Customer Reviews

Nursery Cryme

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Released in 1971, this is the first album with the "classic" Genesis lineup and the first to feature the distinctive ensemble sound that would characterize their work up to late 1976.

What is particularly noticeable about some of the longer pieces on this album including "The Musical Box" and "Return of the Giant Hogweed" is an aggressive and harsh sound that is largely reflected in Steve Hackett's guitar work. Although I do not know this for certain, I suspect that this heaviness may have resulted from exposure to the music of fellow Charisma label band Van der graaf Generator while on "package" tours in Britain.

One other new element that helped shape the classic Genesis sound was the addition of superb drummer Phil Collins, who brought a superior level of musicianship to the band that the previous drummer (John Mayhew) was not able to. As such, the use of unusual time signatures increased and the ensemble work became a bit more sophisticated over that found on Trespass (1970). Other interesting developments include the use of the mellotron by keyboardist Tony Banks, an instrument which is featured prominently on "Seven Stones" and the excellent "The Fountain of Salmacis", a piece that Tony wrote while studying physics at Sussex University. Quieter pieces on the album include "For Absent Friends" (which features Phil Collins on vocals) and "Harlequin", while "Harold the Barrel" is somewhere in the middle.

Interestingly enough, Tony Banks has been quoted as saying he did not feel that Nursery Cryme was much of an improvement over Trespass (1970). Although this may only hold partially true musically, conceptually and lyrically this is a completely different story. With regard to the lyrics, the cosmic and surreal imagery that would dominate the Peter Gabriel years was first expressed on Nursery Cryme. For example, "Return of the Giant Hogweed" describes (in anthropomorphic terms) how the invasive wetland plant species Heracleum mantegazziani (giant hogweed) threatens to take over the countryside. As a biologist, the thought of an invasive plant (that grows to 15-20 feet in height) shouting, "Human bodies soon will know our anger. Kill them with your Hogweed hairs!" tickled me pink.

Other bizarre imagery includes a young boy that ages suddenly, dies, and his spirit then takes up residence in a musical box belonging to his playmate. Consumed by a "lifetimes worth of desires", the spirit of "young Henry" lunges at the girl, only to have the nanny rush into the room and destroy the musical box, thus killing poor Henry.

All in all, this is a great album that initiates a four-year period where Genesis was at a creative and artistic peak. Although the production quality is somewhat muddy, and it does not possess the polish and sophistication of "Selling England by the Pound" (1973), this is still an excellent album and is recommended.

Led Zeppelin, The Who and Black Sabbath were at the top of their prime and another little known band from England was starting to make a name for themselves. A band to be known for the theatrical performances by their lead man, Peter Gabriel. 'Nursery Cryme' was to become the first album by the lineup that made Genesis famous: Gabriel on vocals, Phil Collins on drums (and backing vocals), Tony Banks on keys, Steve Hackett on guitars, and Mike Rutherford on bass and guitars.

Although it is not the band's best album, it has a handful of some of the best music they ever made. "The Musical Box", one of the band's standards, evokes feelings of victorian nostalgia, in line with the cover of the album, combined with a nightmarish and lunatic discharge that is perfectly framed by the latter part of the song. Viewing this song in a live setting is an experience that can be very hard to compare with anything you run into these days, as Gabriel strolls through the stage wearing the costume of an old man shaking and rattling as the song reaches its climax.

Second to "The Musical Box" is the closing track, "The Fountain of Salmacis", which opened Gabriel up to a stream of mythology-driven writing that would ensue until deep into 'The Lamb Lies Down...' his last album with the band.

Overall, 'Nursery Cryme' deserves four stars due to these two songs (the album sports only seven tracks) and the interesting tale of "The Return of the Giant Hogweed", but it lags behind the albums that would follow it until the departure of Gabriel. If you want to get into serious Genesis music, although this album will end up been a must in your collection, you need to jump first into 'The Lamb...', 'Selling England by The Pound' and 'Foxtrot', in that order.

