Customer Reviews

DUKE

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

With 1978's ...AND THEN THERE WERE THREE, Genesis proved that becoming a trio & more of a pop band wasn't something they were unable to do. Rather, they did it & were fantastic at it! Not much of the band's progressive sound had been diluted, it was just being employed on shorter songs that were more likely to get on the radio. After a two-year break, Genesis came roaring back into the marketplace with 1980's DUKE.

When "Follow You Follow Me" became Genesis' first American top 30 hit, that had to have convinced the trio that people were listening to them & waiting for more from Genesis. DUKE certainly didn't disappoint with 2 major hit singles & a million-selling album that also happened to be one of the finest in Genesis' catalog.

Keyboardist Tony Banks & guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford had long been acquainted with writing their own songs, but drummer/vocalist Phil Collins hadn't had enough practice yet & before DUKE, was more comfortable writing songs as part of a unit. But with his first marriage on the rocks, Phil must have found some therapy in writing his own music, enough to even lay the groundwork for his first solo album around the time of DUKE's recording. Before that, Phil gave two solo compositions to the band: the insanely catchy "Misunderstanding" (Genesis' first excursion into the top 20) & the heartbreaking ballad "Please Don't Ask". While the former may not be directly related to Phil's marital troubles, the latter's relevance is more than palpable, with a sense of "let's try & work this out" sentiment to it. The much deeper look into Phil's psyche of 1981's FACE VALUE is first evident on "Please Don't Ask".

Even on the songs Phil sang, but didn't write, there's a sense that he was using his own personal upheaval as a source of inspiration for his singing. Mike Rutherford's "Alone Tonight" is clearly coming from a man who needs someone to love, but has become too accustomed to being alone to really know when it's there (sort of autobiographical here). Tony Banks' brief "Guide Vocal" takes a different side, perhaps indicating Phil is bitterly saying farewell to his estranged wife & maybe the grass is greener on the other side. Talk about your mixed emotions!

But DUKE is not just simply a dry run for Phil's aural therapy session on FACE VALUE. This is still a Genesis album, and it's an excellent showcase for the band's always-tight musicianship. DUKE opens with a bang on the group-penned "Behind The Lines". Perhaps similar to the "day in the life of a rock star" opener of ...ATTWT ("Down & Out"), Phil would later re-record this song for FACE VALUE, giving it a decidely different arrangement. "Turn It On Again" was the album's other hit single (despite charting in the lower half of the Hot 100), and has long been a fan favorite, even lending its name to the band's greatest hits album. Again, catchy as hell, all doubts about Genesis not being able to rock are silenced once one hears this song.

The less personal numbers on DUKE are equally strong. The band-written "Duchess" was written about a year before Princess Diana, but its story of a much-loved & tragic public figure (for this song, a singer) is eerily prophetic. It still stands as a near-spot-on commentary about the price of fame. Mike's "Man Of Our Times" is a slow-moving, dirge-like number that could be about a politician, a king or any famous man of some sort. Good groove to it, though. Tony's "Heathaze" has an ethereal, windswept quality that would not have been out of place on 1977's WIND & WUTHERING. The meaning to Tony's "Cul-De-Sac" is hard to discern, but it's still a fine performance all the same. As with any of Tony's compositions, the keyboards are front & center in the mix, carrying the song fabulously.

To show that they hadn't completely turned their back on the progressive days, DUKE began the tradition of featuring at least one song that can rank as tried-and-true progressive rock. For this album, it was the closing two tracks of "Duke's Travels" & "Duke's End". The first part opens with a shimmering wall of synthesized keyboards that literally wraps the listener in sound before Phil's long-underrated prowess as a drummer comes in, leading the band on an epic, layered instrumental work that shows off the benefits of DUKE having been recorded at ABBA's Polar Studios in Sweden. It was one of the first all-digital studios ever built. Although listed as an instrumental "Duke's Travels" does have lyrics (a reprise of "Guide Vocal"). The second part closes out the album with a much more syncopated version of the first part, bringing DUKE to a smashing end.

With their commercial standing increasing as time went on, Genesis more than proved they were not just another band commercializing their music to get on the radio & sell more records. At the same time, Genesis were improving as a band, exploring unchartered (for them, at least) musical waters. Even nearly 25 years after its release, DUKE still ranks as one of Genesis' finest albums, especially at a then-lengthy 55 minutes. With Genesis on their way to becoming pop music royalty, DUKE was more than an appropriate moniker.

