Genesis: Trespass - 1970

 

Needless to say, within a few months of the release of their debut album the group decided to pursue music on a full-time basis and the result is a complete and utter sea-change. 

Gone is the psych pop and sweet strings, replaced by a six track album possessing a huge bass and drum sound and Gabriel given free rein compositionally and lyrically. How a group could change so much, so quickly is remarkable. New drummer John Mayhew played on his only album and I think he sounded really good, despite the band being unsure (they replaced him with Phil Collins before recording the next album). Apparently he lacked confidence - it doesn't sound like it to me, his sound is full and muscular. 

Looking For Someone is as far removed from the debut album as was possible to be. It is a marvellous piece of heavy rock meets intellectual arty proto prog. The drum sound is awesome and Gabriel's use of the flute is inspired. The keyboards are great too, as is the deep bass. Inspired by groups like King Crimson, it really taps into the contemporary and burgeoning extended, tempo-changing prog rock thing along with the similarly period desire to be folky. I have to admit to a real liking for this track. 

White Mountain is very typically early Gabriel and once more has an appealing vibrancy to it, together with some folky acoustic guitars. Again, the flute is nicely used. The track becomes a bit directionless by the end, however, as if the tempo and mood was changed just for the sake of it. 

Visions Of Angels has a lovely piano sound to i and features another archetypal intriguing Gabriel vocal and lyrics. It sounds a lot like material he would release in his later solo career. The track mixed late sixties melodic dreaminess with an early seventies rock power. It had been recorded for the previous album (you can sort of tell) and was embellished considerably here, with Beatles and Beach Boys influences floating around. 

Stagnation is quite Yes-like in its acoustic melodiousness and started to display more prog proclivities for changes of momentum during the same song, from big and heavy to reflectively quiet. Gabriel's voice also has that distinctly prog feel to it - difficult to describe but I'm sure you know what I mean. 

The ethereal, acoustic Dusk also reminds of parts of Yes's work and the album ends with long time live favourite The Knife, which is deliciously heavy, pounding out of my speakers like a sledgehammer. Gabriel is full on hammy and theatrical too and the keyboards are pure Deep Purple. The flute is pure Jethro Tull too. Good stuff. I can go quite a long way down the road with this. This track is raw, creative and powerful as is the overall feel of the album. 

There is a raw vigour to it that I can appreciate, for sure. Indeed, this album's heaviness attracts me more than much of their later work. It's funny how a non-fan like me finds themselves preferring albums that most fans don't rate so highly.