From what I can remember of listening back in the day, I think there were many parts that I didn't like…over the years though, the more I listened and got familiar with them, I grew to like all of it. Obviously, I wouldn't have it any other way now.Foxtrot is aptly named -- there’s a lot -- and I mean a LOT -- of up and down in this record.
Let’s start with this: I don’t find much of Foxtrot to be rock and roll, which is fine. It’s prog pop, but rather than prog pop heavily influenced and sounding like classical music, the first half is prog pop heavily influenced by and sounding like jazz. To some extent I found that unique and winning, even if the idea is probably better in concept than execution.
Let’s pretend the unnecessary two-minute organ chord bashing exercise that opens “Watcher of the Skies” doesn’t exist, because it’s infuriating. After that, the band is jumpier and speedier than I expected relative to other Genesis. And rather than whomping away with the sledgehammer drums Phil Collins became known for (and that I don’t hate TBF), I hear some pretty remarkable dexterity which surprised me some. Quite listenable.
Likewise “Can-Utility” – the first two minutes just seem like aimless noodling. Then it moves into the acoustic guitar backed by strings and those splashy drums before finding a resting spot for Tony Banks organ, the expression of which should IMO be additive and in the background (or used in brief solos) rather than driving in the foreground (and why I’ve always been hugely annoyed by ELP).
But “Time Table” is the kind of Genesis that I’ve struggled with, the quiet lily-on-the-pond stuff that doesn’t really have a hook and definitionally has to lean on the vocals (which Gabriel isn’t capable of injecting emotion into here) and the lyrics (which don’t have an obviously interesting subject, at least to me). So it kind of tries to simulate beauty rather than actually being beautiful. Not my thing. Nor is “Get ‘Em Out By Friday”, which whistles along between slow tempo and uptempo and no tempo but honestly I just felt was confusing in both message and what it was trying to be sonically.
“Horizons” is a nice acoustic interlude (I never mind those), and then into the meat of “Supper’s Ready”, all 22+ minutes of it. It’s in parts wonderful, and parts unpleasant. I am not going to write out all the frankly ridiculous titles, but parts II and III are especially good, with Gabriel soaring into the chorus on II and Hackett suddenly blazing all over III. Part V feels a little Bowie-esque and a lot TV-program-for-kids-like and much more like what would come out of a Broadway musical (which I’m certain was intended). Part VI has that odd time signature and that organ morphs into a Yes-sy mish-mash which I didn’t mind as much as I usually would in this context, and then part VII returns to Gabriel and Hackett flying together to a great closing effect.
Of all the records we’ve gone through on both threads, I found this to be I think the most varied in quality in terms of parts I enjoyed vs. those I didn’t. You can hear what Gabriel would become, and what Genesis would become without him. None of this sticks in my ears the way the first quarter of “Lamb” does, nor the best songs on “Trick”, nor Gabriel’s best solo work. But there’s enough really good stuff to make it worth wading through the less interesting/more irritating parts. it's right down the middle, but because I liked the good bits more than I disliked the bad bits, I'll go 6/10.
For those that really enjoy 'early' Genesis as showcased by @Markir choice of Foxtrot, there is a rich seam of music that continues to this day in the shape of Steve Hackett's solo work.
Many people believe that Genesis changed when Gabriel left (and they did) but to me the even more profound changes came when Steve Hackett the guitarist left. Genesis made A Trick of the Tail and Wind and Wuthering with Steve but without Peter and both are fine albums in the early Genesis tradition. It was only after those albums that Phil Collins influence on the music took them down an extremely commercial but far less interesting route. So anyone that really enjoys Foxtrot will also like the albums that came before it (Trespass and Nursery Cryme) and the four that came after (Selling England by the Pound, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Wind and Wuthering and Trick of the Tail). I have purposely omitted the album Genesis to Exodus (their very first album). Whilst it is interesting to Geeks like me, it is unrepresentative of their later work.
Steve has been making music and touring since he left Genesis in 1977 and continues to make inspired guitar based prog rock. I can recommend for anyone interested, his debut solo album Voyage of the Acolyte as typical of his work. If you can catch him live, he tours annually and plays half his own stuff and the second half is devoted to early Genesis and frankly, his live show musically eclipses what live early Genesis could produce albeit without the bizarre red dress and foxes head that Gabriel had a penchant for. There are some wonderful full concerts on You Tube. Here is an example of his band playing Suppers Ready (with full orchestra).
A couple have mentioned Foxtrot as almost like classical music and there is a great deal of truth in that. Most of the band were educated at Charterhouse where they received a classic education and Banks mother was a classical pianist and he in particular was immersed in the genre from a very early age and has gone on to compose and record classical music. There are some wonderful examples of prog/classical compositions in their work. Check out Firth of Fifth on Selling England and Fountain of Salmacis on Nursery Cryme where the classic influence is particularly clear.
I always called it "And Then They were Twee"Probably not a popular view but I thought “and then there were three”, the first after Hackett is underrated and was a decent effort. I did lose interest in what came after
Foxtrot is aptly named -- there’s a lot -- and I mean a LOT -- of up and down in this record.
Let’s start with this: I don’t find much of Foxtrot to be rock and roll, which is fine. It’s prog pop, but rather than prog pop heavily influenced and sounding like classical music, the first half is prog pop heavily influenced by and sounding like jazz. To some extent I found that unique and winning, even if the idea is probably better in concept than execution.
