Genesis

Duke

"The time has come now we must show our feelings"

Review Score:

(10/10)
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.

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