Steve Hackett - Out of the Tunnel's Mouth (2010)

Every once in awhile a song, an album, or even just a simple solo-- be it vocal, guitar, keyboard, or some other instrument will send chills up and down my spine.  Admittedly that hasn't happened in a long time.  There have been albums I've enjoyed.  And while I've dared music and musicians to wow me it's been quite awhile since I've been gobsmacked by an album.  Steve Hackett gave me a much needed and long overdue musical sucker punch with his latest release.

While not as well established or known as his former bandmates, Steve Hackett has developed a respectable and devoted cult following since his departure from Genesis following their Wind & Wuthering album in 1977. 

In the years since his departure from Genesis, Hackett has explored several different musical styles-- classical, flamenco, world music, jazz, and even the prog rock that he'd come to be known for in his five years with Genesis.

Of all of the albums that he has recorded since his debut, Voyage of the Acolyte, none of them has married all of the music styles that he drew upon for influence as well as Out of the Tunnel's Mouth.  The Genesis influences are unmistakable and it leaves one wondering if this album is what Genesis might sound like today had Hackett been the driving creative force in the band instead of Banks, Rutherford, and Collins.  Incidentally, the album also features Hackett's predecessor, Anthony Phillips, playing 12 string guitar.

 The album starts with the hauntingly beautiful, Fire On the Moon, there's a dark haunting quality in the opening of the song thanks to the music box that complements Hackett's guitar and vocals throughout the song.  At about 1:10 the song shifts from haunting to transcendent and majestic before shifting back to haunting at 1:37.  The song shifts back and forth between haunting and majestic throughout.  Hackett's vocals are reminiscent of Pink Floyd's, Roger Waters and David Gilmour.  The guitar solo that comes in at 2:46 is one of the most emotive solos Hackett has recorded since Firth of Fifth on Genesis Selling England By the Pound.  Hackett graces the song with a second guitar solo starting at 4:36 that picks up where the first had left off at 3:25.  There is a beautiful keyboard piece that dances around Hackett's guitar solos.  It never over-powers the guitar it merely accents the better elements of Hackett's fretwork.

Nomads starts with a brilliant flamenco flavored acoustic guitar solo that further showcases Hackett's versatility.  As with Fire On the Moon the vocals on Nomads are more used like an instrument than for lyrical effect.  Heck the phone book could be sung to the same melody and make the song just as satisfying.  That being said the lyrics are well written and certainly leave some of Hackett's fans wondering why Banks, Rutherford, and Collins didn't utilize Hackett's talents more when they had the opportunity to do so.  The flamenco guitar resumes at 2:45 into the song before Hackett switches from the acoustic flamenco to his trademark electric guitar at 3:07 for another brilliant solo that is nearly as enjoyable as the solos in Fire On the Moon.

The style and mood of the album shifts from the light and airy flamenco tinged Nomads to the pastoral prog-rock vibe of Emerald and Ash, a song that would not have sounded out of place on a Caravan album back in the seventies.  The song is chocked full of imagery.  The song is also colored with some beautiful sax playing by Rob Townsend.  This song also features not only Hackett on electric guitar but Anthony Phillips on 12-string acoustic guitar.  The two former Genesis guitarists sound absolutely brilliant together.



Tubehead is a more straight ahead instrumental rocker with Yes's Chris Squire guesting on some frenetic bass playing.  Where the previous material was lighter and more relaxed. Tubehead has a dark crunchy edge and plays like a train running full speed ahead.

The mood shifts to somber and melancholy on Sleepers.  Much like with Fire On The Moon, Nomads, and Emerald and Ash there's a haunting beauty to Sleepers making for yet another brilliant track on an album that had already been consistently brilliant.  The mood on the song shifts from melancholic to dark and sinister at 4:53.  If ever there was a song that screamed of Halloween, Sleepers is it.  Hackett's guitar playing evokes spooky haunted houses on chilly fall evenings.

Ghost In the Glass has a light jazz fusion vibe to it.  The percussion suggests a dimly lit jazz club after closing.  The acoustic guitar work of Anthony Phillips gives way to the haunting electric work of Hackett whose electric playing is augmented by a string section of violins and violas.  Much like the keyboard work on Fire On the Moon the additional strings accent Hackett's guitar playing.

Still Waters is deceiving in its title as it has a rolling blues vibe to it adding yet another musical style this already musically diverse album. 

The album closes with Last Train to Istanbul which has more than subtle hints of Middle Eastern influence.  You can hear the train chugging along at a moderate but steady pace through the Turkish countryside.  There is a lot going on in the song and it's easily the "busiest" song on the album.  With so many different styles coming into play and so many different influences you can listen to the song multiple times and hear something new and different each time. 

What makes Out of the Tunnel's Mouth so enjoyable from start to finish is its accessibility.  Not all of Hackett's explorations into other musical styles have come together as well as this album.  Despite featuring so many different musical styles there is a cohesiveness to the album.  All of the songs sound like they belong on the same album.  And all of the songs, despite the myriad of different styles, are distinctly Steve Hackett.  I'm willing to go out on a limb here and say this is the best solo album of any member of Genesis past or present and better than any of the albums Genesis has recorded since Hackett's departure  (Five out of Five Stars... or if you prefer a PERFECT TEN on a scale of 1 to 10!)

Related Links
Steve Hackett (official site)
Steve Hackett (wikipedia)

Dream Theater - Train of Thought (2003)

After the rather uneven double CD, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, Dream Theater showed a tremendous return to form in this prorgressive heavy metal onslaught.

Where previous releases and even subsequent releases featured a somewhat more polished or refined brand of metal...  Train of Thought has a gritty and raw edge that sets it apart from much of the rest of Dream Theater's musical oevure.

Its this grittiness that makes this one of Dream Theater's best albums, if not their best overall.  From start to finish, with a short respite in the middle of the album with Vacant there's an edge to this album that seemed to have been missing from Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.

The album opens with As I Am.  While the lyrics are almost groan-inducingly bad at times, the music more than makes up for the song's subpar lyrics ("I've been trying to justify you/in the end I will just defy you"- c'mon guys, we know you can do a lot better than THIS!). 

And thankfully after the lyrical hiccup of As I Am the album improves substantially with This Dying Soul the 2nd part of Mike Portnoy's Twelve Step Suite which he began on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence with The Glass Prison detailing Portnoy's battle with and recovery from alcoholism.  Many of Dream Theater's fans have gained inspiration from Portnoy's suite and the band does a brilliant job of giving Mike's story a fantastic musical voice. 

