Customer Reviews

Invisible Touch

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

"Invisible Touch" is a difficult Genesis album for me to review. In many ways it seems like a parody of earlier Genesis work rather than a new album. That is not to say that the songs are horrible, just that they are rather unremarkable and indistinct from a lot of other Genesis songs. That being said, the album did very well, reaching #1 in the UK and #3 in the North America in 1986 and producing 5 singles. As a result, it probably represents the height of commercial success for the band.

The album opens with "Invisible Touch", the only #1 single the group had in the U.S., but to my ears it isn't a particularly great song. It is catchy and easy to sing along with, but it isn't anywhere near my favorite song from the group. "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" is a step up, but with rather odd lyrics and fairly generic instrumentation it feels like things they have done before rather than anything new. "Land of Confusion" is next, and had a wonderful video and is a fairly distinct piece as opposed to most of the reset of the album. "In Too Deep" finishes the first half of the album, a nice piece but Genesis has no shortage of ballads.

"Anything She Does" opens the second half of the album with a lively and catchy tune, but one which is hardly exceptional within their body of work. "Domino" is the longest piece on the album and sounds like a failed attempt to recapture their progressive feel. There are two sections to the piece titled "In the Glow of the Night", and "The Last Domino". Once again, it is not a horrible piece, but it falls short of previous efforts. "Throwing It All Away" is a return to their pop sound. The album closes with the instrumental "The Brazilian" which in some ways is the most interesting piece on the entire album, and the concert versions have been even better.

Their most popular album, or close to it, "Invisible Touch" has on the surface some pleasing tunes and lyrics, but it does not hold up to repeated playing as well as most of Genesis's albums. The group shares the writing credits for all the tracks with: Phil Collins (drums, percussion, vocals); Tony Banks (keyboards, synth bass); Mike Rutherford (guitars, bass).

Commercial? Sure. Way too pop-oriented? Only if you don't like pop. This album, more than any other, is the one that old school Genesis fans tend to pour vitriol on, assaulting the album and the band for having abandoned Genesis' earlier prog-rock style in favor of an all-too-sleek sound. But if you approach the album seeking well-crafted, gorgeous, and insanely catchy pop songs, you'll to be pleased beyond imagining. And despite what the purists will tell you, even the uber-pop incarnation of the band had some inventive sonic tricks up their sleeve -- check the long, ominous bridge on "Tonight Tonight Tonight," or the haunting instrumental "The Brazilian." Even the syrupy "Throwing It All Away" had some brilliantly off-kilter harmonies. I myself am a hard-core fan of Gabriel-era Genesis, but I just can't get enough of this album's sweet & tasty ear-candy.

The Last Domino at 10 minutes and 43 seconds remains the 4th longest Genesis song, The Brazilian is a fine instrumenal and Tonight has a strong middle section but this album is nothing new for the trio, bad pop and very little real talent.

First of all, I don't dig this album. What amazes me is that anyone was suprised by it. This is where the band was heading with each release.

Secondly, they made millions and millions. You can hardly blame them for it. It's not a good Genesis album, it IS a great pop album, which is what they were going for.

I think it's one of the very best pop records ever made! Not only considering the musicians involved, but also the ideas that was appearing in the decade it was made! Phil, Mike and Tony, the Genesis, did an incredible work on this one. There's no one person who lived in the 80's and don't remember classics like Invisible Touch or Land of Confusion. But the one I really like in here is Throwing it All Away, a very beautiful slow song! Domino is more an old Genesis approach, it's like progressive pop, and it's also a winner song. Check it out!

Man, I never gets tired of listen this album. By the way, I have it in vynil, and now I bought the CD release!! This is nothing less than good music made by very good musicians. Invisible Touch and Land of Confusion makes me go out of the chair and dance!! Breathtaking! there are awesome music for the whole release, like the excellent Throwing It All Away and the slow In Too Deep! I also consider Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, besides it's a little longer, but very good! Domino are Genesis back to prog with a pop mix, a very good one and The Brazillian is great too, instead of have nothing to do with the country of the title. If I would make a list of the best pop albums made in the last century, I would put Invisible Touch between the top 10 ones, for sure!! Buy this one, and get amazed by the beat of Genesis! Too bad we don't have too much pop albums like this, these days, but at least they decided to remaster and release these ones from Genesis.

