Vision of Angels
By now Genesis had completely ditched their attempts at writing three minute pop songs, and had gone for broke as creators of full scale musical poems. The closest they get to a hook line is Peter's cry of "Visions Of Angels" during this piece of contrasting delicacy and savagery. Some have compared the ideas here to the imagery of poet William Blake. The Hammond organ is virtually an orchestra in Tony Banks' hands and he creates a constantly changing ebb and flow of moods and themes. The vocals drop out a bit in the mix and Peter sounds somewhat strained at times, but this adds a feeling of angst and desperation, often at the heart of his best performances. The wonder is that the band was able to remember all of this to repeat the performance at nightly gigs, presumably without any of the properly written charts conventional musicians would demand.
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Stagnation
It was one of the tactics of Genesis' quickly developing stage act at this time to play gentle acoustic guitar numbers with tinkling piano in the background, to lull onlookers into believing they were hearing a folk group. Then the band would gradually add lead guitar and drums until they reached a roaring, aggressive climax that would at first entrance and then stun their audience. This was the sort of piece they played at The Friars Club, Aylesbury, "home" for the band, from their first appearance there on April 13, 1970. "I want a drink to wash out the filth," sings Peter mysteriously before this minor epic sweeps towards a grand finale with Mayhew's drums rolling sonorously.
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Dusk
Astonishingly subtle and devised with a shining brilliance, shorter, less celebrated pieces like 'Dusk' were overshadowed by the more famous Genesis epics. Nevertheless this has all the elements that helped make the band so unusual and appealing. Built mostly over chiming guitar chords, interspersed with crystalline notes from a triangle, this flows like water through a twisting channel. Sings Peter with a voice so delicate he sounds like he's handling bone china while walking on eggshells: "If we draw some water, does the well run dry?" There are snatches of unison flute and Spanish guitar, and no single idea is allowed to dominate. Anthony Phillips and Mike Rutherford blend their acoustic instruments with apparent ease. However, the strain of seeking perfection on these intense recording sessions would lead Phillips to quit the band soon after.
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The Knife
Now! yells Peter again, using his favourite word to introduce a song he later explained was: "An aggressive number about a revolutionary figure on a power trip." This was the most powerful and exciting arrangement Genesis had developed thus far and it became hugely popular at live shows, when in its full glory, it could last for up to 19 minutes. Perhaps not surprisingly it failed to chart when it was released as a two part single in January 1971. It would have been hard to envisage this cut down for Top Of The Pops. However, it has a throbbing urgency that is hard to resist. Hammond organ sets off at a gallop, bringing terror in its wake. "Stand up and fight, for you know we are right!" chants Gabriel as he rides a charging war horse into battle. In a lull before the fighting there is a breathtakingly quiet passage, with beautiful flute notes cascading over a simple bass line.
Each member of the band is called upon to contribute his individual skills in a selfless way to sustain the music. This is quite unlike the situation in most rock bands where the individuals tend to fight each other to establish dominance. It couldn't be said that Gabriel was over exposed either, as the vocal parts are quite severely rationed. While Mayhew came in for some rather stiff criticism later, his drumming here is dynamic and enthusiastic, propelling a difficult and exacting arrangement towards a wild and frantic ending. This was the jagged, cutting edge of Genesis, all the more deadly for coming from such civilised company.
