting, turning in the classic "Duchess" and "Heathaze," the album also contains Collins's first two solo compositions, including "Misunderstanding," a template for the songs of his forthcoming solo career. In contrast to the relatively muddy-sounding And Then There Were Three, Duke is clear and sharp, with Collins's increasingly arena-friendly drum sound showcased in the mix. --James Swift Amazon.com

Love on the Rocks

From the album art to the lyrics, this is a story of a heart being torn to shreds from love that has faded away like a summer sunshine quickly giving way to the bitter winds of winter.

Phil Collins is so brutally honest in his descriptions of a relationship that has gone so bad - it mirrors his failed marriage at this time - and it speaks to each careful listener, but perhaps on a variety of emotional levels. Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford are the solid nucleus that weave wonderful music around the shadows.

Rarely does art truly touch the soul...this March 1980 release is a timeless masterpiece because it does just that in so many ways. October 26, 2008

Duke, A Man of His Times

Duke (1980) is the second album with Genesis in its Collins/Banks/Rutherford lineup, a lineup that would be more poppier and accessible than the more progressive rock/storytelling of the eras with Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett. Still, I consider this part of their progressive rock era, with all the moods to go with it, thanks mainly (in my opinion) to the keyboard work of Tony Banks. There's the airiness of "Alone Tonight", the evocative sweep of parklands in "Heathaze", the tense rhythm of "Man of Our Times" (which reminds me a little of the "Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" track "Lost in NYC").

There's a couple of tracks written together as a group, but each of the band members write a couple by themselves, though Phil does all the singing. Phil writes a couple by himself for the first time, the story of a girl who stands him up in "Misunderstanding", and "Please Don't Ask", which reminds me a little bit of some of the more emotional Bee Gees songs.

It's loosely a concept album, with mentions of the Duke and the Duchess in the song titles, and themes and lyrics from the first three tracks ("Behind the Lines/Duchess/Guide Vocal",) being reprised in the last two ("Duke's Travels/Dukes End"). Besides "Duchess", there's no direct references to the Duke and the Duchess, but I like to think that "Man of Our Times" is referring to the Duke, that "Turn it On Again" is describing the Duke's life and that the relationship songs are about the relationship between the Duke and the Duchess. But that's just me...

The booklet, like the cover, has great little illustrations by Lionel Koechlin, which feature his character "Albert", taken from his book "L'alphabet D'albert". The lyrics are also written in a font to suit the illustrations (at least, in the 1994 remaster they do).

Definitely worth a listen for Genesis fans, I think. August 8, 2008

Great mid Genesis

I'm not a Genesis fan from the 60's. I've grown to love that music, but my first exposure to Genesis was ..And Then There Were Three. Yes, I was a late comer, but a complete enthusiast of all things Genesis going back as far as the.... genesis of Genesis?? So.. here we have Duke. ONE LONG SONG. Break it into singles if you must, this entire album... side A, side B, is one song and it is delivered perfectly. Put it on, lie back and listen... and you won't stop until it's over. From the moment it begins until the second it ends, it is pure perfection. Any album I can fall asleep to..... well, that speaks volumes. Consider where they were in their growth as a group. It's an amazing collection of music. If someone put me on a desert island and told me I only have five albums I could bring with me... this would be one of them. August 6, 2008

My favorite Genesis, and a contender for one of my top 3 faves period.

In purchasing this album (the new version with bonus dvd and surround sound mix), I was fully expecting dissapointment. All I could remember hearing from the album were its "pop" singles (more on that later), and I fully expected the album to have nary a "prog" song to be found. I then heard from more of the fanbase that its more of a crossover album in between the Prog and "Pop" worlds, but still wasn't expecting much.

However, from the onset of "Behind the Lines" I knew something was up.

It begins with a bombastic keyboard intro and then a crisp furious drum part from Phil Collins, followed by some very Hackett-like guitar lines from Mike Rutherford (something he didn't do so well on the previous album). The beginning of the song almost reminds one of something that would be written for an Olympics commerical or golf tournament in the mid-eighties, that is, its a bombastic intro intended to get the listeners attention, but more importantly STILL PROG. The song then settles down a little bit with a bit of a groove and more keyboard driven melodies and Collins' very emotional vocals.

It then goes into a drum machine (!) beat that leads into the song "Duchess", which reminds me of some of the more straightforward songs from days passed, because its still quirky enough and synth driven to be similar to those songs (and don't fret over the drum machine, its only used as an effect on THIS SONG, and also sparingly, almost reminding one of the "lawnmower" sound on "I Know What I Like In Your Wardrobe".

Duchess that evolves into "Guide Vocal", a very emotional, Gabriel-era type ballad, but far too short (as most fans know, these songs were intended as an album side long suite, but the rest of the songs (Turn it on Again and Duke's Travel's/Duke's End aren't until towards the end of the album).

We then go to "Man of Our Times" which reminds me of some of the more "rocking" songs off the Lamb (or to some people of Mike's then current solo album) and then the "black sheep of the album", "Misunderstanding".

Misunderstanding is a decent pop song, with a decent groove, but definitely interrupts the flow of the album. Its a solo Collins track (as evidenced by the interviews on the bonus dvd) and it shows. Now I used to dislike the song, but I've gotten so used to it, I don't mind it (as much as later singles like No Reply at All, etc). Its relatively harmless, if very un-"Genesis-like".


