Genesis
Trespass

I counted one by one the reviews of the Genesis studio albums, and I chose this one because, along with others, it is one of the least reviewed... And while I understand that albums with the same number of reviews ("Genesis" and "Calling all Stations") are not very appreciated, it remains a mystery why this and two other excellent works ("Wind & Wuthering" and "Duke") have been so little reviewed...

It's 1970, and prog is establishing itself with "sacred monsters" like "VGG," "Gentle Giant," and "Yes."

And we have the first cries of what will become, somewhat later than the other major players of '70s prog, the group that will surpass them all in imagination, compositional skill, homogeneity of ideas and intent.

With Trespass, Genesis begins to show what they are capable of, at just 19 years old...
An album influenced by "In the Court of the Crimson King," especially regarding the use of the mellotron (still used sparingly compared to later albums), represents the first true prog step of our heroes.
The tracks, all interesting, are definitely well-crafted in arrangements, sometimes even a bit too sumptuous, and somewhat mortified by a drummer decidedly not up to the rest. The recording quality is, unfortunately, medium-low, with sometimes overly exacerbated use of the L/R stereo channels. Dull highs and weak lows. Compressed drums.

The fantastic story of this album opens with "Looking for Someone", where Gabriel's deliciously stentorian voice marries a minimal musical base. It will be a "trademark" of the band, used in subsequent albums as well. The track is well-structured, with airy and sweet parts and harsher sections in response. The beautiful instrumental section gives everyone space in a balanced and pleasant way and detaches from the sung parts with a beautiful and delicate diminuendo ending. It continues immersing us in a landscape of snow-capped mountains and forests with "White Mountain" where Gabriel's voice sings an evocative and poignant melody. The track engages for the accelerations and pauses very well orchestrated. And it changes again with "Vision of Angels," featuring a beautiful acoustic piano intro with classical echoes (the idea will be reprised and expanded in Firth of Fifth), incisive refrain, and almost obsessive instrumental, without evident solos. It's like an orchestral solo (yes, I know, it sounds like an oxymoron). An overall interesting idea, but developed with a certain naivety. And then comes that little masterpiece that is "Stagnation." The sweet initial madrigal transforms, first calmly, then with more force (remarkable Hammond solo on an acoustic base), into a faster piece. The sudden stop, with Gabriel's voice engraving notes in the sky with a very light acoustic base, slowly transforms into the final anthem, then once again giving way to the instrumental closure. A slight drop in quality comes with the following "Dusk," an acoustic track with an naive and immature structure though pleasant. The explosive finale: "The Knife" which will be proposed again in millions of concerts. Hard, expressive song, with a Hammond in the foreground and two piercing, angry, and creative Phillips solos, among the best ever performed by the band.

Overall, a very pleasant album, with few dips in style. To be listened to often for its freshness and the beautiful sensations it provides.