GENESIS: NURSERY CRYME (1971)
Upon its release, the album
received mixed reviews and wasn’t commercially successful. It became famous
only in Italy, reaching at No.4 in the album charts. (Italy always had - and
still has - a devoted Progressive Rock fan base).
The next song, ‘For absent friends’ is a ballad, about two widows that are going to
church and pray for their dead husbands. That
is officially the first song where Phil Collins is taking the role of the lead
singer, and that is something he will do a lot later on, after the
departure of Peter Gabriel.
Nursery Cryme was the 3rd studio album recorded by Genesis,
and it was released on the 12th November 1971. It is the band’s first album including
Phil Collins on drums and Steve Hackett on guitar. (Phil Collins replaced
John Mayhew and Steve Hackett came as a replacement of Anthony Phillips). This classic, five-piece line-up of Peter
Gabriel, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks, will
remain unchanged until the departure of Peter Gabriel on 1975.
Nursery
Cryme signifies a major change in the band’s sound, by moving away from the
folk-oriented sound of ‘Trespass’, and getting into a more aggressive guitar-driven
Progressive Rock style.
Upon its release, the album
received mixed reviews and wasn’t commercially successful. It became famous
only in Italy, reaching at No.4 in the album charts. (Italy always had - and
still has - a devoted Progressive Rock fan base).
The album begins with one of the band’s
most famous songs; The Musical Box,
with the bizarre and kind of twisted lyrics.
The story is written by Peter Gabriel and
is taking place in Victorian England, concerning two brothers (a boy and a
girl) that live in a farm. The girl (Synthia) kills her brother (Henry), by
chopping off his head with a cricket bat. (That’s the picture on the cover
actually). After his death, Synthia discovers Henry’s Musical box. When
she opens it, Henry returns through it as a ghost, and he starts aging very
fast. As he had already grown, he tries to persuade Synthia to have sex with
him. At that point his nurse grabs the musical box, throw it at him, and they
are both destroyed.
The next song, ‘For absent friends’ is a ballad, about two widows that are going to
church and pray for their dead husbands. That
is officially the first song where Phil Collins is taking the role of the lead
singer, and that is something he will do a lot later on, after the
departure of Peter Gabriel.
The lyrics in ‘Fountain of Salmasis’ are taken from the Greek mythology. It is the
story of the nymph Salmasis, who tried to rape Hermaphroditus. In this version
of the myth, Salmasis and
Hermaphroditus are becoming one in the end.
Another very interesting
(lyric-wise) song is The Return of the
Giant Hogweed, in which, Peter Gabrile tells the apocalyptic story of a
"regal hogweed" being brought from Russia by a Victorian explorer to
the Royal Gardens at Kiev. Later, after being planted by country gentlemen in
their gardens, the hogweeds take on a life of their own and spread their seed
throughout England,
preparing for an onslaught. The citizens attempt to assault
the hogweeds with herbicide, but the plants are immune. After a brief
instrumental (subtitled "The Dance of the Giant Hogweed"), the song
ends in a crashing climax where the hogweed reigns victorious over the human
race.
(Did I mention that one of the reasons I
love Genesis so much is because of their lyrics)?
In my opinion ‘Nursery Cryme’ is a brilliant album and a very good
example of Progressive Rock of the 70’s. It's not an easy album to listen;
perhaps it’s the contrary. But if you discover its hidden pleasures, you will
love it for the rest of your life. (As I do for the last 20+ years now).
My Rating: 5 stars.
If you click on the following link you will see a live performance of The Musical Box filmed for the Belgian TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W35wtfcByIY
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