The term "masterpiece" isn't thrown around lightly by me. So when I term Genesis 1980 effort "Duke" a masterpiece, it really doesn't get much better than this. Many look upon "Duke" as the last hurrah in terms of Genesis being a full-fledged Progressive Rock band (I think the next effort "Abacab" still showed some Progressive Rock life left in the band). Some will also look at "Duke" as showing some of the early signs of Genesis turning the corner into becoming a mainstream/pop band (which to some extent is fair). Whatever the case, "Duke" scores big.

When I look at Genesis as band, I see four distinct phases the band has gone through. Phase 1 is the Peter Gabriel Era. This spans from 1969 ("From Genesis to Revelation") to 1974 ("The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway"). It was during Phase 1 that Peter Gabriel was the lead vocalist and Genesis could easily be categorized as a progressive Rock band. Phase 2 is the Early Phil Collins Era spanning from 1976 ("A Trick of the Tail") to 1982 ("Three Sides Live"). In this era, Phil Collins took over as lead singer. The band was still very much a progressive rock band, but as the progressive rock landscape would change - so would Genesis. This might indirectly have led to Phase 3 which is the Late Phil Collins Era from 1983 ("Genesis") to 1993 ("The Way We Walk Volume 2: The Longs"). This is the commercial/pop era that I referred to earlier. At this point, there would be a lot less progressive rock flavor to Genesis' music. The fourth phase, Phase 4 is the Ray Wilson Era. This was when Ray Wilson took over as lead vocalist for Phil Collins. There would only be one album in this era - 1997's "Calling All Stations" and it seemed like Genesis tried to recapture some of their progressive rock roots - but 90s style. "Duke" was basically done toward the end of Phase 2.

In terms of being a Progressive Rock album, "Duke" clearly falls into this category. The nice thing about "Duke" is that while it does stick to the Progressive Rock roots, it has the type of sound that will appeal to the mainstream fan. Throw in three songs that would be classified mainstream ("Please Don't Ask", "Misunderstanding" and "Turn It On Again") and it solidifies this broad appeal. In keeping with the times (1980), it seems as though Genesis strives to wrap this up into a "Concept" type album. The "Concept" isn't quite tangible, but many of the songs seem to have an interwoven thread. Using my imagination, I take the album to be a musical journey by someone named "Duke".

Another interesting thing is that 5 songs are credited as being written by the combination of Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Phil Collins. However the remaining seven songs are credited as being written individually by Tony Banks (who has 3), Mike Rutherford (who has 2), and Phil Collins (who has 2). You can see that Phil has the most "Pop" influence with the songs "Misunderstanding" and the ballad "Please Don't Ask". I think Tony has the most Progressive Rock sounding songs ("Guide Vocal", "Heathaze", and "Cul De Sac"). Mike straddles between the fence of Progressive ("Man Of Our Times") and quasi-Pop ("Alone Tonight").

The collection starts off with a four song "suite". These are basically four songs that segue one into another. The suite starts off with "Behind the Lines". This is a song that Phil Collins would also cover on his "Face Value" solo album. This is a jointly written song by the trio and really kicks off the "musical journey". I think Collins' drums are incredible on this song. The song then eases into what is the suite and the collection's most powerful track - "Duchess". The music slows down and then builds back up over 2 minutes into some powerful and emotional music. You can hear the raw emotion in Phil's voice and Tony's keyboard playing. "Duchess", which seems to be the story of a female performer named "Duchess" was another track written by the trio. "Duchess" progresses nicely into the third song of the suite which is Tony's (written) "Guide Vocal". This is a short and soft song 1:30+ minute song which is the perfect interlude to Mike's (written) "Man of All Seasons". On this track the trio has their "A" game with Phil's percussion, Tony's keyboards and Mike's guitars. This is a nice wrap up to almost 20 minutes of non-stop music.

When I first got "Duke", I got it on LP. I always considered the second side of "Duke" (last 6 songs on the CD) one of the greatest album sides of all time. Sure "Turn It On Again" is a classic, but all the songs contributed. One very powerful song is Tony's (written) "Cul De Sac". This is a classic Progressive Rock tune. The set wraps up with another segue of "Duke's Travels" and "Duke's End". "Duke's Travels is almost a full instrumental. No lyrics are listed for this song in the liner notes, but about 6+ minutes into the song, Phil will sing. "Duke's End" is a perfect wrap-up as it incorparates sounds from "Behind the Lines" and "Turn It On Again". "Alone Tonight" was a song that sat perfectly between "Turn It On Again" and "Cul De Sac" while "Please Don't Ask" is the perfect song between "Cul De Sac" and "Duke's Travels".