I'm sorry but this is better than 70's Genesis. Personally, I am fed up with trickofthetrail, Wendy Trainor, and the rest of the Gabriel/Hackett snobs clouding up this website. I know everyone is entitled to their opinon, but really, they should get over the fact that Genesis didn't make "progressive" music anymore. Progressive is actually incorporating new ideas to a system. That's what Banks, Rutherford, and Collins did all of their careers. Yes, the drum machines were annoying, but this is GOOD music compared to what's on the market today. I find this more appealing than 70's Genesis, which in my opionon was boring organ solos and guitar leads crammed into 10 minutes. Dosen't do it for me. I like this album because it brings new ideas to pop music. The only track I don't like is In Too Deep. I know that this won't quiet any proggers, but I wanted to say this. Enough is enough. Thank you.

This remembers me about my youth, I discovered Genesis when they're already have turned into pop. I think this album is the best one of the band's pop era. Some people will say that it's not Genesis, but let's face the fact that there was no Peter and no Steve Hacket anymore, how could they continue making good prog albums like Selling England By The Pound, Foxtrot, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Nursery Crime, Trick Of The Tail, without these two factors? And in the other hand, this is one of the best pop albums you can find out there. I listen to a lot of prog bands, like Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Spock's Beard, Flower Kings, Dream Theater, Rush, and I'm also a fan of good pop artists, like Seal, Bryan Adams, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Lionel Ritchie, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Richie Kotzen, Bee Gees. And the pop music are so boring these days, with these britney spears, new "metal" bands and boy bands around there, so I think that people have to take this pop era of Genesis a chance. I agree that it was a mistake to continue with the name Genesis after Steve left, but at least, they continued to release real good music. I don't like labels, I think good music is good music, no matter what the label is, and this is for sure, real good music. The best ones here are, in my opinion, "Invisible Touch", "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", "Land Of Confusion", Domino and "Throwing it all away", all of them, real good, beautiful and inspiring tunes.

If you were a teen or young adult in the 1980's, you would have to like the album Invisible Touch as the best album produced when Genesis was under leadership of Phil Collins. How can anyone trash it?

I grew up in the 80's so I never listened to Genesis before 1980, therefore I can't really understand why so many are down on this "pop" sounding Genesis. From the time I started listening to Genesis (1980 and up)it's been pretty much pop/rock sounding to me. So obviously I will have different views on the songs of this album.

1. Invisible Touch 2/5 - It's an ok song. For the most part it isn't really my type, but it's listenable.

2. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight 2/5 - Too repeditive, the title says it all. But again, it is listenable.

3. Land Of Confusion 5/5 - Love it, love it, love it! Has it all. Great, and true lyrics to it. Call it what you want. I call it groovy!

4. In Too Deep 5/5 - Amazingly, this song is the one that gets bashed the most by early-Genesis-lovers, but this is the one song I can listen to over and over and never get tired of. It alone earned the 5 star overall rating I gave the album. The drum and guitar is just as great, but I love the pia~o music the most. There's so much feeling put in to this song, especially in Collin's vocals. If you've never listened to it, give it a chance.

5. Anything She Does 1/5 - Don't like.

6. Domino 1/5 - Don't like.

7. Throwing It All Away 5/5 - I really love this song! There's something about Collin's vocals in this song, that I just love. I don't know what it is, but the song is different somehow, in a good way. The only thing I don't like is the repeating "whoo hooo hooo" towards the end. If you've listened to it, you know what I'm talking about.

8. The Brazilian 1/5 - Don't like.

An over all great album! One of several must-have albums for Genesis/Phil Collins lovers.