On Endless Sacrifice the band really stretches out with some brilliant solos.  And as one who has never been tremendously keen on James LaBrie's vocals I'd argue this song features some of his best vocals since Images & Words.  The song builds slowly until about the 2:07 mark when the band shifts from gentle and melodic to raw and crunchy and back again.  It's easily one of the best songs on the album as it shows the versatility and breadth of the band's talents.

Honor Thy Father is one of the heaviest songs the band has ever recorded.  It starts chugging along building in intensity like a freight train with no brakes.  There's a greater anger and bitterness to the lyrics that the band had not really exhibited since 1994's Awake.  This also features some of Jordan Rudess' better keyboarding.

Vacant is a brief slow, somber, and melancholic piece and at just shy of 3 minutes easily the shortest song on the album-- it gives the listener just enough of a respite to catch his or her breath before the metal onslaught continues with Stream of Conciousness and In the Name of God which finishes out this brilliant album.

For many fans this was the album they'd been waiting for since Awake.  For others it was just a bit too raw and crunchy and lacked enough of the band's softer and gentler side and polish of some of the band's other albums.  But for this listener, this was the album that put the METAL back into progressive metal for Dream Theater, and it did so with a large bold-faced exclamation mark!

Related Media & Links
As I Am video

This Dying Soul video (Pt. 1)

This Dying Soul video (Pt. 2)

Endless Sacrifice video

Honor Thy Father video

Dream Theater (official site)
Dream Theater (wikipedia)
John Petrucci (official site)
John Petrucci (wikipedia)
Mike Portnoy (official site)
Mike Portnoy (wikipedia)
John Myung (wikipedia)
James LaBrie (Official Site)
James LaBrie (wikipedia)
Jordan Rudess (Official site)
Jordan Rudess (wikipedia)

Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)

Dream Theater doesn’t ever really do anything “small.” They are the quintessential band of musician’s musicians. Even those who aren’t necessarily fans tend to respect them for their musicianship.

Black Clouds & Silver Linings is no exception to that rule. The album is essentially a return to form that takes all of the things the band did right on 2007’s Systematic Chaos and builds on them making for a truly exceptional album.

They also delivered in spades by releasing the album in 2 different formats—a single CD standard version with a very attractive sub $10 price tag (depending on where you purchase it) for those minding their budgets in these economically difficult times and a more auspicious 3 CD Deluxe edition which features not only the full album on Disc 1, but also a CD of Dream Theater covering some of their favorite material by the likes of Rainbow (Stargazer), Queen (a medley of Tenement Funster/Flick of the Wrist/Lily of the Valley), The Dixie Dregs (Odyssey), Zebra (Take Your Fingers From My Hair), King Crimson (Larks Tongue in Aspic Pt. 2), and Iron Maiden (To Tame a Land), and a third disc featuring an instrumental version of the album. The instrumental version of the album truly gives the listeners a chance to hear things they might have missed, those delightful moments that sometimes get hidden underneath the operatically trained vocals of James LaBrie.

Whether you choose to get the standard or the deluxe edition, you’re in for a treat. This is arguably the band’s best and easily their heaviest album since 2003’s Train of Thought.

With A Nightmare to Remember the album starts with a crack of thunder followed by a soft but ominous keyboard intro in minor chords by Jordan Rudess before Petrucci and Portnoy join in on guitar and drums respectively. Portnoy’s drumming is frenetic yet precise like a runaway train with Casey Jones as the engineer—no brakes but still fully in control. Thanks largely to Rudess’s keyboard work, the song sounds and feels like a classic horror movie. It tells the story of a car accident and how it changes the lives of those who survived it and the general loss of innocence experienced following the accident.

A Rite of Passage is one of the most accessible and radio friendly songs on the album. Anchored by a killer guitar riff by John Petrucci the song is about secret societies and organizations (in particular the Masons). The vocal harmonies are some of the strongest on the album (perhaps surpassed only by the harmonies on the Queen covers on Disc 2 of the Deluxe edition) and the guitar riff has hints of both Led Zeppelin and Metallica but when Petrucci’s guitar solo starts at about 5:18 into the song it’s purely Dream Theater. The solo is trademark Petrucci at his absolute finest.

Wither is also quite accessible but not quite as catchy as A Rite of Passage. It’s also easily the slowest yet shortest song on the album, giving the listener a brief (five minutes, 25 seconds) respite before the band kicks it back into high gear.

The Shattered Fortress is the final piece of Michael Portnoy’s 12 Step Suite that he began on 2002’s Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence with The Glass Prison and has continued with a new piece on every studio album since then. It’s a brilliant finale to his seven plus years in the making musical epic. With thematic elements of the other pieces in the suite, the band has brought the 12 Step Suite full circle and given it an exclamation mark of an ending.

Sadly, Mike Portnoy’s father died in the time between this and Dream Theater’s last album (Systematic Chaos) prompting Portnoy to write The Best of Times, a moving tribute of his love for his father. His bandmate, John Petrucci did the same on 1997’s Falling into Infinity with Take Away My Pain. As different as the two songs are, they are both rather moving expressions of grief suffered at the loss of a parent. The song starts with a subtle and beautiful piano solo by Jordan Rudess that segues into a moving guitar/piano duet with John Petrucci before Petrucci’s acoustic guitar is replaced by an electric one at about two minutes and forty seven seconds into the song. Unlike Take Away My Pain which was a moving plea from a grieving son, The Best of Times, is more a celebration of a life. Portnoy’s lyrics reflect on the happy times he spent with his father and the positive influence his father had on his life.

On the Count of Tuscany, the guitar work by Petrucci is exceptional as always. The sense of harmony in his work on this song is brilliant. He and Jordan Rudess play guitar and keyboard (respectively) so tightly that the two instruments nearly sound as one. At over nineteen minutes long The Count of Tuscany makes for a long and quite musically adventurous closing to the album. The vocals don’t even begin until almost four and a half minutes into the song (@ 4:21). The song also marks a continuation of John Petrucci’s penchant of telling fictional stories in his lyrics. Some fans enjoy this lyrical approach, but personally it’s the music far more than the lyrics that grab this listener.

From start to finish Black Clouds & Silver Linings is a technically proficient, hard and driving heavy metal onslaught of an epic album. It is best enjoyed start to finish in one sitting, if you can manage the time to do so. Given the skill and talent of the band, there is so much depth in this music that it’s quite easy to listen to this album several times and never hear it in quite the same way twice.

