"'Unquiet Slumbers For The Sleepers..."
More from Genesis
(1969) From Genesis To Revelation
(1970) Trespass
(1971) Nursery Cryme
(1972) Foxtrot
(1973) Selling England By The Pound
(1974) The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
(1976) A Trick Of The Tail
(1976) Wind & Wuthering
(1978) ...And Then There Were Three
(1980) Duke
(1981) Abacab
(1983) Genesis
(1986) Invisible Touch
(1991) We Can't Dance
(1997) Calling All Stations
Wind & Wuthering
by Genesis (1976)
Written by dcd15401 (2)
Released December 27, 1976, Wind & Wuthering is the second album of the post-Peter Gabriel era of Genesis. It also was the final Genesis studio album for guitarist Steve Hackett, who believed his compositions were not being adequately represented on the records.
Drummer Phil Collins, who had effectively served as interim lead singer for the previous release, A Trick of the Tail, was now firmly entrenched as the group's front man. Though Collins exhibits more confidence behind the mic on this record, he's still getting used to his expanded role. For Collins fans, the 2007 remastered edition is preferred. His voice is so far up in the mix on some tracks, you might think he is singing in your kitchen.
The album's title is derived from two sources. The "Wind" part is from a Hackett composition titled "The House of Four Winds," used here as the bridge section of "Eleventh Earl of Mar." The "Wuthering" is from Emily Brontë's novel "Wuthering Heights." The two-part instrumental "Unquiet Slumber for the Sleepers ..." and "... In That Quiet Earth" is taken from the novel's closing lines.
A songwriting showcase for keyboardist Tony Banks, Wind & Wuthering is as lyrically and musically complex as any album in the band's history. While unquestionably progressive, it also is quite romantic (even "feminine," as Mike Rutherford put it). There also are elements of fusion, no doubt inspired by Brand X, Collins' jazz-rock side project of the era. Regardless, this is an album that demands repeated listenings before one can pass proper judgement.
For live performances (which included Hackett, who departed after the tour), the group hired ex-Weather Report and Frank Zappa drummer Chester Thompson, who remained with the touring band through 1992 and returned for the 2007 reunion tour.
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Genesis — Wind & Wuthering: Track-by-track review
1. "Eleventh Earl Of Mar"
Most likely the only rock song ever written about an early 18th century Jacobian rebellion, the album opens amidst flourishes of Mellotrons and atmospheric guitar before Collins tells the story of John Erskine.
Erskine was a Scottish Earl of Mar — though if he actually was the 11th is up for debate. In any case, Erskine left England for Scotland and made himself the head of an army seeking Scotland's independence from England and to install "The Old Pretender" James Francis Edward Stewart (or Stuart) as the Catholic king of England and Scotland, only to fail catastrophically.
Out on the road in the direction of Perth,
Backwards and forwards in a circle they went.
Found a city half open and ready to greet,
Those conquering heroes, with blisters on their feet.
So, it starts off well if not spectacularly, as the Earl captures a poorly-defended city. But here, Erskine waits for Stewart and reinforcements, which are late in arriving, thus destroying the element of surprise.
Waited a week, still they hadn't appeared,
That glorious timing that everyone feared.
So they're riding along on the crest of a wave.
They're headed for London, and that will be their grave.
Well, they didn't get that far. The Earl battled the British government forces at Sherriffmuir, Scotland. Thought it basically was a draw, the Jacobite's morale was destroyed, and by Stewart's arrival, the rebellion was all but crushed.
Muscially, this is as strong an opening track Genesis would produce — certainly, it's better than anything which followed. Hackett's middle section balances his acoustic guitar work with a lovely piano figure by Banks. This relative calm is shattered by crashing overdubbed chords before Collins drives us back to the "Daddy you've got to go!" section and the ending.
2. "One For The Vine"
This epic track might be Banks' finest songwriting moment. Certainly, it shares a place with "Supper's Ready" and the whole of The Lamb as the most-discussed Genesis lyrics.
