Trespass - Genesis > Reviews > Seconds Out

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	A wonderful pastoral sound
Disadvantages:	Nothing

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Trespass was the second Genesis album. The group had formed at Charterhouse and were discovered by Jonathan King, producing one album "Genesis to Revelation" for Decca, which deservedly bombed. You can still buy this as a cheapie , but it is best avoided and only has curiosity value, so back to the album in question.

This was still a formative Genesis, but the line was to change after this album. The line for this album was:

Peter Gabriel - lead voice, flute, accordion, tambourine, bass drum
Anthony Phillips - acoustic 12-string, lead electric, dulcimer, voices
Anthony Banks - organ, piano, mellotron, guitar, voices
Michael Rutherford - acoustic 12-string, electric bass, nylon, cello, voices
John Mayhew - drums, percussion, voices

Mayhew, was to be replaced by Phil Collins , but I don't know what he did after this album. Phillips went on to produce several solo albums and is still recording to this day. Given the sound of Philips' solo stuff it was obvious he was a major influence on the Genesis sound of this time.

The album was released in late 1970 and the first Genesis album to feature the distinctive Paul Whitehead covers.

The sound is very pastoral and , in my opinion still sounds very fresh today. It contains one real Genesis classic "The Knife" clocking in at almost nine minutes , led by a killer keyboard riff and a pointer towards there later sound.

As with many "progressive" albums of this era there was a tendency to produce long tracks, so the album contains only six songs, but they are all extremely listenable and none seem to drag on, only "Dusk" clocks in at less than six minutes. The full track listing is

Looking For Someone
White Mountain
Visions Of Angels
Stagnation
Dusk
The Knife

All compositions are credited to the band, although I believe Gabriel was responsible for most of the lyrics.

The only title you may possibly have heard is the afformentioned "The Knife", but this album is well worth purchasing. It doesn't have the gloss of the Phil Collins led hit machine, but possesses a far subtler charm.

If you can buy or borrow it, it's available for £7.99 on Amazon. You will be in for a very pleasant surprise.

Check out my detailed profile for links to song samples.