Accompanied by beautiful interludes like 'Anyways' and the great keyboards and drumming of Banks and Collins... that's why Selling England and The Lamb are the top for me... painfully beautiful.
Selling England by the pound was the album that got me into Genesis. Previously I only heard their later era songs such as Mama and Land of Confusion on radio but I never listened them properly. Then someday I decided to check some of their Peter Gabriel era albums since I love prog music. I started with Selling England and the first time I heard Dancing with the Moonlit knight I was hooked. It is still my favorite album from them. That Firth of fifth guitar solo is my favorite guitar solo on any song.
As soon as Phil Collins took over Genesis that was the beginning of the end. Every album was a further departure from the sound that Genesis was known for.
@@jeffreykaufmann2867 Well of course, they lost they're magical signature that made them a beloved band, but what they lost (when Phil took over,) they gained in fame and fortune. With Phil and the gang, they're popularity in the 80's soared to heights that probably even THEY couldn't imagine....not to mention wealth too.
In 1980 a friend and I got to interview Steve Hackett at his flat in Holland Park for our Genesis fanzine. After the interview he asked if there was anything else and we asked if he would play something, and he played 'Horizons' for us - a wonderful experience I'll never forget (Foxtrot was always my favourite, and this just adds to it). We all know that Steve is a true gentleman, and he certainly was for us that day.
Since I was a teen, Wind And Wuthering has always been my "rainy day" album. The mood of the music, like the cover art, just seems to fit a gray and cloudy, rainy day. That being said, I agree with your pick of Foxtrot as number one. My introduction to the band, and still my favorite.
Rainy day, indeed! I hate rain, but I love rainy mood. I want to love the album so badly, as much as I love the cover the most out of theirs, but... I can't...
I was very pleasantly surprised by "Trespass". Since it is rarely mentioned I thought it be like "early album" which mostly are diehard-fans.. The kind of album that mostly just "sits" in a collection and never plays. Boy was I wrong. A really good album that deserves to be mention a lot more!
Me too!! the first time I heard the acappela of Gabriel in Dancing With The Moonlit Knight was absolutly astonished, and it was just the first seconds of the album
Love this ranking of Genesis albums. I would say that the Gabriel/Rutherford/Hackett/Banks/Collins lineup is one of my all time fave prog rock groups-I definitely rank them up there with King Crimson, Moody Blues and Pink Floyd (never got too much into ELP or Yes, but that's another discussion). I pretty much agree with your ranking however, I would switch the order of your top 3 for my personal faves, with Nursery Crime at number 1, Foxtrot at 2 and Selling England...at 3. Here's my reasoning: Nursery Crime was the first Gen album I bought and listened to all the way through and it dropped my jaw to the floor, so it will always have that impact on me. I remember back in the early nineties and I Can't Dance was a huge hit on the radio, so too at the time were Peter Gabriel's songs Digging in the Dirt and Steam. Then my dad told me about how he remembered when Gabriel was in Genesis and he saw then for the first time on Midnight Special and he was reminiscing about PG singing these weird fantasy songs, wearing equally strange costumes and makeup. At the time I thought, "Wait a minute? PETER GABRIEL? In Genesis!?!" Again, at the time I was only aware of the hits Genesis had during the eighties and early nineties. Growing up during the eighties, the Phil Collins era hits were the ones given the most exposure. If you remember, songs like That's All, Mama, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Invisible Touch, Land of Confusion, No Son of Mine were just as big and played on the radio just as much as anything else at the same time as fill-in-the-blank with whatever songs you can think of from the same period by Prince, Madonna, U2 or Michael Jackson. Anyway, a short time later, I heard a college radio station playing songs like Time Table and Carpet Crawlers, then some months later a friend of mine gave me a cassette of 1973's Genesis Live and I was floored. Anyway, love Genesis, love Peter Gabriel; not that I don't like Phil Collins, great singer, I think he was an even better drummer, though. But, I love their run of albums from Trespass to Wind and Wuthering (by the way, do you notice how A Trick of the Tail and W&W have quite a fusion rock type flair to them?). But from And Then There Were Three onwards, I don't know, I am just not able to listen to those albums all the way through. I enjoy the Collins era hits, some of them are undeniable, but the Collins era albums, especially throughout the eighties, don't hold my interest as much as their prog material.
That's interesting. I've got 900 CD's. All The Beatles, almost all The Stones, all of Costello, and most of Bowie,but I've never been more surprised than Phil Collins and Genesis. My impression all these years since the 80's was that Phil Collins was Slick Willie the worst of the era, and Peter Gabriel was the real Artist. So after recently picking up both of their Greatest Hits CD's. I couldn't believe how good they were. So, then I git Invisible Touch and We Can't Dance, which are solid very good albums. Fact the latter starts off with No Son Of mine,Jesus He Knows Me and Driving The Last Spike-How can you get any better than that?
Trick of the Tail is my all-time favorite album & one of the best 51 minutes ever commited to vinyl.... The pressure the band were under losing Gabriel was immense & they delivered a classic with Phil singing that just knocked everyone out!!
Ironically, the most played Genesis track in our home remains "Dance On A Volcano". At least it's one that won't cause our dinner guests to leave early.
Great video and ranking the albums is difficult indeed. My top 5 for what it's worth. 1- The lamb lies down on Broadway 2 - Foxtrot 3 - Selling England by the pound 4 - Trespass 5 - Nursery Crime As you can see, I love the early stuff and am a huge fan on Anthony Phillips as well. The geese and the ghost, Wise after the event and Slow Dance are classics.
Re: Anthony Phillips ... I really really like side 2 of his 'Sides' album. Very proggy ... in the Trespass sense I think. Absolutely love the track 'Bleak House'.
Selling England has always been my fav. One of my top prog albums. Firth of Fifth gives me chills and Cinema Show has sections of pure beauty. Such a unique sounding album with brilliant performances.
When I walk my dog I listen to Cinema Show (what is the time signature during the keyboard solo?) and Firth of Fifth because Steve's solo is one of the best ever. Thanks for reminding me.
Genesis is one of my favorite bands of all time. I am also big into the early 70’s albums as well. I like the 80’s pop, because that’s what I grew up on first and was never aware of their earlier work until I got older and found out that Peter Gabriel was their first singer, so of course I delve deeper and found I love that decade better. Here goes my rankings for Genesis: 1. Nursery Crime 2. Trespass 3. Foxtrot 4. Selling England By The Pound 5. Invisible Touch 6. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 7. Abacab 8. A Trick of the Tail 9. Wind & Wuthering 10. Duke 11. Genesis 12. And Then There Were Three 13. From Genesis to Revelation 14. We Can’t Dance 15. Calling All Stations
Hey man, I'm having a blast every day checking out your lists, and even if I disagree, i love it, because we are dissecting music and great musicianship which is sorely needed in this American Idol/plastic pop mentality world that we are currently in. I'm close to you on this one. I love Selling England by the Pound, and that Gabriel era is tremendous to me. It went downhill in my opinion when Hackett left, so to me Wind & Wuthering is the last great Genesis work. They didn't get a dynamic guitarist to replace him, so an element of their dynamic suffered greatly. Keep up the great work. I'm curious to know if you will do any Soul albums such as Stevie Wonder, EWF, or Curtis Mayfield. I'm not sure if you're into those folks or not, but I would love to see your take if you have those albums. Great job man. Keep up the excellent work. Peace friend!
...And Then There Were Three was the first Genesis album that I ever bought and then I got Winds and Wuthering. I still have a huge attachment to both of those. Good list!
Anybody who has a 2 story house with a deck - wait till it's pitch black at night, lie on a lawn chair facing the stars, and play Wind and Wuthering. That one and Then there Were 3 are winter albums. You almost want to put a jacket on when you hear them lol
Once I figured my way around the Battle of Epping Forest, Selling England became my favourite album. It all hangs together, and its flow is much more concise than Lamb. There's some better individual tracks on other albums, but as a whole album little out there stands up to it.
Hey, Pete. I discovered your channel and i love it. I'm also a colector of music (i have now over 3.000 titles) and you vive me something that i lost over the years - someone to talk about music, albuns, songs. Really cool. Thanks.
Pete do you have the cd dvd 5.1 Box sets from 2007? Tony Banks was in charge of the remasters and they are very impressive sound quality and some great exclusive interviews with band members.
I'm glad to see this. "Selling England By The Pound" seems to be the #1 favorite of most Genesis fans (or Gabriel-led Genesis fans, at least) and I agree it's a terrific album, but I've always preferred "Foxtrot". My #1 Genesis album as well.