Related Links
Dream Theater (official site)
Dream Theater (wikipedia)
Mike Portnoy (official site)
Mike Portnoy (wikipedia)
John Petrucci (official site)
John Petrucci (wikipedia)
John Myung (wikipedia)
James LaBrie (official site)
James LaBrie (wikipedia)
Jordan Rudess (official site)
Jordan Rudess (wikipedia)

Fate Warning - Disconnected (2000)

Fates Warning were arguably one of the first bands that could be described as progressive metal. From the beginning they’ve been fusing elements of both genres into a style all its own. Other bands, such as Dream Theater, Queensryche, and Opeth may or may not do it better (depending on who you ask), but Fates Warning pre-dates them all in this brilliant hybrid that might best be described as Yes meets Metallica.

After the departure of original vocalist, John Arch, in the late eighties Fates Warning took a few years to really regain their footing with Ray Alder. They arguably hit their creative peak with A Pleasant Shade of Grey, but I’d argue that was merely the first of several strong albums. 2002’s Disconnected, is both more accessible and slightly less adventurous. But in being more accessible, I’d argue it’s the best of Fates Warning’s albums for the uninitiated to start with. As with A Pleasant Shade of Grey, ex-Dream Theater keyboardist, Kevin Moore, lends his talents to Fates Warning. Its his collaborations with Fates Warning that later led to his partnership with Jim Matheos in their band, OSI that married the harder edged metal guitar chops of Matheos with Moore’s more ambient keyboard influences.

Starting with the ominous Disconnected Part 1, Disconnected draws the listener in. It’s in this opening that Kevin Moore’s influence is most evident. There’s a haunting ambience with an abrupt end before the heavy metal onslaught of One.

One is arguably one of Fates Warning’s strongest songs. Alder’s vocals are soaring and brilliant. Moore’s keyboard influences are a bit more subtle and less obvious but still noticeable.

So picks it back up where Disconnected Part 1 had left off. Matheos gives the intro a haunting ambience before the riffing comes in with Moore’s keyboard and shortly thereafter Alder’s vocals. While at a slower tempo than One, the crunchy guitars and Alder’s soaring vocals are trademark prog-metal.
Pieces of Me picks up the pace a bit. There’s a chugging and steady yet frenetic intensity to the song. It also suggests musical themes that would later be more fully explored by Matheos & Moore on some of the more uptempo music from the first OSI album in 2003.

There’s a general ambience throughout the album that is generally lacking on albums of many of Fates Warning’s contemporaries. If you're new to Fates Warning, there's not a better place to start than Disconnected!

Related Links
One (Live in Athens)

Disconnected (Wikipedia)
Disconnected (AllMusicGuide review)
Fates Warning (Official Website)
Fates Warning (Wikipedia)
Jim Matheos (Wikipedia)
Ray Alder (Wikipedia)
Joey Vera (Wikipedia)
Mark Zonder (Wikipedia)
Kevin Moore (Wikipedia)

Forgotten Music Thursday - Roger Hodgson - In the Eye of the Storm (1984)

Debut solo albums by former members of notable groups tend to come in one of two varieties-- restrained and tentative or explosive brilliant bursts of creative energy. 

After his tremendous success in Supertramp, Roger launched his solo career with this creative explosion of a debut.  Not only did Roger write, arrange, and produce his debut he also played most of the instruments.  This is a solo album in one of the purest senses of the word.

The album opens with ambitious and cynical eight plus minute Had a Dream (Sleeping with the Enemy).  There was a single edit, however it barely cracked the Billboard charts.  This is likely because any editing of the song would do/did do it a huge disservice.  The song is best enjoyed in its entirety, as are all seven of the songs on this rather auspicious album.

The album then shifts to In Jeopardy which at times hints at the Greg Kihn band hit from a year or two before this album's release...  That is to say it sounds like how the Greg Kihn hit might have sounded had it been recorded by Supertramp instead of the Greg Kihn Band.  Despite the similarities it is a different song that hints and insinuates the other song without ever really plagiarizing it.

Lovers in the Wind is the album's shortest song at four minutes, thirteen seconds.  It has a slow building piano intro reminiscent of Fools Overture from Supertramp's Even In the Quietest Moments.  The vocals are also reminiscent of Fools Overture.  There's a wistful melancholy undercurrent throughout the song that keeps in line with Hodgson's at time biting and cynical and other times laidback and melancholy vibe on this album.

Hooked on a Problem and Give Me Love, Give Me Like sound like they could have come straight off of Supertramp's Crisis? What Crisis?!  Hints of Sister Moonshine and A Soapbox Opera are evident on both songs and musically it is from the same vein of most of the material from that album.

I'm Not Afraid sounds like Roger picking up right where he left off with Supertramp on Famous Last Words.  There are hints of Crazy that can be heard at different times throughout the song. 

The album closes with the haunting melancholy of Only Because of You.  The song shows off Roger's multiple talents (vocalist, keyboardist, arranger, percussionist, songwriter, producer, etc.)  Perhaps moreso than any other song on the album this is an example of all of those talents coming together just right.  Musically it's also an excellent bookend for the album.  It complements the opener, Had a Dream (Sleeping With the Enemy) quite beautifully and gives the listener sense of coming full circle and gives the album a sense of completion.

As already stated, the Supertramp influence throughout the album is unmistakable to the point where it could easily be argued that Roger sounds more like Supertramp after leaving the band than they sounded after continuing on without him.  All that's missing are the trademark Davies/Hodgson collaborations that made those albums so enjoyable.  And given the somewhat divergent direction that Supertramp went following Roger's departure evidence would indicate that he was largely responsible for their trademark sound.  Their sound suffered more from his departure than his sound/style did.

Despite having only seven songs, the album clocks in at just over seven minutes.  Only one of the songs falls under five minutes with several being over six minutes and a couple are even over eight minutes long.  While not progressive rock in the purest sense of the word the album could certainly be described as progressive pop-- the somewhat more accessible "little brother" to prog rock. 

Unfortunately, Roger's 1987 follow-up Hai Hai would lack the brilliance and creativity of his debut and an injury would curtail his career until the late 90s.  Thankfully he finally did show a return to form in 2000 with Open the Door.

While Roger's career in Supertramp is still well respected his solo career, given its sporadic nature, has gone largely forgotten by all but his most die-hard fans since his departure from the band.

This album is a "must-have" for any fan of Supertramp and it's even a little bittersweet as one wonders what material they could have continued recording had Roger never parted ways with them and its easily better than any of their post-Roger output.

Related Links
Other Roger Hodgson/Supertramp reviews
Roger Hodgson (official site)
Roger Hodgson (wikipedia)
Roger Hodgson (AllMusicGuide)

Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed (1967)

Lush and beautiful from start to finish the Moody Blues Days of Future Passed is possibly the very first progressive rock album, not to mention one of the first successful concept albums. Ambitious, adventurous, and symphonic—while a product of its era Days of Future Passed has, for the most part, aged remarkably well.