After hearing Tresspass, I didnt have very high hopes for NC. So I skipped it and got into Selling England, The Lamb and so on. Boy was I the fool. The production quality of this album really gives Genesis a distinguished sound. Also, with the appearance of Phil Collins, it makes the album that much better. The album begins with a really incredible 10 min song named The Musical Box(probably the best tune on the album). The drumming is truly intense, which keeps up with the furious guitar work. Gabriel really lets loose on this tune vocally, and helps Collins out with his old beat up bass drum. Rutherford, truly underated as a member, gives his all in this tune as for Banks who makes the tune, with his incredible talent. As for the rest of the album it can make you go from the sadest of moods with songs like, for absent friends and seven stones, to really angry moods like the freakin amazing, return of the giant hogweed, with a really heavy incredibly kicking ending. The rest cannot go unnoticed, no matter how hard you try. Its just too amazing. Especially the vocals on Harold the Barrel and the lyrically and musically beautiful, fountain of salmacis.

This album is, in my opinion, the weakest of the Gabriel-era Genesis albums. That being said, however, I must point out that even then, it is still head and shoulders above almost anything that is being put out nowadays. I, like most others, consider the Musical Box the highlight of this album. It starts out slow and quiet, yet still musically complex. It then slowly builds over a 10-minute period to a frenzied climax and ending. This is what prog rock is all about! As for the other longer compositions, The Return of the Giant Hogweed and The Fountain of Salmacis, while not as entertaining musically as The Box, they show why Gabriel-era Genesis is the "thinking man's Genesis". There's really nothing quite like them, even on other early Genesis albums. The four shorter songs here are all worthy efforts, including the first lead vocal by Phil Collins, which is a preview of the Genesis of the 80's.

As I've said before on some of my other reviews (I own all Genesis albums, and I intend to review them all), I feel sometimes like I'm the only one who likes both Gabriel-era and Collins-era Genesis, even though musically, they are almost totally different. Gabriel-era stuff is heavy on mythology and highly technical, organized, innovative work. It's an acquired taste. Every Gabriel-era album I own, I didn't like at first, but they've grown on me over the years, and now I enjoy them all. This is in contrast to the later Genesis led by Phil Collins, which is a much simpler type of music, shorter on the complex mythology and lyrics, but much longer on just good music, the kind you can sing along to in the car (yes, I do this, just ask my wife). They each have their place, and there is plenty of room out there for both.

1971 was a wonderful year for music. Van Der Graaf Generator's dark and frankly twisted masterpiece "Pawn Hearts" and Emerson Lake Palmer's brilliant Tarkus opus was on the tip of everyone's tongues, King Crimson were solidifying themselves with Island and Lizard, and Yes were beginning their short lived glory years. And then, almost out of nowhere, we had 5 young young young men, just straight out of Charterhouse College, aiming towards greatness.

This is where things really began to click for Genesis. Trespass was a valid and valiant attempt to better their fortunes after the dismally twee "From Genesis to Revelations", but Nursery Cryme was literally a brisk kick in the ears, just to say "we have finally arrived".

Steve Hackett had arrived on lead guitars and Phil Collins had been drafted in on drums in order to bring some more life into the bands sound, and their contributions must not go un-noted. Collins (say what you like about the man's solo work) is an extremely competant drummer, and Hackett's guitar work can rage hard and heavy in a Fripp stylee, whilst being able to offer a more reflective form of playing at the same time.

The line up was and is the classic line-up

Peter Gabriel: vocals, flute, bass drum
Tony Banks: hammond organ, piano, mellotron
Phil Collins: drums, vocals
Mike Rutherford: bass guitar, 12 string guitar
Steve Hackett: lead guitar, 12 string guitar

Here lieth a breakdown of the brilliance that is Nursery Cryme...

1. The Musical Box: An extremely powerful and somewhat disturbing piece about a boy who was re-incarnated after a rather ahem, nasty accident in the croquet field. Starts off a wonderful harpsichord sound keyboard and gentle acoustic guitar, before hitting into some of their harsher and harshest moments. If anyone ever doubted that Genesis could rock hard and heavy, then play this one for them. Gabriel's vocals are excellent here.

