CATALOG CRAWL: GENESIS, Part 3 (1974-1976)

It was a common thing for progressive rock bands to splinter once they were exposed to the bright light of commercial success and Genesis lived up such expectations.  1974-1976, the period covered in this installment of Catalog Crawl, started with the release of an epic double album and tour that would lead to Gabriel's exit. The remainder of the band regrouped but the creative growing pains incurred during this time would prompt the exit of Steve Hackett after the tour for the third album covered below. Despite the conflicting agendas and lineup shuffling, the three albums covered here are impressively consistent and artful, showing that the pressure of artistic conflict often produced diamonds in the world of prog rock.

THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY (1974): Gabriel's desire for narrative control here (he created the concept and wrote all lyrics) alienated his bandmates, hastening the classic lineup's end. That said, the result is a must-listen for progheads, a sprawling double-disc set narrative that plays like Alice In Wonderland meets Freudian symbolism, as viewed through the psychedelic surrealist lens of Alejandro Jodorowsky.  Gabriel's skill for interpreting multiple characters gets its ultimate expression here and his lyrics mix wild horror and fantasy concepts with a sense of dark whimsy. The band wrote most of the music on their own and create a suitably phantasmagorical sonic landscape, mixing tight-as-a-drum jamming with all manner of atmospheric/melodic frills, enhanced by Banks' barrage of keyboard textures. The fascinating thing here is that despite the bombast, the focus is on songs: the swirling celestial majesty of "The Carpet Crawlers," the horrific yet entrancing erotic monster tale "The Lamia" and the stomping cosmic rock of "It." It's a lot of work to absorb this but it pays out plentiful rewards for repeat listens.

A TRICK OF THE TAIL (1976): The  first post-Gabriel outing is conscious of maintaining a connection to their past - witness the tricky arrangement of "Dance On A Volcano" and the multi-character operetta of "Robbery Assault And Battery," for example -  but they also subtly push things in a more accessible direction that plays up their natural melodic gifts without sacrificing lushness or complexity of arrangements. The title track, with its sly evocation of the Beatles, showed they could write a pop tune and "Squonk" channels a bit of arena-rock thump into its fantasy narrative. Collins was reluctant to take over lead vocals but he shows just as much expressiveness and range as Gabriel: he stuns with delicacy on "Ripples," an elegant rumination on mortality with a gorgeous prog instrumental break, and his harmonies on "Entangled" are as lavish as the song's acoustic tapestries and cosmic keyboard finale. A balanced and thoughtfully sequenced gem of an album, put over the top by headphone-quality production by former engineer David Hentschel (he'd continue to produce for the band through Duke).

WIND AND WUTHERING (1976): creative differences meant this was the final Genesis album for Hackett, who would depart for a prolific solo career afterwards. Despite tension behind the scenes, this shapes up as a cozy companion piece to A Trick Of The Tail with its carefully programmed mixture of melodic prog stylings:  multi-part epic "One For The Vine" is Cinemascope in its lush textures, "All In A Mouse's Night" is playful comic fantasy piece energized by Collins' taut, tricky drumming and "Blood On The Rooftops" is a lovely pastoral piece that pairs Hackett's classical acoustic stylings with lavish swathes of mellotron from Banks. Elsewhere, you see hints of the band's arena-friendly future via the elegant yet purely pop balladry of "Your Own Special Way" and "Afterglow," which could be called a power ballad with apocalyptic themes. Hentschel once again provides a production that captures all the moving parts of the band's sound in a rich yet accessible soundscape that enhances the indulgent feel of the proceedings. Unexpected surprise: "Wot Gorilla," in which Genesis goes jazz fusion.