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Rating: Trespass is the second studio album by Genesis, if we consider the album From Genesis to Revelation, dated 1969.
After their first studio experience, Genesis was getting ready to record new tracks to release on CD (back then it was vinyl). A year later, Trespass finally came out, the result of very intense group work.
The lineup included the already renowned Peter Gabriel, drummer Mayhew, guitarist Anthony Phillips, and the ever-present Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford in the history of the band.
The album features many long tracks, very intricate, and already very cultured lyrics. Side A opens with Looking for Someone, a song that begins with Peter's a cappella singing and develops with various tempo changes intertwined with a very particular text that presents religious references. It is followed by White Mountain, a song in which Peter fully showcases his voice; in the middle section, a kind of march develops, introducing Peter's filtered singing. At the end of the song, there are some nice background choirs that give way to the next song, Visions of Angels. The latter is a love song, written by Anthony Phillips, the band's guitarist at the time, dedicated to Jill Moore, who would later marry Peter Gabriel. The song is introduced by a beautiful piano, followed by Peter's beautiful and very poetic singing.
Side B opens with Stagnation, a considerably long song featuring a long instrumental section. Dusk, a shorter song compared to others on the album, is very gentle, dominated by Phillips' guitar, followed by a flute solo by Gabriel, in a very poignant atmosphere. But the highlight comes with the song that closes the album, The Knife, which would become a staple for the band in tours, especially for Peter who could unleash his theatricality. A song with lyrics that might be deemed polemical at first read, but that's not its only nuance: Peter would say he wrote the lyrics with irony. With its tempo changes, The Knife is deservedly a gem of progressive.
In six tracks, Genesis clearly defined their ideal sound and the music can already be considered more than good.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Looking for Someone (07:04)
Looking for someone, I guess I'm doing that,
Trying to find a mem'ry in a dark room.
Dirty man, you're looking like a Buddha,
I know you well - yeah.
Keep on a straight line, I don't believe I can,
Trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Chilly wind you're piercing like a dagger,
It hurts me so - yeah.
Nobody needs to discover me,
I'm back again.
You see the sunlight through the
Trees to keep you warm,
In peaceful shades of green.
Yet in the darkness of my mind
Damascus wasn't far behind.
Lost in a subway, I guess I'm losing time,
There's a man looking at a magazine.
You're such a fool, your mumbo-jumbo
Never tells me anything - yeah.
Nobody needs to discover me,
I'm back again.
You feel the ashes from the
Fire that kept you warm.
Its comfort disappears,
But still the only friend I know
Would never tell me where I go.
Looking for someone,
And now I've found myself a name.
Come away, leave me,
All that I have I will give.
Leave me, leave me,
All that I am I will give.
02 White Mountain (06:40)
Thin hung the web like a trap in a cage
The fox lay asleep in his lair
Fangs frantic paws told the tale of his sin
Far off the chase shrieked revenge
Outcast he trespassed where no wolf may tread
The last sacred haunt of the dead
He learnt of a truth which only one wolf may know
The sceptre and crown of the king
Howling for blood, One-eye leads on the pack
Plunging through forests and snow-storms
Steep rose the ridge, ghostly peaks climbed the sky
Fang sped through jungles of ice
Hard on his rail, One-eye drew from the pack
An old hero conquered by none
Steep, far too steep, grew the pathway ahead
Descent was the only escape
A wolf never flees in the face of his foe
Fang knew the price he would pay
One-eye stood before him
With the crown upon his head
Sceptre raised to deal the deadly blow
Fang, Son of Great Fang, the Traitor we seek
The laws of the Brethren say this:
That only the King sees the Crown of the Gods
And he, the Ursurper must die -
Snarling he tore at the throat of his foe
But Fang fought the hero in vain
Dawn saw the white mountain tinted with red
Never would the Crown leave again
One-eye hid the Crown and with laurels on his head
Returned amongst the tribe and dwelt in peace
03 Visions of Angels (06:48)
Standing in a forest gazing at the sun
looking at the trees but there's not even one
See a rippling stream that smiles and then goes by
run to feel its comfort but the water's dry.
I see her face and run to take her hand
Why she's never there I just don't understand
The trumpets sound my whole world crumbles down
Visions of angels all around
dance in the sky
Leaving me here
forever goodbye.
As the leaves will crumble so will fall my love
for the fragile beauty of our lives must fade
Though I once remember echoes of my youth
now I sense no past, no love that ends in love
Take this dream the stars have filled with light
As the blossom glides like snowflakes from the trees
In vengeance to a god no-one can reach.
