Foxtrot - GENESIS*****

Watcher Of The Skies/Time Table/Get'Em Out By Friday/Can-Utility & The Coastliners/Horizons/Supper's Ready

Foxtrot is generally regarded as the magnum opus of Genesis largely due to the extended track Supper’s Ready. It also heralded their commercial breakthrough that would crown them as the premier UK progressive rock band for the remainder of the seventies. (UK:12)

“This is one of the finest progressive rock albums I have heard, and I can't believe it was overlooked back then along with the rest of the Gabriel era Genesis. It shows what the public was missing out on then; sometimes the album you don't buy turns out to be incredible, and Foxtrot is one of the best examples of this. I would encourage prog fans to check this one out.”

“The obvious centrepiece is the band's magnum opus, Supper's Ready. At a staggering 23 minutes it succeeds where many mega prog tracks can come up short. The track is complex with different motifs rising, falling and interwoven throughout the track but it still manages to retain my interest throughout.”

“With Foxtrot, Genesis continued their streak of near-perfect material that lasted until Peter Gabriel left the band. Many argue that this is their best work, and while not all agree, it contains what is certainly the best song of the band's long career, the epic Supper's Ready. No other song even comes close to the thematic, stylistic and technical prowess displayed here, and its different movements showcase all the different facets of Genesis at their best: tranquil acoustic passages, ridiculous whimsical parts, harrowing sections with complex meters, and emotional, transcendent climaxes. One of the greatest progressive rock songs ever composed.”

“The majestic mellotron in the opening seconds of Watcher Of The Skies will haunt every prog listener for the rest of their life. With impressive bass lines and sinister organ parts, this is one of the excellent Genesis poetic deliveries with nice tune changes and a dramatic, symphonic atmosphere all the way.”

“There are a few albums in the history of progressive rock that are absolutely essential and one of these is Genesis’ Foxtrot. It is almost a revolutionary album for the time, and it helped define progressive rock as we know it today. What you get is some of the most way out prog-rock of the 70s. Gabriel voice has such emotion and fragility.”