Customer Reviews

Foxtrot

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Try as I may, I can't stay interested in Supper's Ready long enough. It's great, but condensed to 15 minutes it could have been a lot stronger.

That aside, the rest of this is just excellent. Almost unrecognizable from the same 3/5 of a band that brought you "Invisible Touch," this goes everywhere and has a damn good time doing so. I particularly like "Get 'em Out by Friday" and "Horizons," a beautiful short guitar piece from the bespectacled, shy Hackett. "Can-Utility" has an awesome guitar/keyboard interplay in the second half and sweeps you up in the drama, while the opening "Watcher" is a bit overrated, I think, although the spooky Mellotron opening is captivating (and better done on Genesis Live).

The 3rd of a string of underrated albums by the great classic lineup of Genesis. Contains classic songs, classic performances, probably classic Genesis at it's best.

"Watcher Of The Skies" is probably one of Tony Banks's best moments on any Genesis record, if not on any record he's ever played on. The combination of string/brass and BASS ACCORDIAN! sounds of the Mellotron Mark II, and touches of Hammond Organ, make for a stunning intro to an amazing song, if not an amazing album. The interplexing 6/4 time that follows with Mike Rutherford playing distorted Rickenbacker basslines over Phil Collins's pulsating rhythm, shows how great the rhythm section of Genesis was before they entered the frontline. Steve Hackett copies Rutherford's part on guitar at some points but provides short stacatto leads at others. And of course Peter Gabriel, taking the part of the alien on record as well as on stage.

"Get 'Em Out By Friday" shows an interesting concept story. Genetic control has limited human height to 4 feet, and everybody has to move into smaller, more expensive apartments. Peter Gabriel talks about different persons affected by this tragedy, and does something never heard before or ever done again with Genesis, harmonizes with guitar and mellotron flute at different points in the song.

"Time Table" is indeed a very overlooked song in the Genesis canon, although never performed live, provided a good more folkish side to Genesis, which is starting to be seen less and less by the time this album came out.

"Can-Utility and The Coastliners" represents all sides of Genesis at this point in their career. Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford on 12-string guitars, strange tempo changes, and a rare mellotron string solo.

"Horizons" is basically a calmness before the storm. A nice little 6-string acoustic intro to the masterpiece of this album...

"Supper's Ready" is a true masterpiece on it's own. A tale about the battle between good and evil, intertwined with themes about 2 lovers, Narcissus, and Winston Churchill in drag (which I believe to be the genesis [pun intended] of "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight" and "Selling England By The Pound").

It is featured in 7 parts:

"Lover's Leap" which features Gabriel's high baritone vocals, with Collins providing an octave higher falsetto, Hackett, Rutherford, and Banks all playing 12-string guitars, plus an interesting electric piano solo intertwined with flute, and 6-string electric guitar.

"The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man" is a short up-tempo segue piece talking about the importance of men with jobs like Firemen or Farmer. After that, it ends with Genesis's children singing "We Will Rock You, Rock You Little Snake, We Will Keep You Snug and Warm", and then there is a reprise of "Lover's Leap" with Gabriel playing the flute to his vocal part.

"Itknatod and Iknathon and Their Band Of Merry Men" features Collins providing a Horse-Like Gallop on his snare drum, not dissimilar of The Beatles' "Get Back", and it's that horse gallop that lets Gabriel and Collins get away with singing "Bang Bang Bang!".

"How Dare I Be So Beautiful?" is a nice short piece of studio wizardry, with the volume slipping up and down on Banks's grand piano like vibrato. Gabriel delivers more unwhimsical Mad-Hatter-esque phrases like "Human Bacon" & "Social Security".

A Flower?

"Willow Farm" is a complete disjunction from the rest of the song, and has nothing to do with the rest of the song. Gabriel's voice changes from a helium-high to a slowed-down roar during the middle section for some odd reason.

"Apocalypse in 9/8" starts with a siren like guitar-wale from Hackett mixed with the low notes of Rutherford's bass pedals, and String Mellotron through a Leslie, then calms down with Hackett playing, possibly, the highest chord sequence possible on a Les Paul, and Gabriel contributes a nice flute line to go with it. Then Banks contributes a nice organ line above that, and Rutherford brings in a classical guitar arpeggio over that, and then Collins brings in a marching band beat for the final repetition of the phrase before the haunting lyrics enter. After the lyrics, Banks plays some crazy solos on the Hammond in 4/4 when the rest of the band is playing 9/8. Is that disjointed or what? After a second set of lyrics, it ends with a few chord changes and a set of chimes.

"As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs" starts with more rolling snare drum within a repeat of the chorus and bridge of "Lover's Leap", and then starts a reprise of "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man" with all new lyrics, and with more added shades of Mellotron Strings and Brass. Ending the battle between good and evil with the glory of New Jerusalem and Jesus taking his beloved children home.

