Tutti sanno che i Genesis sono stati una delle formazioni progressive migliori in assoluto, almeno fino a quando c'era al comando Peter Gabriel. Ma non tutti sanno che i Genesis hanno esordito con un album, "From Genesis To Revelation", che fu un flop assoluto, vendendo a stento 600 copie. Ma la formazione non è quella che tutti conoscono, formazione che diverrà quella più importante (Gabriel, Collins, Rutherford, Hackett e Banks) l'anno dopo con l'album "Trespass", che si avvicina molto più al progressive che caratterizzerà la prima decade Genesisiana rispetto al pop fantasioso dell'album precedente.

L'album esordisce con Looking For Someone, una canzone però senza infamia e senza lode, che non lascia il segno, anche se Banks fa già valere le sue grandissimi doti. White Mountain è invece una delle migliori canzoni dell'LP, dove Gabriel si esibisce in una performance vocale di grande spessore e dove la struggente tastiera di Banks lascia senza fiato! Comunque c'è da dire che White Mountain è un po' monotona, e dopo 3 minuti avrete già imparato il ritmo a menadito! Vision Of Angels è una bella ballata di 7 minuti circa dal ritmo dolce ed armonioso, dove Banks si esibisce al piano in maniera egregia, senza però oscurare il lavoro di Hackett, Rutherford e Collins, con il solito Gabriel alla voce. Stagnation è una canzone mediocre, che segue la falsa-riga della canzone precedente, perdendone però il confronto. Dusk è la canzone più breve dell'LP (4 minuti), l'ennesimo lento che però stavolta cammina sulle corde di Hackett e sulla voce di Gabriel. Eccoci arrivati ad una delle canzoni più famose dei Genesis che poi diventerà in futuro la canzone conclusiva dei concerti Genesisiani: The Knife, una canzone rockeggiante dall'atmosfera ironica ma allo stesso tempo inquietante, di cui lo stile musicale verrà ripreso con The Return Of The Giant Hogweed mentre i temi sono quelli che viene percorso nell'intero LP: la colpa e le leggende di origini medievali e barocche, che richiamano proprio in certi casi (soprattutto in Nursery Cryme) la musicalità barocca, che però nei Genesis è solo elemento di contorno, che ha lo scopo di rendere ancor più affascinante una musicalità raffinata e genuina, mentre il vero barocco si è visto fino all'esasperazione prima con i Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, e poi con i Kiss, i Queen, ecc, e si è visto anche nei travestimenti inquietanti ed ironici di Gabriel nei concerti da "Foxtrot" in poi. Ma già proprio da "Foxtrot", la raffinatezza aumenterà notevolmente fino ad arrivare alla magnificità di "Selling England By The Pound", vero must della discografia Genesisiana, abbandonando definitivamente la parziale pomposità presente nei primi album (primo di tutti "From Genesis To Revelation").

In realtà quest'album non è altro che il punto d'origine dove poi da "Nursery Cryme" a "Wind & Wuthering" sarà disegnato il cerchio perfetto della musica Genesisiana, cerchio che verrà cancellato in parte dagli album commerciali anni '80 e '90. Quindi questo disco è consigliato a chi già conosce i Genesis di Gabriel, per capire in che modo hanno piantato le loro radici, mentre gli altri... potrebbero fare una scoperta interessante...

Elenco tracce testi e samples

01   Looking for Someone (07:04)

Looking for someone, I guess I'm doing that,
Trying to find a mem'ry in a dark room.
Dirty man, you're looking like a Buddha,
I know you well - yeah.

Keep on a straight line, I don't believe I can,
Trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Chilly wind you're piercing like a dagger,
It hurts me so - yeah.

Nobody needs to discover me,
I'm back again.
You see the sunlight through the
Trees to keep you warm,
In peaceful shades of green.
Yet in the darkness of my mind
Damascus wasn't far behind.

Lost in a subway, I guess I'm losing time,
There's a man looking at a magazine.
You're such a fool, your mumbo-jumbo
Never tells me anything - yeah.

Nobody needs to discover me,
I'm back again.
You feel the ashes from the
Fire that kept you warm.
Its comfort disappears,
But still the only friend I know
Would never tell me where I go.

Looking for someone,
And now I've found myself a name.
Come away, leave me,
All that I have I will give.
Leave me, leave me,
All that I am I will give.

02   White Mountain (06:40)

Thin hung the web like a trap in a cage
The fox lay asleep in his lair
Fangs frantic paws told the tale of his sin
Far off the chase shrieked revenge

Outcast he trespassed where no wolf may tread
The last sacred haunt of the dead
He learnt of a truth which only one wolf may know
The sceptre and crown of the king
Howling for blood, One-eye leads on the pack
Plunging through forests and snow-storms

Steep rose the ridge, ghostly peaks climbed the sky
Fang sped through jungles of ice
Hard on his rail, One-eye drew from the pack
An old hero conquered by none

Steep, far too steep, grew the pathway ahead
Descent was the only escape
A wolf never flees in the face of his foe
Fang knew the price he would pay
One-eye stood before him
With the crown upon his head
Sceptre raised to deal the deadly blow

Fang, Son of Great Fang, the Traitor we seek
The laws of the Brethren say this:
That only the King sees the Crown of the Gods
And he, the Ursurper must die -

Snarling he tore at the throat of his foe
But Fang fought the hero in vain
Dawn saw the white mountain tinted with red
Never would the Crown leave again
One-eye hid the Crown and with laurels on his head
Returned amongst the tribe and dwelt in peace

03   Visions of Angels (06:48)

Standing in a forest gazing at the sun
looking at the trees but there's not even one
See a rippling stream that smiles and then goes by
run to feel its comfort but the water's dry.

