Customer Reviews

Still

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you ever - even only once - heard a classic Tony Banks keyboard solo like the ones he nailed on Genesis songs such as "The Cinema Show", "The Colony of Slippermen" or "Duke's Travels" (but to pick a few cherries from his vast orchard), you'd be tempted to seek out ALL of his solo works in search of more keyboard nirvana....and you might end up being surprisingly disappointed. At least I was.

I mean, I actually like most of his solo albums, but I'm really amazed at how little they resemble the sound of Genesis (with the exception of his first album, "A Curious Feeling"). But there are always hints of Banks' genius and signature keyboard styling in every one of his albums (e.g., listen to "An Island in the Darkness" on his "Strictly, Inc." cd), even though he took a decidedly "poppier" route in many of the songs.

I think "Still" contains some of his proggiest sounding songs outside of Genesis, with lots of great keys and his typical chord changes in some of the songs. Yes, there is certainly a lot of "pop" sound here too, but they are all very good songs done well.

I'm going to limit my review here to just two songs on the second half of the album, since many of the reviews have already done a great job of noting the overall flavor of the cd, and also because these two songs just happen to be my favorites on the cd - maybe my favorites of Banks entire solo output.

"Another Murder of a Day" is just great - written in the classic Genesis style with Fish's Gabriel-like vocals, the music moving through a few different great themes, and circling back to the original keyboard lick that began the song. The lyrics are moving, the mood transitions are perfect, and the performance is flawless. But as great as it is, it is preceded by an even BETTER song...

Tony Banks cd's are the only places that I've ever heard of the singer Jayney Klimek. She does a nice impersonation of Pat Benatar on the ninth track, "Back to Back". But her delivery on the eerie and mysterious "Water Out Of Wine" is GORGEOUS. And what a composition! Banks has numerous subtle chord changes - which Klimek nimbly follows - and he leads her voice between the bounds of two full octave ranges. I truly believe that this is one of the most underrated songs in Tony's entire catalogue, and it's really a shame that it will go unnoticed except by us loyal Genesis fans looking for keyboard wizardry. (And I suspect that because it's sung by a woman, even many of us proggers might dismiss it out of hand without giving it its proper due.) This is a GREAT composition and performance. Buy the cd for that song, and enjoy the rest of the cd accordingly.

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 8.6/10; Performance = 9/10; Production = 9/10; CD length = 8/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 8.7 ("4 stars")

Y'know, I've never been a big Pop music fan, but Tony Banks is one exception. I like the rhythm, the odd time signatures, and just about everything else. But HOLY HAVE SOME SINGERS BATMAN!!! Tony used five singers on this album, my favorites being Fish (vocals sound like a cross between Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins) and Jayney Klimek (whatever happened to her anyway?), for Tony captured the strong points of both singers in the few tracks they sang vocals for. This CD has a variety of different types of tracks for the entertained listener, with several pop songs (Red Day on Blue Street, Hero for an Hour), a killer Piano Ballad (Still it Takes Me By Surprise), and you can't have a Tony Banks CD without at least one Genesis-esk song (Another Murder of a Day). So eat it up, 'cause this is the best album to start a new Tony Banks fan.

This is one of my favorite albums, and one of the most underrated among Genesis fans.

I find this composer receives too much criticism for the record because it represents one of his most obvious attempts at a blatant pop style. But Tony Banks has always written unconventional and distinctive pop songs with quirky rhythm tracks and harmonic progressions that stand out so noticably. At the same time, he layers his sounds and rhythms so effectively to create a more subtle effect in the structure of the work. Sophisticated modulations and odd time signatures are hardly grating on the ear. Mr. Banks successfully manages to carve out little gems that are far superior to any song that gets airplay today, and I find that his shorter, more direct songs can be far more emotional than his larger epics.

Anyone who became a fan of progressive rock in the 80's couldn't help but notice the similarity of Marillion's style to that of Late Gabriel/Early Collins era Genesis. And many of us asked, "What would it be like if Fish joined Genesis?" Well, Tony Banks and Fish were kind enough to provide us with some answers to that question, both on this album ("Pretty Angel Face", "Another Murder of a Day") and another song on the "Soundtracks" album ("Short Cut to Somewhere"). The answer seems to be that it could be pretty good but would still have its clunkers. "Another Murder..." could have been a classic for either group, and "Short Cut..." showed some pop potential, but "Pretty Angel Face" just sort of drags, as Tony is wont to do in his worse moments.

But this album is more than just Tony and Fish. Some amazingly good material can be found here in "Red Day on Blue Street" (a musical satire that could apply to any election you've ever seen), and "Back to Back" (uptempo, modern pop that expresses the classic old-timer's lament: "Better in my day, I hear everybody say... but then, they'll still be saying that tomorrow."). "The Gift" and "I Wanna Change the Score" round out the best of the album's tracks with catchy melodies and relevant lyrics.