Here's one take: A soldier in a massive army loses faith in his leader ("the chosen one") and flees up a mountain, but he falls, landing in a "wilderness of ice." The simple inhabitants of this other world, who are looking for someone to lead them, think they have found their guy ...
This unexpected vision made him stand and shake with fear,
But nothing was his fright compared with those who saw him appear.
Terror filled their minds with awe.
Simple were the folk who lived
Upon this frozen wave.
So not surprising was their thought,
This is he, God's chosen one ...
Well, that'ss why he left the "chosen one," so he balks at the notion of leading these folks. But, after some quiet reflection — not to mention lots of wine (hence the "vine" bit), he has a moment of clarity. And, after a middle instrumental section complete with duck calls and a disco-like pulse, he proclaims ..
They leave me no choice.
I must lead them to glory or most likely to death.
They head through the ice and over the mountains, but then suddenly our hero witnesses another lost soul who descends into the same icy wilderness.
Then, on a distant slope,
He observed one without hope
Flee back up the mountainside.
He thought he recognised him by his walk,
And by the way he fell,
And by the way he
Stood up, and vanished into air.
So, who is this guy? Is he a young, naive fellow who loses his nerve — or smells a rat? An older dude who is cynical enough to realize the chosen one's plans are doomed to fail, so he bails? Is it all some biblical allegory, and our hero is Jesus himself? And what about the guy who "vanished into air?" Is he actually our hero, whose descent restarts the cycle? All of these questions are left unanswered.
Banks — who had mapped out the entire song before presenting it to the band — and Hackett start the tune with a simple 5/4 riff, followed by Collins singing in his most tender voice. Again, the Mellotron is utilized throughout the verses, though it's not as dominant here as on other tracks. The middle section provides needed comedic levity, as Collins threatens to turn the whole piece into a Spike Jones project. Hackett almost steals the show with solid, understated guitar playing in the penultimate section before Banks ends it with an unaccompanied piano solo.
3. "Your Own Special Way"
The Rutherford-penned ballad gave the band its first American chart success, and it can be retrospectively viewed as a critical turning point for the band from a songwriting perspective. While future ballads were more straightforward, this song fits in with the overall mood of the album. Rutherford's 12-string guitar is a highlight throughout the track, as is Banks' quite keyboard interlude.
The second verse borrows from the poem "Who Has Seen the Wind" by Christina Rossetti (1830-94) ...
Who's seen the wind; not you or I.
When the ship moves, she passing by.
Despite its popularity, the band rarely performed the song live on future tour, though it was dusted off, with the help of a symphony orchestra, for the Australian portion of the Invisible Touch tour.
4. "Wot Gorilla?"
The sound of wind chimes welcomes us to the first of the album's three instrumental tracks, a short exercise in fusion worthy of Zappa. Indeed the title comes from a reference to Thompson on Zappa's One Size Fits All album.
The standouts here are the track's authors, Banks and Collins. The former's synth lines dominate the proceedings, while Collins, in full Brand-X mode, thrashes away with an incessant rhythm.
Is this the track that ended the Steve Hackett era of Genesis? It's possible. The guitarist claims Collins "(couldn't) get behind" a Hackett song called "Please Don't Touch" (later used as the title song for Hackett's second solo release). This track became the replacement. I've often wondered if Hackett's impersonation of a dive-bombing Sopwith Camel about 90 seconds in was his way of venting frustration over the substitution.
5. "All In A Mouse's Night"
A Banks' "playwright song" — the lyrics in the liner notes assign different verses to the characters — features a furry protagonist who wants nothing more than to make to the bread bin and back without meeting his demise at the paws of the family cat.
It doesn't look good for our hero about halfway through ...
Suddenly he bumps into fur, that's very unwise,
A cat is much quicker than men and their eyes.
The chase that ensues can have only one end,
Unless outside help steps in for our friend in need.
But the mouse is saved by happy accident, as kitty is knocked out by a jam jar. The cat — literally not knowing what hit him — has a story to tell, but why let the truth get in the way of a good story ...
