‘Foxtrot’ shows Genesis of Gabriel’s prog rock

Spencer Patterson

Friday, June 11, 2004 | 9:15 a.m.

A common musical misconception holds that if you like punk rock, you must dislike progressive rock.

To be sure, the so-called "prog" rock of the 1970s contained many of the artsy elements early punks rebelled against: swirling synthesizers, fanciful lyrics and epic song lengths.

But much as I understand the disdain many have for prog's perceived excesses, I find that supposedly outdated albums such as Yes' "Close to the Edge" and Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Brain Salad Surgery" actually hold up quite well some 30 years after their release.

Genesis' "Foxtrot" is another great example of prog done right. The band's fourth album marked its first big breakthrough, setting the table for other landmark Genesis releases such as "Selling England By the Pound" and "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway."

If you only know Genesis as Phil Collins' 1980s and early '90s pop vehicle, you really owe it to yourself to check this stuff out.

Fronting the Genesis of the early 1970s was Peter Gabriel -- yes, the same guy who letter penned "Sledgehammer" and "In Your Eyes" -- and his version of the British band sounded entirely different than its latter-day counterpart.

Back then, Gabriel wrote most of the group's lyrics, sang nearly all the vocals and devised strange costumed characters for its live appearances.

That fantastical feel carried over to the band's music. From the opening strains of standout leadoff track "Watcher of the Skies," bassist Mike Rutherford, keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist Steve Hackett and Collins (on drums) create a dreamy pallette of sounds, over which Gabriel belts out words straight out of science fiction.

"Creatures shaped this planet's soil / Now their reign has come to end / Has life itself destroyed life? / Do they play elsewhere? / Do they know more than their childhood games?" he sings during "Watcher of the Skies.

Written out, the lyrics look rather silly. But on record, they only add to the cryptic mood, sounding far better after repeated spins that some rocker crooning about the guitar he bought as a kid.

Three of the disc's six cuts span more than seven minutes, with the closer, "Supper's Ready," clocking in at 22:58. Because each works through a series of movements, however, none become repetitive or come off as overly indulgent.

Early Genesis isn't for everyone. If you like your rock fast and furious, topping out around three minutes, you might not have the patience for "Foxtrot."

But if you enjoy Gabriel's early solo work, or you've ever wondered about a song nearly as long as the Ramones' entire first album, be sure to test out the strange world of Genesis, mach one.

Artist: Genesis.

Title: "Foxtrot."

Year of release: 1972 (reissued 1995, Atlantic Records).

Tracklisting: "Watcher of the Skies," "Time Table," "Get 'Em Out By Friday," "Can-Utility and the Coastliners," "Horizon's," "Supper's Ready."01