"Heathaze" then returns us to the Wind and Wuthering era period a little bit, and does so successfully.

"Turn it on again" is one of the most successful fusings of prog and pop other than Rush's "Subdivisions", it features no discerible chorus and the timing is 13/8, which gives it a weird twist (as well as its very unique melody, but I'll leave the stuffy music theory references at home this time).

"Alone Tonight", though enjoyable, does qualify as album filler to a certain extent, though I enjoy it as it still texturally seems identifiable with the band. It kind of reminds me of some of the "And Then There Were Three..." period; laid back, atmospheric, but also very refined.

"Cul De Sac" reminds me of a fusion of elements between "Wind" and the "..Three" album, but its enjoyable and epic enough to fit on the album.

"Please Don't Ask" is considered another "Phil pop song" but his vocals and the riffs still remind me of the "Phil trying to ape Peter Gabriel" period ironically enough. The very straightforward lyrics referring to his then fresh divorce (Phil's) are kind of a detriment to the song though. Its a very emotional moment, if a little bit melodramatic.

We then continue (finally!) the Duke suite with the "Los Endos" like Duke's Travel's/Duke's End..

As a personal observation I would say that this album grew on me, and as soon as I was hooked it became one of my favorite Genesis albums.

The album is very sincere, and still a very progressive album from the point of view of music, structure and content. I believe this album is their last stab at something truely progressive, as subsequent albums would contain more and more pop (and more and more filler).

Its also a unique album, it has a buoyancy and energy that hadn't been seen with the band in their last two albums since "A Trick of the Tail".

Overall, its not over the "pop" hump that later albums were, though its not as pastoral and progressive as previous material either.

In fact, alot of prog reviewers have said it almost predicts the upcoming "Neo-Prog" movement in England (bands such as Marillion, Saga, etc) because it has a somewhat "pop/rock" sound mixed with the progressive rock edge that made those bands popular.

I don't know if I'd agree with that, but we can all agree this is one of Genesis's most unique and enjoyable albums. The guitars rock, they keyboards take ahold, the drums and bass are all rock solid, and Phil has an energy that he hadn't had on vocals before.

This, overall, is the best album of the "trio" period of Genesis.

Update: 5/13/2008

I would like to add to this review in saying that this album is Genesis's "Dark Side of the Moon", and "Black Album" all in one. It seethes with an energy that previous albums didn't have as much (don't get me wrong I love all Genesis), but also has the elements that made them one of rock's classic bands, and prog bands to boot. Many songs are similar to their seventies classics but done in a more streamlined manner (hence the Metallica Black Album reference). To me, the melancholy and atmospheric elements and catchy musical phrases combined with Phil Collins' newfound soulfulness in singing.

I have listened to this more than any of their other albums, a strange surprise considering how often I heard that the "trio" period was the nadir of Genesis. January 15, 2008

The best album of the 3-piece Genesis era over 25 years on

English prog rockers Genesis released their first album of the 1980s entitled Duke in March of 1980.
The album was the band's first of the decade that Genesis would conquer the world, the 80s.
Duke saw Genesis starting to shed away their progressive-rock sound slowly but surely. This was mainly because of the radically changing musical scene as punk/new wave had all but killed prog and also because of singer and drummer Phil Collins' new-found influence within the band as a songwriter (due to a personal crisis which unleashed a budding songwriter) and also to capitalize upon the success of 1978's Gold selling Then There Were Three.
Recorded at Abba's Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden in the fall of 1979, Duke showcased a more commercial sound, brisker arrangements, and more down-to-earth (some would say merely more prosaic) lyrics. Though keyboard player Tony Banks was still responsible for the majority of the songwriting, turning in the songs "Guide Vocal", the atmospheric first side closing "Heathaze" and the proggish "Cul-De-Sac". Also, guitarist and bass player Mike Rutherford contributed the songs "Man of Our Times" which was a great mid-tempo rocker and the ballad "Alone Tonight". Duke also contains Collins' first two solo compositions, the Top 20 US hit "Misunderstanding" and the very personal "Please Don't Ask" which was intended for Phil's solo album Face Value (released in 1981) but after Banks and Rutherford heard the demo version of the song, they loved it so much that they decided to record Please Don't Ask as a Genesis track.
The songs all three wrote together were the opening classic rocker "Behind the Lines" and "Duchess" (which told the tale of a girl singer's rise to fame and fall down the other side (the song would become the band's Morse code and I also see as the Morse code of Britney Spears' career strange but true as her career has now patterned after the song Duchess). The British hit "Turn it On Again" is a classic rocker with a 13/8 time signature and a great song. The classic finale of "Duke's Travels" and "Duke's End" is superb and on Duke's Travels you get the lyrics to "Guide Vocal" as a sort of reprise.
The Duke album was yet another Top 20 smash hitting #11 Stateside and gave the band its first #1 album in their native England and was another US Gold seller for the band (eventually going Platinum).
I first bought this CD in October of 1997 when I bought the remastered edition and it is easily one of their best efforts. Highly recommended! November 10, 2007

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