Nursery Cryme

by

Genesis

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Released in 1971, this is the first album with the "classic" Genesis lineup and the first to feature the distinctive ensemble sound that would characterize their work up to late 1976.

What is particularly noticeable about some of the longer pieces on this album including "The Musical Box" and "Return of the Giant Hogweed" is an aggressive and harsh sound that is largely reflected in Steve Hackett's guitar work. Although I do not know this for certain, I suspect that this heaviness may have resulted from exposure to the music of fellow Charisma label band Van der graaf Generator while on "package" tours in Britain.

One other new element that helped shape the classic Genesis sound was the addition of superb drummer Phil Collins, who brought a superior level of musicianship to the band that the previous drummer (John Mayhew) was not able to. As such, the use of unusual time signatures increased and the ensemble work became a bit more sophisticated over that found on Trespass (1970). Other interesting developments include the use of the mellotron by keyboardist Tony Banks, an instrument which is featured prominently on "Seven Stones" and the excellent "The Fountain of Salmacis", a piece that Tony wrote while studying physics at Sussex University. Quieter pieces on the album include "For Absent Friends" (which features Phil Collins on vocals) and "Harlequin", while "Harold the Barrel" is somewhere in the middle.

Interestingly enough, Tony Banks has been quoted as saying he did not feel that Nursery Cryme was much of an improvement over Trespass (1970). Although this may only hold partially true musically, conceptually and lyrically this is a completely different story. With regard to the lyrics, the cosmic and surreal imagery that would dominate the Peter Gabriel years was first expressed on Nursery Cryme. For example, "Return of the Giant Hogweed" describes (in anthropomorphic terms) how the invasive wetland plant species Heracleum mantegazziani (giant hogweed) threatens to take over the countryside. As a biologist, the thought of an invasive plant (that grows to 15-20 feet in height) shouting, "Human bodies soon will know our anger. Kill them with your Hogweed hairs!" tickled me pink.

Other bizarre imagery includes a young boy that ages suddenly, dies, and his spirit then takes up residence in a musical box belonging to his playmate. Consumed by a "lifetimes worth of desires", the spirit of "young Henry" lunges at the girl, only to have the nanny rush into the room and destroy the musical box, thus killing poor Henry.

All in all, this is a great album that initiates a four-year period where Genesis was at a creative and artistic peak. Although the production quality is somewhat muddy, and it does not possess the polish and sophistication of "Selling England by the Pound" (1973), this is still an excellent album and is recommended.

This album is, in my opinion, the weakest of the Gabriel-era Genesis albums. That being said, however, I must point out that even then, it is still head and shoulders above almost anything that is being put out nowadays. I, like most others, consider the Musical Box the highlight of this album. It starts out slow and quiet, yet still musically complex. It then slowly builds over a 10-minute period to a frenzied climax and ending. This is what prog rock is all about! As for the other longer compositions, The Return of the Giant Hogweed and The Fountain of Salmacis, while not as entertaining musically as The Box, they show why Gabriel-era Genesis is the "thinking man's Genesis". There's really nothing quite like them, even on other early Genesis albums. The four shorter songs here are all worthy efforts, including the first lead vocal by Phil Collins, which is a preview of the Genesis of the 80's.

As I've said before on some of my other reviews (I own all Genesis albums, and I intend to review them all), I feel sometimes like I'm the only one who likes both Gabriel-era and Collins-era Genesis, even though musically, they are almost totally different. Gabriel-era stuff is heavy on mythology and highly technical, organized, innovative work. It's an acquired taste. Every Gabriel-era album I own, I didn't like at first, but they've grown on me over the years, and now I enjoy them all. This is in contrast to the later Genesis led by Phil Collins, which is a much simpler type of music, shorter on the complex mythology and lyrics, but much longer on just good music, the kind you can sing along to in the car (yes, I do this, just ask my wife). They each have their place, and there is plenty of room out there for both.