Regrettably, I can see why Tony Banks never became a pop success: although he's an excellent musician, his themes are just too intelligent for a pop audience. It's a shame that no radio station has ever introduced a "Thinking Person's Pop" format, because Banks' music would be all over its playlists.

Since being in the music business almost 35 years, the dominant force of Genesis has done it all; from writing film scores to creating some of the most spectacular and breathtaking soundscapes in the history of rock music. Banks continues his remarkable musical journey on the 1991 release "Still". In order to create the perfect musical landscape, Tony has a "cast of thousands" performing vocal duties here. Nik Kershaw starts things off with the upstart "Red Day On Blue Street" - which describes the British political scene in fine lyrical form. Kershaw also lends vocals on another track; the upbeat "I Wanna Change The Score", which was co-written by Kershaw with Banks. Also joining Tony on board, is his friend (from Marillion) Fish, who performs on tracks such as the dark & decadent "Angel Face" and on the eventful "Another Murder Of A Day". Jayney Klimek is present on two vocals as well: on the hauntingly quiet "Water Out Of Wine" & on the aerobically upbeat "Back To Back", which has a similar feel to "Queen Of Darkness" - a track which was featured on Banks' previous effort, the 1989 release "Bankstatement", also featuring Alistair Gordon on vocals, as well as Klimek. Andy Taylor (no, not the Taylor from Duran Duran), is the featured vocalist on selections such as "The Gift" and on "Still It Takes Me By Surprise". Mr. Banks even gets into the singing act (no surprise), as his vocalization on his lone vocal, titled "Hero For An Hour", is both tolerable and cute on all fronts. This number's storyline features a fairy tale-like symposium, which is "front page news" in any lyrical buff's "scrapbook" of sorts. Nik Kershaw (see above) contributes the greatest number of vocal tracks here (three), and performs on the CD's closing track as well - the melancholic "The Final Curtain", whose lyrics have an eerie similarity to another Banks composition, "Fading Lights", from the Genesis album "We Can't Dance", released later the same year as "Still" (1991). This would not be the end of Banks' career as a solo artist or as a collaborator (he would go on to record two more albums with Genesis) - as on Tony's next "solo" release, titled "Strictly, Inc.", he teams up with Wang Chung's Jack Hues and other noteworthy figures in the world of music. Tony is currently working on two separate musical projects as we speak: one's an album of classical suites, the other's a rock album (the working title of this album is "Denied"). Both are scheduled for release some time in 2002. With so much already on Tony Banks' musical and artistic plate, it proves one thing: Tony Banks is "Still" the dominant force in music today. Bow before the "Lord of Keyboard"!

There are many who will fault this album because he has four singers joining him. Some will fault him because he sings on his own song, "Hero For An Hour," but they miss the point of this great album. This collaboration not only allowed Banks to take artistic advantage of a number of voices, but also allowed lyrical collaboration, as well. There is no real concept to the album, but I think that a greater understanding and appreciation of Banks' artistry may be understood, if one listens to the songs by singer. You can see why Banks chose which singer, for which number of songs.

NIK KERSHAW: sings on 1, 6, and 10. He co-wrote 1 and 6, and these songs are similarly themed. Social disillusionment. Great intro on 6!

FISH: sings on 2, and 8. He-co-wrote 8, and both songs share similar concerns. They seem to be a kind of purging of relationship toxicity. If you are a true fan of Fish, these songs alone, are worth the disc. Does anybody out there know if Fish ever performed the 9:02 minute, Another Murder Of A Day?

ANDY TAYLOR: sings on 3 and 4. The Gift is an upbeat, hopeful number, and Still It Takes Me By Surprise is an emotional ballad, heart-on-sleeve. Banks' playing on 4 is fantastic!

JAYNEY KLIMEK: sings on 7 and 9. These songs explore the same ground as the Kershaw collaborations, but with a bit more defiance against what puts one down, and they attack false optimism.

Banks sang well enough on his own up-beat song, which reminded me pleasantly of a late Seventies style Genesis song, where there is a story made of the lyrics, of a fantasy theme. With a bit of humour. At his own expense, as narrator.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS: able assists from the likes of Daryl Stuermer, Pino Palladino, and Graham Broad.

