The album that started it all
John Sposato | Syracuse, NY, USA | 11/17/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Originally released on Decca in Spring 1969. Went nowhere. Decca dropped them (they wouldn't even sign the Beatles!). This album is reissued frequently because producer and fellow Charterhouse old boy Jonathan King owns the rights to it and he can reissue it as much as he wants."
In the Beginning is right...
M. Detko | Scarborough, Ontario Canada | 01/23/2003
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Well they look like kids on the cover of the cassette of this I own. The music sounded at different times like Syd Barrett-Floyd, Davey Jones (Bowies first act), Simon and Garfunkel and the Association. The writing is rudimentary, most tunes have no drums, just acoustic guitars being strummed and some poorly-recorded upright piano with strings and horns sprinkled here and there. One thing is obvious though, Peter Gabriel can sing. Though he likely had not realized even a small percent of his ability, he is the main feature of this collection. The lyrics are typical teen-philosophy, unlike the mythical story-teller he later became. Banks also gives a few moments on mainly a bad-sounding piano. I listened for clues to their later writing and found a few tunes had contrasting sections that made them interesting. The song "Window" has definite similarities to parts of Trespass, and notably features backup vocals very much the same as "Dusk" and "Visions of Angels" (sung by Banks and Rutherford). The version I have is mixed so that the tunes all run together, which creates a pleasant effect. The production values are low, and if you've been listening to Genesis since the early 70's like me and haven't heard this, then it's time you did. Otherwise I don't think you will get much out of it. Again, the main feature is Gabriel's teenage voice sounding very recognizeable, and is the main delight in listening to these otherwise rudimentary recordings. The other feature is being totally amazed at the difference between this material and what became their first real album, the great album Trespass."