Genesis

Wind and Wuthering

I like it :) (4 1/2 stars)

Review Score:

(8/10)
Since starting my Genesis collection in 1992 with We Can't Dance, I have traced back and forth the evolution of their sound with each succesive album purchase. With only 2 studio albums left to buy (Foxtrot and Lamb) it is seems clear that the best of the Gabriel-era Genesis and the Phil-era Genesis culminates on Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering.

As per usual in Genesis' history and future, the musical themes and instrumentations are reiterated in various parts of the album, resulting in a work that fits together like a symphony. The best fits are 11th Earl of Mar, One For The Vine, All In a Mouse's Night, Blood on the Rooftops and Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers...In That Quiet Earth. Earl of Mar is a good intro, but it's not one that really sticks in my memory. Its theme is reprised toward the end of the album in ...In That Quiet Earth, and may also be elsewhere. Mouse's Night has to be my favorite. Following the perfect interlude "Wot Gorilla?" it's fun to listen to with lyrics you can follow and music to match. It really manages the Gabriel-era goofiness with a less grating, more polished sound. This song is a prime example of how these songs seem to be made for Phil Collins to sing. One For The Vine and Blood on the Rooftops are exceptionally well put together works of art. They just flow through changes in tempo and instrumentation like an ocean flowing onto a beach. One For The Vine's music and tempo gracefully ebbs and flows while Blood On The Rooftops is a prime example of Genesis' classical inclinations. The two relative bombs on this album are Your Own Special Way, which I must agree with most people here, doesn't really fit, and Afterglow, which it seems most people like. Afterglow is the last track of the album, and though it is not much better than Special Way, it has the virtue of capping the 'Unquiet Slumbers For The Sleepers...In That Quiet Earth' suite, which makes it a necessary element of the album. Special Way isn't too bad by itself, but doesn't match the quality of the rest of the album. And it doesn't have a suite of brilliant instrumentals to save it.

Overall, the measure of fun and excitement on this disc far outweighs the relative blandness of two tracks. Wind & Wuthering contains so much wild and wondrous creativity on so many tracks that it remains fresh and exciting to listen to over and over again. But that's one of the things I've noticed about Genesis, at least the mid-70s to 1980 Genesis, their sound doesn't wear out. So where does this album rank amongst other Genesis albums? This album has a bias with me for having the coolest cover of any album anywhere. It also has a wonderfully kooky song about a mouse, along with many other creative masterpieces. But I'm thinking this album takes a backseat to at least Duke as far as overall greatness.

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