Tony Banks was still looking for pop success with this, his fourth solo effort (excluding "Soundtracks"), and he wrote some great songs which could have become radio hits, as well as some beautiful longer songs. "Red Day on Blue Street", about British elections, could have been turned into a great video for the 1992 American presidential race ("They're kissing babies, and telling me lies" - couldn't you see all three candidates doing this, and couldn't you see Clinton do the sax solo?). Perhaps my favorite Banks song is "The Gift", which is about as close as the circumspect Banks will ever get to expressing lust in lyric - plus, the keyboard accompaniment is peppy and fun. The romantic paean to long-term love, "Still It Takes Me By Surprise," is a highlight of the album, with the middle section a beautiful quantized synthesizer piano arrangement somewhat reminiscent of "The Border" on the Bankstatement album. "Another Murder of a Day" is a collaboration with Fish, and is as lyrically and musically complex as anything Banks has done in his solo work. This album, along with its immediate predecessor, "Bankstatment," is a solid effort in the "new" Genesis mold and is worthy of your consideration.

Here is the thing. Tony Banks has always been the heart of Genesis to me. The droning or majestic chords that he holds are one of the many characteristic of Genesis progressive rock sound. That being said the pop side of Genesis is Phil Collins. This album "Still" is one of my favorites Tony Banks album because it has the most pop sensibility on it still retaining the progressive nature of Banks. Songs like "Still It Takes My By Surprise" is a ballad that bursts into a minute and a half piano solo that is classic Banks. You have numerous singers on this project and the best of them is Nik Kershaw. The album boasts with musicians like Daryl Stuermer, Vinnie Colailuta, and Pino Palladino. These are big studio names in the industry. The songs are nicely programmed by Banks. There are some songs that have those Tony Banks chord progressions but it's sometimes obscured because of the average vocal delivery. Tony Banks wrote pop songs in Genesis and they always had success, but why no success his solo albums? Besides promotion the one thing that every composer has to come to terms with is who's singing their compositions. The singer can breathe life into the song. That is the weak department of many TB solo albums. Mike Rutherford(the other member of Genesis) in his projects had strong vocalists such Paul Carrack and Paul Young, and had great success. This is one of the best albums of Tony Banks because it has some great singing in it, but some singers do fall short on some tracks. Overall though it's still a good album.

Tony Banks' 1992 solo effort, "Still," is a great album for the Genesis keyboardist. For this, Banks' sixth solo effort (if you include his movie soundtrack for "The Wicked Lady," which has never been released on CD), Banks employs the vocal services of four different singers: Fish (formerly of Marillion), Nik Kershaw (of "Wouldn't It Be Good" fame), Jayney Klimek (who worked with Banks on his previous solo album, "Bankstatement"), and Andy Taylor, though Tony still sings lead vocals on one song, "Hero For An Hour." The mix of different vocalists works quite well, and for the most part, Tony's music here is quite excellent, a great blend of memorable pop, rock, moods and atmospheres, and of course, Tony's marvelous keyboard work throughout. My favorite tracks include the wonderful "Angel Face," sung by Fish (with Klimek on backing vocals), with its' seamless blend of dramatic rock and catchy pop all in one tune, and the gorgeous "Still It Takes Me By Surprise," which also allows Tony a beautiful "Firth Of Fifth" piano solo in the middle (and although Andy Taylor does a respectable job singing it, he sounds like he's *really* straining to hit those high notes---I wonder if Fish could've done a better job on it). There's also Tony's own vocal showcase, "Hero For An Hour," an appealingly bouncy, quirky number; the catchy "I Wanna Change The Score" (sung by Kershaw); the quiet, moody "Water Out Of Wine" (sung by Klimek); and the album's centerpiece, the adventurous 9-minute epic "Another Murder Of A Day" (sung by Fish), which is a very powerful piece. Only a couple of songs on "Still" fail to impress: "The Gift" is a little too light & fluffy, and the rocker "Back To Back" just doesn't do much for me. They're not *bad* songs---Tony has *never* made a bad song, in my opinion---but they're just not as good as the rest of the tunes. Still, eight great songs out of ten is a darn good average! Kudos also to Tony's touring-guitarist from Genesis, Daryl Steurmer, who lays down some very tasty guitar licks on the album. If you love Genesis and the solo music of their keyboard king Tony Banks, then you should definitely pick up Tony's "Still." You'll like it!

As a long standing Genesis fan, I was always a synthesizer junkie. As Genesis morphed into a successful pop band under the direction of Collins, I missed the elegant keyboard work of Banks. Then, I started to explore the individual works of Tony Banks. Although A Curious Feeling is excellent, Still is his best work. It also helps that Tony is not the lead singer on this album. Surprisingly, this is pop music which is very catchy but never anything you will hear on mainstream radio. This is in part because of the length of his tunes, which the average teeny bopper will not be able to sit through. "Red Day on Blue Street" and "Another Murder of a Day" are alone worth the purchase but the album is good from the first song to the very last note of the CD.

This is an excellent introduction to Tony's solo work but not worthy of a 5 star rating (saved for the likes of Zeppelin II, for example, or "DUKE" for that matter).