Genesis - Invisible Touch

A great '80s album

You can gripe that Invisible Touch is a slick offering from Genesis, but when the songs are as good as the title track, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Land of Confusion, In Too Deep and Throwing It All Away, who could complain? These classics are superbly remastered, and as a bonus, you get the videos as well. Over 20 years later, these songs and videos still hold up well. August 12, 2008

Genesis masterpiece, and one of the best DVDs in the reissue series

Invisible Touch is packed full of hit songs, and is a must-have for the Genesis fan. There is not a bad track on the entire CD, and most are radio staples. My favorites include the title track, Tonight, Land of Confusion, Anything She Does, and The Brazilian. Of all the Genesis reissue DVDs, this one might contain the most bonus footage. The standard Reissue Interviews are excellent and entertaining, but the real gems here are the 1986 Visible Touch Tour Documentary and the Rock Around The Clock program. Very cool stuff. Usually I don't care for the MTV videos found on all the DVDs, but Land of Confusion was a special one so I'm glad to have that on here too. Highly recommended. June 15, 2008

Great Album

This has to be Genesis' finest 80's album. Great vocals and tunes. Something really great to listen too. March 25, 2008

Invisible Hairlines!

Here I am, reviewing the "nadir of Genesis' Progressive Rock Past", the "techno pop sellout", the "Michelob Beer Associated Corporate Rock Album", the "Middle Aged Rock band Copout", etc, etc.

Superlatives aside, when I picked this up I knew alot already of what I would be in for. Now with regards to the music on this platter, it may seem strange to say considering my recent reviews of Genesis's 80's output, but this may be their best since 1980's Duke.

For one, we have some sharper songwriting on this than the previous two. Abacab marked their big transition to pop (some say sellout
) stardom, "Genesis" (self-titled) marked their descent into MOR schmaltz and sappy sentimentality with its second half and mediocre songwriting.

"Invisible Touch" is neither the edgy new wave derived sound of Abacab, but it doesn't steep to mediocrity other than possibly the worst song Genesis ever wrote, "In Too Deep".

Patrick Bateman eat your (or anothers) heart out!

Anyway, back to reviewing the album at hand.

"Invisible Touch" starts the album with a bouncy start, its a catchy single, though very reminiscent of both Mike and the Mechanics and Phil Collins's solo styles merging. The lyrics (as indicated by the bonus dvd) are still referring to Phil Collins's earlier divorce (1980 or something) revealing Phil as one of the ultimate chumps of all time! (Six years should be enough time to get over a divorce, jesus). To use the much maligned rating system many employ on here 6/10.

"Tonight Tonight Tonight" indeed sounds like two earlier songs, "Man of Our Times" and possibly "Mama" (the latter using a template of both Peter Gabriel's early 80's sound and Phil's early 80's sound)- its a longer track and has some cool atmosphere though the worst part of it is where he references another song on the SAME album "But now I'm in too deep"!

The song has atmosphere though a very electronically derived one at that, slightly dated but its possibly the best song on the album. 10/10.

"Land of Confusion" is probably the closest to Hard Rock that the band had gotten since parts of Duke, and its bouncy rhythm, stark midsection (probably Banks written), and topical lyrics make it an instant classic. 10/10.

Now comes the saccharine approximation of Phil Collins's worst mid-eighties ballads, In Too Deep. I can't stand the song, and it goes nowhere as a composition as well. I can't say that its not catchy though so it is awarded one point for that, and being in a few good movies (like American Psycho lol)! 1/10.


"Anything She Does" reminds one of the poppier tracks on Tony Bank's albums (and the four people who have heard those would know what I'm talking about) mixed with a bit of the 80's Phil sheen. It is somewhat funky but ultimately empty. I enjoy it to a small extent though, even if its somewhat filler. 4/10.

Now we have the "crumb" that Genesis were known to give their old prog fans at the time, Domino. It features dynamic lyrics and complex changes, some dark middle parts and some excellent keyboards and rhythms. 10/10.

"Throwing it All Away" is pop schmaltz that I can enjoy, and it just seems to not have the dated feel that tracks like this normally do. 7/10.

"The Brazilian" is another song that Tony Banks helped compose and admits to sounding like some of his instrumentals of the period. Mike contributes some cool guitar parts and Phil does a very complex rhythm (though with triggered drums) marking some of the best instrumental work they had done since Duke, at least. Its basically the "Los Endos" of the technological Eighties. Great song, dark riffs and awesome keyboard parts. 10/10.

The bonus dvd is jam packed with features. Making of Land of Confusion, several documentaries and some live footage as well as the already obligatory band interview (with all reissues). One does kind of cringe at the horrid clothing and hairstyles (or "lack of" hairstyles, hehe) that the band had during the period.

Overall, as an album, I really was expecting less from this. I can't compare this to the original so I don't have a point of reference but it sounds superb, and also the songs really shine on this one. Its hard for me to say this, but while I don't normally expect to give "dated eighties pop" a good score, Genesis did the "genre" in a way that makes it somewhat timeless, and its catchy to boot. I am awarding this four stars, even if I do prefer the Gabriel and "shortly thereafter" period, because it makes up for dated production (though you gotta admit the electronics are fun at times) with dynamic songwriting and melodic playing and singing.






February 17, 2008

Incredible! Not just another remaster--this is a better mix of a classic recording.

I can't remember the last time I so well spent $20 on an album. And, an album that I already own and probably could replay in my mind, too!
This isn't just a remastered version of Invisible Touch: it's remixed as well, and listeners familiar with the original 1986 release will quickly notice the differences. In my opinion, Invisible Touch has never sounded better. It's really incredible. I have several copies of the original U.S. release on vinyl, the best of which I keep meticulously clean. Now that I have this CD, I won't be spinning the record anymore, well, that is, unless I want to demonstrate the dramatic difference between the two! I guarantee you will hear notes you have never heard before--partially because of the remastering, but also, I suspect, because the notes were buried in the original release's mix, assuming they were even there.
I read a review of the new box set that said Phil Collins' vocals seemed more prominent in the remix. I don't know about that, but my wife did perceive a lot of harshness in the higher frequencies, and Phil sings fairly high sometimes. The treble range does not seem harsh to me, but I am used to the clean sound that digital playback provides. High frequencies (including the human voice) can be harsh, and there is nothing like vinyl groove noise on a compact disc to smooth them out. When you listen to digital recordings through earbuds or bass-shy headphones, you'll hear what treble sounds like naked, so, it is more important than ever to have high quality, full range loudspeakers. Anyway, whether or not you perceive any harshness, you should still appreciate the benefits of increased dynamic range and detail retrieval--not to mention the convenience of compact discs over LP records. When I can get a treasured analog recording on a convenient, foolproof digital format like the compact disc, and it has been remastered for digital playback, I'll take it.
As for the DVD, it features a great new surround mix of the album. I have only listened to the DTS track, but I found it to create a realistic ambience that the stereo mix could not. However, I was reproducing more bass with a subwoofer on stereo, than in the surround subwoofer channel. After several listens, I don't know which rendition I prefer (nor could I say which is closer to the artists' intent). There are also some videos, with accompanying DTS/DD surround tracks. I found these new surround mixes to match very well with the video--none of the lip syncing issues I've noticed in other remastered concert/video DVDs. The best news about this DVD is that it is a conventional DVD, and not a DVD-A disc. So, you can play it in a standard DVD player.
In summary, this fantastic re-release isn't just a digital clean-up, which alone would have been welcome. This is a new Invisible Touch that in my opinion, was not possible before the digital age. Turn it up loud and re-experience one of the greatest recordings of the 1980s for the first time again! January 16, 2008

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