Calling All Stations is a terribly underrated album. I have listened almost since release as a teenager. Many memories. My second full Genesis album I heard. It still impresses me today
Even though I wasn't born at the time that the classic albums came out, I always knew who they were as I remember growing up with the three piece lineup but had no idea at the time that Steve Hackett used to be a member of Genesis because I only knew him for his solo work until I heard his 'Genesis Revisited' album then I checked out the earlier stuff of the band. I would definitely say that the best music they made was in the 70s by the classic lineup with Steve Hackett and Peter Gabriel, for me 'Lamb Lies Down In Broadway' is their masterpiece that captured them at their musical creative peak.
I was right there with you until you put "Selling England by the Pound" as number two, but it's hard to choose between it and "Foxtrot". Nice analysis!
Selling England by the Pound is better. I love Foxtrot, but I honestly believe Dancing with the Moonlit Knight and Firth of Fith are both better than Supper's ready.
@@Haxprocess “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight” has been my favorite Genesis song since I first heard it. It blew my mind the first time I listened to the album and it’s blown me away every time I’ve listened since then.
Nice breakdown Pete of some classic Genesis albums. Lamb has always been number 1 for me. I think it's such an outstanding album. Never tire of listening to it.
Selling England by the Pound was definitely their pinnacle album...the synth solo in Cinema Show is probably one of the best keyboard solo of all times and always sent shivers up my spine! My introduction to Genesis was Genesis Live and was completely entranced and hooked by Watcher of The skies and every song on it! My next favourite was Foxtrot...love Get Em out by Friday and Can Utility and the coast liners besides the Epic Suppers Ready...toss up between Lamb and Nursery Crymes...A Trick of the Tail was brilliant followed by Wind And Wuthering..And Then There were Three was well done but starting to get commercial...Duke was pretty good but I pretty much checked out by Grab A Cab and just listened to hits on the radio...Hackett is the only one who has held true to the early Genesis sound and has brilliantly revived that classic beauty...A water fall is madrigal , an inland sea is symphony...but there is in fact more Earth than sea.
Agreed with Foxtrot being their best. Trespass has also become one of my favorites. Didn't blow me away first listen, but it's probably in my top 10 albums of all time now.
Personally,Trick of the Tail is my favorite of all their records. Genesis has quite a few filler tracks on amazing albums, the Lamb Lies Down and its interludes, Nursery Cryme especially, Wind and Wuthering has one, Trespass, even Selling England has some more forgettable stuff. I can put on any song from Trick of the Tail and absolutely love it, each tune has so much substance.
@@davidsquonkbreeds8568 Well, For Absent Friends, Harlequin and Harold the Barrel are all right songs, but not the grand epics that are Fountain of Salmacis, Musical Box and Return of the Giant Hogweed.
@@landonpuckett1767 Can't just have Grand Epics. I love those 3 you mentioned. But this was the first Genesis album I bought and I always played it as a whole, so every bit of it was good stuff. I am not arguing with you and agree with Trick Of the Tail, such a great album and I think it was so good because they remaining four wanted to show that they could get along without Pete!
Nelson Robert Willis Especially Supper’s Ready, Peter And Phil’s voices on top of eachother is what creates the weird atmosphere of Lovers Leap and the reverie or Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man. If there’s a song I think I’ve heard Phil do better than Peter, it’s probably Carpet Crawlers.
Genesis had a lot of pop sounding songs even in the Peter Gabriel era. So when Phil Collins takes the helm, he did a fantastic job on some of those pop sounding sings. Example; Carpet Crawlers.
Phil maybe a better singer than Peter??? What a strange opinion. To me, Phil is a good singer (and I really appreciate the job he did with genesis when gabriel left) but Peter is the best singer alltime.
I've only watched a few of these "Genesis Album ranking "type shows and your has been by far the best.You obviously know the material very well,and I actually agree with some of your rankings. Thank you!I enjoyed your video.
Your positioning is amazingly close to mine. On all of them you are spot on with my list or perhaps one slot different. I do despise the We Can't Dance disc. The "pop" Genesis is just unpalatable to me. I know it's pretty good pop, but I never go back and listen to those tunes. From a long time Genesis fan...thanks for the list!
Pete, thanks for highlighting some of my favourite albums of all time. I too started when Duke was released in my second last year of high school. My order below. Depending on the time of year, any of the first five could be being spun the most and at the top of the list. The Gabriel Albums plus first two Phil Collins led albums could only have been made by British artists. They have that ineffable British air that the Kinks have.I also listen to Seconds Out. A lot. I rank it as one of THE great live albums. Cheers from Melbourne, Australia. 1 Selling England by the Pound 2 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 3 Foxtrot 4 Wind & Wuthering 5 A Trick of the Tail 6 Nursery Cryme 7 Duke 8 Trespass 9 ...And Then There Were Three... 10 Genesis 11 Calling All Stations 12 Invisible Touch 13 Abacab 14 We Can't Dance 15 From Genesis to Revelation
Another excellent installment from Sea of Tranquility. Many of us prog rock listeners gain much from your videos. Keep up the fantastic work. (Totally shocked you don't have the last Genesis release! LOL)
Thanks for that Mr Pardo, Genesis were the first band I got into, at the age of 12 back in the 80's. I still listen to them from time to time. It was nostalgic for me to hear you talk about them on this video, many thanks. I've subscribed to hear you speak about other great Rock Bands too. Cheers.
Excellent ranking - I agree with your approach and analysis. There would be some slight movement, and honestly two of these albums I haven't heard. You do a great job on these rankings - I have watched 3 or 4 of bands I like, and you are pretty much spot on with my thoughts. Keep up the good job at what you do - you push a lot of videos out, and it's a shame some are pressuring you to do even more. Shows how successful you are.
well timed, Pete! It's Phil Collins' birthday today. Say what you want about the "pop" period of the band. His drumming (with exception of the last album) was influential to many drummers.
@@gwts1171 I totally agree Brian! Personally I don't mind one bit when prog rockers write tunes that have great melodies/feel. To me that leads to GREAT rock songs quite often. Mama is a great rock song. So is Abacab, Dodo, Behind The Lines.
Top five for me personally (love your list btw)... 1 Selling England by the Pound 2 Foxtrot 3 Nursery Crime 4 Lamb Lies Down ok Broadway 5 Trick of the Tail
In seeing the shirt you're wearing, I had to comment. The band photo was taken in '73, in Central Park South (Back in NYC....arf, arf... ) This is a stone's throw from The Plaza Hotel. Anyway, using the Essex House Hotel in the photo's backround as a gauge, I found that rock they'd posed on & had my photo taken on it as well, after taking the ex-wife on a buggy ride through the park. I still refer to it as the Genesis rock. It is now in a section that is either chained off or fenced off; I can't remember now. I found the Genesis rock & had my photo taken there in the mid-90s.... By the way, Essex House is the same placed that Donny Hathaway jumped from & killed himself in '79, I think it was '79 anyway.... I don't do NYC as much as I used to- the closing of some iconic deli locations like The Stage & Carnegie took away half of the reason I used to go up there. I also saw The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway at the Tribeca Theatre as performed by The Musical Box, back when they featured their dead-ringer for Phil's playing & singing. (2005, I believe) Dead-ringer named Martin LeVac. He played & sang JUST LIKE PHIL. He lead the band behind the kit, just like Phil used to, with the same exact kit that Phil employed during The Lamb era. To see Rael's story performed in Rael's backyard ? That significance was not lost on me. That I was wasted on pain killers (yes, I was addicted at the time...) during the show was not lost on me, either...😎
1. Wind and Wuthering (as the most atmospheric album with an explicit instrumental work) 2. Nursery Crime (with the outstanding starting and finishing tracks) 3. Selling England by the Pound (as Gabriel's peak)
What is the "Keep it dark" in? For some reason, after 38+ years of listening to that track I can never get the opening beat right. I always do my air drumming wrong for that song and I don't know why
One of the first bands I ever saw back in 1971, Sunny Manchester UK Charisma did 30p (6/-) tours and you got to see 3 bands, first time I got to see Van der Graf Generator, Lindisfarne and of course Genesis..to put it into perspective an LP cost £2.00, even caught them at Friars at Aylesbury for me Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot are just sublime, cant split them, Caught the Lamb Lies down tour, Gabriel left and so did I
@@ronbo11It really was an entirely different world then..I think Genesis were like the under support band they came on first, Van der graf were the headliners, maybe half full (The Free Trade Hall held around 2000..they used one of the Manchester gigs for part of Genesis Live) Peter Gabriel just wore a pair of desert boots, jeans and any grey top, we asked him about the stories before each song and he said that, foremost he liked doing them but mainly it gave Tony Banks time to re-adjust his variety of keyboards..Mellotron being a tricky blighter at the best of times, I still have the ticket stubs...sad I know..I think their set was Stagnation, The knife, Fountain of Salmacis and Musical box, for me Nursery Cryme could have static on it apart from Fountain, Musical Box and Hogweed, it would still be in my top 3
I’m a big Genesis fan, but I didn’t come to them in the typical “In order of Release” way that would be expected for a music fan of my age (63). When I become immersed in the catalog several years ago, I was attracted to the middle period the most. My list goes like this. (By the way, it may be useful to note I’m a bigger Hackett fan than I am of either Genesis the band, or its other solo components) 1. Trick 2. Selling 3. Foxtrot 4. Wind 5. Nursery 6. Trespass 7. And Then There Were Three 8. Lamb 9. The rest
I have to say in defense of Invisible Touch, that while i really didnt like the album because it was simply not Proggy enough i saw the tour (the famous Reichstag Konzert close to the Berlin Wall where riots were happening during the show..actually it was an early glimpse of what would later become the reunification).. and they boys were on their peak of combining Pop and Prog live. Abacab, In the Cage Medley, Los Endos, .. and sometethig like Domino live really kicked live. Will never forget.
