Trespass

Trespass
Studio album by Genesis
Released	23 October 1970
Recorded	Trident Studios, June - July 1970
Genre	Progressive rock, progressive folk
Length	42:56
Label	Charisma/Virgin (UK) Impulse, ABC, MCA, Geffen (USA)
Producer	John Anthony
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Blender link Rolling Stone (not rated) link
Genesis chronology
From Genesis to Revelation (1969) Trespass (1970) Nursery Cryme (1971)

Trespass is the second studio album by Genesis and was recorded and released in 1970. The only album with drummer John Mayhew and the last with guitarist Anthony Phillips, Trespass had a folk-flavoured progressive rock sound that was a marked departure from their earlier work, and foreshadowed the path the band would follow through the 1970s.

The compositions were generally much longer and complex than before, featuring several different musical sections. The sound evokes a kind of 'pastoral English idyll' espoused by numerous progressive rock bands of the time. To this end, much use is made of multi-tracked 12-string acoustic guitars, blended with folky vocal harmonies, flute, acoustic piano, and gentle keyboard pads on Hammond organ and mellotron. The drum playing is generally fairly soft, which actually complements the atmosphere, although the band were unhappy with John Mayhew's skills and replaced him with Phil Collins following Trespass' completion and Anthony Phillips' departure.

Despite its generally muted, pastoral, folky feel, the album is not without dynamic moments. Peter Gabriel's vocals are soulful and angst-ridden throughout, particularly at the climax of "Stagnation", which also includes a prominent Hammond organ solo from Tony Banks. Closing track "The Knife" is aggressive and bombastic, featuring some biting lyrics from Gabriel, with Mike Rutherford playing fuzz bass. The song, which received great praise by The Nice's Keith Emerson,^{[citation needed]} became a favourite closer to live shows and appeared — with lyrical changes — on Genesis' 1973 first live album Genesis Live.

Trespass was the first of several Genesis albums to be recorded at London's famous Trident Studios. Although the album was not a commercial success in the UK (it eventually reached #98 for one week in 1984), it was a critical one despite its lack of sales. However, the album fared much better in mainland Europe where it reached No. 1 in Belgium, leading to the band's first overseas concerts in that country in 1971.

A SACD / DVD double disc set (including new 5.1 and Stereo mixes) was released November 11, 2008.

Track listing

All songs by Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Anthony Phillips and Mike Rutherford.

Side one

1. "Looking for Someone" – 7:06
2. "White Mountain" – 6:45
3. "Visions of Angels" – 6:51

Side two

1. "Stagnation" – 8:50
2. "Dusk" – 4:13
3. "The Knife" – 8:56

Singles

• The Knife

Personnel

• Peter Gabriel – vocals, woodwind, percussion
• Anthony Phillips – guitar, backing vocals
• Mike Rutherford – bass, guitar, nylon, backing vocals
• Tony Banks – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
• John Mayhew – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Production

• John Anthony: Producer
• Robin Geoffrey Cable: Engineer
• Nick Davis: Mixing
• Tony Cousins: Mastering

U.S. LP Releases

• ABC/Impulse AS-9205 (1970): 1st issue, gatefold cover with art, lyrics and credits.
• ABC ABCX-816 (1974): Reissue, black label, gatefold cover.
• ABC ABCX-816 (1976): Reissue, rainbow label, gatefold cover.
• MCA MCA-37151 (1981): Budget reissue. No gatefold cover.

External links

• Crawdaddy! Magazine Ex Post Facto Review, 2008