2. For Absent Friends: A calmer tune, sung by Phil Collins of all people, and a slightly distressing tale of suburbia and the distance between people. Short and not at all unpleasant to hear.

3. The return of the giant hogweed: Genesis' playful insanity really comes to the fore in this rather violent number. If the hard rock elements of The Knife on Trespass or The Musical Box appealed to you, then you shall no doubts enjoy this one. An outlandish tale about a giant plant that is taking over Britain, this is far and away the most aggressive song that the boys ever wrote. Gabriel's vocals are harsher and much more jarring on this one, much like Peter Hammill from VDGG in a way. Again, the last two minutes of this track are heavy enough to get any paid up headbanger to bash their heads as Hackett's detuned guitar rips out some dramatic powerchords. A note must be added here also concerning Phil Collins' drumming. Those last two minutes see the good man pretty much sealing his career and his drumming reputation with the band as he bashes the crud out of his kit as the music comes to an explosive climax.

4. Seven Stones: Very King Crimson-ish this mainly nautical number is, dominated to a large degree by Hackett's powerful guitar solos and Tony Banks' Mellotron mastery. The last few moments at the end of this song where Banks' mellotron becomes the dominant factor are truly chilling.

5. Harold the barrel: A catchy and oddly danceable black humoured number dealing with a man who was about to throw himself off a window ledge. Not the most humourous subjects that you could tackle in such a song admittedly, but regardless of all of that, this song is quite amusingly funny. Gabriel's lyrics here are disturbingly silly (i.e. harold the barrel cut off his toes...) and he takes on several roles throughout the song, playing the narrator, town folk, the lord mayor, and Harold himself. Definately a sign post for things to come, and far from a throwaway number.

6. Harlequin. A folky medieval number, probably the weakest song on the album, but not at all terrible by any stretch of the imagination. Very much acoustic based and dominated by some medieval whimsy-cum-lyrics.

7. Fountain of Salmacis: Mellotron ahoy. Tony Banks in my opinion was the principal interpreter of all things mellotronish, and this song really shows his skill on this notoriously difficult instrument off to the fore. The story is quite powerful, dealing with Hermaphroditus (son of Hermes and Aphrodite in Greek mythology) and Salmacis, a water nymph. Gabriel's powerful vocals are purely magical here, to the stage where I really could not imagine anyone else singing this song.

To finish this review, although Genesis were to go on to even greater things with Foxtrot and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, this was a definate sign that this band, at least for a few years, were going to be untouchable.

Recommended? Oh hell yes. Purchase, a.s.a.p.

Nursery Cryme came at perhaps the most interesting time in the band's career. They had just picked up much needed muscle with Hackett and Collins, but were still trying to find their voice as a band. The result is some of the oddest, most original music they have ever composed, played at a new level of competency. For me the most fascinating progressive rock can be the strangest, and--make no mistake--Nursery Cryme is Genesis at their strangest. Here they move away from the folky tendencies of the albums that preceeded it, but are not yet producing music as streamlined and professional as that which would soon come. This is one of the most unique albums in prog rock history.

One of the best things about this album is that the ego jostling has yet to set in. Steve Hackett plays a large role and Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford sing background prominently in some places. Banks even delivers the "Mighty Hogweed" line in "Return of the Giant Hogweed," which is, by the way, a good example of a song with the bizarreness I alluded to earlier.

There are others. "Harold the Barrel" is a off-center but moving mini-opera that takes place in about three minutes, and "Seven Stones" reveals the influence that the first King Crimson album must have had on the band, especially Hackett's guitar solo in the middle and the Mellotronic thunder at the end. Kind of a creepy song in its own way. And speaking of creepy, while "The Musical Box" is an acknowledged epic masterpiece, its theme of a reincarnated (...)fixated villain is so disturbingly obscure that they had to explain the story on the liner notes of the remastered CD (whose sound IS much better than the original vinyl pressing).

The oddness of the music of this record is certainly reflected in the band's colorful stage persona at the time, all infused with a wonderful sense of artistic discovery. We know the three albums to come are the five star classics, but there is something singularly exciting about this record that you won't find anywhere else.