Genesis is (for me anyway) the best band EVER. Genesis 1970-79 is by far the best discography of any band in any genre. Amazing musicianship and intricate and advanced chord progressions, superb vocals and guitar work. Top that off with great and meaningful lyrics. The reason I put Genesis above Yes is because IMO they're better storytellers, and Gabriel is a genious on that. Yes is for me more "look what I can do" type of stuff as fantastic as they are, while Genesis and Gabriel is art. It's simply ART. My top 10: 1. Foxtrot 2. Nursery Crime 3. Selling England by The Pound 4. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 5. A Trick of The Tail 6. Duke 7. Wind and Wuthering 8. Trespass 9. Abacab 10. And Then There Where Three
Great!! Was hoping for this!!!! They are my favorite band of all time!! Better late then never !! 1. Selling England... 2. Nursery Cryme 3. Foxtrot 4. The Lamb 5. Trespass 6. Duke (My first CD I ever purchased) 7. ToTt 8. W&W 9. ATtWT 10. Genesis. The rest.. I'm a child of the 80s so it took me longer to get into the great stuff as I had to work my way back to the 1970s Gabriel era masterpieces .
@Donald Duck Why be worried? Genesis was one of the best pop rock bands of the 80s, if somebody prefers that music over the prog rock that they put out earlier, it is a personal matter.
Mine also although for the longest time it was Selling England for me. Anything they did in the 70's is better than anything they did in the 80's though. Anyone who disagrees is probably more of a mainstream rock fan or pop fan than a prog rock fan.
@@mikereiss4216 Personally, although Peter Gabriel leaving marked the beginning of the end, I believe it was the departure of Steve Hackett that had the biggest (negative?) impact on the music
@@davidf6326 Absolutely. Their real decline in prog music started after Hackett left more than after PG left. I won't say the later stuff sucks(although some might)but I will say that they probably should have changed their name. Then again I also feel Yes shouldn't have called themselves Yes starting with 90125.
This is such an amazing series. I'm re visiting a lot of albums I have not heard in a long time. Loved the thin lizzy one. Brilliant. My Favourite genesis album is calling all stations 😂. P. S. Have you heard Scottish rocker Alex Harvey?
Genesis must be my favorite band. I first heard Trick Of The Tail at 12 years old and loved it. Still love all their albums and I'm 53, listen to them all the time. Impossible to order/rate them.
Nice, I had never heard of From Genesis to Revelation. I started listening to Genesis in the Duke & ABACAB era, then backtracked to Trespass ... never knew there was an album before it!
Unless you like psychedelic pop you aren't really missing much. It's worth hearing for the super hardcore Genesis fan but that's probably about it. Also, if you are someone who doesn't like anything after Genesis or Invisible Touch then really no point in hearing the very first one either though.
Genesis Live was my intro to them in 73. Loved all those 5 songs, so within some month I got their studioalbums. To me Nursery Cryme is the gem of all, from second one to last. Foxtrot and it´s Supper´s ready took some weeks to dig in to but what a masterpiece! Selling England came out in october I think and I was the first in line to get it. Strangely first I was dissapointed; longer instrumental bits and that, but it grew, of course, and the opener is a knockout! the Lamb in nov 74 was the biggest change(but it is great as hell)! anyway, in general, I agree with your list.
I was never a huge Genesis fan growing up. I liked what I heard on the radio though and I really got into the Abacab album when it came out but, I was more into heavier music back then. As the years went by, I began looking back to see what I may have missed out on and I tripped over the early Genesis albums about seven years ago. I found them to be infinitely enjoyable. There isn't a bad album in the catalog until the late eighties and I still found songs on those that I like quite a bit. Great band. Great songwriters and great musicians!
I love Keep it Dark as well. One of my top 5 favourite Genesis tracks. Favourite post Gabriel album - Wind and Wuthering (underrated) Favourite Gabriel album..........probably Foxtrot.
The Musical Box are pretty good. Not as good as seeing Steve Hackett and band do the same material. When The Musical Box comes to San Francisco they always play at a terrible venue, wish they'd find another location.
@@silvertube52 They should try to book the Orpheum in SF or the Fox Theatre in Oakland. Maybe these venues don't accept tribute bands, and if that's the case, they should reconsider that flawed thinking!
First of all, great show Pete, can't stop watching it! My top is: 1-Trespass (my favorite prog record ever, listened to it when I was 14 in 2016, i was really more into metal stuff and that record really changed my way of viewing music) 2-...and then there were three (really love the dark melodic sound this record has) 3-selling England by the pound 4-foxtrot 5-Nursery cryme 6-A trick of the tail 7-wind and wuthering 9-the lamb lies down om Broadway (love it but it's Really a record that needs to be played in specific moods) 10-from genesis to revelations 11-genesis 12-Duke 13-calling all stations 14-abacab 15-invisible touch 16-we can't dance
@Martin Kulkarni the first time i heard it although I really loved it and considered it the best album with Collins on vocals i wouldn't either put it at nr two, but now I listened to it too much and it brings too much memories that I can't help putting it that high on the list, definitely an underrated great album by the band!
Calling All Stations gets a bad rap. Very underrated album. I like all 3 eras of Genesis. There really isnt a bad one. Peter and Steve need to get with Tony, Mike and Phil and do a reunion tour. Mix some of the 70's with the 80's 1. Foxtrot (Supper's Ready enough said) 2. We Can't Dance (Fading Lights is Genesis best song, just an amazing song) 3. Wind And Wuthering (Amazing album, top to bottom) 4. Selling England By the Pound (Top notch prog) 5. Calling All Stations (Only a few bad ones) 6. Genesis (Killer album) 7. Invisible Touch (Tonight Tonight and the title track are amazing) 8. Abacab (Keep It Dark and Dodo are a great duo) 9. Duke (Man Of Our Times is classic) 10. Nursery Cryme (Such an amazing classic with the Musical Box) 11. Trick Of The Tail (Maybe the best opening song of all Genesis albums with Dance On A Volcano) 12. And Then There Were Three (Great album lack though in some spots) 13. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (Really like the album but there is some filler there) 14. Trespass (The Knife is a classic) 15. From Genesis To Revelation (Interesting beginning)
Last year I saw a band called The Musical Box that pays tribute to the early years of Genesis. They don't play anything beyond 1977. The show was divided into 3 parts. The first was songs from 'W and W' and 'Trick of the tail'. The second part was songs from 'The Lamb' and the third were songs from the early albums. It was a great show and was unique to see.
Could not have ranked this any differently. The early stuff was epic right on through “Wind and Wuthering”. The rest of it was a change, almost sounding like a different band.
Pete another great run down. I am just as big of a Genesis fan as you, I have the same shirt that I actually made myself anyway, great order the only album out of place from my prospective is Abacab. That is a top Five for me. Dodo/Lurker is my favorite Genesis song. Keep it Dark and of course Abacab are all GREAT tracks and for those three songs alone this record is outstanding.
Sometimes I have to separate my “favorites” from the ones I think are objectively “best”. Peter Gabriel’s era reeled me in and most of those records are still my favorites of the catalog (Particularly “Selling England”) but I feel that “A Trick of the Tail” might be their strongest start-to-finish album. There’s really no spacers or filler. If I had to suggest 3 Genesis records to the uninitiated, it might be “Selling England”, “A Trick of the Tail” and “Duke”.
Harold Baize It’s the atmosphere that does it for me, unusually heavy for Genesis. And Tony Banks’ keyboard sounds around that time were just incredible, they’ve hardly dated at all unlike the vast majority of prog rock.
