Product Description

Peter Gabriel was such a charismatic frontman and unique singer/lyricist that many assumed Genesis would fold after hisdeparture. WIND & WUTHERING proved that there was much to the group than just Gabriel's talents. Drummer Phil Collins, who'd sung a couple of songs on previous albums, had taken over lead vocal duties on the previous A TRICK OF THE TAIL, with surprisingly successful results. His voice wasn't as edgy as Gabriel's, but was a bit more palatable to mass audiences, and the group's popularity continued to grow. Many of the songs here pick up musically where LAMB and TRICK OF THE TAIL left off, with sharply focused tunes that show off the group's prog-rock chops without getting too bombastic.
There are some new developments as well. The instrumental "Wot Gorilla?" is a tasty, fusion-tinged piece that bears echoes of Collins' work with jazz-rockers Brand X. This song and others show Tony Banks's increased use of synthesizer. The most precipitous change is the introduction of a commercial ballad sensibility with the light, romantic "Your Own Special Way". This tune marked a direction Collins would explore further with Genesis in the years to come.

Track Listing

1. Eleventh Earl Of Mar
2. One For The Vine
3. Your Own Special Way
4. Wot Gorilla
5. All In A Mouse's Night
6. Blood On The Rooftops
7. Unquiet Slumbers For The Sleepers
8. In That Quiet Earth
9. Afterglow

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44966 in Music
• Released on: 1994-10-31
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
On this 1976 album, the group's second after Phil Collins took over lead vocal duties from Peter Gabriel, Genesis continues to make art-rock that's both accessible and emotional, if less overly quirky than with the Gabriel-fronted lineup. The extended epics "Eleventh Earl of Mar" and "One for the Vine" showcase the group's still-sharp progressive instincts, while "Wot Gorilla?" and "All in a Mouse's Night" demonstrate a gently eccentric sense of humour. Meanwhile, the lilting love song "Your Own Special Way" presages the string of romantic ballads that would soon make Genesis a world-class hit machine. --Scott Schinder

Customer Reviews

Beautifully crafted
Steve Hackett's last studio album with the band, and as he left to make pearls such as "Please Don't Touch" and "Spectral Mornings" (with guest artists such as Richie Havens - now hanging out with the Groove Armada) - the band went on to make the dogs that are "...and then there were three", and "Duke."

Those that say that the band were never the same after Gabriel left are missing the point. The band were never the same after HACKETT left and his contribution to the sound and songwriting of the band cannot be overestimated.

Wind and Wuthering is a beautiful album - Blood on the Rooftops, One for the Vine, Afterglow stand out for me. Though not QUITE as good as "Trick" (Trick has no weak tracks), there is still a lot here to keep even the most critical of Genesis fans happy.

There really was no band like them in the 70's in their genre, no band that produced such a consistent body of work between 1970-79. Imitation bands followed - but how time passes quickly! Marillion's "Market Square Heroes" was released only 7 years after "The Lamb", and since Market Square Heroes, 25 years have now passed. And both bands are still going!

For Genesis (Gabriel era especially) and Van der Graaf Generator fans, I recommend you check out Twelfth Night, around in the early 80s, and who made two tremendous albums - "Live at the Target" (instrumental) and "Fact and Fiction". Criminally overlooked but a favourite for anyone that discovered them.

Lightweight and Limp
Genesis fell between 2 stools on this, not ready to give up the prog rock of the Gabriel years, not brave enough to go pop in the way they eventually did. So it's a kind of prog-lite that imitates the lyrics and approach of an earlier era while making it more palatable to the MOR crowd.

Hackett so crucial
This is an excellent (if not perfect) Genesis album - probably the last true 'progressive album' as from then on the 'poppy' side of Genesis tends to show through more and more. What this album shows more than anything is how crucial Steve Hackett was to the sound the band produced. The lack of cutting edge on future albums when Mike Rutherford is playing lead guitar can be clearly seen and heard if you listen to this album. There are some top class songs - some of them may now seem a touch overlong but that is a minor criticism. 'One for the Vine' is a classic Genesis song with an interesting story line and some superb instrumental passages. 'Blood on the Rooftops' is another classic which Steve Hackett has recently been playing in his live show. There is only one weak song on the album 'Your Own Special Way' which is frankly quite boring. It is also disappointing to note that Steve Hackett left after this album as he felt that his work was not been represented - then why put a bit of a filler in like 'Wot Gorilla'? Have a listen if you get the chance to the song 'Inside and Out' which is available on the Arcoives 2 and wonder why it was not included on this album -it would have made it an even stronger album and probably have kept Hackett in the band.