In 1970, after two failed albums,Genesis faced an uncertain future. To add to that, their guitarist Anthony Phillips, and their drummer John Mayhew, had left the band. Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks found two replacements for the departed members in guitarist Steve Hackett, and drummer Phil Collins. This lineup would make some of the most spectacular music ever.

Nursery Cryme, recorded and released in 1971, was their first album together. The first song, a 10 minute epic called "The Musical Box," is almost worth the entire album alone. I is probably their heaviest song, and one of the their darkest (musically). The band clicks together, despite sludgy production, with Collins playing drums like a madman, Steve Hackett's amazing guitar solos, and of course, the magnificent vocals of Peter Gabriel, who was an effective vocalist even as an unknown 21 year old. One of the best songs ever. "Return of the Giant Hogweed" is another epic, and it's very heavy and apocalyptic, again with Steve Hackett's guitar being a prominent instrument, which it wasn't most of the time when he was in the band, and Tony Banks making some worthy contributions to the song. The piano part starting the end of the song is one of the most beautiful pieces of music he ever wrote.

The rest of the album is somewhat ofa letdown, compared to those 2 powerful songs, though songs like those are hard to top. Phil Collins makes his first appearance as a lead vocalist in the brie but pleasant "For Absent Friends." "Seven Stones," a song that usually gets slack from a lot of fans, is another rather dark and somber song, and it's a great song. "Harold the Barrel" gives insight into their playful and bizarre side, which was more evident on subsequent albums, "Harlequin" is a simple acoustic song w/ pretty good vocal harmonies. The last song, "The Fountain of Salmacis" is 8 minutes long, but it doesn't strike me as much as it does the other 2 epics on this album. The band would improve themselves on their next 3 albums, but Nursery Cryme is a very transistional album and a very important album to the band, and it's worth the purchase for many of the songs.

If i can remember correctly; Genesis' first album was done while the boys were in an England prep school in 1969. Nursery Cryme was finished in 1971, that's only 2 years out of "High School"! That's what makes this album so exceptional, I'd expect something from veteran musicians and distinguished poets and storytellers, but these are English prep boys. In some respect I would find the work Genesis did on this album to be even above those distinguished musicians and poets. I am really blown away. When they did this album they were younger than the Beatles were when they recorded SGt.Pepper. Personally I think this album's better, maybe not as revolutionary, but musically and creativly intense.

Opening with the band's first bonafide classic, "The Musical Box",this album marks the culmination of Genesis' rise from school-chum obscurity to true music scene players(even if it was the Italian music scene).With the addition of Phil Collins on the traps,this was the world's first chance to hear the line-up that would produce the bands' most memorable and adventurous work,and all the elements that they would perfect on subsequent recordings are present:the baroque,searching set-pieces("The Return Of The Giant Hogweed","The Fountain Of Salmacis"),charming acoustic tunes("For Absent Friends"),and eccentric,twisted pop confections("Seven Stones","Harold The Barrel").All the players are strong on this album,but it's arguably guitarist Steve Hackett's show.Also a new addition to the group,his skill and innovative style are especially evident in the harsh,dissonant leads he performs on "The Musical Box" and his elagent,swooping lines on "The Fountain of Salmicis".The band's flawless ensamble playing makes "Hogweed" surprisingly kinetic and driving(Never know much for "rocking out",the band occasionally displays a rousing dynamicism,especially live,that may surprise those unfamiliar with thier early work).The only flaw with this album-and it's a major one-is the atrocious production:muddy,flat and utterly uninspired,it keeps this record from being truly indispensable;but,despite that,"Nursury Cryme" should be in any true genesis fan's collection.