My Top 15 Genesis Albums. 15. We Can't Dance 14. Calling all stations 13. Invisible Touch 12. Abacab 11. Genesis 10. ...And Then There Was 3 9. Duke 8. Genesis to Revelation 7. Wind and Wuthering 6. Trick of the tail 5. Lamb lies down on Broadway 4. Nursery Cryme 3. Trespass 2. Selling England by the Pound 1. Foxtrot My top 10 are my favorite Genesis Albums. Abacab and Genesis has some Great Songs.
1. A Trick Of The Tail 2. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 3. Selling England By The Pound 4. Duke 5. Wind And Wuthering 6. Nursery Cryme 7. Foxtrot 8. Trespass 9. And Then There Where Three 10. Invisible Touch 11. Genesis 12. We Can't Dance 13. Abacab 14. From Genesis To Revelation Haven't heard Calling All Stations
1. Selling England By The Pound 2. Foxtrot 3. Nursery Cryme 4. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 5. Wind & Wuthering 6. Trick Of The Tail 7. Trespass 8. And Then There Were Three 9. Duke 10. Invisible Touch
I find your ranking albums by various groups very cool. Your lists and mine are very similar...I am sure part of the reason is our similar ages: I am 53 last November, so we listened to similar stuff at similar times. This is why I am buying "new" music and finding you are a good sounding board. Thank you. Keep it up.
My intro to Genesis started with the Three Sides Live LP. Even though this probably qualifies as at least a quarter of a studio album,... I doubt I listend to that side more than once. The live portion was outstanding.
My Premier League Genesis: 1. Selling England by the Pound 2. Foxtrot 3. Trespass 4. Nursery Cryme 5. The Lamb 6. Trick of the Tail 7. Wind and Wuthering 8. And then there were Three Due for promotion: 9. Duke 10. From Genesis to Revelation Always second flight: 11. Abacab 12. Genesis 13. Calling all Stations 14. Invisible Touch Never left the wardrobe: We Can't Dance I think the very first album shows an enormous potential for good songwriting. It's very badly recorded and all that, but to me has something very special and promising. Trespass was my gateway to the earlier of the bands material, me growing up with Abacab and Mama being the current hits in my teens. And I still love it in all it's quirkiness.
I know this is a list of studio albums. I just wanted to say , I’ve always been amazed with how well the early Genesis Live album was recorded compared to other live recordings at the time.
When I hear Calling All Stations it makes me wish Phil had stayed in the band. Because that album would have blew both We Cant Dance AND Invisible Touch togerher! ( And I am a fan of those actually ) It's a shame that Phil left at that time!
It appears we share a common opinion on this one. In my list I actually explain why I prefer it over the others. If you have not looked at my reasons feel free to find it. My comments were posted prior to yours.
Phil or Gabriel both would have done an excellent job on the album, but some of these were written by Ray Wilson. One of the reasons he was added to the band was to share in the lyricist role. If either of these guys had been in the band I think the album would have been very different. My biggest fear is with Phil or Peter the tone of the album would not have risen to the heights of their earlier work. What intrigued me about Ray is he added a new "voice" and focus. If Genesis had added added Nik D'Virgillo and Daryl Stuemer as full time members the album would have been even better. I still think it was a mistake to not add Pat Thrall to the line-up. They had the chance once. On the other hand, if Banks and Rutherford had chosen David Longdon of Big Big Train as their vocalist instead, who knows what would have happened. If you do not know about Big Big Train, check them out. They are a very solid prog band!
Thanks for doing that so soon Pete! I'm always amazed how your top 3 or 4's are the same as mine ...my only niggle would have been Trick of the Tail over the Lamb but nonetheless all good over the pond here!
Calling All Stations is absolutely underrated in my opinion. There’s some boring stuff on it, but the title track, The Dividing Line, One Man’s Fool...all great songs that people don’t want to bother with because it’s Ray and not Phil Several of the b-sides are fantastic, particularly Anything Now and Sign Your Life Away. I encourage open-minded folks to give it a shot (or another shot!).
The only Genesis album not available on Spotify, you must use RUclips or even worse - buy it. Even the band hates it! At least Abacab had one quite good song. Radio stations never played any songs no matter how much you called. The most boring album of all-time! It is a perfect album as the last one because nobody missed them after that!
I love Foxtrot so much that I bought a vinyl copy of it and I don’t even own a record player.
You should get one. It’ll be worth it
Foxtrot is great. But for me it's Nursery Cryme. An absolute epic album (Musical Box, Giant Hogweed, Fountain of Salmacis)
I love it so much that I never even heard it and own it on 8-Track,Vinyl AND Cd!!!
same here 😄
The Lamb has some of the most beautiful and haunting pieces of music, rock has ever given.
"lamia" is the under rated gem from the genesis canon.
It's a bit dense and hard to listen to. The production isn't great.
@@dougmphilly I will second that,along with Carpet Crawlers.
Accompanied by beautiful interludes like 'Anyways' and the great keyboards and drumming of Banks and Collins... that's why Selling England and The Lamb are the top for me... painfully beautiful.
On any given day, my fav. alternates between "Anyways" and "The chamber of 32 doors"
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is my favorite. Great album with amazing Peter Gabriel vocals. Never get tired of listening to it.
And with amazing music work from the others
I love Foxtrot, but would have had Selling England By The Pound as my number one.
Yeah - I've vacillated on those for years, but Selling England is now my number one as well.
Selling England by the pound was the album that got me into Genesis. Previously I only heard their later era songs such as Mama and Land of Confusion on radio but I never listened them properly. Then someday I decided to check some of their Peter Gabriel era albums since I love prog music. I started with Selling England and the first time I heard Dancing with the Moonlit knight I was hooked. It is still my favorite album from them. That Firth of fifth guitar solo is my favorite guitar solo on any song.
Yeah, I too think that Pete is in the minority on this one. Foxtrot would come in 2nd on most lists
As soon as Phil Collins took over Genesis that was the beginning of the end. Every album was a further departure from the sound that Genesis was known for.
@@jeffreykaufmann2867 Well of course, they lost they're magical signature that made them a beloved band, but what they lost (when Phil took over,) they gained in fame and fortune. With Phil and the gang, they're popularity in the 80's soared to heights that probably even THEY couldn't imagine....not to mention wealth too.
"I can't dance is a song that I don't ever need to hear again..." Lol. Agreed.
and Invisible Touch
@@berdi4berdi4 I like that one a little.
@@berdi4berdi4 no, Invisible touch has very beautiful harmonies
I love all the Genesis hits.....but I Can't Dance is the only one that gets on my nerves a little bit.
I Can’t Dance is actually a damn good song, tho I think Invisible Touch is not
In 1980 a friend and I got to interview Steve Hackett at his flat in Holland Park for our Genesis fanzine. After the interview he asked if there was anything else and we asked if he would play something, and he played 'Horizons' for us - a wonderful experience I'll never forget (Foxtrot was always my favourite, and this just adds to it). We all know that Steve is a true gentleman, and he certainly was for us that day.
Where can i see this interview?
Aw, man, why didn't you ask, "Can you play 'When the Heart Rules the Mind?"" Just to see the look on his face....
What a lucky guy you were. Intensely jealous rn i wont lie
@@kallikjartan7745 It was recorded on a cassette tape and unfortunately I've lost contact with my friend who had the only copy.
@@thatmatt41 Indeed - it's one of those experiences you never forget.
Selling England by the Pound was the first progressive rock album that I purchased back in '01. It remains my favorite album by Genesis.
Since I was a teen, Wind And Wuthering has always been my "rainy day" album. The mood of the music, like the cover art, just seems to fit a gray and cloudy, rainy day. That being said, I agree with your pick of Foxtrot as number one. My introduction to the band, and still my favorite.
To me , too. But i will always wonder if it would be summer album if it had the same cover all green, clear sky and the sun shining. :)
Rainy day, indeed! I hate rain, but I love rainy mood. I want to love the album so badly, as much as I love the cover the most out of theirs, but... I can't...
I love Wind and Wuthering. One of my favorites.
I agree with the feel of this album being Autumnal and Rainy Day. The Band really died for me after Hackett left.
Agreed - my fav too (Banks / Hackett fav also)
Trick of the Tail & Wind and Wuthering are my 2 favorites
selling england by the pound, my desert island disc.
Mine too.
Ditto. Specifically, Cinema Show
Hopefully England isn't your desert island, then, or you'll have to listen to the album in the ocean.
1. Selling England by the Pound
2. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
3. Duke
4. Trespass
Nursery Crime
@@GUADALJARA Nursery Cryme
I was very pleasantly surprised by "Trespass". Since it is rarely mentioned I thought it be like "early album" which mostly are diehard-fans.. The kind of album that mostly just "sits" in a collection and never plays. Boy was I wrong. A really good album that deserves to be mention a lot more!
