Foxtrot [Remaster] (CD - 1972)

Genesis: Tony Banks (guitar, background vocals); Peter Gabriel (oboe, tambourine); Mike Rutherford (bass instrument, background vocals); Phil Collins (background vocals); Steve Hackett.

Personnel: Mike Rutherford (vocals, guitar, 12-string guitar, cello); Peter Gabriel (vocals, 12-string guitar, cello, flute, bass drum, percussion); Tony Banks (vocals, 12-string guitar, piano, electric piano, organ, Mellotron, keyboards); Phil Collins (vocals, drums, percussion); Steve Hackett (guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar).

Audio Remasterers: Chris Blair; Geoff Callingham; Nick Davis.

Recording information: Island Studios, London, England.

Photographers: Geoff Terrill; Barry Wentzell.

Unknown Contributor Role: Steve Hackett.

Arranger: Genesis.

Foxtrot is where Genesis began to pull all of its varied inspirations into a cohesive sound -- which doesn't necessarily mean that the album is streamlined, for this is a group that always was grandiose even when they were cohesive, or even when they rocked, which they truly do for the first time here. Indeed, the startling thing about the opening "Watcher of the Skies" is that it's the first time that Genesis attacked like a rock band, playing with a visceral power. There's might and majesty here, and it, along with "Get 'Em Out by Friday," is the truest sign that Genesis has grown muscle without abandoning the whimsy. Certainly, they've rarely sounded as fantastical or odd as they do on the epic 22-minute closer "Supper's Ready," a nearly side-long suite that remains one of the group's signature moments. It ebbs, flows, teases, and taunts, see-sawing between coiled instrumental attacks and delicate pastoral fairy tales. If Peter Gabriel remained a rather inscrutable lyricist, his gift for imagery is abundant, as there are passages throughout the album that are hauntingly evocative in their precious prose. But what impresses most about Foxtrot is how that precociousness is delivered with pure musical force. This is the rare art-rock album that excels at both the art and the rock, and it's a pinnacle of the genre (and decade) because of it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Easily the most angular and eccentric Genesis album, FOXTROT is where Peter Gabriel's idiosyncratic lyricism bears full fruit. "Get 'em Out By Friday" and "Watcher of the Skies" brim with Gabriel's quirky combination of poetics, politics, and philosophy, and with the tricky time signatures and instrumental flights that are early-Genesis trademarks.

Though these are some of the most powerful, memorable songs in the Genesis catalog, FOXTROT's centerpiece is the 23-minute epic "Supper's Ready," a prog-rock classic that moves through several sections, shifting tempo, mood, and tone colors as it weaves its rich, complex tale. This composition would become Genesis diehards' most beloved tune, known as a concert favorite for years. SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND may be the definitive Genesis album, but FOXTROT runs a close second, and is just as much of a gem in the '70s progressive rock crown. minimize