The album is a delightful mixture of late sixties psychedelia and symphonic rock. The symphonic pieces performed by the London Festival Orchestra which was conducted by Peter Knight. Knight wrote most of the orchestral pieces around musical themes that had been written by Moodies Justin Hayward, Ray Thomas, Mike Pinder & John Lodge.

Admittedly some of the rock pieces are moderately dated but with new mixes they have also remained relatively fresh.

Initially Deram Records approached the Moody Blues to record a rock version of Dvořák’s New World Symphony. Little did they know that the Moodies had already started writing Days of Future Passed around a live stage show. The basic concept, a musical journey of the passage of time from day to night was nearly doomed to failure before recording even started. A combination of symphonic music with rock had never been done before, at least not to the extent that the Moody Blues were planning. Understandably the executives were wary—properly executed Days of Future Passed did have tremendous potential, but improperly executed the album had the potential to completely alienate fans of both rock and symphonic music. The risk of failure was tremendous.

Despite the odds stacked against them, the Moody Blues made it work. Days of Future Passed was a commercial and critical success thus paving the way for bands like Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, King Crimson, and Emerson Lake & Palmer to release similarly musically adventurous albums in the late sixties and into the seventies. Had Days of Future Passed failed chances are record label execs would have been reluctant to bankroll the musically adventurous albums of the aforementioned prog rock bands and thus deprived the listening public of some truly fantastic albums.

While the Moody Blues didn’t quite get it perfect, they got it right and they were the first to do so successfully. The Beatles may have had Sgt. Peppers and many may consider that as the first concept album. But it could be argued that Sgt. Peppers concept only bookended the album whereas the Moody Blues remained true to the concept from the start to the finish of Days of Future Passed making it truly the first concept album.

Days of Future Passed can also be considered part of a trifecta of albums that really motivated the shift from singles-oriented to album-oriented releases. Prior to 1967 many albums were merely collections of singles with filler material. On the first handful of Beatles and Beach Boys albums the songs were largely inter-changeable. That is to say any singles from any of their albums would just as easily have fit on any of their other albums. With the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beach Boys Pet Sounds, and the Moody Blues Days of Future Passed there was a definite shift to individual songs being pieces of a greater whole—the whole being greater, not equal, to the sum of its parts.

Related Links
Days of Future Passed (allmusic.com)
Days of Future Passed (wikipedia)
Moody Blues (official site)
Moody Blues (allmusic.com)
Moody Blues (wikipedia)
Justin Hayward (official site)
Justin Hayward (wikipedia)
John Lodge (official site)
John Lodge (wikipedia)
Mike Pinder (official site)
Mike Pinder (wikipedia)
Ray Thomas (wikipedia)
Peter Knight (wikipedia)
London Festival Orchestra (wikipedia)
Deram Records (wikipedia)

John Petrucci - Suspended Animation (2004)

As far as guitarists go, John Petrucci is a master of his craft. While not quite as well known as some of his contemporaries (Steve Vai and Joe Satriani come to mind) he’s more than proven himself as the guitarist for Dream Theater.

Given Petrucci’s level of talent it could be easily argued that a solo album from him was long overdue. But in 2004 he finally released Suspended Animation. Much of the material that appears on Suspended Animation was written for and performed on many of the G3 tours which Petrucci participated in with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani through the mid 2000s.

The album is completely instrumental and reminiscent of the material on the Liquid Tension Experiment albums recorded in the late nineties with bassist Tony Levin and his Dream Theater bandmates Mike Portnoy and Jordan Rudess. The big difference being that those albums were musical collaborations that at times allowed all members of the quartet to shine either collectively or individually—Suspended Animation focuses, and rightly so, on Petrucci’s guitar playing.

Perhaps what is most striking about this release is Petrucci’s strong sense of melody. While this is also noticeable on his work with Dream Theater, when the focus is more strictly on Petrucci that strong sense of melody is considerably more noticeable.

Petrucci’s playing also dispels the myth that progressive metal lacks emotion. Every song on this release displays a depth of emotion and a genuine love of the guitar.

Each song brings a little something different to the table Glasgow Kiss has a traditional Scottish vibe to it with Petrucci’s guitar replacing where one might expect to hear bagpipes.

Tunnel Vision features some excellent multi-tracking and the intro is reminiscent of some of the more experimental material from the Liquid Tension and Liquid Trio Experiment releases.

Wishful Thinking is essentially an instrumental power ballad. It has all the elements a hair metal power ballad minus the lyrics and vocals. It further displays Petrucci’s versatility on guitar. Where other tracks on the album display Petrucci’s sense of melody, much of Petrucci’s fretwork on Wishful Thinking is more a demonstration of his skill at harmony. Vocals aren’t really necessary as Petrucci does an excellent job of making his guitar “sing.” The song is also a welcome respite after the relatively hard driving musical onslaught of the first 3 tracks. It allows the listener to catch his breath before launching back into a more metal oriented onslaught on Damage Control.

Curve is another example of Petrucci using his guitar to play “vocalist” much like on Wishful Thinking the guitar is played where one might normally expect the vocals. Curve is considerably more up-tempo.

Lost Without You is another ballad. This one has been around awhile as Petrucci was playing it live at Dream Theater concerts off and on for a few years before it finally has seen official release on Suspended Animation. It has less a metal and more a jazz fusion feel at first but with occasional metal-oriented rhythm guitar work added as accents to Petrucci’s leads. The most apt description would be metal/jazz fusion an interesting combination of musical styles that isn’t traditionally explored (kind of like Icelandic/Vietnamese fusion food).

The album closes with the longest track, Animate-Inanimate in which all of the musical elements and styles Petrucci explored on the previous seven tracks come together like a delicious stew.

Unfortunately, this album has not, to date, been released domestically in the United States. While it’s certainly worth the price of a traditional domestic CD, I wouldn’t recommend it to casual listeners at the rather steep import price tag of $34.99. Not releasing the album domestically is doing Petrucci fans a tremendous disservice as the music certainly is enjoyable and should be heard. The import price tag just makes it a bit too prohibitive for more casual listeners

Related Links
John Petrucci (official site)
John Petrucci (wikipedia)

Suspended Animation

Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte (1975)

Released while he was still in the band, Steve Hackett’s debut solo album, Voyage of the Acolyte, is the Genesis album that wasn’t. Even the cover art is reminiscent of the style used on the covers of Foxtrot and Selling England By the Pound. Following Peter Gabriel’s departure from the band after the over-indulgent The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Hackett released this hauntingly beautiful album in which his remaining Genesis bandmates Rutherford, Collins & Banks contributed to in various ways shapes and forms.