I could argue that selling England by he pound is the greatest album of all time.
And I often do!
I’d argue.
Me too!
Me too!! the first time I heard the acappela of Gabriel in Dancing With The Moonlit Knight was absolutly astonished, and it was just the first seconds of the album
Definitely one of the top 10 Prog. Lps in my book!🤘😝
Love this ranking of Genesis albums. I would say that the Gabriel/Rutherford/Hackett/Banks/Collins lineup is one of my all time fave prog rock groups-I definitely rank them up there with King Crimson, Moody Blues and Pink Floyd (never got too much into ELP or Yes, but that's another discussion). I pretty much agree with your ranking however, I would switch the order of your top 3 for my personal faves, with Nursery Crime at number 1, Foxtrot at 2 and Selling England...at 3. Here's my reasoning: Nursery Crime was the first Gen album I bought and listened to all the way through and it dropped my jaw to the floor, so it will always have that impact on me. I remember back in the early nineties and I Can't Dance was a huge hit on the radio, so too at the time were Peter Gabriel's songs Digging in the Dirt and Steam. Then my dad told me about how he remembered when Gabriel was in Genesis and he saw then for the first time on Midnight Special and he was reminiscing about PG singing these weird fantasy songs, wearing equally strange costumes and makeup. At the time I thought, "Wait a minute? PETER GABRIEL? In Genesis!?!" Again, at the time I was only aware of the hits Genesis had during the eighties and early nineties. Growing up during the eighties, the Phil Collins era hits were the ones given the most exposure. If you remember, songs like That's All, Mama, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Invisible Touch, Land of Confusion, No Son of Mine were just as big and played on the radio just as much as anything else at the same time as fill-in-the-blank with whatever songs you can think of from the same period by Prince, Madonna, U2 or Michael Jackson. Anyway, a short time later, I heard a college radio station playing songs like Time Table and Carpet Crawlers, then some months later a friend of mine gave me a cassette of 1973's Genesis Live and I was floored. Anyway, love Genesis, love Peter Gabriel; not that I don't like Phil Collins, great singer, I think he was an even better drummer, though. But, I love their run of albums from Trespass to Wind and Wuthering (by the way, do you notice how A Trick of the Tail and W&W have quite a fusion rock type flair to them?). But from And Then There Were Three onwards, I don't know, I am just not able to listen to those albums all the way through. I enjoy the Collins era hits, some of them are undeniable, but the Collins era albums, especially throughout the eighties, don't hold my interest as much as their prog material.
Please remember Trick of the Tail and W&W are Colin's era albums
That's interesting. I've got 900 CD's. All The Beatles, almost all The Stones, all of Costello, and most of Bowie,but I've never been more surprised than Phil Collins and Genesis. My impression all these years since the 80's was that Phil Collins was Slick Willie the worst of the era, and Peter Gabriel was the real Artist. So after recently picking up both of their Greatest Hits CD's. I couldn't believe how good they were. So, then I git Invisible Touch and We Can't Dance, which are solid very good albums. Fact the latter starts off with No Son Of mine,Jesus He Knows Me and Driving The Last Spike-How can you get any better than that?
Phil stepped up and not just kept the band alive but started making Hits....
Trick of the Tail is my all-time favorite album & one of the best 51 minutes ever commited to vinyl.... The pressure the band were under losing Gabriel was immense & they delivered a classic with Phil singing that just knocked everyone out!!
And Diana, Princess of Whales, agreed with you. It was her all-time favorite album as well.
@@uckbee how you know?
@@Lucasaraujo56749 Simple. She said so, and I remember seeing her quoted as saying it.
Not me, extraordinary drummer (one of the best ever) but I've never liked his sappy and thin voice...
@@uckbee and that's excactly the great issue: when they moved from track like "Dancing with the moonlit knight" to mushy ballads like "Ripples"...
Ironically, the most played Genesis track in our home remains "Dance On A Volcano".
At least it's one that won't cause our dinner guests to leave early.
Selling England by the pound - #1 for me! Period!
Great video and ranking the albums is difficult indeed. My top 5 for what it's worth.
1- The lamb lies down on Broadway
2 - Foxtrot
3 - Selling England by the pound
4 - Trespass
5 - Nursery Crime
As you can see, I love the early stuff and am a huge fan on Anthony Phillips as well. The geese and the ghost, Wise after the event and Slow Dance are classics.
Re: Anthony Phillips ... I really really like side 2 of his 'Sides' album. Very proggy ... in the Trespass sense I think. Absolutely love the track 'Bleak House'.
Selling England has always been my fav. One of my top prog albums. Firth of Fifth gives me chills and Cinema Show has sections of pure beauty. Such a unique sounding album with brilliant performances.
When I walk my dog I listen to Cinema Show (what is the time signature during the keyboard solo?) and Firth of Fifth because Steve's solo is one of the best ever. Thanks for reminding me.
@@kelvinturner2941 I believe it's in 7/8 time!
@@coolguitarchannel Correct.
Agreed totally...
Love Genesis, thanks for posting this video Pete. Next up Ranking the Studio Albums: Yes
Genesis is one of my favorite bands of all time. I am also big into the early 70’s albums as well. I like the 80’s pop, because that’s what I grew up on first and was never aware of their earlier work until I got older and found out that Peter Gabriel was their first singer, so of course I delve deeper and found I love that decade better. Here goes my rankings for Genesis:
1. Nursery Crime
2. Trespass
3. Foxtrot
4. Selling England By The Pound
5. Invisible Touch
6. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
7. Abacab
8. A Trick of the Tail
9. Wind & Wuthering
10. Duke
11. Genesis
12. And Then There Were Three
13. From Genesis to Revelation
14. We Can’t Dance
15. Calling All Stations
The Lamb and Selling England By The Pound are my top 2 Genesis albums.
Mine too.
Mine too.
Hey man, I'm having a blast every day checking out your lists, and even if I disagree, i love it, because we are dissecting music and great musicianship which is sorely needed in this American Idol/plastic pop mentality world that we are currently in. I'm close to you on this one. I love Selling England by the Pound, and that Gabriel era is tremendous to me. It went downhill in my opinion when Hackett left, so to me Wind & Wuthering is the last great Genesis work. They didn't get a dynamic guitarist to replace him, so an element of their dynamic suffered greatly. Keep up the great work. I'm curious to know if you will do any Soul albums such as Stevie Wonder, EWF, or Curtis Mayfield. I'm not sure if you're into those folks or not, but I would love to see your take if you have those albums. Great job man. Keep up the excellent work. Peace friend!
THANK you for covering one of the best bands of ALL TIME!
...And Then There Were Three was the first Genesis album that I ever bought and then I got Winds and Wuthering. I still have a huge attachment to both of those. Good list!
Those 2 are very underrated, imo. A nice mix of prog and pop that make for a highly enjoyable and unique listening experience.
Anybody who has a 2 story house with a deck - wait till it's pitch black at night, lie on a lawn chair facing the stars, and play Wind and Wuthering. That one and Then there Were 3 are winter albums. You almost want to put a jacket on when you hear them lol
Once I figured my way around the Battle of Epping Forest, Selling England became my favourite album. It all hangs together, and its flow is much more concise than Lamb. There's some better individual tracks on other albums, but as a whole album little out there stands up to it.
Hey, Pete. I discovered your channel and i love it. I'm also a colector of music (i have now over 3.000 titles) and you vive me something that i lost over the years - someone to talk about music, albuns, songs.
Really cool. Thanks.
Pete do you have the cd dvd 5.1 Box sets from 2007? Tony Banks was in charge of the remasters and they are very impressive sound quality and some great exclusive interviews with band members.
I'm glad to see this. "Selling England By The Pound" seems to be the #1 favorite of most Genesis fans (or Gabriel-led Genesis fans, at least) and I agree it's a terrific album, but I've always preferred "Foxtrot". My #1 Genesis album as well.
Calling All Stations is a terribly underrated album. I have listened almost since release as a teenager. Many memories. My second full Genesis album I heard. It still impresses me today
Even though I wasn't born at the time that the classic albums came out, I always knew who they were as I remember growing up with the three piece lineup but had no idea at the time that Steve Hackett used to be a member of Genesis because I only knew him for his solo work until I heard his 'Genesis Revisited' album then I checked out the earlier stuff of the band.
I would definitely say that the best music they made was in the 70s by the classic lineup with Steve Hackett and Peter Gabriel, for me 'Lamb Lies Down In Broadway' is their masterpiece that captured them at their musical creative peak.
I was right there with you until you put "Selling England by the Pound" as number two, but it's hard to choose between it and "Foxtrot". Nice analysis!
