release date: Oct. 13, 1973
format: cd (1986 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: John Burns & Genesis
label: Virgin / Charisma - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 2. "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" (live) - 3. "Firth of Fifth" - 5. "The Battle of Epping Forest" - 7. "The Cinema Show"
5th studio album by Genesis following one year after Foxtrot and only two months after the band's first live album Genesis Live. Co-producer John Burns had worked as sound engineer on the '72-album and would also produce the band's follow-up album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1975). The band remains the stable quintet of vocalist Peter Gabriel, guitarist Steve Hackett, bassist Mike Rutherford, keyboardist Tony Banks and drummer Phil Collins, and although, Gabriel wrote all lyrics, all five are credited the album's eight tracks, which has a total playing time at just under 54 minutes.
Musically, it's first and foremost a prog rock album with an overall theme reflecting on old nostalgic England in a contemporary modern era of economic and social crisis.
The album was met by positive reviews and became the band's first top-3 charting album, and retrospect reviews has put the album near the very top on lists of the best prog rock albums ever. It's also the band's first of only two albums to be included in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
Together with the successor, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, this represents the most daring and artistic original version of the band Genesis.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com 5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]