The album at different times offers glimpses into what the post-Gabriel Genesis would sound like (at least initially) and at other times shows glimpses of what Genesis COULD HAVE sounded like following Peter Gabriel’s departure had Hackett been granted more creative control on the first two post-Gabriel studio albums (A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering). Instrumentally the Genesis influences are so unmistakable that one might be left wondering if some of this material might have ended up on a Genesis album had Peter Gabriel NOT left.

Hands of the Priestess Pts. 1 & 2 features some beautiful flute solos reminiscent of Peter Gabriel’s solo in Firth of Fifth (from Selling England By the Pound). And throughout, Hackett dares to defy the stereotype that progressive rock lacks emotion. There’s a poignant beauty throughout both pieces that leaves the listener wanting for more.

A Tower Struck Down is more a preview of the musical offerings that Hackett would release following his own departure from Genesis a few years after Peter Gabriel than anything Genesis might have recorded during or after Gabriel’s tenure in the band.

Star of Sirius features guest vocals by Phil Collins and would not have sounded out of place on A Trick of the Tail. Hackett’s guitar is gentle and understated allowing Collins vocals to carry the song and at the same time providing a gentle accompaniment to those vocals.

The album closes with Shadow of the Hierophant a nearly 12 minute epic that starts softly and gradually crescendos with increasing intensity and volume before fading to silence in a gentle anti-climax.

For fans of the classic Peter Gabriel era Genesis this is a must have. It’s largely a musical bridge between The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and A Trick of the Tail. While predominantly instrumental the musical themes have a distinct Genesis sound.

Related LinksSteve Hackett Voyage of the Acolyte (Wikipedia)
Steve Hackett Voyage of the Acolyte (Allmusic.com)
Steve Hackett (Official Site)
Steve Hackett (Wikipedia)

Esperanto - Rock Orchestra (1973)

Esperanto were a European progressive rock outfit of somewhat unusual origin. Belgian violinist Raymond Vincent, pianist and musicologist Bruno Libert, and a pair of Italo-Belgian brothers, bassist Gino Malisan and his brother drummer, Tony Malisan. The core of the band was Belgian but it was on a trip to England that the original Belgian unit found the remaining members that would give Esperanto their unique sound.

After experiencing success in his native Australia with the Twilights and later Axiom, Glenn Shorrock decided to travel to England in a bid for international success. He was struggling and finding little or no success in England. The Belgians got in touch with producer David Mackay who knew of Glenn Shorrock and bada-bing Esperanto had a lead vocalist. After hearing a trio of Cliff Richard's back-up singers, Joy Yates, Janice Slater, and Bridget Dudoit their sound was complete.

Esperanto had a sound that was uniquely theirs. With violinist Raymond Vincent there are hints of American prog-rockers, Kansas but Vincent's violin playing is in more of a classical European vein than that of Kansas.

Shorrock, Yates, Slater, and Dudoit gave a glimpse of what was to come later when Shorrock would join Mississippi with Graeham Goble and Beeb Birtles and morph into Little River Band. Their vocal harmonies are tight and contribute to the uniqueness of Esperanto's sound. Another preview of Little River Band would come in the form of Statue of Liberty which Glenn would re-record with LRB on their debut album. The Esperanto version comes across a bit more bombastic and over the top than the somewhat more stripped down LRB version that would be recorded three years later.

After an extensive tour the band retired to a castle in Wales to record their next album. Shorrock decided to take his leave and return to Australia forcing the band to find a new lead singer, Keith Christmas. They also started working with King Crimson lyricist, Peter Sinefeld as their producer.

But it's their 1973 debut that is particularly interesting given Glenn Shorrock's post-Esperanto career path. The album shows Shorrock in a decidedly different light than his material with Little River Band would later display and gives the listener a greater appreciation of Shorrock's vocal versatility.

The album, besides being an interesting rarity is a well-done and thoroughly enjoyable album. The material is predominantly strong. While perhaps not to the same level as other groups whose places in music history are a bit more assurred (Yes, ELP, King Crimson, etc.) Esperanto is still certainly worthy of a few listens.

Related Links
Esperanto (The Official Site)
Esperanto (wikipedia)
Glenn Shorrock (wikipedia)

Starcastle - Fountains of Light (1977)

Along with groups like Styx & Kansas, Starcastle was an American response to the British prog-rock of the sixties and seventies. Their sound and style is largely reminiscent (some would argue disparagingly that it was derivative) of Yes.

Listening to their first 3 albums (of which Fountains of Light is the 2nd) this comparison is not only understandable but fully warranted. In addition to the Roger Dean-esque cover artwork the synth heavy music is reminiscent of Tormato era Yes. Which makes Starcastle an even more interesting anomaly in that their first three albums pre-date Tormato. So somehow Starcastle managed to not only sound like a derivative of, but also a pre-cursor to Yes.

Terry Luttrell's (ex-REO Speedwagon) vocals are reminiscent of Jon Anderson, the tight vocal harmonies and even tighther rhythm section make for a thoroughly enjoyable sound. Unfortunately the synthesizer heavy stylings of computer programmer Herb Schildt have not aged well.

Dated synths aside, Fountains of Light is an delightful and very listenable album. Other than Fountains which opens the album, most of the songs range from just over three minutes to barely over six. Their brevity making them a bit more accessible than Yes's at times over-indulgent romps but at the same time this also contributes to the derogatory labeling of Starcastle as "Yes-lite."

Another interesting twist in Starcastle, their driving force and arguably their band leader, Gary Strater, was the bass player. There's a tightness, one might argue even a symbiosis between Strater's bass and the drumming of Stephen Tassler. It's these tight rhythms that were arguably better than that of Yes that set Starcastle apart and make them worthy of consideration in their own right, as opposed to being merely a poor man's Yes as the critics seemed to pan them as over the years.

Related Links
Starcastle (wikipedia)
Starcastle Fountains of Light (wikipedia)
Starcastle s/t debut (Review Revue)
Terry Luttrell (wikipedia)
Herb Schildt (wikipedia)

Steve Hackett - Darktown (1999)

One of the common complaints of progressive rock is that it's all technique and no feeling or emotion. The ever versatile Steve Hackett took that stereotype head-on and flushed it down the toilet with his 1999 release, Darktown.

The album starts going full speed ahead out of the gate with the instrumental Omega Metallicus a heavily distorted musical onslaught, heavy on the bass, heavy on the distortion and totally in your face from the first note to the last before shifting to the darkly ambient title track.

