“Nursery Cryme” by Genesis - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1971Album Chart of the Decade: 1970s

TJR says

Genesis came close to calling it quits when co-founding guitarist Ant Phillips packed it in midway through 1970, just after the second album. After a bit of soul searching, they decided to carry on, not before firing their working class drummer John Mayhew who, they felt, wasn't up to their ever more complex standards. The remaining posh boys went on a bit of a recruitment drive via Melody Maker and 20-year-old singing drummer Phil Collins got the gig, followed a few months later by 20-year-old guitarist Steve Hackett. They now lined up: Tony Banks (organ, mellotron, piano, electric piano, 12-string guitar, voices), Mike Rutherford (bass, bass pedals, 12-string guitar, voices), Peter Gabriel (lead voice, flute, oboe, bass drum, tambourine), Steve Hackett (electric guitar, 12-string guitar) and Phil Collins (drums, voices, percussion). The first album from the new incarnation of the group arrived in November, 1971.

Opening track “The Musical Box” offers a glimmer of hope that something interesting might ensue. Musically, it has film-score qualities which ebb and flow with the crazy story. As the Wiki tells it: “The lyrics are based on a Victorian fairy story written by Gabriel, about two children in a country house. The girl, Cynthia, kills the boy, Henry, by cleaving his head off with a croquet mallet. She later discovers Henry's musical box. When she opens it, "Old King Cole" plays, and Henry returns as a spirit, but starts aging very quickly. This causes him to experience a lifetime's sexual desire in a few moments, and he tries to persuade Cynthia to have sexual intercourse with him. However, the noise causes his nurse to arrive, and she throws the musical box at him, destroying them both. The album cover shows Cynthia holding a croquet mallet, with a few heads lying on the ground.” Well, I never.

None of the others pull me in, but it's a small step forwards from what has went before. Their small but loyal following in Britain ensured that the album made the Top 40, and they began to make inroads into a number of mainland European territories.

The Jukebox Rebel
13–Nov–2008

Tracklist
A1 [10:24] 5.2.png Genesis - The Musical Box (Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett) Prog
A2 [01:44] 4.1.png Genesis - For Absent Friends (Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett) Songwriter
A3 [08:09] 3.2.png Genesis - The Return Of The Giant Hogweed (Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett) Prog
B1 [05:08] 2.9.png Genesis - Seven Stones (Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett) Prog
B2 [02:59] 4.1.png Genesis - Harold The Barrel (Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett) Prog
B3 [02:53] 4.2.png Genesis - Harlequin (Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett) Songwriter
B4 [07:54] 3.5.png Genesis - The Fountain Of Salmacis (Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett) Prog

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