I see her face and run to take her hand
Why she's never there I just don't understand
The trumpets sound my whole world crumbles down

Visions of angels all around
dance in the sky
Leaving me here
forever goodbye.

As the leaves will crumble so will fall my love
for the fragile beauty of our lives must fade
Though I once remember echoes of my youth
now I sense no past, no love that ends in love

Take this dream the stars have filled with light
As the blossom glides like snowflakes from the trees
In vengeance to a god no-one can reach.

Visions of angels all around
dance in the sky
Leaving me here
forever goodbye.

Ice is moving and world's begun to freeze
see the sunlight stopped and deadened by the breeze
Minds are empty bodies move insensitive
some believe that when they die they really live

I believe there never is an end
God gave up this world its people long ago
Why she's never there I still don't understand

Visions of angels all around
dance in the sky
Leaving me here
forever goodbye.

Visions of angels all around
dance in the sky
Leaving me here
forever goodbye.

04   Stagnation (08:46)

Here today the red sky tells its tale
But the only listening eyes are mine
There is peace amongst the hills
And the night will cover all my pride
Blessed are they who smile from bodies free
Seems to me like any other crowd
Who are waiting to be saved

Wait, there still is time for washing in the pool
Wash away the past
Moon, my long lost friend is smiling from above
Smiling at my tears
Come, we'll walk the path that takes us to my home
Keep outside the night
The ice-cold knife has come to decorate the dead
Somehow

And each will find a home
And there will still be time for love in my friend
- you are there -

And will I wait forever behind the silent mirror
And fish for bitter minnows
Amongst the weeds and slimy waters

I, I, I, I, I,
I, I, I, I, I, said I wanna sit down
I, I, I, I, I,
I, I, I, I, I, said I wanna sit down
I want a drink, I want a drink
To take all the dust and the dirt from my throat
I want a drink, I want a drink
To wash out the filth that is deep in my guts
I want a drink

Then let us drink
Then let us smile
Then let us go

05   Dusk (04:11)

See my hand is moving,
Touching all that's real.
And once it stroked love's body,
Now it claws the past.

The scent of a flower,
The colours of the morning.
Friends to believe in,
Tears soon forgotten.
See how the rain drives away, another day.

If a leaf has fallen,
Does the tree lie broken?
And if we draw some water,
Does the well run dry?

The sigh of a mother,
The screaming of lovers.
Like two angry tigers,
They tear at each other.
See how for him, lifetime's fears disappear.

Once a Jesus suffered,
Heaven could not see him.
And now my ship is sinking,
the captain stands alone.

A pawn on a chessboard,
A false move by God will now destroy me,
But wait, on the horizon,
A new dawn seems to be rising,
Never to recall this passerby, born to die.

06   The Knife (08:55)

For Those that Trespass against us


Tell me my life is about to begin
Tell me that I am a hero,
Promise me all of your violent dreams
Light up your body with anger.
Now, in this ugly world
it is time to destroy all this evil.
Now, when I give the word
get ready to fight for your freedom
Now -

Stand up and fight, for you know we are right
We must strike at the lies
That have spread like disease through our minds.
Soon we'll have power, every soldier will rest
And we'll spread out our kindness
To all who our love now deserve.
Some of you are going to die -
Martyrs of course to the freedom that I shall provide.

I'll give you the names of those you must kill,
All must die with their children.
Carry their heads to the palace of old,
Hang them high, let the blood flow.
Now, in this ugly world
break all the chains around us,
Now, the crusade has begun
give us a land fit for heroes,
Now -

Stand up and fight, for you know we are right
We must strike at the lies
That have spread like disease through our minds.
Soon we'll have power, every soldier will rest
And we'll spread out our kindness
To all who our love now deserve.
Some of you are going to die -
Martyrs of course to the freedom that I shall provide.

We are only wanting freedom
We are only wanting freedom
We are only wanting freedom
We are only wanting freedom ("Freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom...")
We are only wanting freedom ("Things are getting out of control here today")
We are only wanting freedom ("OK men - fire over their heads!")
We are only wanting freedom

--- WE HAVE WON ---

Some of you are going to die,
Martyrs of course to the freedom that I shall provide.

Carico i commenti...  con calma

Altre recensioni

Di  Old King Cole

 "La magia parte subito, dal primo accordo di 'Looking For Someone'"

 "Un capolavoro!"


Di  paolofreddie

 In sei tracce i Genesis hanno ben definito il loro sound ideale e già la musica si può definire più che buona.

 The Knife è meritatamente una perla del progressive con i suoi continui cambi di tempo e la teatralità di Peter Gabriel.


Di  TheNemesis

 "Con Trespass i Genesis iniziano a far capire di che cosa sono capaci, ad appena 19 anni..."

 "Un piccolo capolavoro che è 'Stagnation', con un assolo di hammond notevole su base acustica."