Wind And Wuthering - Genesis > Reviews > Wuthering Height

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Another Classic Installment In The Genesis Story
Disadvantages:	Their Last Great Album

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Released in 1976 this album was the straw that broke the camels back for guitarist Steve Hackett. He had released a solo album "Voyage of The Acolyte", but creative input to the band was being ignored for parts of this album. This was the last Genesis album before the start of the transition into the Phil Collins band, and their last as a four piece. Surprisingly, it is still a very strong album with lots to recommend it, although the signs of the softening that set in with the departure of Peter Gabriel are far more apparent on this outing that the previous album "A Trick Of The Tail", although that is not necessarily a bad thing. The band are in excellent for musically and there are some excellent songs in here. The cover features a single tree in a foggy landscape and is appropriate for the feel of the album.

The album opens with an eerie synthesiser motif that leads into the jaunty eight minute opener "Eleventh Earl Of Mar" which in turn leads into the gorgeous epic "One For The Vine" featuring some fantastically lush keyboard orchestration as well as an excellent percussive section. This one clocks in at almost ten minutes, and this pair are worth the price of the album on their own.

Next up is the first excellent ballad "Your Own Special Way" with Collins softer influences coming to bear on the band, however the song is excellent and still manages to clock in at seven minutes. Next up is a bit of a throwaway instrumental "Wot Gorilla" which was chosen in preference to Steve Hackett's "Please Don't Touch", and while it's an acceptable piece of music, it does smack as a bit of a jokey filler.

"All in A Mouse's Night" is again Collins acting territory about a mouse trying to escape form humans, recalling "Robbery , Assault and Battery" from "A Trick of The Tail" in form, structure and feel. This leads in to "Blood on the Rooftops" featuring some superb acoustic guitar playing from Hackett.

Two atmospheric segued instrumentals "Unquiet Slumbers For The sleepers" and "...In That Quiet Earth" lead into the final track , another great ballad "Afterglow" which is one of the bands finest moments featuring Collins' voice to the fore and some superb keyboard arrangements.

This album effectively closed the book on the first half of Genesis's career. After this Hackett left and Collins began to have far more influence over the band which would result in them producing some awful dross with more than the odd gem, although I'll detail that as I review the rest of their albums.

This is definitely a five star recording, although slightly sad because the band would never maintain this quality of originality over a full album again.

It is available on Amazon for 7.99 GBP plus postage.