The CD has illustrations that kind of remind you like a children's storybook. This illustrations carry over into the liner notes and there is a different illustration on each page. The font of the lyrics also is kind of like storybook font. All of the lyrics (with the exception of "Duke's Travels") are included along with the appropriate songwriting credits. This is a great album and will appeal to old and new Genesis fans. I highly recommend this "masterpiece" to add your collection.

This is an album that pretty much ended one era of the band's career...the era of progressive rock. They were getting used to writing and playing in the studio as a trio outfit, and this...their second outing in that vein, Banks, Collins and Rutherford come up with some of the most imaginative, dramatic and catchy songs of their career.

Take for instance, Behind The Lines, the album's opener. You can see why Phil chose to cover this song on his first solo outing. It's a great song that could be done by anyone with any kind of soul in them. As a matter of fact, Duke is by far, one of the most soulful albums that Genesis has ever released. It showed a certain side to the group that even though they were well respected for their long, progressive songs, their shorter, more accessable songs are very hook-laden (the main riff in Turn It On Again is a classic), aggressive (Man of Our Times), and melancholy (Please Don't Ask).

The band hasn't lost its knack for putting out interesting instrumental passages either...Duke's Travels and Duke's End wrap up this album very nicely and concisely, making Duke definitely one of the must-haves for anyone who claims to be a Genesis fan. Yes, this signaled the end of an era, and what a glorious end it was.

I just purchased this version of Duke. What Genesis likes to call their "Definitive Edition Remaster". I believe it was manufactured in 1994 by Atlantic/Time Warner, WEA manufacturing. Most reviews are about the music, which of course is fantastic. Enough said. My comments are simply regarding the technical side of the delivery of said music.

I, like many other 30 to 40 somethings, have been replacing MANY older original 1987 to 1990 compact disc releases with newer "remastered" versions. Many have been a great and welcome necessity. There are a few that just don't improve on the original. This is one of those.

Duke was one of my earliest cd purchases back in the mid-80's. As I remember, it was the 5th cd I ever bought. Mine is a very old Atlantic version (catalog #16014-2) pressed in Japan by JVC. At a time when there were no disc manufacturing plants in America! All early cd's were made in Japan or West Germany.

After purchasing the newer remastered version, I did a quick comparison of the two. Output levels were virtually identical. Surprisingly, my older copy peaked slightly higher during some dynamic sections. My older disc also seemed to have more bottom-end, and an over-all "warmer" feel to it. Kind of like a vinyl record would. Some other reviewers have commented on the "bright" or "shiny" sound of the remaster. I agree.

Many of the older cd's have alot of excessive tape hiss in the background, and remastered versions clean that up significantly. That is not a problem on Duke. One reviewer claimed that Duke was "digitally" recorded. The sleeve notes do not indicate that in any way. They only say recorded at Polar Studios Sweden. Polar Studios may have had some digital recording capabilities, but there were no fully digital, recording, mixing, mastering, available in 1979-80.

Anyway, if you have an older original Gensis Duke cd, you may not want to waste any time, effort, or money on replacing it with the definitive edition remaster. I know I am keeping mine. If you don't own Duke, you need to. It's really good.

1979 was a difficult year for all so-called prog rock bands. 'Prog' became a dirty word (think of Dave Marsh or Robert Christgau still) - and critics rallied behind the political 'correctness' of punk and...uhm...disco.

Duke was renounced by Genesis' own hardcore fans as a confirmation of 'selling out', already hinted by its previous release, And Then There Were Three (1978), which signalled a peculiar stagnation within the band, overtly attempting to write short concise songs made worse by the overall production that lacked a certain punch and edge.

Duke is evidently a pooling of harmonic and arrangement ideas developed throughout the interim solo hiatus of Tony Banks (A Curious Feeling) and Rutherford (Smallcreep's Day) after Genesis completed their 1978 world tour. Collins, after sorting out - and eventually breaking up - his marriage, returned from Vancouver a changed man - and with a new songwriting arsenal inspired by his personal turmoil...and inside his baggage - the notorious Roland CR78 Rhythm Machine.

Duke was in a way a return to form in a different format. Recorded by David Hentschel at ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm, the production of Duke pointed towards a more 'live' feel - a perfect approach to focus on Collins' more groovier jazz-rock rhythms developed during his stints with Brand X. Duke's only setback is the rather uneven mood of the song list - majestic suites and passionate instrumentals just don't mix too well with overtly quiet ballads - and neither did the band's decision to split and disperse the originally intended Duke suite (Behind The Lines - Duchess - Turn It On again - Duke's Travels - Duke's End) help much.