1971 was a milestone year for prog-rock. It was the year that Pink Floyd released Meddle, which, in my mind, contains their magnum opus, the 23-minute epic "Echoes." In that same year, however, a slightly less well-known group released what was perhaps the most solid work they had done to date. This was Genesis's third album, and their first done with what is probably their best lineup of players. The addition of Phil Collins on drums and Steve Hackett on lead guitar saw the addition of two more outstanding musicians to the already impressive lineup of founding members Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford, and also saw the formation of a surprisingly poignant and poetic group of songwriters. It's hard to believe how young some of them were when this album was recorded (Gabriel was 20 or 21, I believe), as a few of the songs display both an astonishing maturity of form and substance, as well as moments of sparkling musicianship. Granted, there are some shaky moments on this album, but they are outshined by the three gems it contains.

The first of these is "The Musical Box." This album is worth buying for this song alone. The transitions throughout are somewhat choppy, but this song is noteworthy for displaying why Collins and Hackett joined the group. The beginning is wonderful enough. The overdubbing of 12-strings from Hackett, Banks, and Rutherford is quasi-Victorian in its feel, and joined by Gabriel's flute, seems to emulate the tune one would hear from a wooden box with a wind-up key. Then it suddenly shifts to an explosive hard rock tune, dominated by the passionate screech of Hackett's guitar and the driving percussion of Collins. Every time I hear this song, I'm still in disbelief that the man who was responsible for the soundtrack of Disney's "Tarzan" in 1999 could ever have been involved with something like this. The last two minutes of the song are like a spiritual orgasm. The virtuoso feel of Banks's organ, cymbal-heavy drumming from Collins, Gabriel's repeated shouting of the word "now!", and the way Hackett's guitar suddenly bursts from the back to the foreground make for a glorious climax (made even more glorious by the way the instruments slowly fade up beneath Gabriel's vocal, and then erupt without warning).

The second is "The Return of the Giant Hogweed." The story behind this one really gives the listener a sense of where the band was going lyrically, as far as telling a story and being extremely visual, factors that Gabriel would push to the extreme during the band's stage shows. As with the first track, I love the intro, and the Victorian feel behind Banks's organ, as well as the way it underscores the stabbing vocals of Gabriel. I would also have to say this song contains one of the album's best transitions, in the way it shifts from Hackett's guitar solo to Banks's piano, and then the way the rest of the band builds upon that. Like most Genesis songs from this time period, the story is morbid but lighthearted, as if the band doesn't feel the need to take something like the destruction of the human race seriously. And honestly, who does?

Third, we have "The Fountain of Salmacis." I honestly felt that compared to the first two epics, the intro was a bit lacking. It wasn't until Banks's mellotron was joined by that awesome bass riff from Rutherford that the song really took off. From there, the underscoring mellotron tune that carried through most of the song felt oddly appropriate. But for me, the high point of the song is the instrumental that occurs about three and a half minutes in. And the way it ends contains some of the most balanced musicianship on the album. Why couldn't Rutherford's bass have been this prominent when they mixed the other songs?

This brings me to the reasons the album only gets four stars. While I enjoy the overall structure behind the lengthier songs, I felt that the final mixing could have been better. For example, in the finale of "The Musical Box," Gabriel's vocal track is almost buried beneath the tracks from his bandmates. And while the other four songs on the album have some merit, overall they aren't as stellar as the three longer tracks. "Harold the Barrel" is one of the more primitive "conversation songs" that the group did. While the song is lightheartedly morbid, ending with the title character killing himself, Gabriel feels like he's gasping for air as he moves from character to character. I will, however, give the song high marks for its ending: the way the band aurally creates a picture of the character leaping from the rooftop is stunning. "The Seven Stones" is a bit longer, but I always felt that the song didn't end as crisply as the rest. "Harlequin" is a song I usually skip to get to "The Fountain of Salmacis," but I have to admit that I do like "For Absent Friends." I look upon it as a way of cooling down after the mind-blowing experience of the first track, and Phil Collins's vocals have a quality that is more organic than his later vocal work.

All in all, this album falls short in some categories, succeeds EXTREMELY WELL in others, and can easily be seen for what it is: the first in a string of albums from the time period in which the band wrote all their best material. The production fell flat in a lot of areas, and some songs didn't work as well as they could, but there are some moments of solid gold that make this album worth owning, whether you like progressive rock, Genesis, or both.