This is the first Genesis album with the “classic” lineup, which include newcomers Steve Hackett on guitar and Phil Collins on drums. The addition of these two great musicians makes the album far better than both its predecessors, and marks the beginning of the golden era of Genesis which lasts through 1977; five more LP’s and two live albums. Not everything here is essential, which is really why Cryme deserves 4 1/2 stars instead of 5, but there’s enough excellent material here to satisfy any fan. “The Musical Box” is an astonishing piece of music, the drama of which the band perhaps never quite topped. It begins with 12 string guitars delicately accompanying Peter on vocals, and eventually builds and builds to a fantastic climax…and then is followed by the soft and subtle “For Absent Friends” with a then mousey-voiced Phil on vocals. “Giant Hogweed” is a rocking song with some wordy vocals that also builds to quite a climax–probably the loudest the band ever got. The second side isn’t quite as consistent…”Seven Stones” is a solemn song which includes one of Tony’s first recorded uses of the mellotron…”Harold the Barrel” is laughable, forgettable fun, and “Harlequin” is a rather fruity ballad. Nursury Cryme ends with a bang, however, in the form of “Fountain of Salmacis,” a very wonderful and underrated Genesis song that tells some obscure story of mythological figures (you know these Prog guys), but manages to be rather moving at times.
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