Trespass

Introduction

I know that to many people, Genesis is Phil Collins' backing band, and while he was a great drummer and adequate vocalist, the band was always a lot more than that.

The classic, and probably greatest lineup was Phil Collins, drums, Mike Rutherford, bass, Steve Hackett, guitars and Peter Gabriel voice. I know they played a lot more instruments than listed, but that is the band I think of when the name is mentioned.

However.....

Trespass

My vinyl copy, I hadn't realised that the knife appears on the outer and inner covers.

This was the band's second album and this was before Phil Collins and Steve Hackett joined. It was their last album with original guitarist Anthony Phillips and their only album with drummer John Mayhew.

Its look and feel is, in my opinion, pastoral, although "The Knife" is a vicious closer to the album. It is a favourite album of mine and I play it often on vinyl as well as digitally.

It is five-sixths gentle and relaxing, although there is a darkness in some of the songs, which softens you up before you are hit with "The Knife".

The production on the album gives a great feeling of open space, I don't if there is a little overall reverb, but it sounds impressive from the moment it starts, either on vinyl or digital.

I will use this to share the music from the album with you and say a little about each song.

Looking For Someone

A gentle start to the album. After the organ and Gabriel's voice, the band join in, and the song then veers between power and gentle interludes.

White Mountain

This one seems to expand the sound with an acoustic intro, which moves quite quickly about an outcast wolf that builds to a final confrontation with an outcome that you have to listen to the song to find out.

Visions Of Angels

This is a beautiful piece of music, like the previous songs, set in snowy forests on hills and mountains, but about someone seeing angels as the weather becomes colder and colder.

Stagnation

This is the dedication for this end of civilisation beauty:

To Thomas S.Eiselberg, a very rich man, who was wise

Enough to spend all his fortunes in burying himself

Many miles beneath the ground. as the only surviving

Member of the human race, he inherited the whole world

That would be a very difficult and horrible situation to be in.

These words are amazing:

And will I wait for ever, beside the silent mirror

And fish for bitter minnows amongst the weeds

And slimy water.

Dusk

This is very gentle, acoustic with a hint of danger. Maybe it is preparing you for "The Knife". It is the shortest song on the album, but still clocks in at over four minutes.

The Knife

As I said earlier, it's like the other songs on the album were softening you up for this vicious finale.

The final lines are:

"Some Of You Are Going To Die

Martyrs, Of Course, To The Freedom We Will Provide"

The song was unusually aggressive for Genesis at the time, as most of their work consisted of soft, pastoral acoustic textures and poetic lyrics. It features a bouncy, march-like organ riff, heavily distorted guitars and bass, and fast drumming. (Peter Gabriel said he wanted to write something that had the excitement of "Rondo" by the Nice, and the song's working title was "Nice".) In the lyrics of the song, Gabriel, influenced by a book on Gandhi, "wanted to try [to] show how all violent revolutions inevitably end up with a dictator in power"

Taken from this piece on the album:

Conclusion

Thank you for reading and hopefully listening. There is some beautiful music on here, although the finale does hit you like a hammer.

It is still a favourite album of mine and as I write this, I am listening to my copy from the Genesis CD box, which (if you have the money, you might be able to get it here).