Led Zeppelin, The Who and Black Sabbath were at the top of their prime and another little known band from England was starting to make a name for themselves. A band to be known for the theatrical performances by their lead man, Peter Gabriel. 'Nursery Cryme' was to become the first album by the lineup that made Genesis famous: Gabriel on vocals, Phil Collins on drums (and backing vocals), Tony Banks on keys, Steve Hackett on guitars, and Mike Rutherford on bass and guitars.

Although it is not the band's best album, it has a handful of some of the best music they ever made. "The Musical Box", one of the band's standards, evokes feelings of victorian nostalgia, in line with the cover of the album, combined with a nightmarish and lunatic discharge that is perfectly framed by the latter part of the song. Viewing this song in a live setting is an experience that can be very hard to compare with anything you run into these days, as Gabriel strolls through the stage wearing the costume of an old man shaking and rattling as the song reaches its climax.

Second to "The Musical Box" is the closing track, "The Fountain of Salmacis", which opened Gabriel up to a stream of mythology-driven writing that would ensue until deep into 'The Lamb Lies Down...' his last album with the band.

Overall, 'Nursery Cryme' deserves four stars due to these two songs (the album sports only seven tracks) and the interesting tale of "The Return of the Giant Hogweed", but it lags behind the albums that would follow it until the departure of Gabriel. If you want to get into serious Genesis music, although this album will end up been a must in your collection, you need to jump first into 'The Lamb...', 'Selling England by The Pound' and 'Foxtrot', in that order.

Released in 1971, this is the first album with the "classic" Genesis lineup and the first to feature the distinctive ensemble sound that would characterize their work up to late 1976.

What is particularly noticeable about some of the longer pieces on this album including "The Musical Box" and "Return of the Giant Hogweed" is an aggressive and harsh sound that is largely reflected in Steve Hackett's guitar work. Although I do not know this for certain, I suspect that this heaviness may have resulted from exposure to the music of fellow Charisma label band Van der graaf Generator while on "package" tours in Britain.

One other new element that helped shape the classic Genesis sound was the addition of superb drummer Phil Collins, who brought a superior level of musicianship to the band that the previous drummer (John Mayhew) was not able to. As such, the use of unusual time signatures increased and the ensemble work became a bit more sophisticated over that found on Trespass (1970). Other interesting developments include the use of the mellotron by keyboardist Tony Banks, an instrument which is featured prominently on "Seven Stones" and the excellent "The Fountain of Salmacis", a piece that Tony wrote while studying physics at Sussex University. Quieter pieces on the album include "For Absent Friends" (which features Phil Collins on vocals) and "Harlequin", while "Harold the Barrel" is somewhere in the middle.

Interestingly enough, Tony Banks has been quoted as saying he did not feel that Nursery Cryme was much of an improvement over Trespass (1970). Although this may only hold partially true musically, conceptually and lyrically this is a completely different story. With regard to the lyrics, the cosmic and surreal imagery that would dominate the Peter Gabriel years was first expressed on Nursery Cryme. For example, "Return of the Giant Hogweed" describes (in anthropomorphic terms) how the invasive wetland plant species Heracleum mantegazziani (giant hogweed) threatens to take over the countryside. As a biologist, the thought of an invasive plant (that grows to 15-20 feet in height) shouting, "Human bodies soon will know our anger. Kill them with your Hogweed hairs!" tickled me pink.

Other bizarre imagery includes a young boy that ages suddenly, dies, and his spirit then takes up residence in a musical box belonging to his playmate. Consumed by a "lifetimes worth of desires", the spirit of "young Henry" lunges at the girl, only to have the nanny rush into the room and destroy the musical box, thus killing poor Henry.

All in all, this is a great album that initiates a four-year period where Genesis was at a creative and artistic peak. Although the production quality is somewhat muddy, and it does not possess the polish and sophistication of "Selling England by the Pound" (1973), this is still an excellent album and is recommended.

After hearing Tresspass, I didnt have very high hopes for NC. So I skipped it and got into Selling England, The Lamb and so on. Boy was I the fool. The production quality of this album really gives Genesis a distinguished sound. Also, with the appearance of Phil Collins, it makes the album that much better. The album begins with a really incredible 10 min song named The Musical Box(probably the best tune on the album). The drumming is truly intense, which keeps up with the furious guitar work. Gabriel really lets loose on this tune vocally, and helps Collins out with his old beat up bass drum. Rutherford, truly underated as a member, gives his all in this tune as for Banks who makes the tune, with his incredible talent. As for the rest of the album it can make you go from the sadest of moods with songs like, for absent friends and seven stones, to really angry moods like the freakin amazing, return of the giant hogweed, with a really heavy incredibly kicking ending. The rest cannot go unnoticed, no matter how hard you try. Its just too amazing. Especially the vocals on Harold the Barrel and the lyrically and musically beautiful, fountain of salmacis.

1971 was a wonderful year for music. Van Der Graaf Generator's dark and frankly twisted masterpiece "Pawn Hearts" and Emerson Lake Palmer's brilliant Tarkus opus was on the tip of everyone's tongues, King Crimson were solidifying themselves with Island and Lizard, and Yes were beginning their short lived glory years. And then, almost out of nowhere, we had 5 young young young men, just straight out of Charterhouse College, aiming towards greatness.