Darktown is a largely Vincent Price-esque spoken word piece on the backdrop of heavily distorted Robert Fripp-esque guitar flourishes. Indeed if Price had still been alive when Hackett had recorded Darktown his voice would have been a perfect fit. That being said, Hackett does an admirable approximation of Vincent Price in his vocal delivery.

While the whole album is incredibly strong, something that I've come to notice from most of Hackett's solo material incidentally-- the consistency of quality. I don't believe Hackett has ever recorded a song that could be described as "filler." His material varies in quality from very good to excellent. There is no mediocrity.

The other standout track is The Golden Age of Steel, in it Hackett tells a tale of a young boy during WWII who seamlessly switches sides in the ongoing war in order to survive and profit. In the excellent liner notes Hackett describes the song as an example of "opportunism at its worst." Hackett's voice while not great is certainly passable and does work for the material he is performing. His vocal style is reminiscent of Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. That being said Hackett's strength is certainly much more with his guitar than his voice. And it's for his guitar that this album is well worth listening to.

Incidentally this was one of the first solo albums of Hackett's I ever purchased. The cover art jumped out at me. There was something so dark but at the same time so beautiful about it and I wanted to hear the music that would inspire a photo of a tombstone as its cover artwork. I was not then, nor have I ever been disappointed with that decision.

Unfortunately, this album is now out of print in the United States. If you are able to find it at a decent price either as a new import or used I highly recommend it. If you think you know Hackett from his work in Genesis in the seventies prepare to be surprised. Prepare to be taken on an ambient and haunting musical journey. In the end, you'll be glad you did.

Related Links
Steve Hackett (official site)
Steve Hackett (wikipedia)

John Wetton - Battle Lines (1995)

Coming from a strong progressive rock pedigree in the seventies with his stints as lead singer/bassist in King Crimson, touring with Roxy Music, briefly with Uriah Heep, and the short lived prog-rock supergroup UK (with Allan Holdsworth, Eddy Jobson, Bill Bruford, and later as a trio with Terry Bozzio replacing Bill Bruford and Allen Holdsworth departing not to be replaced).

In the eighties Wetton shifted his focus slightly to what could best be described as prog-pop or possibly "Arena-Prog" with the early eighties MTV arena rock supergroup juggernaut, Asia.

With 1995's Battle Lines Wetton shifted even further into the pop realm with his brief foray into the realm of adult contemporary music in an attempt to attract some new listeners and perhaps make himself a bit more accessible.

While not as adventurous or as interesting as Wetton's more progressive material, Battle Lines is certainly more accessible. The material is still uminstakably John Wetton but it lacks a bit of the adventurousness of his earlier career.

As a prog-pop album, Battle Lines, is a bit of a disappointment. As an adult-contemporary album, on the other hand, Battle Lines, is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. The only "throwaway" or "filler" track to be found is Jane which would not have sounded out of place in the eighties-- somewhat troubling consideirng that Battle Lines was released well into the nineties.

Other than the lone hiccup, Wetton's voice is thoroughly enjoyable as always. While he may not be the best singer, what he lacks in vocal quality he far more than makes up for in the overall passion of his vocal delivery. His vocals particularly stand out on the title track, Battle Lines, and on the utterly heart-wrenching, tear-jerking Hold Me Now.

There are far too numerous songs about unrequited love to even begin to count, but what sets Hold Me Now apart from the rest of the sizable pack is not just Wetton's impassioned delivery but also the subject matter. This isn't a song of romantic love, but of love between a child and his mother. The pain in Wetton's voice is downright palpable as he implores;

Mama, just hold me now
You don't have to be pretend
Smash the chains and throw them to the floor
Hold me now and let me believe that a kiss is the way it should be
'cause it means the world to me

Hold Me Now makes Battle Lines well worth the purchase price on its own, let alone the rest of material on the album.

With subsequent releases Wetton would start to return to his more progressive roots much to the delight of his fans. But this album shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. Taken in the right context this album is as thoroughly enjoyable as anything else Wetton has ever recorded. And some credit must be given for Wetton to at least try his hand at a genre he was not known for performing.

Related Links
John Wetton Interview (1994)

John Wetton & Steve Hackett (ex-Genesis) performing Battle Lines

John Wetton (official site)
John Wetton (wikipedia)
Voice Mail / Battle Lines (wikipedia)

Shadow Gallery - Tyranny (1998)

I first stumbled upon Shadow Gallery when I saw them mentioned on a Dream Theater message board. Their songs Destination Unknown from their Legacy album and I Believe from their concept album Tyranny came highly recommended.

Upon first listen-- WOW! Honestly these guys blew me away. I could hear elements of Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dream Theater, and even some hints of Queen with their elaborate church choir-esque harmony vocals not to mention the Yngwie Malmsteen meets Brian May guitar stylings of Brendt Allman and Gary Wehrkamp.

Tyranny is a concept album that starts to tell the story about the military industrial complex. The story continues on 2005's Room V. But this is really the album that made fans sit up and take notice.

Where Dream Theater is easily more technically proficient, there's something arguably more organic about Shadow Gallery's style. The way the vocals dance around the elaborate instrumentals. The way their heavy metal guitar work dances around the tight vocal harmonies really sets Shadow Gallery apart.

Unlike some of their contemporaries, Shadow Gallery is strictly a studio band. Since their inception in the early 90s they have been strictly a studio band which is likely the predominant reason why they aren't as well known as some of their contemporaries like Queensryche, Fates Warning, or Dream Theater. It's a shame as those who haven't yet experienced their unique sound are truly missing out.

There are some truly transcendent moments on Tyranny. The vocal harmonies that come in at about 5 minutes into the song on I Believe NEVER, and I do mean NEVER fail to give me chills. Mike Baker's vocals were in top form from start to finish. I Believe is easily the most upbeat song on the album as it expresses that no matter what there's always a hope for positive change. There's even a mention of Jesus's prophecy of a better world that lifts the spirits of the main character sung by Michael Baker. Dream Theater's James LaBrie steps in for guest vocals as he sings the part of the main character's father. It's a brief snippet early in the song but LaBrie's vocals are unmistakable.

What makes the album work is that it's not a full-on heavy metal onslaught. There's a serious amount of musical diversity including neo-classical influences as well as the trademark metal stylings that one would expect. Some songs waltz back and forth between melodic soft rock to driving crunchy metal.

If you're not familiar with Shadow Gallery and want to give them a try this is an excellent album to start with as it shows the true breadth of their musicianship much moreso than their first 2 albums (their self-titled debut and Carved in Stone).

On a sad post-script, lead vocalist Mike Baker, died of a heart attack on October 29, 2008.