Let’s pretend the unnecessary two-minute organ chord bashing exercise that opens “Watcher of the Skies” doesn’t exist, because it’s infuriating. After that, the band is jumpier and speedier than I expected relative to other Genesis. And rather than whomping away with the sledgehammer drums Phil Collins became known for (and that I don’t hate TBF), I hear some pretty remarkable dexterity which surprised me some. Quite listenable.
Likewise “Can-Utility” – the first two minutes just seem like aimless noodling. Then it moves into the acoustic guitar backed by strings and those splashy drums before finding a resting spot for Tony Banks organ, the expression of which should IMO be additive and in the background (or used in brief solos) rather than driving in the foreground (and why I’ve always been hugely annoyed by ELP).
But “Time Table” is the kind of Genesis that I’ve struggled with, the quiet lily-on-the-pond stuff that doesn’t really have a hook and definitionally has to lean on the vocals (which Gabriel isn’t capable of injecting emotion into here) and the lyrics (which don’t have an obviously interesting subject, at least to me). So it kind of tries to simulate beauty rather than actually being beautiful. Not my thing. Nor is “Get ‘Em Out By Friday”, which whistles along between slow tempo and uptempo and no tempo but honestly I just felt was confusing in both message and what it was trying to be sonically.
“Horizons” is a nice acoustic interlude (I never mind those), and then into the meat of “Supper’s Ready”, all 22+ minutes of it. It’s in parts wonderful, and parts unpleasant. I am not going to write out all the frankly ridiculous titles, but parts II and III are especially good, with Gabriel soaring into the chorus on II and Hackett suddenly blazing all over III. Part V feels a little Bowie-esque and a lot TV-program-for-kids-like and much more like what would come out of a Broadway musical (which I’m certain was intended). Part VI has that odd time signature and that organ morphs into a Yes-sy mish-mash which I didn’t mind as much as I usually would in this context, and then part VII returns to Gabriel and Hackett flying together to a great closing effect.
Of all the records we’ve gone through on both threads, I found this to be I think the most varied in quality in terms of parts I enjoyed vs. those I didn’t. You can hear what Gabriel would become, and what Genesis would become without him. None of this sticks in my ears the way the first quarter of “Lamb” does, nor the best songs on “Trick”, nor Gabriel’s best solo work. But there’s enough really good stuff to make it worth wading through the less interesting/more irritating parts. it's right down the middle, but because I liked the good bits more than I disliked the bad bits, I'll go 6/10.
Nice review mate. Thanks for mentioning the live album. I think one element that has been missed by a few is that this version of Genesis were one of the first proponents of 'Theatre Rock' and Gabriel tried hard to push that element of their performance very hard indeed (allegedly to cover for his chronic shyness. I right.). Many of the songs from that period were written with that in mind so for example, the long melatron into to 'Watcher' was brought to life by Gabriel gradually appearing from the darkness with bat wing headress and UV make up. Sounds laughable now but at the time it was lapped up. Songs like the Musical Box from Nursery Cryme and the Knife from Trespass and the whole of LLDOB were devised with one and a half eyes on the stage show that would tell their story. Suppers ready allowed Gabriel a number of costume changes including the much maligned red dress/foxes head and flower helmet. Those expecting a 'lets rock' album were always going to be disappointed. Thats not what this band was about.The highlights of the first side, Watcher and Friday, are better served on the 73 Genesis Live album (what a back cover that album had btw, the picture and the story); the other tracks on side 1 I can happily leave.
I’m also not a big fan of Horizons, just a filler for me, and I say that as a great admirer of Hackett’s playing both solo and whilst in the band.
It’s all about Supper isn’t it tbh. A bit like Yes with the Going For The One album, everything else cowers in the shadow of Awaken. As time goes on, I’m a lot more critical of albums I used to say I really rated, and when I go back to them now, it’s often about individual songs (except maybe for certain concept or themed albums like the Lamb or The Final Cut).
Supper’s Ready, Awaken, 2112 are all tracks that stand head and shoulders above the rest of their host albums.
As such, as I love Supper so much my heart says it’s a 10/10 - more rationally playing the whole thing now with more critical ears, it gets a 9 maybe.
While it could be criticised for not cohering, certainly musically, I find that variety, difference and sudden shifts to be a strength in this case, and it keeps the piece busy and engaging and exiting to listen to, especially as you build towards the climatic release of the conclusion.
Gabriel and rest of the band on top form, and it’s a measure of the power of the track that it has equal impact on the studio version as on Seconds Out for me; adore both.
As an aside, I can recall being beyond excited to get my first listen to the King Biscuit Flower Hour FM radio bootleg tape of the LA show at the start of the Invisible Touch tour to hear the In The Cage medley now concluded with the 9/8 section and end of Supper in all its glory …. only to be completely crestfallen by the time i got to Roundhay Park in Leeds and Wembley to discover they’d dropped it in favour of the over-played and over-familiar dirge that was Afterglow. Such a disappointment at the time, though the rest of the show was fabulous.
I like it because it still has Gary O'toole on drums. Sadly he left a couple of years ago. He is a very talented and subtle drummer. Perfect for this type of music. The new one is a bit too bish, bash bosh for me. There is much more material on You Tube - a couple of full concerts last time I looked all in HD sound and vision.That supper's ready performance is pretty special. Just watched it for the first time, really enjoyed it. The music is superb and the singer makes a hard song to sing look easy, a very controlled performance.
Remarkably accurate I would have said.I always called it "And Then They were Twee"
Now I agree with that mate! ;-)"Burning Rope" is simplistic and turgid in a way that "Supper" can only look down on.