Visions of angels all around
dance in the sky
Leaving me here
forever goodbye.
Ice is moving and world's begun to freeze
see the sunlight stopped and deadened by the breeze
Minds are empty bodies move insensitive
some believe that when they die they really live
I believe there never is an end
God gave up this world its people long ago
Why she's never there I still don't understand
Visions of angels all around
dance in the sky
Leaving me here
forever goodbye.
Visions of angels all around
dance in the sky
Leaving me here
forever goodbye.
04 Stagnation (08:46)
Here today the red sky tells its tale
But the only listening eyes are mine
There is peace amongst the hills
And the night will cover all my pride
Blessed are they who smile from bodies free
Seems to me like any other crowd
Who are waiting to be saved
Wait, there still is time for washing in the pool
Wash away the past
Moon, my long lost friend is smiling from above
Smiling at my tears
Come, we'll walk the path that takes us to my home
Keep outside the night
The ice-cold knife has come to decorate the dead
Somehow
And each will find a home
And there will still be time for love in my friend
- you are there -
And will I wait forever behind the silent mirror
And fish for bitter minnows
Amongst the weeds and slimy waters
I, I, I, I, I,
I, I, I, I, I, said I wanna sit down
I, I, I, I, I,
I, I, I, I, I, said I wanna sit down
I want a drink, I want a drink
To take all the dust and the dirt from my throat
I want a drink, I want a drink
To wash out the filth that is deep in my guts
I want a drink
Then let us drink
Then let us smile
Then let us go
05 Dusk (04:11)
See my hand is moving,
Touching all that's real.
And once it stroked love's body,
Now it claws the past.
The scent of a flower,
The colours of the morning.
Friends to believe in,
Tears soon forgotten.
See how the rain drives away, another day.
If a leaf has fallen,
Does the tree lie broken?
And if we draw some water,
Does the well run dry?
The sigh of a mother,
The screaming of lovers.
Like two angry tigers,
They tear at each other.
See how for him, lifetime's fears disappear.
Once a Jesus suffered,
Heaven could not see him.
And now my ship is sinking,
the captain stands alone.
A pawn on a chessboard,
A false move by God will now destroy me,
But wait, on the horizon,
A new dawn seems to be rising,
Never to recall this passerby, born to die.
06 The Knife (08:55)
For Those that Trespass against us
Tell me my life is about to begin
Tell me that I am a hero,
Promise me all of your violent dreams
Light up your body with anger.
Now, in this ugly world
it is time to destroy all this evil.
Now, when I give the word
get ready to fight for your freedom
Now -
Stand up and fight, for you know we are right
We must strike at the lies
That have spread like disease through our minds.
Soon we'll have power, every soldier will rest
And we'll spread out our kindness
To all who our love now deserve.
Some of you are going to die -
Martyrs of course to the freedom that I shall provide.
I'll give you the names of those you must kill,
All must die with their children.
Carry their heads to the palace of old,
Hang them high, let the blood flow.
Now, in this ugly world
break all the chains around us,
Now, the crusade has begun
give us a land fit for heroes,
Now -
Stand up and fight, for you know we are right
We must strike at the lies
That have spread like disease through our minds.
Soon we'll have power, every soldier will rest
And we'll spread out our kindness
To all who our love now deserve.
Some of you are going to die -
Martyrs of course to the freedom that I shall provide.
We are only wanting freedom
We are only wanting freedom
We are only wanting freedom
We are only wanting freedom ("Freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom...")
We are only wanting freedom ("Things are getting out of control here today")
We are only wanting freedom ("OK men - fire over their heads!")
We are only wanting freedom
--- WE HAVE WON ---
Some of you are going to die,
Martyrs of course to the freedom that I shall provide.
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Other reviews
By Peppe Weapon
White Mountain is one of the best songs on the LP, where Gabriel delivers a vocally powerful performance and Banks' haunting keyboard leaves you breathless!
This album is nothing more than the starting point from which the perfect circle of Genesis music will be drawn.
By Old King Cole
"The magic starts immediately, from the first chord of 'Looking For Someone', a song that speaks of loneliness."
"'The Knife' is a masterpiece with its rebellious spirit and powerful finale, showcasing the band's early ambition."
By TheNemesis
Genesis begins to show what they are capable of, at just 19 years old.
The explosive finale: 'The Knife' ... among the best ever performed by the band.