Related Links
Shadow Gallery (official website)
Shadow Gallery (wikipedia)
Tyranny (official website, includes samples of all songs)
Tyranny (wikipedia)
Brendt Allman (wikipedia)
Gary Wehrkamp (wikipedia)
Mike Baker (wikipedia)

Dream Theater - 12 Step Suite (2002-2009)

The Glass Prison from 2002’s Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (13:52)
This Dying Soul from 2003’s Train of Thought (11:27)
The Root of All Evil from 2005’s Octavarium (8:39)
Repentance from 2007’s Systematic Chaos (10:43)
The Shattered Fortress from 2009’s Black Clouds and Silver Linings (12:49)

My fascination with Dream Theater is unusual in that it was Mike Portnoy’s drumming that caught my ear before anything else. Unless one is a drummer (and lacking any sense of rhythm, I’m certainly not a percussionist or drummer by any stretch of the imagination), the drumming/percussion generally isn’t the first thing one notices about a band. Portnoy’s drumming is so fantastic that it actually got me to start appreciating the drums/percussion more in other bands I enjoy that much more as well.

Over the course of the past 7 years and 5 studio albums Mike Portnoy has chronicled his recovery from alcoholism with his 12 Step Suite. Some argument could be made, that the 12 Step Suite actually started on Dream Theater’s Awake album back in 1994 with The Mirror which thematically tackles facing oneself in the mirror and not liking the face looking back—there are multiple mentions in the suite about looking in a mirror that can be seen as a reference to the earlier song which predates the suite. However, for the purposes of this review, only the material that has actually been designated as part of the suite by Mike Portnoy will be discussed.

Each song covers a handful of steps in the 12 step plan of recovery. Together all 5 songs clock in at just under an hour in a predominantly heavy metal onslaught.

The Glass Prison has a long instrumental intro showcasing how and why Portnoy is one of the most respected and technically proficient drummers in the world, not to mention demonstrate the guitar prowess of John Petrucci. When the vocals finally do start (at about the 3:03 mark) they start as a call and response between Portnoy and the initially distorted vocals of James LaBrie. The vocals ride on hard driving locomotive-esque guitar riffing by Petrucci inspired by the late Dimebag Darrel of Pantera (Portnoy and Petrucci had attended a Pantera concert the night before they started composing The Glass Prison and the influence is not only evident, it’s quite conspicuous).

This Dying Soul picks up right where The Glass Prison leaves off without giving the listener a chance to catch his breath —Portnoy’s intense battery of the skins comes off as a racing heartbeat. LaBrie’s vocals joining in the instrumental onslaught at the 2:13 mark. Much like with The Glass Prison, there’s a use of distorted vocals, this time its Portnoy’s voice that gets distorted in an angry frenzy with a rapid fire staccato rap. Keyboardist, Jordan Rudess flexes his classical piano chops briefly at about the 5:43 into the song, in a way that sounds interestingly and unusually appropriate for a metal song before LaBrie and Portnoy continue their vocal onslaught. The song ends as it began, with an aggressive onslaught of drums and guitar.

The Root of All Evil showcases the keyboarding wizardry of Jordan Rudess with a slow build to a similar musical frenzy as the one which ended This Dying Soul with Portnoy, Petrucci, and bass player John Myung joining Rudess shortly into the song. LaBrie’s vocals start much earlier (at about 1:28) on this piece than on the previous two. The tempo is a bit slower but still features the crunchy guitar riffs of The Glass Prison and This Dying Soul. The vocals are the most melodic of the suite so far and clocking in at just under 8 minutes 40 seconds this is also the shortest movement in the suite making this the most accessible (to non-traditional Dream Theater fans) portion of the suite thus far.

Repentance shifts gears from angry to a more somber and melancholic vibe. The vocals start with the same lyrics as This Dying Soul:

Hello mirror
So glad to see you my friend
It’s been awhile

This time the lyric is sung by Michael Portnoy (instead of James LaBrie who opens with those lyrics in This Dying Soul) before James LaBrie takes over the vocal duties. Musically the themes are similar to that of This Dying Soul but with a slower tempo and the aforementioned melancholic vibe. Between John Petrucci’s emotive guitar solo and the samples of people speaking about repentance and regrets played over the somber theme that acts as the backbone to the song, if ever there was a song that captured not just the definition of the word Repentance but also the emotions associated with being penitent, Dream Theater hit the nail on the head with this song.

The Shattered Fortress pulls the musical and lyrical themes from the previous songs together in a musical summary that acts as an exclamation mark to the suite as a whole. The call and response element between Portnoy and LaBrie that was used to strong effect in certain previous movements makes another appearance. The song opens with a driving guitar riff not unlike a racing heartbeat over Portnoy’s rapid-fire drumming and keyboard wizardry of Jordan Rudess. Once again, as in Repentance, samples are used over the musical themes used in previous movements of the suite—this time the themes from The Glass Prison and The Root of All Evil are most obvious. There is a special 3CD edition of Black Clouds & Silver Linings which also includes an instrumental version of The Shattered Fortress which is also enjoyable to listen to, however in the context of the Twelve Step Suite, the absence of lyrics leaves the song wanting (On the other hand, in the context of Black Clouds & Silver Linings the instrumental version works quite well).

All in all, the 12 Step Suite is a musical tour de force, an onslaught of emotion and human struggle and introspection showcasing not just Portnoy’s recovery, but also his abilities as both a lyricist and composer. It’s almost unfortunate to note that in recent interviews Portnoy indicated that once the suite was complete that he’d likely be stepping away from songwriting to focus more on his drumming and leaving the songwriting to his bandmates. While his drumming will always be welcome and a joy to listen to, his songwriting talents will be missed on future Dream Theater releases. However, if this does indeed mark the end of Portnoy’s songwriting—as he has indicated-- he’s certainly chosen to step away at a definite high water mark with a very memorable bookend to an exceptional string of songwriting credits.

Related Links

The Glass Prison



This Dying Soul
(Part 1)


(Part 2)


The Root of All Evil


Repentance


The Shattered Fortress
(Part 1)


(Part 2)

OSI - Blood (2009)

Heavy metal isn’t generally known for its ambience. Listening to any of OSI’s three releases it doesn’t appear that Kevin Moore or Jim Matheos received that memo. Their latest release, Blood, is a natural progression from its two precursors. Where 2003’s self-titled debut felt a bit tentative, 2006’s Free and their latest, Blood feel decidedly more certain.

