#13: Genesis, Nursery Cryme

Let’s open up the Musical Box with Genesis’ 1971 effort Nursery Cryme, their first with the classic lineup of Gabriel, Hackett, Banks, Rutherford and Collins after the departure of guitarist Anthony Phillips and a revolving door of drummers.

1. “The Musical Box” (Genesis):

We open the record with a baroque sounding keyboard which then goes into a soft acoustic behind Peter’s lush vocal, and the track, Phil doing some subtle hi hat work along with Peter’s flute and Steve’s stellar guitar work, the track creating a lush dreamy soundscape before the drums start to get a bit heavier and then Steve starts to rip, the organ gets a lot punchier. Damn this second half is actually pretty heavy by 1971, this is like some prog Metal shit (then again Hackett is one of the earliest to use tapping as a technique) This Song is absolutely kickass, and what a way to kick off the album.

2. “For Absent Friends” (Genesis):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cHWJ-7BUCNg

Now For absent friends, a short little acoustic piece and a beautiful one at that. Great little 12-string guitar and some sweet vocals from Peter, I love Peter’s voice, fuck anyone that says Phil has a better voice, no he doesn’t. He has a good voice, but no, not a pimple on Peter’s ass. Anyway, a wonderful tune.

EDIT: Turns Out The idiot who wrote this review incorrectly identified Peter as the singer. It was actually Phil who sang this. For that, Zoot has been fired and replaced by Moot Marimba, who is slightly less dumb.

3. “The Return Of The Giant Hogweed” (Genesis):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gTuJQL8GBqY

Now For The Return Of The Giant Hogweed, a Pretty slamming tune for Genesis, and everyone, I mean everyone, is really good on here. The organ is slamming, Steve’s guitar is ballsy as fuck, Phil is so solid back there behind the kit, and even Mike is doing some great bass, and he is my least favorite member of Genesis. If I had to stop and think about it, this would be my favorite on the album, or at least on par with The Musical Box.

4. “Seven Stones” (Genesis):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubb__W5JMXA

How bout Seven Stones, beautiful organ by Tony, great vocals by Peter (and Phil on stellar harmonies). In addition, Steve does some tasty guitar, Mike’s bass and Phil’s drumming both support the track so well while Peter’s flute adds an ethereal touch to the track. One thing that catches me is that I hear a strong Beatles quality in the harmonies, which makes sense since I know Phil is a huge a Beatles fan. For all the terrible music he made in the eighties, he does have great taste.

5. “Harold The Barrel” (Genesis):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qT7k7keej0k

Now let’s go for some dark humor talking about a man about to jump, with everybody looking on and adding their two cents to what is going. Some would say this was tasteless. I say, I want my comedy black, and I mean black.

6. “Harlequin” (Genesis):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vgiqFhFws58

Another mellow tune, and it’s nice, if my least favorite on here.

7. “The Fountain Of Salmacis” (Genesis):

First off, man the way the organ and mellotron blend is absolutely stellar, I have to say, and once again some great bass from Mike, Phil is a beast behind the kit, and when it transitions into the classical section with Steve ripping on the guitar, it’s just fantastic. As is the little jam in the middle, hot damn it’s good. One of the highlights of the record and a stellar conclusion.

And that is Nursery Cryme. Please like and subscribe, make sure to leave a comment, and you can suggest future artists or albums to cover.