Tag: Genesis

Celebrating Mediocrity as Success: Genesis Together and Apart

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock5 Comments

Review of the documentary, Genesis: Together and Apart (BBC), Part I.

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v78665528YFza6yzt

As someone who grew up with Genesis in the 1970s and followed the band’s career very carefully until 1986, I found the most recent BBC documentary, Genesis: Together and Apart (2014 or 2015–I’ve seen both dates listed for its copyright), a serious disappointment.

Not that there weren’t some fine moments in the film.  There most certainly were.  Some great conversations?  Yes.  Some great scenes?  Absolutely.

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Celebrating the Worst in Our Heroes

But, overall, watching the documentary made me feel as though I’d entered a de Tocquevillian nightmare.  What is common becomes what is great in this story.  Indeed, the documentary argues that it’s best to take one’s highest art and pander some low form to the masses, mediated by corporate marketers and profit-grubbing labels.

And, please don’t get me wrong.  I’m not such a snob that I don’t enjoy post-Hackett Genesis.  I do.  I still consider ABACAB (1981) a great art-rock album.  For me, there’s not a dud on the album, and it has never grown stale for me.  While I don’t listen to it as much as I do MOVING PICTURES, which also came out that year, I listen to it constantly and have for 35 years.

I don’t have a problem with GENESIS (1983), either.  While there’s a song or two on the album that does nothing for me, I still find “Mama” quite haunting and “Home by the Sea” outstanding.  And, as much as Genesis fans mock “The Silver Rainbow” as sophomoric, I think it’s quite endearing, having captured the mystery (and clumsiness) of a moment of love quite accurately.

Continue reading “Celebrating Mediocrity as Success: Genesis Together and Apart” →

Return of the Giant Phil Collins

On By Time LordIn Progarchy5 Comments

phil-drinks

He’s baaaaack…

The musician also said he’s planning a new solo album and a tour. His last studio album was 2010′s collection of Motown covers, “Going Back.” Before that, he briefly reformed with Genesis in 2007 and released a solo album, “Testify,” in 2002.

He warned Genesis fans not to get their hopes up, though. Collins wants to see how the solo tour goes first.

Kevin Keller: Prog’s Influence On My Music

On By Thaddeus WertIn progressive rockLeave a comment

I’ve already reviewed Kevin Keller’s excellent new album, La Strada, in Progarchy, and he is now posting some fascinating behind-the-scenes videos of what went into the making of it.

In this one, Keller talks about how influential Genesis, Yes, and Rush (Neil Peart in particular) are to his music. Something Progarchy readers can definitely relate to!

 

Genesis Lego

On By Time LordIn Progarchy2 Comments

genesis-lego

Never too early to start the young ones on prog…

Nursery Cryme, anyone?

Top Ten Prog Over Ten Minutes Long ★★★★★

On By Time LordIn Progarchy11 Comments

In order to meet the challenge of listing my own Top Ten Prog Albums EVER, I imposed upon myself an additional requirement over and above the ones Brad specified.

Each album on the list, I insist, must contain at least one song that is over ten minutes long.

And so, given that sonnet-like constraint, here is my list:

★★★★★

Big Big Train — The Underfall Yard (H/T: “The Underfall Yard” [22:54] and “Victorian Brickwork” [12:33])

Kate Bush — Hounds of Love (H/T: “The Ninth Wave” [= Side Two of the LP, clocking in at 27 minutes])

Flying Colors — Flying Colors (H/T: “Infinite Fire” [12:00])

Genesis — Foxtrot (H/T: “Supper’s Ready” [23:06])

Haken — The Mountain (H/T: “Pareidolia” [10:51] and “Falling Back to Earth” [11:51])

King Crimson — Red (H/T: “Starless” [12:26])

Rush — A Farewell to Kings (H/T: “Xanadu” [11:12] and “Cygnus X-1” [10:26])

Sound of Contact — Dimensionaut (H/T: “Möbius Slip” [19:36])

Transatlantic — The Whirlwind (H/T: The entire album is one song 78 minutes long! Or take “Dancing With Eternal Grace” [12:04])

Yes — Fragile (H/T: “Heart of the Sunrise” [11:33])

★★★★★

If I were allowed doubles then maybe I would substitute Yes’ Close to the Edge for the Haken and Big Big Train’s Far Skies Deep Time for the Sound of Contact.

But can I instead invent a new challenge?

How about the “Top Ten Rush Albums EVER”, ranked not alphabetically but in order of preference?