Selling England by the Pound is better. I love Foxtrot, but I honestly believe Dancing with the Moonlit Knight and Firth of Fith are both better than Supper's ready.
@@Haxprocess “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight” has been my favorite Genesis song since I first heard it. It blew my mind the first time I listened to the album and it’s blown me away every time I’ve listened since then.
@@Aweso1974 It might also be my favorite song from them, you have good taste!
Nice breakdown Pete of some classic Genesis albums. Lamb has always been number 1 for me. I think it's such an outstanding album. Never tire of listening to it.
Thank you so much, Sea of Tranquility!
Wonderful job, I would agree to most of it!
Thank you again.
Selling England by the Pound was definitely their pinnacle album...the synth solo in Cinema Show is probably one of the best keyboard solo of all times and always sent shivers up my spine! My introduction to Genesis was Genesis Live and was completely entranced and hooked by Watcher of The skies and every song on it! My next favourite was Foxtrot...love Get Em out by Friday and Can Utility and the coast liners besides the Epic Suppers Ready...toss up between Lamb and Nursery Crymes...A Trick of the Tail was brilliant followed by Wind And Wuthering..And Then There were Three was well done but starting to get commercial...Duke was pretty good but I pretty much checked out by Grab A Cab and just listened to hits on the radio...Hackett is the only one who has held true to the early Genesis sound and has brilliantly revived that classic beauty...A water fall is madrigal , an inland sea is symphony...but there is in fact more Earth than sea.
it depends on my mood which is the best , love them all
Wind & Wuthering top of my list .
A friend in High School taught me how to play Blood On The Rooftops... The only Classical piece I know!
Do you have Anthony Phillips 'The geese and the ghost'? Brilliant album.
Agreed with Foxtrot being their best. Trespass has also become one of my favorites. Didn't blow me away first listen, but it's probably in my top 10 albums of all time now.
Personally,Trick of the Tail is my favorite of all their records. Genesis has quite a few filler tracks on amazing albums, the Lamb Lies Down and its interludes, Nursery Cryme especially, Wind and Wuthering has one, Trespass, even Selling England has some more forgettable stuff. I can put on any song from Trick of the Tail and absolutely love it, each tune has so much substance.
Wow. That's the most pussyish thing I've ever heard. Trick of the Tail is a lame-ass album made for pop wimps.
Dude, Totally agree with your assessment, exactly what I was thinking when I did my list.
Nursery Cryme has a filler?
@@davidsquonkbreeds8568 Well, For Absent Friends, Harlequin and Harold the Barrel are all right songs, but not the grand epics that are Fountain of Salmacis, Musical Box and Return of the Giant Hogweed.
@@landonpuckett1767 Can't just have Grand Epics. I love those 3 you mentioned. But this was the first Genesis album I bought and I always played it as a whole, so every bit of it was good stuff. I am not arguing with you and agree with Trick Of the Tail, such a great album and I think it was so good because they remaining four wanted to show that they could get along without Pete!
Thank you for providing your honest assessments, it gives my students a great intro to the band and a guide on where to start their listening.
THE SOIL THE SOIL THE SOIL THE SOIL!!!!
(the soil!...)
I always laugh in that part.
A famous Peter’s quote is that “Phil maybe a better singer but he can’t sing like me”
Nelson Robert Willis Especially Supper’s Ready, Peter And Phil’s voices on top of eachother is what creates the weird atmosphere of Lovers Leap and the reverie or Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man. If there’s a song I think I’ve heard Phil do better than Peter, it’s probably Carpet Crawlers.
But can Pete sing like Phil?
Genesis had a lot of pop sounding songs even in the Peter Gabriel era. So when Phil Collins takes the helm, he did a fantastic job on some of those pop sounding sings. Example; Carpet Crawlers.
Phil maybe a better singer than Peter??? What a strange opinion. To me, Phil is a good singer (and I really appreciate the job he did with genesis when gabriel left) but Peter is the best singer alltime.
I've only watched a few of these "Genesis Album ranking "type shows and your has been by far the best.You obviously know the material very well,and I actually agree with some of your rankings. Thank you!I enjoyed your video.
Your positioning is amazingly close to mine. On all of them you are spot on with my list or perhaps one slot different. I do despise the We Can't Dance disc. The "pop" Genesis is just unpalatable to me. I know it's pretty good pop, but I never go back and listen to those tunes. From a long time Genesis fan...thanks for the list!
Pete, thanks for highlighting some of my favourite albums of all time. I too started when Duke was released in my second last year of high school. My order below. Depending on the time of year, any of the first five could be being spun the most and at the top of the list. The Gabriel Albums plus first two Phil Collins led albums could only have been made by British artists. They have that ineffable British air that the Kinks have.I also listen to Seconds Out. A lot. I rank it as one of THE great live albums.
Cheers from Melbourne, Australia.
1 Selling England by the Pound
2 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
3 Foxtrot
4 Wind & Wuthering
5 A Trick of the Tail
6 Nursery Cryme
7 Duke
8 Trespass
9 ...And Then There Were Three...
10 Genesis
11 Calling All Stations
12 Invisible Touch
13 Abacab
14 We Can't Dance
15 From Genesis to Revelation
Thank you for ranking the Genesis cd's.🎤🎸🎵🥁
Another excellent installment from Sea of Tranquility. Many of us prog rock listeners gain much from your videos. Keep up the fantastic work. (Totally shocked you don't have the last Genesis release! LOL)
You should do a Frank Zappa rate the albums, that might be a 2 hour episode though
@@Jerknoir-a-saurus would love to see them one day. I have the first Dvd he put out it's awesome
Thanks for that Mr Pardo, Genesis were the first band I got into, at the age of 12 back in the 80's. I still listen to them from time to time. It was nostalgic for me to hear you talk about them on this video, many thanks. I've subscribed to hear you speak about other great Rock Bands too. Cheers.
The Best album is the Live "Seconds Out" withe the bombastic interpretation of "Firth of Fifth". Definitively !
That song floored me, when I was a teenager! ...that was my intro to Genesis!
Yes Sir
Excellent ranking - I agree with your approach and analysis. There would be some slight movement, and honestly two of these albums I haven't heard. You do a great job on these rankings - I have watched 3 or 4 of bands I like, and you are pretty much spot on with my thoughts. Keep up the good job at what you do - you push a lot of videos out, and it's a shame some are pressuring you to do even more. Shows how successful you are.
well timed, Pete! It's Phil Collins' birthday today. Say what you want about the "pop" period of the band. His drumming (with exception of the last album) was influential to many drummers.
If only he had remained a drummer.
Errr did they actually make any good music ???.
I've always been a fan of both eras. I like the Gabriel alums best, but the later albums each had some great pop singles.
@@gwts1171 I totally agree Brian! Personally I don't mind one bit when prog rockers write tunes that have great melodies/feel. To me that leads to GREAT rock songs quite often. Mama is a great rock song. So is Abacab, Dodo, Behind The Lines.
How about Brand X drumming by Phil?!!
I love we can't dance, fading lights and driving the last spike are the bomb.
I'm just getting into them, so this is super useful, thanks!
Top five for me personally (love your list btw)...
1 Selling England by the Pound
2 Foxtrot
3 Nursery Crime
4 Lamb Lies Down ok Broadway
5 Trick of the Tail
In seeing the shirt you're wearing, I had to comment. The band photo was taken in '73, in Central Park South (Back in NYC....arf, arf... )
This is a stone's throw from The Plaza Hotel. Anyway, using the Essex House Hotel in the photo's backround as a gauge, I found that rock they'd posed on & had my photo taken on it as well, after taking the ex-wife on a buggy ride through the park. I still refer to it as the Genesis rock. It is now in a section that is either chained off or fenced off; I can't remember now. I found the Genesis rock & had my photo taken there in the mid-90s.... By the way, Essex House is the same placed that Donny Hathaway jumped from & killed himself in '79, I think it was '79 anyway....
