Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Genesis
Label: Virgin Records
Released: 1971
Rating: 5/5
“Nursery Cryme”, Genesis’ third album, is probably the most important record in the band’s history. It’s also one of the most important albums for progressive rock. With it, Genesis finally stood shoulder to shoulder with the already established giants of prog rock and kicked off the best period of their creative life. Their classic lineup took shape here, and it’s still the one fans rate the highest today. The new members were guitarist Steve Hackett and drummer Phil Collins (ex-Flaming Youth). Both were geniuses in their own fields: Hackett with his classical, romantic style of playing, Collins with his multilayered, jazzy drumming. By then Tony Banks had already perfected the art of playing the Mellotron, which is especially obvious on the epics “Seven Stones” and “The Fountain of Salmacis”. Still, the real central star of this masterful lineup that wrote rock history was singer, occasional flutist and musical visionary Peter Gabriel. His brilliant voice, melodramatic yet also sarcastic, mysterious and mystical, was phenomenal, and through the compositions of the other members it brought to life plenty of old English legends, so typical of this “golden” era of the band.
With lyrics that looked fantastical on the surface but were really a sharp critique of English society and its false morality, he was way ahead of his time. Thanks to Banks, most of the songs sound like they’re played by an orchestra rather than by one single person. The main credit for that goes to the Mellotron, which he took to pure perfection on this record. Gabriel’s vocal mastery, drama and vision, Hackett’s classical and romantic guitar, Banks’ massive wall of Hammond organ and Mellotron, Collins’ tight jazz drumming and Rutherford’s intelligent, melodic bass lines were the main recipe for their excellent compositions and for the success that only kept growing after this album. “Nursery Cryme” is an incredibly dynamic album with grandiose vocal and instrumental harmonies, and it marks another step forward in the band’s development.
“The Musical Box”, which over the years became their signature song and one of the most beloved Genesis tracks ever, is basically a gripping story about a dying English aristocrat and the collapse of his imaginary world, where the dying, morally ruined old man wishes, right before death, to touch the soft, warm body of a young girl, his maid or nurse (which is probably where the album title comes from). Gabriel’s mysterious and at times mocking vocal opens the intro, accompanied by Banks’ gorgeous arrangement on organ and Mellotron and Hackett’s acoustic guitar. Next come layered Mellotron passages, mixing multi-voice vocal harmonies with proper folk, almost medieval guitar motifs that bring the story to life. Before the central section, Hackett shows off one of the most beautiful guitar melodies on the entire album on acoustic guitar. Soon after comes an absolutely brutal passage (in the style of “The Knife” from the previous record), where Hackett and Banks shine with their electrified solos. Gabriel switches up his singing so well, and “tells” the song so convincingly, that the whole epic plays out like a movie in front of your eyes. Especially the last part of the song, which ends with dramatic lines. “Why don’t you touch me….touch me, touch me, touch me now, now, now…” sings a raging Gabriel, followed by an incredible orchestral finale.
Next up is the short, lovely ballad “For Absent Friends”. It’s in the right place at the right moment and just the right length. It calms the drama down nicely after the first epic and sets the stage for the next colossal composition. The song also matters because it’s where drummer Phil Collins shows off his singing talent for the first time, a talent that would really come into its own on their later albums. Though technically weaker, and less charismatic and dramatic, his voice already had a tone somewhat reminiscent of Gabriel’s even at this early stage, which came in very handy for the band in the multi-voice vocal harmonies. With his acoustic guitar accompaniment, Hackett proves that he was already one of the most versatile and talented guitarists around.
“The Return Of The Giant Hogweed”, a proper Victorian sci-fi thriller about the revenge of a giant weed that some Victorian botanist brought from Russia to the English court, is pure perfection and one of the most “metal” songs in their history.
Some parts of the song can therefore shock even fans of the likes of Black Sabbath, especially the middle and closing sections. Hackett’s solos are at times downright hellish on this epic, and his use of tapping and sweep picking was revolutionary for the time. In the last part the song literally “explodes”, and as the instruments “clash” you can practically picture the giant weed growing and spreading, grinding up everything in its path. Gabriel’s vocal sounds mocking here, even downright wicked (kind of at the expense of human stupidity and recklessness toward nature), and often goes up into the high register. You can also clearly hear Rutherford’s groovy, melodic bass guitar and Collins’ brilliant jazzy fills on the drums. Anyone who doesn’t get the opening, “sawing” part of this excellent song will simply never understand progressive rock.
