This is the second album by Genesis, with Peter Gabriel as the lead singer (he left after the album "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (1974) came out).
Furthermore, it's (basically) Phil Collins on drums, Michael Rutherford on bass, Steve Hackett on guitars and Tony Banks on keys.
It displays Genesis in a condition that they would lose soon after Gabriel left. The music sounds timelessly fresh and innovative. Influences from British folk and renaissance classical music blend with rock, resulting in an almost 40-minutes long experience.
All instrumentalists are exceptionally good and pull off some very difficult things, but not in a show-off way (as can be the problem with a lot of symphonic rock). The production hasn't straightened all the wrinkles and to me that only adds to the fun.
Song by song:
The musical box - 4.5/5
The album starts off with this epic. It's over 10 minutes long, yet it's not annoyingly rhapsodic. It's just built very delicately. From the beginning (we can picture ourselves in a nursery here) it bit by bit works up to a guitar-rocking climax, then quiets down again to work up to the final climax, in which Gabriel does a great job. The way he shouts "Why don't you touch me, touch me, now, now, now, now" over a church organ is very, very powerful.
For absent friends - 4/5
A short acoustic beauty about two elderlies, visiting the church to pray for the friends and loves they have lost. A sober arrangement to fit the beautiful lyrics - a guitar duet and doubled vocals.
The return of the Giant Hogweed - 5/5
Musically this is probably the best song. In just over 8 minutes, we are presented the story of a man-destroying plant and how it managed to succeed in its evil plans. The lyrics are incredibly funny ("They are invincible! They seem immune to all our herbicidal battering!"), and the music fits perfectly: it's in 12/8 time which gives it a majestic feel. Steve Hackett plays the major role here, starting off the song with a guitar duet using the tapping technique. From there on, a great band effort creates a suspenseful yet comic atmosphere. After nearly 5 minutes starts what is described as The Dance of the Giant Hogweed: a beautiful duet for keyboard and guitar, accompanied by a solid rhythm section. Then, after a frantically sung bit describing the uprise of the Giant Hogweed, an apocalyptic coda finishes it off. Masterpiece.
Seven stones - 3.5/5
A solid song built around a good melody, but it goes on a little too long for my tastes. It lacks the originality of other tracks on this album, and after a gem like Return of the Giant Hogweed, that can be a bit of a letdown. On replay, however, it grew on me and revealed some appealing subtleties. I don't like the lyrics much, I find the whole "seven stones" metaphor kind of hollow.
Harold the Barrel - 5/5
A mini-musical about a man who loses his mind and on the verge of jumping off a building. Beneath him stands a crowd that tries to convince him not to jump. As far as I can tell, Peter Gabriel plays every role, sings the lines with slight vocal nuances, accompanied by a dynamic musical underscore based on piano-chords and a rapid, driving drum-beat. It's full of little musical and textual jokes. To be short: British brilliance.
Harlequin - 4.5/5
A subtle, precious song. Three voices sing in close harmony accompanied by delightful acoustic guitars (presumably 12-string). Very carefully some contra-melodies are added throughout the song, so there's a lot to hear on replay. Ingeniously constructed and definitely worth your attention.
I don't have a clue what these lyrics are about though.
The fountain of Salmacis - 3.5/5
Another epic, about Hermaphroditus: a beautiful demi-god who comes across the nymph Salmacis. She falls so deeply in love with him that she makes their bodies join: the young man turns into a hermaphrodite and proceeds to live in the lake, laying a curse on the water that all who touch it shall become hermaphrodites as well.
Gabriel really excels in this piece, adding raw edges to the otherwise quite over-produced and melodramatic sound of it. As a closer it serves its purpose well, but that's mainly because after an 8-minute whirlwind of bombastic music, some silence is very welcome.
Overall a very good album, a few weak points, but no actual weak songs. If, for example, you like the idea of Dream Theater but miss heart and soul in all the virtuosity, I highly recommend this to you.