This is where things really began to click for Genesis. Trespass was a valid and valiant attempt to better their fortunes after the dismally twee "From Genesis to Revelations", but Nursery Cryme was literally a brisk kick in the ears, just to say "we have finally arrived".

Steve Hackett had arrived on lead guitars and Phil Collins had been drafted in on drums in order to bring some more life into the bands sound, and their contributions must not go un-noted. Collins (say what you like about the man's solo work) is an extremely competant drummer, and Hackett's guitar work can rage hard and heavy in a Fripp stylee, whilst being able to offer a more reflective form of playing at the same time.

The line up was and is the classic line-up

Peter Gabriel: vocals, flute, bass drum
Tony Banks: hammond organ, piano, mellotron
Phil Collins: drums, vocals
Mike Rutherford: bass guitar, 12 string guitar
Steve Hackett: lead guitar, 12 string guitar

Here lieth a breakdown of the brilliance that is Nursery Cryme...

1. The Musical Box: An extremely powerful and somewhat disturbing piece about a boy who was re-incarnated after a rather ahem, nasty accident in the croquet field. Starts off a wonderful harpsichord sound keyboard and gentle acoustic guitar, before hitting into some of their harsher and harshest moments. If anyone ever doubted that Genesis could rock hard and heavy, then play this one for them. Gabriel's vocals are excellent here.

2. For Absent Friends: A calmer tune, sung by Phil Collins of all people, and a slightly distressing tale of suburbia and the distance between people. Short and not at all unpleasant to hear.

3. The return of the giant hogweed: Genesis' playful insanity really comes to the fore in this rather violent number. If the hard rock elements of The Knife on Trespass or The Musical Box appealed to you, then you shall no doubts enjoy this one. An outlandish tale about a giant plant that is taking over Britain, this is far and away the most aggressive song that the boys ever wrote. Gabriel's vocals are harsher and much more jarring on this one, much like Peter Hammill from VDGG in a way. Again, the last two minutes of this track are heavy enough to get any paid up headbanger to bash their heads as Hackett's detuned guitar rips out some dramatic powerchords. A note must be added here also concerning Phil Collins' drumming. Those last two minutes see the good man pretty much sealing his career and his drumming reputation with the band as he bashes the crud out of his kit as the music comes to an explosive climax.

4. Seven Stones: Very King Crimson-ish this mainly nautical number is, dominated to a large degree by Hackett's powerful guitar solos and Tony Banks' Mellotron mastery. The last few moments at the end of this song where Banks' mellotron becomes the dominant factor are truly chilling.

5. Harold the barrel: A catchy and oddly danceable black humoured number dealing with a man who was about to throw himself off a window ledge. Not the most humourous subjects that you could tackle in such a song admittedly, but regardless of all of that, this song is quite amusingly funny. Gabriel's lyrics here are disturbingly silly (i.e. harold the barrel cut off his toes...) and he takes on several roles throughout the song, playing the narrator, town folk, the lord mayor, and Harold himself. Definately a sign post for things to come, and far from a throwaway number.

6. Harlequin. A folky medieval number, probably the weakest song on the album, but not at all terrible by any stretch of the imagination. Very much acoustic based and dominated by some medieval whimsy-cum-lyrics.

7. Fountain of Salmacis: Mellotron ahoy. Tony Banks in my opinion was the principal interpreter of all things mellotronish, and this song really shows his skill on this notoriously difficult instrument off to the fore. The story is quite powerful, dealing with Hermaphroditus (son of Hermes and Aphrodite in Greek mythology) and Salmacis, a water nymph. Gabriel's powerful vocals are purely magical here, to the stage where I really could not imagine anyone else singing this song.

To finish this review, although Genesis were to go on to even greater things with Foxtrot and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, this was a definate sign that this band, at least for a few years, were going to be untouchable.

Recommended? Oh hell yes. Purchase, a.s.a.p.

Nursery Cryme came at perhaps the most interesting time in the band's career. They had just picked up much needed muscle with Hackett and Collins, but were still trying to find their voice as a band. The result is some of the oddest, most original music they have ever composed, played at a new level of competency. For me the most fascinating progressive rock can be the strangest, and--make no mistake--Nursery Cryme is Genesis at their strangest. Here they move away from the folky tendencies of the albums that preceeded it, but are not yet producing music as streamlined and professional as that which would soon come. This is one of the most unique albums in prog rock history.

One of the best things about this album is that the ego jostling has yet to set in. Steve Hackett plays a large role and Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford sing background prominently in some places. Banks even delivers the "Mighty Hogweed" line in "Return of the Giant Hogweed," which is, by the way, a good example of a song with the bizarreness I alluded to earlier.

There are others. "Harold the Barrel" is a off-center but moving mini-opera that takes place in about three minutes, and "Seven Stones" reveals the influence that the first King Crimson album must have had on the band, especially Hackett's guitar solo in the middle and the Mellotronic thunder at the end. Kind of a creepy song in its own way. And speaking of creepy, while "The Musical Box" is an acknowledged epic masterpiece, its theme of a reincarnated (...)fixated villain is so disturbingly obscure that they had to explain the story on the liner notes of the remastered CD (whose sound IS much better than the original vinyl pressing).

The oddness of the music of this record is certainly reflected in the band's colorful stage persona at the time, all infused with a wonderful sense of artistic discovery. We know the three albums to come are the five star classics, but there is something singularly exciting about this record that you won't find anywhere else.