Genesis - Genesis (1983) (LP) - €10,00

Genesis is the twelfth studio album by English rock band Genesis, released on 3 October 1983 by Charisma and Virgin Records in the UK and by Atlantic Records in the US and Canada. 

Following the band's tour in support of their 1982 live album Three Sides Live, Genesis took an eight-month break before they regrouped in the spring of 1983 to record a new album. 

It is their first written and recorded in its entirety at their studio named The Farm in Chiddingfold, Surrey, and the songs were developed through jam sessions in the studio with nothing written beforehand. Hugh Padgham returned as their engineer. 

"Mama" originated during a group jam session where Rutherford was experimenting with a Linn LM-1 electronic drum machine fed through a gated reverb and a Mesa Boogie amplifier, and "turned up incredibly loud" to the point of amplifiers jumping off the studio floor. Collins was influenced to go for a vocal that resembled John Lennon's style on his cover of "Be-Bop-a-Lula" on the song's verses. 

His laugh was influenced by the 1982 song "The Message" by hip hop band Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, which features a similar sound. 

Padgham had brought the single to the band and upon hearing it, Collins did the laugh during the subsequent improvisation session for "Mama", which the band liked and wished to use in the song.

The group had doubts as to whether Collins could recreate the laugh on stage, but he had no problems.

When it came to picking a song as the album's lead single, Rutherford expected Genesis manager Tony Smith and record label staff to pick another track than "Mama", but said "full marks to them, they agreed we should go with something that was a bit different". 

Rutherford later rated "Mama" as one of the best songs on the album, and was pleased with its commercial performance after the band found singles chart success with a song that represented what Genesis "were all about" at the time. 

During one session, the band had a koto in the studio, which was recorded through the E-mu Emulator and used as a sample for the song's percussion effect, partly because Banks had tried other options and could not get another sound to fit.

"That's All" originated from Banks's simple piano riff, which was followed by a drum pattern that instantly gave off a mood that the band wanted to develop further.

Each member cited the Beatles as an influence for the song; Collins said his drumming was in tribute to the style of their drummer, Ringo Starr, one of his drumming influences. 

The organ solo is played using a preset on the Synclavier imitating a Hammond B-3 organ, despite the reverse seen in the song's music video. Banks's riff came about from taking a sample in the E-mu Emulator and playing two notes of it simultaneously, which generated a new one.

"Home by the Sea" tells the story of a burglar who breaks into a house only to find it is haunted by ghosts, who capture him and then force him to listen to their life stories. Collins had repeated the phrase "home by the sea" while putting down dummy vocals at a time when Banks was writing lyrical ideas, and used the phrase to conjure up the story. 

The song originated with the band playing along to their Linn drum machine, during which Banks and Rutherford devised a guide theme on the keyboard and guitar, respectively, and Collins a vocal outline. With the guide parts laid out, the band then had a format as to its mood and how the song would take shape and developed it into a complete track. 

When the three were happy with what came out from it, they re-recorded the song individually onto tape with Collins replacing the Linn drum tracks with his own.

The former track segues into "Second Home by the Sea", a mostly instrumental piece developed from a group improvisation that began with Collins playing a drum riff which Banks and Rutherford liked and joined in. 

The working title was "Heavy Simmonds", a reference to Collins' playing. Banks said the group spent around two hours jamming on the idea on one day, followed by a second jam of equal length on the next. 

They then took the parts from both jams they liked best and organised them into one cohesive arrangement, which required them to re-learn what they had put down to record it as one piece.

Banks said the loose idea behind the instrumental section was to represent the former lives of the ghosts. The track ends with a reprise of "Home by the Sea".

"Illegal Alien", with lyrics from Rutherford, is about illegal immigrants and their attempts to cross the border into the United States for a better life. 

Collins aimed for a more adventurous style of drumming and went through a number of different styles, noting what he ended up playing was perhaps more than what the song called for. 

The chosen style was "that basic rock-and-roll part-two and four on the snare, one and three on the bass. That's what made the tune work". 

It opens with sound effects of car horns and telephones that Banks played on his E-mu Emulator sampler, which he found particularly exciting to record and incorporate into the music. 

Collins felt more pleased with his drumming on "Mama" and "Illegal Alien" than on the band's more intricate tracks such as "Los Endos" from A Trick of the Tail. Banks denied any racist implications the song appeared to have towards Mexicans, but said "it is a tongue-in-cheek thing" and in fact more sympathetic towards immigrants.

"Silver Rainbow" has lyrics written by Banks, who wrote about people being senseless when they are in love. Collins described them as "romantic" and "lush". 

Its working title was "Adam" because it had a rhythm that the group felt resembled something by singer Adam Ant, and the band thought a lyric that matched the "juvenile" music would fit it best.

"It's Gonna Get Better" features a keyboard introduction that Banks sampled from an album of classical music for cello, following a failed attempt to use it to obtain a quality string sound on his keyboard. He then played four notes simultaneously using the same sample that unexpectedly created a sound of interweaving harmonies, which he kept and used.

Side one

1.  Mama - 6:46

2.  That’s All - 4:22

3.  Home by the Sea - 4:46

4.  Second Home by the Sea - 6:22

Side two

1.  Illegal Alien - 5:12

2.  Taking It All Too Hard - 3:54

3.  Just a Job to Do - 4:44

4.  Silver Rainbow - 4:27

5.  It’s Gonna Get Better - 5:00

Genesis

• Mike Rutherford – guitars, bass, backing vocals
• Phil Collins – drums, vocals, percussion
• Tony Banks – keyboards, backing vocals

Production and artwork

• Genesis – producers
• Hugh Padgham – producer, engineer
• Geoff Callingham – technical assistance
• Tony Smith – manager
• Geoff Banks, Steve Jones, Dale and Clair Newman, Andy Mackrill, Jo Greenwood and all at Hit & Run Music – Without whom department
• Bill Smith – sleeve design
• Chris Peyton – sleeve adaptation (for The Redroom)

Notes

Release: 1983  

Format:  LP, Vinyl

Genre:  Progressive Rock

Label:  Vertigo Records 

Catalog#  814287-1 

Vinyl:  Goed (VG)

Cover:  Goed (VG)

Prijs: €10,00