Many observers have pointed to Duke as the band's first blatant change of direction into pop. While this holds true when one analyzes the songwriting (e.g. Misunderstanding, Behind the Lines, Turn It On again, Please Don't Ask, Alone Tonight) - many tend to overlook that the execution of arrangements and playing on Duke (as well as its harmonic complexities) sits closer with the 1976-78 Genesis period compared to the following Abacab-Mama period. Many may find the execution being actually very dense (the Duke suite, Man of Our Times, Cul-De-Sac) - something that would be totally abandoned on it's subsequent 1981 release Abacab.

So in a way, Duke is a critical transition album that may offer much to both old guard and post-1981 Genesis fans - and a perfect introduction to those showing an initial interest in the band - akin to a strategically placed road sign offering all the clues and directions to the entire musical output of the band. Choose prog or (good) pop.

Compared with all of the other Genesis albums I own (and I own many, including the "classic" albums with Peter Gabriel) Duke brings me the most satisfaction as a listener. It is a rare breed of record, not unlike Rush's Moving Pictures, that works as a progressive album AND a pop album, a work both musicians and more casual music fans can enjoy equally without compromise. Duke is artistically grand in its scope, accessible in its execution. It has style with substance, substance with style that sets it apart from most records. The sprawl of classic art-rock records ("Behind The Lines/"Duchess"/"Guide Vocal" suite) with a grand instrumental excursion ("Duke's Travels/"Duke's End") that ties the beginning and end together, giving the record somewhat of a "concept" feel. It boasts concisely arranged AOR radio hits ("Misunderstanding", "Turn It On Again"), adult contemporary ("Please Don't Ask"), and great symphonic prog pomp in tightly arranged pieces ("Heathaze", "Cul-De-Sac", "Man Of Our Times") that could very well have given birth to the "neo-prog" movement a full three years before Marillion was given the credit. Even though Duke did mark the end of Genesis as a "progressive" band, this is a great step forward in many areas. And that is a TRUE definition of progression: moving forward. The production is much improved over any Genesis record to this date (1980). Previous records, such as And Then There Were Three...(1978) and Wind And Wuthering (1977) suffered from thin production value, so much that you began to wonder: Where is the BAND? On Duke, everything is brought further to the front, especially the "wide-open" sound of Phil Collins's drums, soon to become an identifying trademark. Collins is in fine vocal form here, likely because you feel he is not straining to be heard. Tony Banks's keyboards provide an otherworldly atmosphere to the tracks, especially the haunting chorused electric piano segue into "Duchess", the grace and pomp of "Cul-De-Sac", and the grandeur of "Duke's Travels/Duke's End"). Mike Rutherford moves forward as a guitarist here, providing the right textures in his inspired parts. Plus, you can actually hear the bass this time, which sorely lacked on the last two records. There is a bit of a murkiness to the overall production, but it actually serves the downcast nature of the material well, giving the songs an irrepressible aura that appeals for continued listening and absorption into one's soul. The only flaw here songwise is "Alone Tonight", which just comes off as overblown and tepid. The emotion feels so forced here that the song has no real soul, especially when compared with the other ballad "Please Don't Ask", which is much more genuine and meaningful. This proves, in light of Collins's marital problems at the time, that sometimes the best songs do come from real life. You can really FEEL him pouring out everything in his heart and soul here, and it's REAL. So, for that one flawed song, I cannot quite give Duke a 5 star rating. I do wish I could give it 4 and half, because it does deserve more than 4. My personal favorites here (although all other 11 tracks are good) are "Behind The Lines", "Duchess", "Heathaze", "Cul-De-Sac", and "Duke's Travels/Duke's End". A further recommendation, and somewhat similar soundwise, is A Curious Feeling, a Tony Banks solo record that came out the year before this, which proves that he is an outstanding writer even outside the band context.

You know, it's interesting...

Fans of early Genesis (the progressive rock years) consider this album to be the end of an era, while fans of modern Genesis (the pop years) consider this a beginning. What does that tell you?

This is the perfect Genesis crossover (or transition) CD. There really is something here for everyone. While I can't say I'm a fan of the "pop" incarnation of this band, there is more than enough here that I absolutely adore to justify the purchase of this disc. Most prog fans who are open minded enough to appreciate post-Gabriel Genesis should have this CD in their collection, while fans of the modern-day Genesis will have much to gain from getting this CD as well.

If you like Genesis in any of its forms, you need this CD. It's that simple.

At first listen, this sounded like a concept album about divorce, and it probably works better in that context. Half the album was a set of songs co-written by the group about a character (Duke) whose lover leaves him, driving him to madness (a recurring Genesis theme? "Domino"? "Evidence of Autumn"?). These songs were split up on the album because having them in sequence made the rest of the album sound weak by comparison. Add to these a pair of Phil Collins songs about his recent divorce, especially the heartbroken "Please Don't Ask", a couple of feeling-lonely Mike Rutherford cuts, and a couple of gloomy Tony Banks tracks, and the overall feeling is of loss and dissolution.

