Product Description

Genesis still have a credibility problem which at present just trails the present standing of ex-drummer/vocalist Philip Collins. Duke was the record that shed their 'heavy prog' image and found them beginning to loosen up. Collins had grown in confidence following Peter Gabriel's departure and theband immediately became much tighter musically. In additionto the hit singles "Duchess", the buoyant "Turn It On Again" and realism of a situation in "Misunderstanding", there isthe painful honesty of "Please Don't Ask". There have been many bigger Genesis albums, but none have anywhere near as much heart.

Track Listing

1. Behind The Lines
2. Duchess
3. Guide Vocal
4. Man Of Our Times
5. Misunderstanding
6. Heathaze
7. Turn It On Again
8. Alone Tonight
9. Cul De Sac
10. Please Don't Ask
11. Duke's Travels
12. Duke's End

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68278 in Music
• Released on: 1994-10-24
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Duke saw Genesis start, somewhat unwillingly, to shed the progressive rock mantle that they had until now carried. Partly this was a response to the radically changing musical scene, partly a result of Phil Collins' new-found influence within the band as a songwriter and partly it was a logical direction if they were to capitalise upon the success of "Follow You Follow Me" from the previous album. Recorded at Abba's Polar Studios in Stockholm, Duke showcased a more mainstream and commercial sound, brisker arrangements and more down-to-earth (some would say merely more prosaic) lyrics. Though Tony Banks was still responsible for the majority of the songwriting, turning in the classic "Duchess" and "Heathaze", the album also contained Phil Collins' first two solo compositions, including "Misunderstanding", a template for the songs of his forthcoming solo career. In contrast to the relatively muddy-sounding And Then There Were Three, this album is clear and sharp, with Collins' increasingly arena-friendly drum sound showcased in the mix. Duke was a signpost to the directions Genesis would continue to follow; it was also their first UK No.1 album. --James Swift

Customer Reviews

I turned it on, turned it on again
Just played this album and I swear I haven't heard it in at LEAST 15 years. Very strange that I recall so many of the words...

It was one of my parents' purchases that I probably heard when I was around 9 years old, I suppose not too long after it was released. Even that early I liked this album a lot, down to the cartoon animation and the lonesome figure 'Duke', which had some similarities to the 'Nude' concept album from Camel. Picking it up now I would agree it was probably a transitional album which saw Phil Collins taking up the mantle left by Peter Gabriel and emerging fully as a lead singer. So 'Turn it on Again' and 'Misunderstanding' were indicative of the solo sound that Collins' would carve for himself in the 80s. I don't agree that Genesis became a backing band for Collins at this time because the remaining material is heavily influenced by Banks's synth arrangements particularly, particularly on tracks like 'Duke's Travels' etc.

A good album, would concur that the first half is the stronger though, particluarly the opening 3 songs. 3 1/2 stars.

Please Do Ask.
I have mixed feelings about this album. It's arrival in 1980 was hotly anticipated, by me and some of my mates at least, and the first side didn't disappoint. I still love the opening chords to 'Behind The Lines' and for the first time it sounded like Phil Collins really meant what he was singing (soz an' all - I love most of the pre-1980 stuff but you have to admit squonks etc. is pretty daft. Doesn't detract from its implicit marvelousness though). Gabriel always imbued his vocals with a sense of meaning and irony and it's on this album that Collins, for me at any rate, really found his voice. Right through to 'Heathaze', the first side is great. I particularly like the packing-case drums on 'Man of our Times'. The second side's more of a curate's egg for me but there are some gems, not least 'Please Don't Ask' which could have just as easily sat on 'Face Value'. The closing tracks are good, consumately played of course, but there is more than a hint of 'Los Endos' about it.
So, why the mixed feelings? I haven't heard the remastered version, though if the remixes on the Platinum Collection are anything to go by I needn't bother, but the production has always been a bit too brittle for my liking. Still, to paraphrase Michael Jackson, don't blame it on the sunshine etc.. blame it on the 80s. Maybe I'll treat myself to a shiny new version but the reason I still love this album is that I saw Genesis at the then Hammersmith Odeon (ticket cost £3.00!!!!) aged 14 and they were absolutely awesome (rumour had it they had really scaled things down from their stadium light show. The reality was that had the roof been off, Heathrow would have had serious competition) . Duke is bound up with that and so, by inference, is a generally fab album in my book. Live, it was even better.