“The Seven Stones” is another superb romantic epic, telling the story of an old, poor sailor who’s left with nothing but seven magic stones, with which he manages to be reborn in the end. Every time, at the pre-chorus, when Gabriel sings the line “and the changes of no consequence will pick up the reins from nowhere…”, it gives me goosebumps. His dramatic vocal is less sarcastic here, but all the more mystical. The final “Mellotron” solo, which creates a real orchestral atmosphere, can only be compared to the epic masterpieces of early King Crimson (this Mellotron, the “Mark II”, was in fact ordered from them ). But while they were slowly starting to abandon it at the time, Banks polished the instrument to perfection.
With the satire “Harold the Barrel”, the band showed off its sense of black humor too. This cheeky, swaying, fun song once again lightens the dramatic mood of the album a bit, even though its ending is “dark”. The song is about a village baker who, disappointed by the people’s mockery and lack of understanding, ends up throwing himself out of a window. In the lyrics Gabriel also pokes fun at the English BBC, among other things.
“Harlequin” is a gorgeous, mellow, romantic ballad and also the most “cheerful” song on the whole album, with an epic, optimistic chorus. Gabriel’s tender singing dominates here, along with melodic multi-voice harmonies and Hackett’s excellent acoustic guitar accompaniment. I don’t know why, probably because of his stage performances back then, but to me this song and its title feel like a brilliant personification of Peter Gabriel as a harlequin (a sad clown). Without a doubt one of the most beautiful shorter songs in the band’s history.
The peak of the album, though, is definitely the closing epic mythological track “The Fountain of Salmacis”, which tells the ancient Greek legend of Hermaphroditus, or rather of how he came to be (how Hermos stalked a gorgeous nymph, but she wouldn’t let herself be caught and turned into a spring instead. When Hermos threw himself into it in despair, the two merged, and whoever bathed in this water or fountain afterward became bisexual). In the central part of the song all the members shine again, and it would be really hard to single anyone out. Gabriel’s vocal is, of course, dramatic and heartfelt to the very end. And Banks’ Mellotron is played so phenomenally this time (the song has one of the best Mellotron solos I’ve ever heard) that it takes my breath away every time I hear it. Its sound is so symphonic that you truly forget there’s no orchestra backing the band. The high point is the final climax, where high multi-voice vocal harmonies, Mellotron, a red-hot guitar and a building rhythm line all flow into each other. I have to admit that on first listen, with all its grandeur, this song almost brought tears to my eyes.
“Nursery Cryme” is the first of the classics the band created and the first record that finally made them known to a wider audience, not just their own fans. With Steve Hackett joining on guitar and Phil Collins on drums, Genesis finally got that golden lineup. The departure of original guitarist Anthony Phillips, for instance, is barely noticeable, because Hackett’s playing style is so unusually similar. Collins’ drumming, meanwhile, is pure jazz, and that’s exactly what the band gained most from the new lineup. If “Trespass” (1970) was a complete turnaround in style and maturity, and the band’s first “proper” progressive record, then “Nursery Cryme” is its upgrade and their first truly great masterpiece, a prog rock classic today and one of those works no real listener of the genre should be without.
Lineup
Peter Gabriel – vocals, flute, tambourine, bass drum
Steve Hackett – electric and 12-string guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Tony Banks – organ, Mellotron, piano, electric piano, 12-string guitar, backing vocals
Mike Rutherford – bass guitar, bass pedals, 12-string guitar, backing vocals
Phil Collins – drums, backing vocals, percussion, vocals (2)
Production
John Anthony
Tracklist
1. The Musical Box (10:24)
2. For Absent Friends (1:44)
3. The Return Of The Giant Hogweed (8:10)
4. Seven Stones (5:10)
5. Harold The Barrel (2:55)
6. Harlequin (2:52)
7. The Fountain Of Salmacis (7:54)
Running time: 42:35
