Genesis – Nursery Cryme

I had this on CD, picture disc in a box set, with Trespass and Foxtrot but sadly sold it. Anyway those albums didn’t sound great on CD and my vinyl pressings were old! I decided to grab this 2007 Nick Davis remix. Now remixing a catalog as prestigious as Genesis is definitely something that will cause debate!
Anyway the remix seems to work well with this album. It’s low end is tight and tough but always warm. Brass percussion shines and Tony Banks keys are precise and very musical. At this stage in the Genesis story Anthony Philips and John Mayhew had jumped ship and Phil Collins takes the drum stool, joined by Steve Hackett on guitar.
The opening track The Musical Box sounds delicate in parts but then rocks with a gallop. Peter Gabriel has more confidence now too vocally. The organ is majestic near the end. Absent Friends is a short acoustic track which reminds me of The Beatles on the White album.
The Return of The Giant Hogweed is delightful with its menacing rolling rhythm.
There’s a lot going on here, just listen to Banks grand piano tangling with Hacketts serpentine lead guitar around the 5 minute mark,
Collins perfectly executes the drums on this one and it ends with a bang. Seven Stones is a tale of an old man telling his tale! It’s a pretty lukewarm track but the choir effect on Gabriel’s multitracked vocals makes it a little otherworldly. Harold the Barrel is a kind of jaunty, song with a disturbing tale as the subject kills himself at the end! It’s the oddest track on the album. Harlequin is another short acoustic number that’s nothing of major interest while the final track Fountain of Salmacis opens with spiralling organ from Banks and sounds fantastically cinematic. This is where the band’s strength lies. This is the magic that only Genesis could create.
For some, Gabriel era Genesis is the essential and important stuff but if I’m totally honest I have got more from the Collins era stuff, but overall I don’t think I ever enjoyed this album until now! Give it a try!