Valentines Day album review: Genesis: Duke!

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Why on earth am I choosing this album to review on Valentines Day, you might ask?
Well, simply because Mr. Phil Collins and friends are responsible for the single best male-perspective break-up album of all time! ....... No seriously!

Genesis???

Damn straight!

I plan on reviewing an album a day, so I promise to get to much more "cool" and "hip" items promptly. But today belongs to this little motherfucker of a gem that was released way back in March of 1980. Genesis were at a peak of creativity and popularity and with Phil Collins firmly taking the reins as lead singer. Sure he'd been at the job a few years by this point, but suddenly he really SOUNDED like the lead singer. His increased confidence is truly something to behold. You listen to this album and you have no doubts as to just why the man became such a huge star. He has chops, charm, personality to spare, and on this particular record: genuine emotion and gravitas in spades. Sure, he didn't show up onstage in a fox costume or human condom get-up, but he sang plain and true and his strengths as a vocalist/lyricist/drummer/song interpreter (Tony and Mike contribute wonderful lyrics as well) was never better bottled than on this fantastic platter!

Is Duke a concept album? Perhaps. It certainly has a concept and a story to tell, albeit one that is completely relate able which alone removes it from the more famous citizens of "rock opera" "concept album" land. But in my mind, it's the only concept album that actually works as such.

Sorry Roger!

Sorry Pete, Ray, Jon,and whoever else cares.

I love the album Tommy (well, I love when The Who in their prime played it live) but do I really care what's going on in the story? Or rather, am I even aware of the story? Yes, and no. I mean, I'm told there's a story there and Pete really really wants me to follow it, but all I can tell is there's some really great songs, some not so great songs, too much acoustic guitar, and Entwisle is way too low in the mix. Oh, and Keith doesn't sound too happy being forced to use a hi-hat either. Other than that, it's a fine album and a ground breaker in many ways, so there it sits. Same with The Wall. Roger was 36, rich, a rock star, but really wanted us to know that how miserable he was. That's about it. But in this case, Roger was smart enough and creative enough to invent a wonderfully vivid lyrical and visual landscape for his misery to reside. Oh, and he also had David Gilmore on hand who actually cared if there was anything going on that anyone might want to listen to. So, regardless of content, the damn thing rocks. But for Pink Floyd fans, the whole venture is something of a bummer. First off, Rick Wright and Nick Mason are nowhere to be found in the album credits (rectified in later pressings, but the damage was done) and aside from Gilmore's co-writing credits for three songs and as a co-producer, the whole shebang dangles from a huge marquee in the sky beaming Roger Waters name in gigantic flashing letters. This makes for some mighty fine lyrics but Mr. Waters probably couldn't find the power switch on a Hammond organ let alone make a sound out of it, and he certainly wasn't about to pick up David's Strat and show him where it was at. So what you have is a bunch of Roger Waters songs written and demoed well in advance and a fractured unit supplemented by countless session guys taking the charge of getting all this glop onto vinyl. Nick's there, but he's pretty much playing straight time which was very likely boring to a guy used to plowing across his tom toms with mallets as the great spaceship Floyd rocketed into the sun, loping around cosmic explosions of  Moog and Hammond via Rick. Speaking of Rick: he was there too, but no one seems to be able to agree as to what extent, and it really doesn't matter since Michale Kamen's orchestra does what used to be his job anyway......

So, yes, this does somehow bring us back to Duke! And how? Well, in sharp contrast to The Wall, Duke finds the three members of Genesis in top form as a writing/performing/producing unit. Each member contributes greatly and evenly. The lyrics written by Tony, Mike, and Phil all compliment each other perfectly and the songs flow in thematic unison from start to finish.

Speaking of themes?  So, what exactly is the theme here?

Well, it's simply a relationship, or rather the absence of one. We get a bit of back story (Duchess) and narrative exposition, but what we mainly have here is the arid and gray aftermath (Heathaze) of a failed coupling. The listless hours, days, nights spent in dull isolation with only the TV for company (Turn It On Again) as happier days turned to withered and gnarled tree branches scrape at the window from outside.

The whole things makes me think of how my Father must have felt when my folks got divorced and he had to leave our warm, full of life house and move into a pathetic broom closet of a bachelor apartment with a hot plate and flickering little black and white TV. My sister and I would be there every other weekend just parked in front of the little TV: all of us silently adjusting to the new reality that was our lives. I wonder if my Dad had ever heard this album, ever has, ever will. (we're talking 1982, so Duke had been out a couple years) And if he did, did it give him any comfort? Did it only make him feel worse? If he heard it now, would it bring all those old emotions rushing back? Would he turn if off in disgust, or would he sit back and feel like he was among friends, nodding along as Phil speaks of experiences so much his own?

So many questions. Too many questions, in fact. But then again, isn't it the job of art to ask them if we won't?

Come to think of it, I think I'll give my Dad a call. Sorry to cut this review short, but it's been a while.

Much thanks Tony, Mike, and Phil.