Genesis - (1980) Duke

Genesis - (1980) "Duke"
Studio Album, released in 1980

Duke is the last prog-rock album of Genesis, without any doubt; and also in my humble opinion one of their best albums. Don't diss me for saying that; times changed and not for the better, most of the 70s prog-rock bands started to make more accessible music and so did Genesis. That doesn't mean the music was bad (at least not in 1980). Duke is still a prog album. The songs are shorter and straightforward (in a positive way) but not simple as some say; there are progressive songs that remind of the 70s - the opener Behind the Lines, Duchess, Heathaze, Cul-de-Sac, Guide Vocal/Man of Our Times and the epic Duke Travels/Duke's End. Turn It on Again is a nice rocker. The rest of the songs are slower - Alone Tonight, actually one of my favourite songs of this album (great collective effort), Misunderstanding is a Phil Collins song - not bad at all (anticipating what was about to come in the future), and last but not least Please Don't Ask Me, another ballad, but a pretty good one.

I warmly recommend this album to all the people that enjoy prog-rock; great musicianship and good song-writing from beginning to the end of the album (as far as I'm concerned). Maybe after more than twenty years after Duke's release, we could keep an open mind and give this album the place it deserves: an excellent addition to our prog-rock collection.

Track Listings

1. Behind The Lines (5:43)
2. Duchess (6:25)
3. Guide Vocal (1:21)
4. Man Of Our Times (5:34)
5. Misunderstanding (3:13)
6. Heathaze (4:57)
7. Turn It On Again (3:46)
8. Alone Tonight (3:54)
9. Cul-De-Sac (5:06)
10. Please Don't Ask (4:00)
11. Duke's Travels (8:39)
12. Duke's End (3:08)

Total Time: 55:46

Line-up/Musicians

- Phil Collins / vocals, drums, drum programming
- Mike Rutherford / guitars, bass, back vocals
- Tony Banks / keyboards, 12-string guitar, back vocals