Genesis - Foxtrot [1995 Japan VJCP-3209 Remaster] (1972)

In 1972, there were only a few albums that stood out among the steady stream of (prog) releases. Yes released Close To The Edge, Jethro Tull Thick As A Brick and Genesis Foxtrot. Some may say that Genesis made more significant albums than Foxtrot, like Selling England By The Pound or The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, but Foxtrot was basically the reason why Peter Gabriel started dressing up in strange masks and costumes, something which earned the band just that little bit of extra attention they needed to be noticed by a larger audience. Since that extra attention was however largely focused on Gabriel, giving him a rock star status that he did not desire, it also caused him to leave Genesis a few years later. Still, Foxtrot is the album that contains one of the songs that people still talk about with a certain reverence and which inspired many other bands to write long (read: 15-minute-plus) songs; Supper's Ready. ~ DPRP - Dutch Progressive Rock Page



As the follow up album to “Nursery Cryme”, “Foxtrot” showed that Genesis were continuing to mature and to develop their collective talents. The LP was remarkably long considering the normal limitations of that format, with 4 lengthy tracks on side 1, and a total running time of around 50 minutes.

“Watcher of the skies” kicks of the album, as it did the live set at the time, with a dramatic mellotron introduction being joined by bass and drums to lead into Gabriel’s almost chanted vocals. The space/alien fueled lyrics are complemented by a strong vocal performance by Gabriel, and some excellent mellotron playing by Tony Banks.

“Timetable” is the softest track, with a lovely melody. It’s probably just me, but I’ve always felt this track has an affinity with Yes’ “Turn of the century”. “Get ‘em out by Friday” ups the tempo in the form of a mini rock opera (with Gabriel playing all the parts!), telling a bleak, but original story set sometime in the near future. The people of Harlow in England haven’t got much to look forward to! “Can-Utility and the coastliners” round off the first side. With its many time and melody changes it’s a 20 minute track in 5 minutes!

Steve Hackett’s brief acoustic guitar piece “Horizons” softly leads into “Suppers Ready”, and could in fact have easily formed an integral opening section to that piece. While rightly regarded as one track, “Supper’s ready” is in fact a plethora of short tracks knitted together. Individually they might sound lightweight, collectively however they form a masterpiece. Gabriel is clearly in his element, with his vocals dominating most of the sections. The loose theme was apparently inspired by the alleged possession of Gabriel’s wife.

And so a pivotal, indeed seminal, album ends over 20 minutes later, fading gradually and majestically. As an aside, for those who have not come across it, Marillion’s track “Grendel” is either a complete rip off of “Supper’s ready” or a cleverly constructed partial clone, depending on your point of view! ~ Review by Bob McBeath @ Prog Archives



The centerpiece here is the classic "Suppers Ready", which makes this CD a must have. There is much more to the CD that is special. The CD opens with "Watcher of the Skies" which contains one of the most memorable keyboard intros in prog. It is a very powerful piece of music with excellent drumming from Collins and the band playing a hypnotic rhythm with Banks' organ over the top. A very dramatic finale closes this great tune. "Time Table" opens with piano, a mellow tune for the most part, and straight forward. "Get 'Em Out By Friday" has nice guitar and keyboard interplay on the opening; it's a pretty heavy song with strong bass and jumping organ chords. "Can-Utility and the Coastliners" has lots of acoustic guitar and flutes, nice mellotron section with driving acoustic guitars, a lot of different sections. "Horizon's" is a short classical guitar piece from Hackett. "Supper's Ready" is broken into seven distinct sections, opening with acoustic guitars and vocal, followed by an instrumental section with flutes and piano; very atmospheric. Lots of Tony Banks featured throughout, heavy organ sections and soloing, lyrics get surreal, music gets very eclectic at times, like in the "Willow Farm" section for example. "Apocalypse in 9/8" helps build the tension to a maximum, very rhythmic and powerful, and of course the ending where you feel a sense of relief, a soothing symphonic ending. Foxtrot is a great CD and offers everything that you could want. It is a must have as is most early to mid-period Genesis. ~ Review by Eric Porter @ Ground and Sky


Many more reviews:

Ground and Sky

Prog Archives

DPRP - Dutch Progressive Rock Page

Progressive World

BBC Music

Amazon.com

Dooyoo.co.uk

Wikipedia (info, not a review)



Tracklisting:
1. Watcher Of The Skies (7:24)
2. Time Table (4:47)
3. Get 'Em Out By Friday (8:37)
4. Can-Utility And The Coastliners (5:46)
5. Horizons (1:41)
6. Supper's Ready (22:56)
- I. Lover's Leap
- II. The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man
- III. Ikhnaton and Itsacon and Their Band of Merry Men
- IV. How Dare I Be So Beautiful?
- V. Willow Farm
- VI. Apocalypse in 9/8 (featuring the delicious talents of Gabble Ratchet)
- VII. As Sure as Eggs is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet)

Total Time: 51:11

Line-Up:
- Tony Banks / organ, mellotron, piano, electric piano, acoustic 12 string guitar, backing vocals
- Phil Collins / drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Peter Gabriel / lead vocals, flute, tambourine, bass drum, oboe
- Steve Hackett / electric guitar, acoustic 12 string guitar, acoustic 6 string guitar
- Mike Rutherford / bass guitar, bass pedals, acoustic 12 string guitar, cello, backing vocals