I don't do NYC as much as I used to- the closing of some iconic deli locations like The Stage & Carnegie took away half of the reason I used to go up there. I also saw The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway at the Tribeca Theatre as performed by The Musical Box, back when they featured their dead-ringer for Phil's playing & singing. (2005, I believe) Dead-ringer named Martin LeVac. He played & sang JUST LIKE PHIL. He lead the band behind the kit, just like Phil used to, with the same exact kit that Phil employed during The Lamb era. To see Rael's story performed in Rael's backyard ? That significance was not lost on me. That I was wasted on pain killers (yes, I was addicted at the time...) during the show was not lost on me, either...😎
1. Wind and Wuthering (as the most atmospheric album with an explicit instrumental work)
2. Nursery Crime (with the outstanding starting and finishing tracks)
3. Selling England by the Pound (as Gabriel's peak)
I agree wholeheartedly with your list...but I would rank "Selling England by the Pound" over "Foxtrot"
Turn It On Again: Only Genesis can produce a poppy 'radio track' in 13/8.
true
the best riffs
incredible and more
ruclips.net/video/FjhO_zfFg0Q/видео.html
@The Supervillain Hardly 'poppy' though
@@davidf6326 but still, like turn it on again another great song. I prefer freewill but I love them both
What is the "Keep it dark" in? For some reason, after 38+ years of listening to that track I can never get the opening beat right. I always do my air drumming wrong for that song and I don't know why
One of the first bands I ever saw back in 1971, Sunny Manchester UK Charisma did 30p (6/-) tours and you got to see 3 bands, first time I got to see Van der Graf Generator, Lindisfarne and of course Genesis..to put it into perspective an LP cost £2.00, even caught them at Friars at Aylesbury for me Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot are just sublime, cant split them, Caught the Lamb Lies down tour, Gabriel left and so did I
You are a very lucky man to have caught them on that package tour and at the legendary Friars!
@@ronbo11It really was an entirely different world then..I think Genesis were like the under support band they came on first, Van der graf were the headliners, maybe half full (The Free Trade Hall held around 2000..they used one of the Manchester gigs for part of Genesis Live) Peter Gabriel just wore a pair of desert boots, jeans and any grey top, we asked him about the stories before each song and he said that, foremost he liked doing them but mainly it gave Tony Banks time to re-adjust his variety of keyboards..Mellotron being a tricky blighter at the best of times, I still have the ticket stubs...sad I know..I think their set was Stagnation, The knife, Fountain of Salmacis and Musical box, for me Nursery Cryme could have static on it apart from Fountain, Musical Box and Hogweed, it would still be in my top 3
I’m a big Genesis fan, but I didn’t come to them in the typical “In order of Release” way that would be expected for a music fan of my age (63). When I become immersed in the catalog several years ago, I was attracted to the middle period the most. My list goes like this. (By the way, it may be useful to note I’m a bigger Hackett fan than I am of either Genesis the band, or its other solo components)
1. Trick
2. Selling
3. Foxtrot
4. Wind
5. Nursery
6. Trespass
7. And Then There Were Three
8. Lamb
9. The rest
I have to say in defense of Invisible Touch, that while i really didnt like the album because it was simply not Proggy enough i saw the tour (the famous Reichstag Konzert close to the Berlin Wall where riots were happening during the show..actually it was an early glimpse of what would later become the reunification).. and they boys were on their peak of combining Pop and Prog live. Abacab, In the Cage Medley, Los Endos, .. and sometethig like Domino live really kicked live. Will never forget.
I've always had a thing for late 60's baroque pop stuff, so the first album's actually a favorite for me.
Genesis is (for me anyway) the best band EVER. Genesis 1970-79 is by far the best discography of any band in any genre. Amazing musicianship and intricate and advanced chord progressions, superb vocals and guitar work. Top that off with great and meaningful lyrics. The reason I put Genesis above Yes is because IMO they're better storytellers, and Gabriel is a genious on that. Yes is for me more "look what I can do" type of stuff as fantastic as they are, while Genesis and Gabriel is art. It's simply ART. My top 10:
1. Foxtrot
2. Nursery Crime
3. Selling England by The Pound
4. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
5. A Trick of The Tail
6. Duke
7. Wind and Wuthering
8. Trespass
9. Abacab
10. And Then There Where Three
Great!! Was hoping for this!!!! They are my favorite band of all time!! Better late then never !! 1. Selling England... 2. Nursery Cryme 3. Foxtrot 4. The Lamb 5. Trespass 6. Duke (My first CD I ever purchased) 7. ToTt 8. W&W 9. ATtWT 10. Genesis. The rest..
I'm a child of the 80s so it took me longer to get into the great stuff as I had to work my way back to the 1970s Gabriel era masterpieces .
The Duke and the self titled 80s album are probably my two favorite.
Not to be that guy, but it's just Duke not "The Duke." :)
@Donald Duck Why be worried? Genesis was one of the best pop rock bands of the 80s, if somebody prefers that music over the prog rock that they put out earlier, it is a personal matter.
Trick of the Tail is my favorite.
Mine also although for the longest time it was Selling England for me. Anything they did in the 70's is better than anything they did in the 80's though. Anyone who disagrees is probably more of a mainstream rock fan or pop fan than a prog rock fan.
@@mikereiss4216 Personally, although Peter Gabriel leaving marked the beginning of the end, I believe it was the departure of Steve Hackett that had the biggest (negative?) impact on the music
@@davidf6326 Absolutely. Their real decline in prog music started after Hackett left more than after PG left. I won't say the later stuff sucks(although some might)but I will say that they probably should have changed their name. Then again I also feel Yes shouldn't have called themselves Yes starting with 90125.
@@mikereiss4216 Yes, in both cases a change in the bands' name would have been artistically appropriate, but commercially suicidal I suspect.
Squonk is one of my favorite songs of all time.
This is such an amazing series. I'm re visiting a lot of albums I have not heard in a long time. Loved the thin lizzy one. Brilliant.
My Favourite genesis album is calling all stations 😂.
P. S. Have you heard Scottish rocker Alex Harvey?
Genesis must be my favorite band. I first heard Trick Of The Tail at 12 years old and loved it.
Still love all their albums and I'm 53, listen to them all the time. Impossible to order/rate them.
Nice, I had never heard of From Genesis to Revelation. I started listening to Genesis in the Duke & ABACAB era,
then backtracked to Trespass ... never knew there was an album before it!
Unless you like psychedelic pop you aren't really missing much. It's worth hearing for the super hardcore Genesis fan but that's probably about it. Also, if you are someone who doesn't like anything after Genesis or Invisible Touch then really no point in hearing the very first one either though.
Genesis Live was my intro to them in 73. Loved all those 5 songs, so within some month I got their studioalbums. To me Nursery Cryme is the gem of all, from second one to last. Foxtrot and it´s Supper´s ready took some weeks to dig in to but what a masterpiece! Selling England came out in october I think and I was the first in line to get it. Strangely first I was dissapointed; longer instrumental bits and that, but it grew, of course, and the opener is a knockout! the Lamb in nov 74 was the biggest change(but it is great as hell)! anyway, in general, I agree with your list.
I was never a huge Genesis fan growing up. I liked what I heard on the radio though and I really got into the Abacab album when it came out but, I was more into heavier music back then. As the years went by, I began looking back to see what I may have missed out on and I tripped over the early Genesis albums about seven years ago. I found them to be infinitely enjoyable. There isn't a bad album in the catalog until the late eighties and I still found songs on those that I like quite a bit. Great band. Great songwriters and great musicians!
Loving your work Pete. Just watched the Yes album ranking. Where did you get that Genesis t-shirt? Haven't seen one of those before.
Really great channel. Simple concept but well executed. Genesis is an amazing band.
I love Keep it Dark as well. One of my top 5 favourite Genesis tracks.
Favourite post Gabriel album - Wind and Wuthering (underrated)
Favourite Gabriel album..........probably Foxtrot.
Seeing The Musical Box tomorrow in Swansea...20 minutes from my home...setlist is fucking awesome can't wait..saw them on their last tour here.
The Musical Box are pretty good. Not as good as seeing Steve Hackett and band do the same material. When The Musical Box comes to San Francisco they always play at a terrible venue, wish they'd find another location.
@@silvertube52 They should try to book the Orpheum in SF or the Fox Theatre in Oakland. Maybe these venues don't accept tribute bands, and if that's the case, they should reconsider that flawed thinking!
First of all, great show Pete, can't stop watching it!
My top is:
1-Trespass (my favorite prog record ever, listened to it when I was 14 in 2016, i was really more into metal stuff and that record really changed my way of viewing music)
2-...and then there were three (really love the dark melodic sound this record has)
3-selling England by the pound
4-foxtrot
5-Nursery cryme
6-A trick of the tail
7-wind and wuthering
9-the lamb lies down om Broadway (love it but it's Really a record that needs to be played in specific moods)
10-from genesis to revelations
11-genesis
12-Duke
13-calling all stations
14-abacab
15-invisible touch
16-we can't dance
@Martin Kulkarni the first time i heard it although I really loved it and considered it the best album with Collins on vocals i wouldn't either put it at nr two, but now I listened to it too much and it brings too much memories that I can't help putting it that high on the list, definitely an underrated great album by the band!