There I was with my back to the wall,
Then comes this monster mouse, he's ten feet tall,
With teeth and claws to match.
It only took one blow.
The most notable musical moment comes courtesy of Hackett, who does his best scurrying mouse impersonation on guitar.
6. "Blood On The Rooftops"
With the exception of his solo on "Firth of Fifth" from Selling England by the Pound, this is Steve Hackett's finest Genesis moment, albeit on a song which chronicles the relative banality of English life.
Aside from Selling England, Genesis never wrote anything this, well, English. And musically, there's nothing in the catalog that is this hauntingly beautiful. Plus, if any song ever sounded like its album cover, this would be it.
Though the title would make a good tabloid newspaper headline, it is apparently nothing more than a random phrase supplied by Collins, then he and Hackett wrote more such phrases around it.
Hackett begins the track with a long, pensive acoustic intro. From there, Collins sings of a middle-aged (perhaps elderly?) couple who appear to solely live vicariously through the BBC ...
Dark and gray, an English film, the Wednesday Play
We always watch the Queen on Christmas Day
Won't you stay?
The lyrics work independent of one another, as issues of the day are discussed and quickly dispensed. Surely, couldn't you imagine your Uncle Louie saying the following after a holiday dinner ...
Better in my day — oh Lord!
For when we got bored, we'd have a World War. Happy but poor.
But the music is really the star here. Hackett's playing is top-notch throughout, and everyone shines on the chorus sections. Banks delivers again with the Mellotron and some wonderfully understated grand piano at the bottom of the mix, while Collins and Rutherford keep it relatively simple.
The line "the grime on the Tyne" is a reference to Lindisfarne, an old Genesis label mate at Charisma who had a hit with the song "Fog on the Tyne."
The band used a similar theme later on "Turn it on Again" from 1980's Duke.
7. "'Unquiet Slumbers For The Sleepers..."
This and "Quiet Earth" were split to allow another songwriting credit for Hackett. As such, it's nothing more than a prelude for the rythmic madness to follow. Hackett's rolling acoustic guitar work is augmented by sweeping, almost cinematic, keyboard lines.
This track would have been right at home on The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, as it at least possesses the necessary atmospheric quality to hold an audience's attention before Gabriel's next costumed flight of fancy.
8. "...In That Quiet Earth'"
A long drum roll from Collins launches the band into a fusion/arena rock workout. Hackett is turned loose on the lead line while Collins slams out a busy 9/8 pattern. Collins always seemed to have energy to spare during this time, and he uses all of it here. After more spacey playing from Hackett, Banks restates the theme, then Hackett rejoins the party with another run-through of the main melody.
Then, almost as abruptly as it began, the tempo slows, and suddenly we are confronted with a heavy 4/4 rhythm that allows Banks to take off on another series of short solos. The track ends with a quick reprise of "Eleventh Earl of Mar," before a smooth segue into the finale.
This is quite possibly the "busiest" track in the Genesis catalog. Note especially Rutherford's descending bass line during the first half, combined with Collins' glorious overplaying in a meter rarely encountered in rock music.
9. "Afterglow"
While "One for the Vine" took the better part of a year to assemble, Banks is fond of saying that "Afterglow" took about as long to write as it does to play. In fact, it sounds like it was a quick, easy exercise. As a side note, Banks admitted in the 2007 reissue interviews that he thought he had initially written "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," but really the songs aren't that similar.
Perhaps this is just a romantic ballad, but since this is mid-70s Genesis, nothing is that simple. Are we dealing with something from "The Day After" here?
Like the dust that settles all around me,
I must find a new home.
And then ...
But now, now I've lost everything,
I give to you my soul.
The meaning of all that I believed before
Escapes me in this world of now, no thing, no one.
The track was a concert favorite for decades, and I have to say I prefer any live version to the original. The song takes on a more anthemic bent on stage, especially in the ending, when Collins and Thompson quote the latter's bold drum fill of "More Trouble Every Day," from Frank Zappa's
Roxy and Elsewhere release.