ALBUM: And Then There were Three … (1978); A Trick of the Tail (1976)
MVC Rating: Three 3.5/$$$; Tail, 3.0/$$$
Genesis, I’m sorry, makes me want to exodus.
I’ve tried. I have two of their later albums post-Peter Gabriel. So maybe I haven’t heard their good stuff.
The ‘Three’ album title plays off the fact that members were dropping from the band like water rats from a sinking barge. Ok, that’s a little harsh.
Yet that album produced probably their most accessible song “Follow Me, Follow You,” a Top-40 friendly song, but certainly no tour de force. Maybe I need more time with these to see what the fuss was about.
On Trick of the Tail I hear chunky synthesizer/keyboard chords aligned with semi-melodic verse and nothing that makes me say, ‘Wow, in the beginning there was this great band.’
I am not keen on most art-rock or so-called progressive bands. I like Yes better than this. I’ve learned through re-initiation during MyVinylCountdown of some interesting work by Emerson Lake and Palmer. But Genesis just leaves me feeling blase’ and that’s not what rock music is supposed to do.
The songs seem to meander down the river, which could be nice, except when the river raft stops, you are five miles from your car.
One of the best songs on ‘Tail’ is one about a mythological beast called a ‘Squonk.’ On ‘Three’ the hit is good, if not a little light.
So I give this 2 and one-half squonks.