Anubis Gate — Horizons (2014)

On By Time LordIn ProgarchyLeave a comment

The new album from Anubis Gate is out and it is amazing.

I guess Denmark is making a serious bid for world musical dominance…

…because Horizons will blow away the competition and blow your mind!

I won’t waste any words right now, but rather simply say…

…you have to go hear this upper-echelon album to believe it. It’s incredible!

Well, okay, let me at least introduce it to you with the words of the band:

Finally the eagerly anticipated sixth album of Danish Prog-Metallers Anubis Gate is on the Horizon. Their new album “Horizons” is unquestionably the bands most mature work to date. Combining their signature epic songwriting with the brilliant production team of Kim Olesen and Jacob Hansen yet again. Being released on Nightmare Records distributed by Sony/RED, release date is April 15th, 2014.

Anubis Gate hit the studio the summer of 2013 recording their new opus “Horizons” which is unmistakably Anubis Gate’s sound yet goes again to new places. Places perhaps one would call daring.  From the liquid grooves to uneven time signatures, trademark soundscapes and heavy, sometimes even thrash metal riffing you will know this is both in the tradition of the band yet breaks new ground. Anubis Gate blend 80’s melodic heavy rock, epic ambience and a contemporary dark layered progressive metal. Inspired by the likes of Savatage, Genesis, Iron Maiden, Queensryche, King Crimson, Iced Earth, Crimson Glory, Fates Warning, Lord Bane & Tad Morose yet always sounding completely unique.  New guitarist Michael Bodin’s heavy riffing works exceptionally well in a duel with long time guitarist Kim Olesen.  The forward driving drums, courtesy of new drummer Morten Gade Sørensen, are a treat in themselves. Henrik Fevres melodic vocals are even more amazing and heartfelt than ever before. “Horizons” showcases the band on its highest peak. Anubis Gate 2014 is: Henrik Fevre, Kim Olesen, Michael Bodin and Morten Gade Sørensen.

By the way, if you need any convincing about the towering talent of this band, you can still download three awesome tracks, 21 minutes of creative metal from last year, for free. Here is the band explaining their generosity:

Hi everybody. As most of you know we have been working on our next effort called HORIZONS for the last two years. But, as some of you also know, we are insane perfectionists, so we didn’t quite meet the deadline for a 2013 release, which was our plan otherwise. When we recorded HORIZONS we had these three tracks that we didn’t quite know what to do with. A slightly different version of DESTINED TO REMEMBER (the other version will be on the HORIZONS album), A cover of the epic PINK FLOYD track SHEEP (from their magnificent Animals album) and a cover of BROKEN WINGS originally by Mr. Mister. BROKEN WINGS was actually a fan request, which we thought “oh, that’s a great idea”. So while you are all waiting patiently until early 2014 for the HORIZONS album to be released, this is a little present from us to you. We hope you enjoy it.

Burn the audio to a cd, print the cover, or put it on your mp3 player/ipods. Share it with your friends, spread the word.

Crank it up boys and girls.

All the best from ANUBIS GATE, Jethro Tull, Yes, ELP and 70’s style classic Rock/Hard Rock and Prog in general …

Wow, you’ve never heard Pink Floyd and Mr. Mister like this! Thank you, Anubis Gate, for your devotion to prog perfection. Your music is a joy to listen to!

P.S. You can’t beat free, but if you like deals, be sure to also pick up 2011’s eponymous Anubis Gate at the currently discounted price.

The Beauty of Genesis

On By Time LordIn ProgarchyLeave a comment

David Clayton reminisces in an interesting piece — “Genesis — Can Popular Culture Create the Desire for God? I Say Yes!” — over at his Web site, The Way of Beauty:

When I was sixteen, I had no interest in music and if you’d asked me I would have said that I just wasn’t musical. Then I heard the album (do we still use that word nowadays?) by Genesis called Selling England by the Pound. This was my first experience of hearing a piece of music that just transported me through its beauty  (the instrumental section in the last half of the track called Cinema Show and then instrumental sections, again, on the track, the Firth of Fifth ). What would happen later with Schubert, Brahms, Mozart and Palestrina happened first with Genesis.

Mike Rutherford on the Cover of PROG

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock musicLeave a comment

Well, what can we say but, excellent job, Jerry Ewing!  This is the best cover yet of any PROG issue thus far.  Just look at the immensity of character that radiates from Rutherford’s face: English, Stoic, Creative.  I love it.

rutherford prog