These days, it’s not easy being a fan of old Genesis music. Both McGehee and Michele of Popped Culture (Formerly A Small Victory) are making fun of a couple of Genesis classics of late. But that put me in mind of another, slightly less well-known Genesis song that could have very well have been the theme of the recent Democratic National Convention — it even features a character named John.
Lyrics below the fold.
J.
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“Invisible Touch” = Best Genesis Song Ever.
Go ahead – mock me if you must. I stand by my statement.
I thought that was a Phil Collins solo tune. I could be wrong; it got hard to tell there for a while.
David, that is the one song on that entire album that I loathe.
That said, “The Brazilian” is sheer brilliance. I can’t help but move to it (way too uncoordinated to call it “dancing”) every time I hear it. In fact, it’s the 2nd track on my workout mix on my MP3 player (“Supper’s Ready” gets me through most of the treadmill part).
J.
Hey, nice to find a Genesis fan around the right-blogosphere. Lileks is a fan too, by the way.
Your thread title is from “Back In NYC,” which is right after “Grand Parade,” if I recall. That’s one of Genesis’ finest-ever songs, despite its weirdness; there’s a reason it was one of only two Genesis songs Peter Gabriel would perform on his solo tours.
Jeff, I’m glad you caught the quote. It just fit so perfectly, I had to use it, even though it is from another track.
I used to use that and lines from “Counting Out Tim” as signature quotes in college, but after once sending the sysadmin the quote “Erongenous zones I question you- Without you, what would a poor boy do? Without you, mankind handkinds thru the blues,” I had to retire them.
And I don’t care what Michelle says — I LOVE “Supper’s Ready.” And did you catch the remake of “Carpet Crawlers” on the “Turn It On Again” compilation? FANTASTIC!
OK, back to work…
J.
Er… “Counting Out Time.” I dunno who Tim is in this context…
J.
“Supper’s Ready” is the song which singlehandedly converted me from an elitist rock and roll “authenticist” (you know, with trendy hatred for prog-rock in all its forms as “pretentious and self-indulgent,” etc.) to, if not a lover, then at least someone who had an open mind and a healthy respect for Peter Gabriel’s lyrics and Steve Hackett’s guitarwork. Later on, as I bought more and more Genesis material, I grew to really love the genre at its best – stupid lyrics aside, Yes wasn’t that bad, but it was 70’s King Crimson and Genesis which really captured my attention. Genesis is now actually my favorite band (you MUST buy the first boxed set, Genesis Archive: 1967-75 if you like them, since it’s all completely unreleased with a slew of awesome live material including a complete performance of The Lamb and a great “Supper’s Ready”), which considering I’m only 23 offers hope for the new generation of music enthusiasts.