Also the end of an amazing album. Trust me you won't be let down.

By the time Foxtrot comes out this band is now fully functioning and they know where they are going. The skill of percussionist and drummer Phil Collins adds immeasurably to the force and power of the band. Hacketts and Rutherfords Guitar Work and Gabriel's Vocal and the Powerfull Keboards of Banks. There are only a few bands that have been able to function on this level (Pink Floyd in theie UmmaGumma Days). This band can move from the intricate and delicate to a powerfull moving army. This has to be one of their best.

I have listened to this album since my Aunt brought it home in 1974 with the Lamb - I was only 9 and was amazed by the stories they told. Now, 30 years later and a songwriter/musician/engineer, I still find their music amazing and timeless. The lyrics are as enthralling as the musicianship - all top-rate. By today's standards of recording (compressing all dynamics out of every note), the album does seem quieter and not as "beefy", but so does "brown eyed girl" and many other classics that used good melodies, lyrics, and musical abilities to become the classics we love. This album, and their others, were "harry potter" and "Hobbit" for my ears.

Because alot of reviews said this is the best Genesis album ever recorded, I decided to pick it up together with Nursery Cryme.

I am really lucky that I played the latter first, because otherwise I would never have listened a Genesis album again. The number of memorable melodies can be counted on one hand. The only 2 songs that I can really listen a couple of times in a row are horizon's and time table.

The epic supper's ready suffers from the same thing. Eachtime there is beautiful instrumental work, and than Gabriel starts to sing his lyrics, and suddenly the track isn't fun anymore.

The Hacket showcase horizon really saves this album for me.

For most bands thier forth album is thier Leftoverture and it was true with Genesis. 1972s Foxtrot is in every way a classic. Besides his usual flute, tamborine and bass drum Peter Gabriel played the oboe. Phil Collins did some fine drumming (note the bells on Suppers Ready). Suppers Ready itself is a masterpiece, at 23 minutes its the longest song Genesis ever made in any of its lineups but all the other tracks on the album are great too.

I first heard the key cuts (Suppers Ready, Watcher) on my local AOR station back in '77...and was just ...well... shocked, stunned,
moved. I'd hear the occasional cut on the radio over the years, and even saw import vinyls - at exhorbitant prices - at a few select record shops. I would sate my Genesis jones with the Lamb...but it was Foxtrot for which I yearned.

Some complain about the mix on the album, but there's a story there, and we have to follow the thread. Now I have the CD, some 25 years(!) later, and only drag it out on those occasions when I know I can crank loud, get up and dance, shed tears, and laugh in joy without being considered for commitment.

Just buy it.

As said in most of the other reviews, while the production may seem shaky at times, it is made up for with the sheer musical brilliance put forth in every aspect of the music found on "Foxtrot". The album keeps you listening from start to finish, with the powerful opener "Watcher of the Skies" to the 23 minute epic, "Supper's Ready". Every piece found here is fantastic, and extremely accessible.

If you're a fan of Genesis, then you surely already own "Foxtrot". If you're just starting out however, it's a great place to begin. Give this one a chance, you won't be let down.

Standout tracks: "Get 'Em Out By Friday", "Supper's Ready"

This album is pretty much the first album where Genesis realized their talent and used it perfectly. From Watcher Of The Skies to the incredible Supper's Ready, this album is amazing songwriting coupled with incredible chops, making for the perfect prog album. If you're new to Genesis, start with Selling England By The Pound, but this one needs to be purchased. Absolutely essential.

Though The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is hailed as the prog-era Genesis zenith, I assert an alternative: Foxtrot. After a shaky start with their debut album Trespass, and a more solid follow-up, Nursery Cryme, Genesis's third effort was (for me) their best. For any time or era, the music on Foxtrot is engaging, original, intelligent, and (suprising for progressive rock) even catchy.

The infectious rhythm of Phil Collins and Michael Rutherford is apparent on most of the tracks. Occasionally they play with odd time signatures and tricky syncopation. On this album it's also apparent that Steve Hackett is still working towards becoming one of the more original guitarists in rock. Thankfully, Gabriel's lyrics are not as cryptic as his usual mindbenders. He also employs different characters throughout the album by cleverly changing the accents, pitch, and inflections of his voice and speech. Tony Banks shines on a number of piano parts and also masters that all-important instrument of '70's prog-rock: the mellotron. For an album produced in 1971-72, the sound quality is remarkably good, thanks to David Hitchcock. If you purchase the album, make sure it is the "Definitive Edition Remaster" (1994). The sound is touched up, and appears to be more clean.

My choice cuts are the opener "Watcher of the Skies", "Can-Utility and the Coastliners", and the 23-minute epic "Supper's Ready". For those of you who don't have the patience for traditional progressive rock: I promise you, "Supper's Ready" will hold your attention if you give it an honest chance.

Early Genesis fans won't regret this purchase. In addition, it's a must own for any prog fan.