That said, it still stands up. Their last consistently good album IMHO.

Starts off strong, then tails off.....
Rating: 6/10

Best tracks: "Behind the Lines", "Duchess", "Heathaze", "Turn it On Again", "Misunderstanding"

1980's Duke saw Genesis reinvigorated and re-energised; they'd lost two core members over the previous five years, and their last album, ....And Then There Were Three, saw them a little lost at sea. Yet this is a real return to form - an inconsistent work to be sure as the second side is almost entirely disappointing- but the first half is packed with some of the band's best post-Gabriel songs, one of which - "Behind the Lines" - kicks off the album with a grand, entertaining flourish. Collins was easing into the role of lead vocalist better than ever at this stage, and he drums as good as he sings on this song, while a barrage of fantastic keyboard and piano work from Tony Banks and neat guitar playing from Mike Rutherford is just as impressive. Say what you like about Genesis, and they're loathed as much as they're loved, for a while they blended a progressive rock style with radio friendly pop to wonderful effect, especially on this album and on the next two. "Behind the Lines" segues into the splendid, powerful "Duchess", and it becomes clear that the band haven't really stopped being a prog-rock band - the first three songs are essentially all part of the same suite- but the trick here was that they were keeping their old style fresh and bang up to date. Anyway, "Duchess" has a wonderful extended intro, one of my favourite Genesis moments ever, in fact; when the song proper finally kicks in, it's a blast. "Guide Vocal" is a calm interlude with some nice moments before "Man of Our Times" explodes into earshot; this song is good, though it has some really ridiculous keyboard hooks (after the "tonight, tonight, tonight" lyric) that aren't bad as such, but rather funny; I doubt that was the intended effect. The song's really rather silly, but played with such gusto that it becomes a bit of a guilty pleasure!

One of the album's singles comes next; "Misunderstanding", even more so than the last album's "Follow You, Follow Me" is a true-and-true chart-friendly hit; for those who preferred the more adventurous explorations of 1970's Genesis, this song might be a no-no; but it's a fine slab of AOR/MOR/whatever, it sounds great, it's got a hook, and yeah, I like it! "Heathaze" wraps up a strong first side and is a fine ballad, nicely played, very pretty indeed. Side Two boasts the terrific "Turn it On Again", which is probably the best Genesis single along with 1983's "Mama"; the song's got one hell of a hook, you know what it is, the "I....I....get so lonely when she's not there!" bit, which is enough to make anyone a fan of this band, even people who really, really hate Phil Collins. Seriously, this is a top song.

Unfortunately the album loses it after this; "Alone Tonight" and "Please Don't Ask" are bland, forgettable ballads (though the latter has some nice moments), indistinguishable from any solo Phil Collins song of around the same time, to be honest. "Cul-de-Sac" is pompous, average prog-rock fare with silly keyboard passages, and the album's most blatant nod to its past arrives in unspectacular fashion with the closing epic "Duke's Travels", which is suitably enormous but doesn't actually go anywhere and is essentially just instrumental noodling, though it does pick up a bit near the end when it reprises "Heathaze"'s chorus. "Duke's End" reprises the intro to "Behind the Lines"....so essentially, the marvellous "Turn it On Again" excepted, the best bits about Side Two occur when they repeat elements of Side One! Eeek.

There's a good argument that the best songs from Genesis' three core prog-pop albums - this one, Abacab and their self titled LP - would make for an exceptionally strong compilation. Take "Behind the Lines", "Duchess", "Guide Vocal", "Misunderstanding", "Heathaze" and "Turn it On Again" from Duke, the whole of the first side of Abacab and "Mama", "That's All", "Home by the Sea" and "Taking it All Too Hard" from Genesis and you'd have a peach. It would certainly leave a better impression of the band than the albums themselves, which are too erratic and in all three cases, tail off in the second half. Pity.