Genesis
Trespass

THE REVIEW

How strange people's musical tastes are! Yes, various hit songs immediately cause such a stir, and then no one remembers them anymore. Some things, however, are known by few, but truly loved, and, above all, forever.

"Trespass," the second album by Genesis, is one of those things: the lineup still includes guitarist Anthony Philips, who will leave the band after the recordings of this album (to be replaced by Steve Hackett); while on drums, there's John Mayhew, who will be replaced by the more experienced Phil Collins following Philips' departure. Genesis released "Trespass" after spending six months in seclusion in a countryside cottage, surviving "on bread and music"; and the results are evident.
The magic starts immediately, from the first chord of "Looking For Someone", a song that speaks of loneliness, and that shows the band's evident improvement compared to the previous "From Genesis To Revelation". Furthermore, with the numerous instrumental interludes, it categorically defines the style these five guys intend to belong to: this is pure Progressive Rock! It continues with "White Mountain", built on the wonderful interplay between the 12-string guitars of Philips and Rutherford; the organ and flute further enrich the whole. Peter Gabriel's beautiful voice tells us the story of Fang, a rebellious wolf who wanted to challenge One-eye, the powerful guardian of the crown and scepter of the Gods: the courageous wolf, however, does not succeed in his mission and is condemned to death according to a mysterious "Law Of The Brethren". His end is highlighted by the extraordinary poetic expression "The dawn saw the white mountain tinted with red", from which the song's title was drawn.

Introduced simply by Banks' piano, the next "Visions Of Angels" again highlights a laborious musical fabric, although in the long run, it becomes a bit repetitive. The lyrics, however, are interesting: legend has it that Philips, in writing it, referred to the beautiful Jill Gabriel, who would later become the singer's wife. A little curiosity! The mini-suite "Stagnation" is perhaps the most complicated song on the album: it starts with the usual 12 strings, creating sublime chords upon which Gabriel first rises, then Banks, whose solo accompanies the song to its first crescendo. Here, for the first time, the great talent of this keyboardist emerges! The song changes again, it becomes increasingly beautiful. Peter now sings sweetly, then, with the new explosion of notes, raises his voice and reaches fantastic notes. Truly a great track, a little "Supper's Ready"...
We continue with "Dusk", a truly forgotten gem. It is the shortest track but also the one that, for me, gives the most emotions. While listening to it, try pretending you're in a large field, where the only noise you hear is the wind moving the tree branches... I assure you, you'll feel better afterward. Abrupt change of course with "The Knife": over the nervous organ riffs, refined by the guitar (finally in distortion!) rises Gabriel's threatening voice, impersonating a general who urges the people to rebel and fight for freedom ("Stand up and fight for you know we are right We must strike at the lies that have spread like disease through our minds"). The feisty march dissolves after a short but engaging solo by Philips, but the song is not over yet!! Over Rutherford's bass pulse, flute and keyboards create a calmer atmosphere, but destined to flow into a psychedelic interlude in which cries of revolt emphasize the uprising. More hard riffs follow, then after a small reprise, the mammoth finale. A masterpiece!

Ok, I know I've gone on too long, but you can't just spend a couple of words to describe such an album, which maybe doesn't reach the level of the subsequent works of the greatest band in history, but remains always something extraordinary, perfect, eternal.