While some may describe OSI’s music as being progressive metal, perhaps ambient metal is a more fitting descriptor. While the music does certainly bear the evidence of the progressive metal roots of both Matheos (Fates Warning) and Moore (Dream Theater)—Moore’s influence provides the music with a much more ambient feel that listeners only caught sparse glimpses of on his Dream Theater material.

After providing percussion on the first two OSI releases, Mike Portnoy bowed out for the third outing—in his place Matheos and Moore tapped Porcupine Tree’s Gavin Harrison. Given Porcupine Tree’s musical proclivities, one might argue that while Portnoy may have a better pedigree, Harrison’s style is a much better fit for this band than his predecessor.

With each successive release Moore’s vocals have seemed to fit better than the one before. While Moore is a mediocre vocalist at best, his sparse vocals fit the general ambience of OSI’s music. And much like on their debut in which Porcupine Tree’s Steve Wilson contributed his vocals to shutdown, OSI once again knew when to invite guest vocalists to step in—Mikael Akerfeldt (of Opeth) on Stockholm and Tim Bowness on No Celebrations (only available on the 2CD Digipak version).

In addition to No Celebrations, the two disc digipak version of this release also features a cover of the late Elliot Smith’s Christian Brothers and an extended version of Terminal.

All that being said, this release isn’t for everyone—if you’re a fan of the first two OSI releases, the recent albums of Fates Warning, and Kevin Moore’s Chroma Key releases, or if you’re willing to take a chance on something a bit different than the mainstream there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this next leap in OSI’s musical evolution.

Related Links
Chroma Key Dead Air For Radios (1999)
Dream Theater Images and Words (1992)
Dream Theater Awake (1994)
OSI Free (2006)
Porcupine Tree In Absentia (2002)

Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos (2007)

In 2005 Dream Theater released their 8th album, Octavarium, to some fanfare. The album showed them stretching out a bit, trying out different styles, but still staying true to the musical adventurousness which has set them apart from similar bands in their genre.

While Systematic Chaos still shows those eclectic tendencies it remains much closer to their metal roots with a more straight-ahead crunchy yet polished metal approach making it easily their heaviest album since 2002’s Train of Thought.

The album both opens and closes with the 2 part In the Presence of Enemies, which really makes an excellent set of “bookends” to open and close on.

Next come the albums 2 singles, Forsaken and Constant Motion—placed consecutively. Normally I’d criticize such placement, as it’s better to space out the album’s intended singles to get the listener to listen to the other tracks in between. But these days with the CD being a dying format and given the strength of all of the tracks on the album, placing the 2 singles consecutively matters far less than it might have five or ten years ago, especially given the high caliber and quality of musicianship and composition of the entire album.

The Dark Eternal Night is just an all around fun track. Starting with the exceptional musicianship of John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy, the heavily distorted Portnoy vocals don’t start until over a minute into the song followed shortly thereafter by LaBrie’s recognizable tenor.

Repentance is the next piece in Mike Portnoy’s 12-Step Suite which started detailing his struggle with alcoholism with The Glass Prison on 2002’s Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence album and continued with This Dying Soul (on Train of Thought) and The Root of All Evil (on Octavarium) it starts with the same melodic theme as This Dying Soul with the opening lyric from that song being sung by Mike Portnoy and segueing into LaBrie’s vocals. Generally Dream Theater puts one “slow” or “slower” track on each album for the listener to catch his/her breath before continuing. It’s nice to see this trend continue with Repentance.

With most of the material being written either by Petrucci, Portnoy, or the band as a whole—Prophets of War is the lone James LaBrie songwriting contribution. And what a strong contribution it is. If there’s a third single to be found on the album, this is it. The beat is catchy as is the rhythm guitar riff. And much like with LaBrie’s other political material he expresses a question with hints of discontent without showing the common celebrity pretension exhibited by other musicians in that he doesn’t suggest or offer a solution, just indicating that a solution needs to be found.

The Ministry of Lost Souls tells the story of a man who dies saving the life of another and the questions he would pose to the one he saved. Musically this could just as easily have appeared on Octavarium as it shows similar melodic themes to the title track on that album.

All in all it’s an exceptional album well worth picking up and is, unbelievably, a step up from Octavarium, which was an exceptional and highly impressive album in its own right.

Genesis - Nursery Cryme (1971)

After finding their footing on their first two albums, and some key personnel changes—the departure of drummer John Mayhew and guitarist Anthony Phillips and the arrival of their replacements drummer Phil Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett—Genesis released the first of several albums which would mark their creative zenith, Nursery Cryme.

While not as strong as Genesis later releases, Nursery Cryme, marked a significant step forward from the band as the material was markedly superior to that which appeared on their first two albums. Collins who would later come into his own as the band’s vocalist, truly shines on the drums and while Phillips had been an exceptional guitarist in his own right, Hackett’s style better fit the more lush melodic style the band had started to take with this album.

Opening with The Musical Box, which was a staple of the live shows in the Peter Gabriel era of the band. Nursery Cryme makes a strong statement that Genesis was a band that people should take notice of and really showcased Genesis shift from more folk-oriented and influenced material to the more classically influenced material this incarnation of the band would become known for. The musicianship of Messrs. Gabriel, Rutherford, Banks, Collins, and Hackett is undeniable and clocking at nearly ten and a half minutes The Music Box allows the band to really stretch out and show what they’re capable of.

For Absent Friends marks Phil Collins first lead vocal performance with Genesis. It’s a rather light-segue between The Music Box and The Return of the Giant Hogweed. Collins falsetto on this song, while unremarkable when compared to his better-known vocal performances, does give a glimpse of things to come in the wake of Gabriel’s departure a few years later.

Where For Absent Friends served as an excellent introduction to the band for Phil Collins, The Return of the Giant Hogweed served as Steve Hackett’s introduction to the band. Where many early Genesis songs were largely keyboard driven, this track was instead driven by Hackett’s raw and fiery electric guitar work.

The album closes as strongly as it began. The Fountain of Salmacis and The Music Box are the two strongest songs on this album and make great bookends for an album that truly laid the foundation for the subsequent albums. Lyrically speaking, it’s one of the most interesting rock songs ever written, telling the story of Hermaphroditus who was seduced by Salmacis, becoming one with her and thus becoming just as much female as he had been male and giving birth to the term “hermaphrodite.” The Fountain of Salmacis features the trademark vocal role-playing that Peter Gabriel would become known for on subsequent albums and features some excellent Mellotron playing by Banks and guitar playing by Hackett.

If you were tracking the band’s evolution, Nursery Cryme, marks the beginning of the great things yet to come and the promising start of the careers for two exceptional musicians, Phil Collins and Steve Hackett, giving a mere glimpse into their talent and potential.