Calling All Stations gets a bad rap. Very underrated album. I like all 3 eras of Genesis. There really isnt a bad one. Peter and Steve need to get with Tony, Mike and Phil and do a reunion tour. Mix some of the 70's with the 80's
1. Foxtrot (Supper's Ready enough said)
2. We Can't Dance (Fading Lights is Genesis best song, just an amazing song)
3. Wind And Wuthering (Amazing album, top to bottom)
4. Selling England By the Pound (Top notch prog)
5. Calling All Stations (Only a few bad ones)
6. Genesis (Killer album)
7. Invisible Touch (Tonight Tonight and the title track are amazing)
8. Abacab (Keep It Dark and Dodo are a great duo)
9. Duke (Man Of Our Times is classic)
10. Nursery Cryme (Such an amazing classic with the Musical Box)
11. Trick Of The Tail (Maybe the best opening song of all Genesis albums with Dance On A Volcano)
12. And Then There Were Three (Great album lack though in some spots)
13. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (Really like the album but there is some filler there)
14. Trespass (The Knife is a classic)
15. From Genesis To Revelation (Interesting beginning)
I like how you think
I love how unique this ranking is. High five for not being influenced by everyone else's reviews!
Last year I saw a band called The Musical Box that pays tribute to the early years of Genesis. They don't play anything beyond 1977. The show was divided into 3 parts. The first was songs from 'W and W' and 'Trick of the tail'. The second part was songs from 'The Lamb' and the third were songs from the early albums. It was a great show and was unique to see.
Could not have ranked this any differently. The early stuff was epic right on through “Wind and Wuthering”. The rest of it was a change, almost sounding like a different band.
Pete another great run down. I am just as big of a Genesis fan as you, I have the same shirt that I actually made myself anyway, great order the only album out of place from my prospective is Abacab. That is a top Five for me. Dodo/Lurker is my favorite Genesis song. Keep it Dark and of course Abacab are all GREAT tracks and for those three songs alone this record is outstanding.
Sometimes I have to separate my “favorites” from the ones I think are objectively “best”. Peter Gabriel’s era reeled me in and most of those records are still my favorites of the catalog (Particularly “Selling England”) but I feel that “A Trick of the Tail” might be their strongest start-to-finish album. There’s really no spacers or filler.
If I had to suggest 3 Genesis records to the uninitiated, it might be “Selling England”, “A Trick of the Tail” and “Duke”.
Yes! Foxtrot is a "must have" tho...
Undertow is probably my favorite Genesis song. And I am a HUGE fan of both eras
‘Keep It Dark’ is one of the best things they ever recorded.
It's one of my top Genesis tracks...
You're right. For me the entire Abacab album is a desert island disc.
Crazy Good Song - Remember when it was on the Radio 4th single off Abacab
Odd, never really thought much of it. Maybe I should listen to it more to see why some people think it's great.
Harold Baize It’s the atmosphere that does it for me, unusually heavy for Genesis. And Tony Banks’ keyboard sounds around that time were just incredible, they’ve hardly dated at all unlike the vast majority of prog rock.
My Top 15 Genesis Albums.
15. We Can't Dance
14. Calling all stations
13. Invisible Touch
12. Abacab
11. Genesis
10. ...And Then There Was 3
9. Duke
8. Genesis to Revelation
7. Wind and Wuthering
6. Trick of the tail
5. Lamb lies down on Broadway
4. Nursery Cryme
3. Trespass
2. Selling England by the Pound
1. Foxtrot
My top 10 are my favorite Genesis Albums.
Abacab and Genesis has some Great Songs.
1. A Trick Of The Tail
2. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
3. Selling England By The Pound
4. Duke
5. Wind And Wuthering
6. Nursery Cryme
7. Foxtrot
8. Trespass
9. And Then There Where Three
10. Invisible Touch
11. Genesis
12. We Can't Dance
13. Abacab
14. From Genesis To Revelation
Haven't heard Calling All Stations
It's actually pretty good. I've listened to it more than We Can't Dance, From Genesis to Revelation, and Abacab
Another perfect vid!! Thanks Pete always for your vids. The first 6 albums for my $$
1. Selling England By The Pound
2. Foxtrot
3. Nursery Cryme
4. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
5. Wind & Wuthering
6. Trick Of The Tail
7. Trespass
8. And Then There Were Three
9. Duke
10. Invisible Touch
i rank lamb below 5 & 6.
I find your ranking albums by various groups very cool. Your lists and mine are very similar...I am sure part of the reason is our similar ages: I am 53 last November, so we listened to similar stuff at similar times. This is why I am buying "new" music and finding you are a good sounding board. Thank you. Keep it up.
Cualquier disco desde Nursery hasta Wuthering podría ser elegido como el mejor.
Mi top: 5) Wuthering 4) Lamb 3) A trick 2) Foxtrot 1) Selling
Probá con Trespass
Es genial!!!!!
@@rafaelgarcia9501 es hermoso Tresspass
I haven’t watched the video yet, but foxtrot is my favorite album of all time. My favorite band, excited to give this a watch later!
My intro to Genesis started with the Three Sides Live LP. Even though this probably qualifies as at least a quarter of a studio album,... I doubt I listend to that side more than once. The live portion was outstanding.
I love your channel Pete, it's superb and your reviews are very honest and correct
My Premier League Genesis:
1. Selling England by the Pound
2. Foxtrot
3. Trespass
4. Nursery Cryme
5. The Lamb
6. Trick of the Tail
7. Wind and Wuthering
8. And then there were Three
Due for promotion:
9. Duke
10. From Genesis to Revelation
Always second flight:
11. Abacab
12. Genesis
13. Calling all Stations
14. Invisible Touch
Never left the wardrobe:
We Can't Dance
I think the very first album shows an enormous potential for good songwriting. It's very badly recorded and all that, but to me has something very special and promising.
Trespass was my gateway to the earlier of the bands material, me growing up with Abacab and Mama being the current hits in my teens. And I still love it in all it's quirkiness.
My ranking exactly! We must have the same ear.
@@JamesMcLeod463 Is that right?
We must claim consensus then ;)
I know this is a list of studio albums. I just wanted to say , I’ve always been amazed with how well the early Genesis Live album was recorded compared to other live recordings at the time.
When I hear Calling All Stations it makes me wish Phil had stayed in the band. Because that album would have blew both We Cant Dance AND Invisible Touch togerher! ( And I am a fan of those actually ) It's a shame that Phil left at that time!
It appears we share a common opinion on this one. In my list I actually explain why I prefer it over the others. If you have not looked at my reasons feel free to find it. My comments were posted prior to yours.
Phil or Gabriel both would have done an excellent job on the album, but some of these were written by Ray Wilson. One of the reasons he was added to the band was to share in the lyricist role. If either of these guys had been in the band I think the album would have been very different. My biggest fear is with Phil or Peter the tone of the album would not have risen to the heights of their earlier work. What intrigued me about Ray is he added a new "voice" and focus. If Genesis had added added Nik D'Virgillo and Daryl Stuemer as full time members the album would have been even better. I still think it was a mistake to not add Pat Thrall to the line-up. They had the chance once. On the other hand, if Banks and Rutherford had chosen David Longdon of Big Big Train as their vocalist instead, who knows what would have happened. If you do not know about Big Big Train, check them out. They are a very solid prog band!
Enjoyed your video.It's great since I Know every Genesis album.Thanks
I personally think the band has never released a bad album
OwensOwen I completely agree. My favourite band of all time
You gotta be kiddin! Calling all stations, we can’t dance and Invisible Touch are absolute garbage!
@@Carlos-xz3vi we cant dance and invisible touch are masterpieces
Carlos - I happen to really like WCD and IT. Not big on CAS but it has moments
Well, think again.
What about the first two albums? Those are pretty bad...
Thanks for doing that so soon Pete! I'm always amazed how your top 3 or 4's are the same as mine ...my only niggle would have been Trick of the Tail over the Lamb but nonetheless all good over the pond here!
Calling All Stations is absolutely underrated in my opinion. There’s some boring stuff on it, but the title track, The Dividing Line, One Man’s Fool...all great songs that people don’t want to bother with because it’s Ray and not Phil
Several of the b-sides are fantastic, particularly Anything Now and Sign Your Life Away. I encourage open-minded folks to give it a shot (or another shot!).
My choices would be the title track and Congo, plus Phret and 7/8, which were B-sides, other that than - completely agreed.
Anything Now was my favorite of the Ray Wilson songs and it didn't even make it on the album!
Blimey I must be old, I still thought the debate was about Gabriel vs Collins :-)
The only Genesis album not available on Spotify, you must use RUclips or even worse - buy it. Even the band hates it! At least Abacab had one quite good song. Radio stations never played any songs no matter how much you called. The most boring album of all-time! It is a perfect album as the last one because nobody missed them after that!