"Duke" and "...and Then There Were Three" were transition albums between the prog-rock of the 70s and Genesis' pop career of the 80s and early 90s. "Misunderstanding" was the biggest radio hit Genesis had had to date, though at the time the piano shuffle sounded like Toto's "Hold the Line" and the faux-Motown backing vocals had fans screaming "sellout". The best cuts here are from the Duke group: "Turn It On Again" (which has to have had the most airplay ever of any song based on a riff in 13/4 time) and the mostly-instrumental "Duke's Travels", which features another classic Banks synth solo and tremendous drumming by Collins. It's interesting to compare the "heavy" version of "Behind the Lines" included here with the "light" version of Collins' "Face Value" album. I don't care much for the two Rutherford cuts. Banks' "Heathaze" is a pleasant ballad (Tony Banks in-joke: the repeated chords when Collins first sings "I feel like an alien" are the same chords that start "Watcher of the Skies", about an alien). "Cul-de-Sac" seems like a missed opportunity -- if it was stripped of some of the opening clutter and played faster, it would be as powerful as "Squonk". Mike Rutherford gets in a few of his best guitar leads on "Behind the Lines", "Cul-de-Sac", and "Duke's Travels".

The album sound is sort of muddy. The band's surprise at hearing how poor the album sounded on radio led to the sonic overhaul and clear, crisp production of "Abacab". Genesis fans on this site seem to give every single album five stars, which can't be helpful to newcomers trying to figure out where to start. "Duke" is not a good choice for your first Genesis album. It's enjoyable, but not crucial to a music collection.

(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)

Duke is the best Genesis album of the Phil Collins era. A little above Trick of the Tail, further ahead of Abacab and miles away from most of the second side of their self titled album, Invisible Touch, and We Can't Dance. It is one of those albums I love to listen to straight through. It is wonderful and, on a personal level, helped me get through a rough time. I was working at a job I hated 60 miles from home and the one thing that kept my spirits up was knowing I would be listening to this cassette during the commute to and fro. Even though, lyrically, the songs on Duke are about loss, I feel good listening to it. Musically, it is uplifting.

It starts with the powerful "Behind the Lines" (a much better version then the one found on Phil Collins' solo album). "Duchess" is my favorite. It is about the rise and fall of a singer who was, at first, very committed to her art ("But she really cared about her music, it all seemed so important then") but then became wrapped up in trying to keep her newly earned fame ("Too much thinking 'bout the future and what people might want"). On VH1's Behind the Music, Tony Banks referred to this track when describing his band's current state. "Guide Vocal" is tied to "Duchess" and is a short, beautiful ballad with simple piano. "Man of Our Times" is the most experimental of the tracks. The aggressive keyboards almost dominate the vocals. It is a little long and repetitive, but very unique nonetheless. "Misunderstanding" was the single and quite a good one. You can't help but sing along to it, it is very addictive.

On the second side "Turn It On Again" is another fan favorite. It is an aggressive rocker perfect for the live shows. It sounds even better on Three Sides Live. "Alone Again" and "Please Don't Ask" are two pleasing songs about lost love. The latter is a very personal song about Collins' divorce that is, lyrically, even more revealing than the songs on his solo album Face Value ("I know that the kids are well, you're a mother to the world but I miss my boy"). The last tracks are powerful instrumentals (limited vocals on one) that are definitely not fillers. Fans of Genesis' later material who do not have Duke are missing out on something very special. Get this CD! My bet: your Invisible Touch album will start gathering dust.

Duke...was the first album I got when started getting the remastered series. I only had heard Turn It On Again and Misunderstanding from this album, which are still two of my favorites from their 80's albums. Duchess was the one that blew me away. The atmosphere generated from Tony Banks' keyboards and the drum machine is incredible. It's a rather simple song that's brilliantly executed.

Duke is the album that begins a whole era for Genesis. The songs are very accessable and yet still capture the atmosphere and the unique qualities that make up Genesis. Phil Collins' songs have been unfairly maligned. Misunderstanding is a wonderful pop song that I can relate to myself. His other contribution Please Don't ask, might have been better off saved for his first solo album, but it is a moving, and heartfelt song. The other songs from Duke: Heathaze, Cul De Sac, Man Of Our Times are the other standout songs. Duke's Travel/ Duke's End is a majestic instrumental that screams out "We are still Genesis!!" Duke is very much a transition album, in which their sound would continue to change and gain a new and wider audience.